Healthful, one-handed snacks Here’s a list of just some of the goodies you can enjoy when you’re exhausted, sleep deprived, and totally behind on everything:

• Trail mix with unsalted nuts and cranberries.

• A slice of stone-ground bread or crackers topped with fresh-ground peanuts or other nut butters.

• Zucchini strips, carrots, and/or broccoli florets dipped in low-fat dressing.

• Cheese slices on whole wheat crackers.

• A whole celery stick stuffed with cream cheese and olives, pimiento cheese, or hummus.

• Mini-turkey meat loaves baked in a muffin tin and frozen for quick microwaving later.

• A smoothie made with plain yogurt, frozen berries or natural fruit juice, protein powder, and a few ice cubes.

• A hard-boiled egg.

• Tuna or salmon salad made with mayonnaise, chopped eggs, celery, and pickles.

  Tip

Eastern cultures maintain that food should be cut up before it comes to the table, so when it comes to takeout, Asian and Middle Eastern foods are generally easier to eat one-handed than American or European cuisine.

• A mini-pizza made by topping a whole-grain English muffin or pita bread with bottled spaghetti sauce and a slice of mozzarella, provolone, or Swiss cheese.

• A chocolate milk shake made from a frozen box of chocolate milk.

• Grapes and banana and apple slices mixed with yogurt and topped with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

• Baked whole wheat pita slices dipped in hummus or salsa.

• Fortified cereal or oatmeal.

• Beans and cheese microwaved in a tortilla.

   Flash Fact

Most breastfed babies don’t need much burping at all, since they don’t swallow much air. If your baby is a ravenous bottle drinker, he may gobble down a lot of air with the milk and squirm and seem uncomfortable until he lets out a big, milky burp. Heavy swallowing of air and the urgency to burp are thought to be mostly limited to babies reared in Western societies where they are fed in a semireclining position. In other parts of the world, babies sit more upright for feeding and also spend most of their time nearly upright being carried in soft-front carriers worn on their mothers’ fronts or backs, which helps milk to “settle.” Whichever position you choose, make sure to put a cloth between you and your baby’s mouth to catch any milk that comes up with the air.