These nursing snacks for breastfeeding moms are easy to make ahead of time! Use these postpartum snacks to help keep your body fueled and energized while nursing.
*Originally posted 2/2017. Updated 10/2024*
Hi friends!
I’ve got some healthy breastfeeding snacks to share with you today. Although I’m no longer nursing, I do have three kids and there were several years where I was nursing constantly and was often asked about breastfeeding snacks.
Healthy Postpartum Snacks
When my oldest was born, our breastfeeding journey came to a rapid end. I got mastitis the first week and ended up in the hospital when he was six weeks old with a breast abscess. (You can read more here.) Since our breastfeeding stint was so short, and I was also supplementing with formula, I didn’t get a clear picture as to just how much exclusively breastfeeding affects your body.
Healthy Snacks for Breastfeeding Moms
When my daughter was born, we were able to exclusively breastfeed for 13 months. During that time I was also chasing two kids around and regularly doing CrossFit which involved weightlifting and high-intensity workouts. I quickly learned that I needed to eat A LOT of calories to maintain my weight.
My youngest struggled to gain weight as a baby which meant I spent a lot of time doing triple feeds where I was nursing, pumping and giving him formula which was just as exhausting as it sounds, especially with two other little kids running around.
Breastfeeding women are encouraged to eat an extra 300-500 calories per day.
Best Postpartum Snacks
Finding time to eat can be tough when you have a screaming newborn and a high-energy toddler running around.
Most of the time when meal or snack time rolled around, one of two things was happening:
- Everyone needed to eat at the same time so I nursed one while getting food ready for the other two.
- The baby was napping and the toddlers needed to eat so I fed them and then ran around trying to get work done or spend one on one time with the other kids while baby slept instead of eating myself.
After a bit of a learning curve, I realized I needed to step up my game a little bit. I needed to make more of an effort to have my fridge, freezer and pantry well-stocked with healthy, calorie-dense snacks that I can eat quickly throughout the day and I needed to prioritize sitting down and eating meals….even when I’m busy or feel like I have a million other things to do.
If you’re pressed for time – which, let’s be honest, what new mom isn’t….storebought snacks are a perfectly acceptable option. I have tons of Best of Storebought Snack lists including:
- Healthy Snacks at Costco
- Healthy Snacks at Walmart
- Healthy Gluten-Free Snacks
- Healthy High Protein Snacks
Healthy Breastfeeding Snacks
So here are some of my favorite make-ahead snacks to have stocked and ready to eat throughout the day while post-partum and nursing:
Easy Snacks For Breastfeeding Moms
Snack Mixes
To make it super easy, buy a bag of trailmix from Costco and portion it out as needed. I love the one that has peanuts, almonds, cashews, raisins and m&ms.
But also remember that it’s pretty quick and easy to make your own with all your favorite things in it!
Think nuts, seeds, popcorn, dried fruit, chocolate chips, cereal, bite-sized crackers etc. Most snack mixes don’t require a recipe but here are a few I specifically love:
Breastfeeding Mom Snacks
Yogurt with Toppings
Try full-fat plain yogurt or Greek yogurt and top with a handful of oat-based granola or cereal for some crunch, fresh fruit for sweetness and nuts/seeds for healthy fats (a sprinkle of ground flaxseed mixed in would be a great addition.
A few other options:
Mush overnight oats and Mamma Chia are good storebought options.
Good Breastfeeding Snacks
Energy Balls
These are so easy to make and perfect for stocking your freezer. Make a double batch and freeze them so you can pull out one or two out to eat quickly. To make your life even easier, skip rolling them into individual balls- just press the mixture into a pan, refrigerate for a couple hours and then cut into bars.
Here are some energy ball recipes to try:
These also make a good kid snack so you can make some for yourself and share. For more ideas check out these 15 Kid-Friendly Protein Energy Balls – No Protein Powder Required.
Easy Postpartum Snacks
Granola or Protein Bars
I make these No-Bake Protein Bars all the time as a homemade version of store-bought protein bars. You can also try these Gingerbread Protein Balls.
If you’re looking for storebought ideas, I like:
- KIND Bars
- Rx Bars
- Perfect Bars
- Larabars
- Go Macro
- 88 Acres is a great option if you need something nut-free.
Lactation Snack Recipes
There are a few foods that are known to help increase breast milk production. These include things like whole grains (especially oats), leafy green veggies, nuts, ginger, flax, brewer’s yeast and blackstrap molasses.
Lactation Cookies
I’ve been eating a couple of these each day for a quick snack or dessert. This is my recipe for Dairy-Free Lactation Cookies and there are tons of other variations out there!
If you prefer store-bought you can check out Milky Mamas.
Other Snacks To Boost Milk Supply
Other snacks using some of these ingredients include:
Good Breastfeeding Snacks
Egg Wraps
These egg wraps are easy to make ahead of time. with turkey and guac or hummus. I make up 8-10 on Sundays to have on hand throughout the week. You can eat them warm or cold and add things like turkey, cheese, guacamole, etc. They’re easy to eat one-handed and packed with protein!
Egg Waffles are another great option! Or make a batch of egg muffins like these Easy Cottage Cheese Egg Muffins.
Best Snacks For Nursing Mothers
Muffins/Bars
When you’re making things like muffins, bars, pancakes, waffles, etc….always always make a double batch to stock your freezer. Just pull them out and thaw on the counter as needed.
Some favorites of mine are:
- Lentil Banana Muffins
- Gluten-free Pumpkin Yogurt Bars
- Black Bean Brownies
- Banana Muffins with Flax
- Peanut Butter Hemp Seed Cookies
Need more ideas for healthy snacks while breastfeeding?
- Hummus with carrots or chips (bonus points if you make this greek hummus topping too!)
- Apple slices with peanut butter
- Frozen pb banana sandwiches (put a little pb between two slices of banana and freeze)
- Tuna salad stuffed mini peppers (cut peppers in half, stuff with mix of tuna + avocado or hummus + salsa)
- PB toast or waffle with peanut butter (I like these Banana Flax Waffles– i make a batch to freeze then just grab one and pop it in the toaster)
- Pudding – try this PB banana version or this chocolate avocado pudding recipe
- Cold leftovers – I like these Thai Chicken Meatballs or Tuna Quinoa Cakes or Chicken Avocado Burgers straight out of the fridge
- Smoothies- did you know you can make a big batch and freeze them in mason jars. Then just microwave to thaw as needed. Here are some of the Best Smoothie Recipes.
That’s all for today! Keep in mind these healthy make-ahead snacks are great for everyone, not just nursing moms! I also have a post of Healthy Freezer Snacks that might be helpful!
Let’s chat:
What are the best postpartum snacks in your opinion?
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
LEARN HOW FOOD AFFECTS YOUR BODY.
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You are certainly a busy lady right now! These snack options look wonderful for anyone with a tight schedule. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Do you eat larger portions than you snap or more calorie heavy snacks throughout the day? I’m always amazed (/jealous) when people can do hard workouts and eat small dinners.
i eat a lot more than is shown on social media. a great reminder to not compare yourself to what you see from anyone on social media! like i said, i’ve never been able to eat super big meals…so i often eat a snack right when i get home or while making dinner, then dinner and then eat again before i go to bed. it just works better for my body than having one giant meal after a workout!
Everything you said I this posting was EXACTLY my situation to a T! Everything. Thank you for posting these great ideas. After every pregnancy (3) I’ve gone from happily velumptuous (for me) to super skinny and underweight and look like I need to eat, which is what I am told often. I’m naturally thin so breastfeeding pretty much depletes me. Thank you for the article 🙂
Love your blog- so realistic! First time i’ve Been here and can’t wait to try a lot of these especially the egg wraps! I’m trying to keep up the energy while nursing and chasing a toddler too :). Really a challenge now that I am trying to lower my sugar intake. Thanks for the great ideas
This is such a struggle for so many of my clients! To the point that they actually think there is a reason they can’t gain weight, and it’s simply lack of sufficient calorie intake. The calories needed are high! Especially if you had a fast metabolism to start! This is a great post!
As a soon-to-be-first-time-mom, this couldn’t have come at a better time. Thank you so much for this. A few questions: could you make the muffin mix ahead of time and bake as needed or would you need to bake as you make the mixes? Could the same apply to the lactation cookies?
you can mix up the cookie dough, scoop it into balls and freeze them on a cookie sheet. once frozen, put them in a ziploc bag and then just pull out a few to bake when you want to. for the muffins i would bake them like normal and then once they’ve cooled you can wrap them in plastic wrap and put them in a ziploc bag to freeze. just pull a few out and let them defrost on the counter or in the microwave when you want them!
Such a hard thing for new moms to grasp because everything tells them they need to lose the baby weight, etc. I’ve BF 4 babies (now 1, 3, 5, and 8), and I’m sure my supply suffered with the last two because of lack of time and struggling to maintain my weight. Lots of eating as you go and lots of oatmeal, in all forms imaginable!
yep! gimmme alllll the food!
Where is your egg wrap recipe? Those look soooo good!! I also have a hard time getting enough in and I’m not even breastfeeding I’m just trying to get pregnant!!!
just added the link in the post. sorry! and good luck!
Omg, I gained SO much weight on maternity leave. No time to eat meant poptarts for snacks and sometimes nothing but half a loaf.of bread to get me through the day. If we have a second kiddo I am definitely packing myself grab and go meals and snacks for the next day, just as if I were going to work!
Hang in there and keep the quick eats coming!
My little girl is almost 3 months old and I’ve had to turn my diet around completely trying to work out what’s best for her colic (week 3 of no dairy currently & 9 weeks of clean eating). Your sweet potato protein biscuits & protein balls are amazing to snack on and have helped me stay on the healthy track being easy to make and so great to have easily accessible! Is there a link to the egg wraps, I’m on my phone so I can’t see it.
Thanks so much again from South Australia!
so glad to hear it! just updated with link to egg wraps! hang in there mama!
Oooh I wish I had this when I was nursing my son! I remember so many times he would fall asleep on my and I would be starrrving or so thirsty and had nothing within reach. The WORST! I’ll save this for next time 🙂
I so hear you on the walking around the kitchen nursing plus getting food ready for an impatient hungry toddler! (Now that my baby is almost 1, he’s too big for that. Toddler really has to wait sometimes. And he lets me know how not ok that is with him…) I had similar struggles trying to get enough in. I just kept bananas, peanut butter, and nuts on the counter and grabbed them in every spare moment. And chocolate chips (shhh…)
Thank you. Just. . . Thank you. ♡
~ A very tired mom, breastfeeding a newborn with gerd and trying to survive an energetic 4 year old
hang in there mama! prep alllllll the snacks!
I can TOTALLY relate to you right eatif dilem a! I just had a baby girl and have a busy 1 1/2 year old daughter as well. I really struggled this pregnancy with hypoglycemia towards the second half. People kept commenting hat I didn’t look very big and should gain more weight, etc. I literally was trying SO hard and did my best. And since the new baby, I have still struggled to think straight about what sounds good and/or find the time without someone else crying to eat what I finally made myself… the struggle is real! All your recipes sound amazing and I’m so glad I found you!
This is amazing! Thank you for this list. I have just gotten into meal prep and it’s going to help so much more with the next baby!
hope you find some good ones!
Wow his sounds exactly like me! I’m struggling to maintain my supply with second bub and know I never had enough for bub number 1 and I think not eating enough has been a huge factor… i think I need to spend a few days loading up the fridge and freezer. Thank you for the helpful ideas. I think the other factor is rest but who hasn’t time with a toddler and 4 month old!