Healthy midnight snacks whilst breastfeeding

[PeaceLillyDoge]

I'm finding that I'm ravenous with hunger during the night feeds and would really like some suggestions for healthy snacks I can take to bed with me so I don't have to keep traipsing downstairs to the fridge.

So far I'm just snacking on a banana which is fine but I could eat a whole bunch. Would really like to just eat cereal bars but they're full of sugar.

Anyone got any suggestions they can share?

[GwenStacy]

I ate a lot of dried apricots!

[Thesunrising]

Homemade flapjack. The type made with rapeseed oil and mashed black bananas in place of butter and sugar. If you go easy on the dried fruit and throw in more seeds and nuts, then it's kind of healthy. Or else plain old oat cakes. dry

[NiMhurchu]

Are you sure it's hunger? Most hunger pangs are actually thirst. When I'm up feeding at night I can polish off 2 litre bottles of water.

If it is hunger you need something filling, non messy/crumby, not sugary, can sit out at bedside and not go off (eg yoghurts), not noisy so you don't disturb baby and can eat with one hand...

I agree with pp, dried fruits raisins?, grapes, strawberries raspberries etc.
What about some pre cooked veg? Roasted sweet potato sticks? Steamed carrot batons. Things like that?

Can you tell we're weaning right now?

[zoemaguire]

Twixes. Multipacks thereof.

Sorry:) My health visitor concurs, if that helps - whatever gives you most energy in a small easily edible package, and I don't think cold cooked veg quite do that at 3am!

[MrsCakesPremonition]

I used to have a pint of water and a packet of fig rolls beside my bed.

[mrsmugoo]

I've just eaten half a packet of biscuits feeding at 2:30am!

[NiMhurchu]

Healthy was the initial requirement...

Also I found chocolate near any of my night feeds kept baby up. They don't really need a caffeine hit at 2am!

Kick OH out of bed to go make you a feast!hahahaha

[Roseandmabelshouse]

Banana.

[HappyAsASandboy]

Dried apricots, raisins, dried apple slices, kitkats, milk chocolate digestives and a flask of hot water for making peppermint tea.

Fond memories :)

[leedy]

M&S fruity flapjacks. Also those Nakd bar things that are basically compressed dried fruit/nuts - pretty tasty, not crumby, and very filling. Ideal eating in bed food...

[PretzelPrincess]

I have water and cereal bars

[Possiblyorange]

Dried apricots, choc buttons (only a little bit of choc, so practically counts as healthy), misc other dried fruit. Definitely not Nature Valley bars - I have never slept on so many crumbs in my life. LITRES of water.

[PeaceLillyDoge]

Thanks all for your replies, at twix's.

Dried fruit and carrot batons are great ideas, will defo give them a go. Already getting through about a litre of water each night, I think I'm even managing to sleep drink.

Will also look up a healthy flap Jack recipe.

[Spookey80]

I have now been to aldi and bought a load of nuts, dried fruit and trail mix as I can't stop eating (bf 2week old dd), I need to stop reaching for the biscuits. Still eating a few biggies though.

[strongandlong]

Malt loaf was always my standby and dark chocolate digestives

Protein bars are good for staving off hunger.

[mrsmugoo]

Mmmm malt loaf!

[PrincessWatermelon]

Fig rolls.

[Mim78]

Hob nobs for me. Nt v healthy but do the job,.

[Back2Two]

Oat biscuits.
Plain or fruit/ginger/spice or even chocolate.

Plain are healthiest of course and very low GI.

Perfect.

[Annietheacrobat]

Mini magnum bars. DD2 was born in the heatwave last summer. Maybe not so good for eating in bed

[AnythingNotEverything]

I was ravenous in the early days of bf and still am during growth spurts (nearly six months in now).

I think you can eat whatever you want when breastfeeding. I was worried more about sugary stuff during the night because of my teeth, so I had a pile of toast and chocolate spread before bed and took a chocolate croissant (individually frozen and then defrosted overnight) up to have in the morning. That got me through the middle of the night bit.

You're still growing a new human being while undergoing torturous sleep deprivation. Be kind to yourself.

[PeaceLillyDoge]

Reading this back whilst bf and eating carrot sticks had made me crave mini magnums and chocolate digestives

[StarsAbove]

Digestives and rich tea biscuits! I don't think dried fruit is a good option for teeth as it is so sticky it will stay on your teeth whereas biscuit crumbs are washed away by water (a bit!). The ravenous hunger wears off eventually - at 12 months DD still feeds every 3 hours through the night but I haven't eaten at night for months. Still drink a litre of water overnight though.

[MrsCosmopilite]

I used to keep a stash of stuff on my bedside table:

Oat crackers with a smidge of butter on them
Roasted unsalted nuts
Dried fruit
Roasted unsalted corn kernels
Digestives
Large glass of water

[enormouse]

Banana bread, Oreos, bourbon biscuits and cheese scones.

Occasionally, dp would make a load of nachos and I'd munch through those.