Eat: How to Feed a Family with a New Baby

To go along with our maternity theme this week (sorry, I’m 38 weeks pregnant so it’s very much on the brain!) I thought I’d highlight some “there’s a new baby in the house” meal ideas and tips. Hopefully this one will also be helpful to those of you who are not expecting a new baby, but are trying to decide what to bring to friend/church member who is in need of a meal.

10 Recipe Ideas:

Baked Penne with a bag of steamable broccoli

Tortelleni with Edamame and Sausage

Southwestern Stew with a bag of salad on the side

Any kind of quiche with a fruit cup on the side

Enchiladas with a packet of instant rice and a can of pineapple

Tortelleni and Broccoli Soup

Easy Lasagna plus a bag of salad and a loaf of french bread

Broccoli Cheese Soup with a side of whole wheat french bread

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Melt in Your Mouth Slow Cooker Pork Roast (with big fluffy biscuits!)

Other tips for families preparing for new babies:

• Before having the baby, families can prepare by making a month-long menu
  and then stocking up on all the non-perishables needed for those meals.
  Not only will it make grocery shopping for the first month much faster,
  but it will also take out the brain power needed to figure out what to
  feed everyone. 
• Be gentle with yourself. Of course many of us don’t want to feed our kids boxed mac and cheese or chicken nuggets on a regular basis, but allow yourself to have some of those easy meals on hand. A frozen pizza will not hurt your children :). But it may really help your sanity on a particularly rough day.
• If you have the freezer space, cook and freeze beforehand. You will thank yourself even though you may not feel like doing it at the time.

Other tips when delivering meals:

• When delivering a meal, why not include a breakfast bread too, or maybe a pack of yogurt and fruit? Some frozen breakfast burritos? Especially helpful for those mommas who already have kids….who wants to get up at the crack of dawn to make breakfast after waking up all night to nurse?
• When delivering meals, deliver in containers that you don’t want back. To make things really easy, you could just buy some from the dollar store that you always have on hand.
• If taking food, label with heating instructions, and maybe include a recipe card too! Not only will they know what is in the food (important for those who may have allergies in the family) but then they can make it again if they like it!
• Go easy on the dessert.  Don’t feel like you have to bring it– the last thing new parents need are older kids who are on sugar highs, or figuring out what to do with all the dessert that is bound to pile up! If you love making dessert and really want to include it, think about packing just enough for the family to have one piece of something. Keep the rest for yourself– win win!
• If you need to, bring the meal over the night before. That way the family can eat whenever they want. 
• Consider giving a gift card instead of cooking, especially if you know the family has picky eaters. 
• Consider waiting awhile before bringing a meal….around week 3 or 4, meals from family and friends have ended, but the difficulty still remains! 🙂
• Finally, remember that your meal doesn’t need to be extravagant. The simplest meals are so appreciated and taste WONDERFUL because the family didn’t have to make it! 🙂