When Is It Mommy's Turn to Eat?

The night before you work fix a lunch (sandwich, fruit, etc.) and all you have to do is put it in a lunch box and eat it on the way home. I guess too... I don't understand if you don't "trust" the babysitter then why is she babysitting?

Eat a Zone bar in the car on your way home. That together with a stick of cheese (buy 'em pre-wrapped and they will always be ready to grab from the fridge) will provide you with about 18-20 grams of protein.
And there is a huge variety of Zone bars to choose from, so you won't get bored with the "same old same old"...

The Kashi cereal bars are awesome too, but don't have the same protein as the Zone bars.

I don't have any suggestions for protein bars, but what I end up doing quite often for lunch is this. I pop a Lean Cuisine frozen pizza or sandwich and a Campbell's Select Healthy Request soup into the microwave. While they are cooking, I prepare the the baby's and toddler's food. When the microwave finishes, I bring it to the table where I am feeding the baby, and do 1 spoonful for baby, 1 bite for mommy. Sure it takes me a little bit longer to feed the baby this way, but it takes care of my lunch time as well, and then after he naps I can focus on what to make for dinner, not trying to catch up on lunch.
**The baby I give jarred/pureed foods at lunch time, and then after he's done, we all go to the toddler's room and cuddle on the couch while the toddler drinks his milk and the baby drinks his bottle, and I read them a story, which is soothing for all of us.**

When I use to always be on the go I ate Luna Bars. They have a decent variety and they taste good too. They were specially created for woman. You can get them at drugstores and sometimes even at gas stations and you can definitely order them through drudgstore.com here's their website's luna bars page: http://www.drugstore.com/search/search_results.asp?Ntk=Al....

It was just something to hold me over either in between classes or on my way to work. In your case it could work to your benefit on the way home from work. That way when 2:30 or so comes around, you won't feel like you're starving.

Hope this helps you out some!

Raw almonds, bananas, etc.

Zone bars.. they are great and under 250 calories good mix of carbs and protein.

Well, if you don't trust the babysitter to feed the baby, how about asking her to make some lunch for you? She probably needs to eat as well, so get the fixin's for both of you and ask her to prepare lunch for both of you. Then when you get home, you can eat while you feed baby her solids, and baby sitter can take her lunch "to go" or else you can all have lunch together.

If you dont' like that idea, just take some leftover dinner (make enough dinner so that you have some left) and put it in a reheatable container to eat while baby does.

Part of mothering is multitasking and another part needs to be caring for yourself so that you can care for the rest of the family. I'm sure that you can eat while your baby nurses. She is 8 months old, so she can probably sit up in your lap and nurse, leaving you at least one hand free! Good luck!

Sit at the table to nurse your daughter with a boppy and eat then or while you feed her solid food lunch.

I always had a sandwich or snack with me while I nursed. The baby would be nursing and I would be munching myself too. If it something with crumbs (like bread) cover babe with a blanket so not to cover her with crumbs or get any in little eyes.
So I suggest- the minute you walk in the door- grab yourself the makings of a sandwich or an apple, carrots, grapes, warm up something you can eat one handed.... get that set up on a table right beside where you relax to nurse- then get your daughter. She is not gonna starve if she is waiting 10 minutes or less before you get your hands on her. Or you could request your sitter making your lunch so it is ready to go when you walk in. Or pack your lunch and (gulp) eat in the car while driving home.... not the safest thing but it has been done.
Moms always eat last- even if dad makes dinner mom is still last one to sit down because she is the one getting everyones plate, cup, drink, silverware, napkin... oh you need a straw, etc. Sometime I sit down just so my family can pray then I get back up to finish getting everyones stuff before getting my own plate of food. You will get used to starving (some). Sorry :(
Hope this helps :)

When do you leave for work? Get up a little earlier and make a sandwich or pack some yogurt. A fruit cup or some soup you can microwave are also quick and easy and you don't have to leave work to eat them. There are also smoothies you can drink as a meal. With a little planning you shouldn't have to miss a meal.
And just out of curiosity, why don't you trust your babysitter?

hi, I agree with Laura. Feeding yourself is so important, especially if you are working and nursing! Prepare some hearty soup (chicken noodle, etc.) the night before or on weekend, and have the sitter heat a smalll portion up for you prior toyou coming home (call her on the cell before you come home). then you can take 5-10 minutes eating your light lunch when you first come home before you nurse the baby. Treat yourself well.. For me, if I didn't eat well I could not have enough milk to nurse anyway. Good luck.

Can you eat nuts? why not have a couple of handfuls of almonds, cashews, pecans, or whatever. I do a mixture of the above three. It's so yummy and good for you, and then meal time is not as frenzied... good luck!

In the mornings I dont have time to eat breakfast, so I drink Carnation Instant Breakfast on the way to work. (I have a half hour commute). They come in pre-made bottles, so I just have to shake and open. Is that something you could do?

This may be a bit simplistic of an answer, but here goes: You don't trust the sitter with feeding your daughter, so why don't you ask the sitter to have a lunch ready for YOU? You can sit down and plan quick meals and have the food ready and the sitter can have it prepared for you. This way, the moment you get home, a lunch or at least a healthy snack will be ready for you. It is possible to eat and nurse at the same time--I've been known to eat Thanksgiving dinner while nursing! :-)

Best of luck,
L.

Hi-

Not sure how old your daughter is, but at a certain point I started telling my daughter that Mommy needs to eat first, and then I would give her milk. This was not an enjoyable or relaxing meal, since the baby was crying for me and milk, but it was necessary. She eventually understood it was part of the routine. Maybe babysitter can hold the baby for just a couple more minutes while you eat. Your eating is VERY VERY important! =)

When do mommy's get to eat? I have no idea! Do we get to eat?

:-) Good luck with your new one. It sounds like you got some good suggestions from the other moms. It is hard to eat with kids, though, no matter what age. I feel like I hurry up and get their food on the plate so it can cool down, then I give it to them so they will be quiet and let me finish everything else. Then I sit down. Then one spills milk. Then one drops a fork. One wants more water. The other wants seconds. Then they are done and raring to go.....I guess I will miss that when they are 18 and away at college.

Why not eat lunch on the way home from work?

"pack a lunch" for yourself the morning or even the night before. Make a sandwhich, a peersonal portion of left overs you can heat up, some soup to just heat up. When you get home get your food ready and eat as you tend to your daughter. Maybe even eat some fruit on the way home to start your meal off. You'll just have to plan ahead a bit.

Why do you not trust your babysitter???? I am flabbergasted that you have someone watching your child that you do not trust.

The simple answer is that you need to take care of yourself first. Every mom is busy and now that I have 2 kids I realized I need to eat first sometimes. If I am starving then I become irritable and a non-happy mommy isn't good for the kids.

If you need to grab a sandwich, do it. If you need to eat a banana, do it! Prepare your lunch before you leave so you can grab it when you get home. The extra five minutes it takes to eat isn't going to harm your child.

P.S.- the luna bars are really yummy!

If you don't trust the babysitter, find another one. (Just a thought, if you wanted to have a minimum wage person raise your kids, why did you have kids?)

I don't know what you want to eat. When I want a quick meal on the go, I make a sandwich. In your case, you can make one the night before, place it in a baggie and place it in the frig. Or make 5 and make one for each day of the week. If its in a baggie you can actually eat it while nursing. My wife did this when necessary. It wasn't her favorite way to eat, but it worked.
Good Luck.

If you don't trust your babysitter, you need to find a new one.

Why not have the babysitter set-up a little lunch plate near the area where you nurse? Does the babysitter stay in your house?

I loved my babysitter and she was willing to help out with everything.
Just leave her a small list. She might be willing to get some small chores done for you too.