Having an infant dramatically changes your daily schedule, and trying to maintain good sleep and eating habits can become very difficult. Your self-care as parents sometimes takes the back burner, but disregarding your needs entirely can affect the health of your whole family. Eating healthy meals and snacks regularly can give you the energy you need for late night feedings and diaper blowouts.

Here are a few tips for ensuring good nutrition for your whole family:

  • Before your baby is born, prep some meals that can be frozen and eaten in the first few weeks of your baby’s arrival. Whether you make meals yourself or buy them already prepared, having something you can throw in the oven or microwave can be a lifesaver.

  • If you’re not much of a chef, use your baby shower or registry as a time to communicate that food would be appreciated. Many families find an organization tool like Meal Train to be helpful in planning. This website ensures you get food when you need it and a variety of meals.

  • Ask your friends and family to bring food, not gifts. When your loved ones come to visit the new baby and ask how they can help, be honest — ask for them to bring you dinner or lunch. Again, it doesn’t have to be homemade, and having someone else do the work of the meal makes it more likely that you will actually get a chance to eat it.

  • Eat when the baby eats. Much like the old adage to sleep when the baby sleeps, this can be harder to do than it seems. But when you are feeding the baby — whether breastfeeding or bottlefeeding — it can be a chance for you to refuel too. Have healthy snacks, like dried fruit and nuts, breakfast bars, or a cup of yogurt near the place you typically feed the baby so it is handy when you sit down. It may be tricky at first, as you and the baby are learning together how to feed him, but as you get the hang of it, it’s a great time for you to snack.

  • Feed your older children when the baby eats. Providing snacks for older siblings while you are feeding the baby can incorporate them into the baby’s new routine and help them to feel included.

  • If financially possible, consider using services that help deliver food to your home. Grocery delivery can be a lifesaver, and many large grocery chains now offer that option. Similarly, there are full meal delivery services — such as Blue Apron, Scratch DC, and Galley — that bring you all the ingredients you need or even deliver homemade meals. There are also services like NatureBox that deliver healthy snacks to have on hand.

Bon appetit!