Nourishing Yourself When You Have a New Baby
- October 5, 2012
- by Melissa Lawrence
Hello new Mamas!
Bringing home a new baby is such an exciting (and overwhelming!) time in your life, and all of a sudden simple things like going to the grocery store become twice as hard! In all the hustle and bustle, it can be hard to remember that you’re not just responsible for keeping your little one well-fed and happy. You need to keep yourself (Mommy!) well-fed and happy, too! Is there a way to get fresh, delicious produce and gourmet treats without hiring a babysitter or struggling with that bulky stroller? Yes, there is!
Meals for New Moms
One thing I learned after going through this process five times is to make things easier on yourself by signing up for subscription services. You can do this with fruit, snacks, cheeses, meats, and more! And it’s like Christmas every time they’re delivered…right to your door! Another thing I found very helpful was to order food and cleaning supplies online. Boy, can that save you a lot of time and effort! And time is one thing new moms definitely don’t have a lot of!
Watch the video for more tips on how to make daily errands more efficient and less taxing when you’re a new mom, and for how to treat yourself at the same time!
Comment below with YOUR advice on feeding the whole family when you have a new baby. And best of luck with the new kiddie!
Comments
Amanda Carney
The thing I learned after my 2 babies, the crockpot is seriously your best friend. By dinner time, I was not in the mood to cook- at all. But in the morning, once the chaos of diaper changes and breakfast, it’s the perfect time to get dinner ready. let it slow cook all day and you’ll have a delicious and healthy dinner without all the frustration.
Melissa Lawrence
I agree with you that the crockpot is a mom’s best friend! So great at the end of a long day!
Lori S
We are transitioning into that “new baby” phase right now. Our second child is in the NICU right now but doing well and will likely be out in another week or so. I hadn’t really thought of ordering staples like milk and fruit online since we live within 5 minutes of a grocery store (and what new mom doesn’t need to get out of the house for a few minutes to recharge!), so with our first child, I would take short trips to the store for groceries in-between feedings. At the time, however, my husband worked from home, so it was easier to get out of the house by myself. Now my husband works away from home, plus I have a toddler, so I will look into ordering more food online to help simplify things. I LOVED your idea of a subscription service as a little monthly present for myself and had actually been looking into a few before reading your post. There is one I found that is geared toward baby products and another one that allows you to choose between a spa-themed box or a food box and even lets you skip a month if you don’t like either box for that month, which I think is awesome, so I am leaning toward that one. I love getting things in the mail, especially now that I’m home recovering from having a baby. I was in the hospital for a week on bedrest, so while I was stuck there, I ordered a few fun things, so now I have several new things to open and enjoy while recovering and waiting for our new little girl to come home.
Melissa-CloudMom
Lori, I am so sorry to hear you have a baby in the NICU. I went through this with my 3rd and boy was I happy to get home. Glad you have some good things planned for when you get home! Thanks for commenting! xo Melissa
Sara
I never even thought about subscriptions for food!
Laura Hill
My babies are 4 and 5, so It’s been a while since I had a new baby in the house, but my advice would be to budget your money, plan your meals atleast a week in advance. Avoid quick and easy meals as much as possible, because most of them are only fillers. When you make certain things, such as, Spaghetti, chicken, stew, soup….ect, feeze some, then when you are running late or low on time, unfreeze it and you can have it. Or use it as a back up dinner for emergencies.
Melissa-CloudMom
Great advice, and healthy too! xo M
Amanda Bryant
About a month before our second daughter was due I stocked my freezer and pantry. Both my girls are summer babies though so casseroles and soups weren’t in the plan. I grilled and froze individual pizza crusts, froze chicken and beef in marinades so they were ready for the grill, baked pans of burritos and enchiladas too. Anything I could do in advance I did! I stocked up on paper plates too, a must with a new addition!
Amanda.bryant84@gmail.com
Melissa Lawrence
Sounds yummy! You are super organized!!
Lynda (@MommyPowers)
I was blessed with a couple of wonderful friends who made us meals that lasted for the first week I was home from the hospital. After that, I made large meals, like lasagna & enchiladas, meals that I knew we would not eat up in one sitting. We ate off of these meals for several days (we Love leftovers!). I knew I would not have to worry about cooking every single day and it gave me more time to get adjusted to having a new little bundle of joy in our home! I also bought sandwich meat and loaves of bread, that way the other members of the family could always make themselves a quick sandwich if they were hungry!
Melissa Lawrence
Great tips, thanks Lynda!
Julie P.
Great tips – I love having groceries delivered to our home, especially the heavy items like milk and juice!
My advice for nourishing the family with a new baby is to make large meals (ex. soups and casseroles) for multiple servings that you can freeze. You can also do this for breakfast – make a pot of oatmeal the night before and keep it in the fridge – in the morning, just put a bowl of it in the microwave and you have a healthy and filling breakfast ready for you in 1 minute.
Melissa Lawrence
I do exactly the same thing with oatmeal, that is so funny, and I eat this almost every morning! We also do huge amounts of soup every week with veggies and different sorts of beans and the kids eat it and I eat it too for a quick lunch! I am right there with you on the freezing! Thanks for commenting, Julie!
Laura C.
I’ll have to admit, I was lucky enough to have all our family close by and they supplied us with dinner pretty much every night for the first 2 weeks!! My mom was also great about fixing a large casserole but putting it in 2 smaller containers to then freeze for later. My husband and I always try to make big portions of freezable items (chili, soups, pasta sauces, homemade sloppy joe mix) and freeze left-overs in individual portions for later. I definitely relied (and still do) on subscription services (Amazon Subscribe and Save) for things like diapers, wipes, laundry detergent, etc.
Melissa Lawrence
Thanks so much to everyone who commented on how they took care of food when they were a new mom. This week we’re asking about fall comfort foods, take a look and let us know what yours is for another chance to win LWF’s awesome boxes! xo melissa