Snack Time

Snacks. We all love a good snack time, right? Adults don’t always choose healthy items to snack on though. When my 1st baby started getting ‘snacks’ I wasn’t sure what to give her. Chips? Cookies? Ice Cream? No… So, what do you feed your growing toddler, preschooler, and kids?

I’m gonna try to break it down into a few categories but of course several foods can go in multiple categories. Try fun combinations!

Healthy {low in sugar, provides nutritional value}

• Fruit and Veggies- easy to pick up variety, maybe with some kind of dip if needed to get them to eat them.
• Crackers/Pretzels- whole wheat if possible
• Cheese- try a wide variety cut in cubes or slices
• Deli-meats- try a wide variety cut in cubes, slices, or even on rolled on a toothpick for older children

Fast {still semi-healthy but easy to pack in a diaper bag or the car for on the run}

• Fruit Snacks- make sure the label says made with real fruit just to avoid too much sugar
• Animal Crackers- bland but addicting, cute and fun
• Packaged Crackers- with cheese for all ages or peanut butter
• Cereals- make sure its more healthy than fun colored and sugary, though

“Special” {fun snacks they can help make to add to the treat}

• Banana Pudding- can’t have banana pudding without fresh bananas and Nilla Wafers {secretly use less by getting mini sized Nillas}
• Chocolate No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies- simple, without heating up the house with the oven this summer
• Cookies- we do want to keep it healthy, so snacks every once in a while are okay, especially if you make them from scratch without the extra preservatives
• Cheese or Bean Dip/Salsa- dip with some baked or whole wheat chips

Drinks {keeping it healthy- low sugar and nutritious}

• Juice- our favorite we’ve found is Strawberry Kiwi. Switch it up, mix ’em, and dilute to make it go further. My kids tell me it’s “too spicey” if I forget to do 1/2 water since that’s all they’ve known. Although my niece told me, “Aunt Julie, your juice has lost it’s flavor…” So, maybe it’s not for everyone.
• Water- out of the bottle with a straw is always fun. If you have a handy hubby he could even use that pocket knife to make a little hole in the lid for the straw- less mess.
• Milk- plain is of course the best but if your kids don’t like milk, adding a little chocolate or strawberry syrup to milk always makes if feel like a treat. Try doing it yourself to control how much added sugar there is though. I even nuke my kids milk for a few seconds and we call it “hot chocolate milk”.

 Note to the WIC Mamas out there {since I am one}

• I know the cereal can piles up? Using it as a snack a couple of times a week will help keep the pantry less crowded.
• Did you know you can get oatmeal as a cereal? No-bake cookies are one more way to use it in a fun, new way.
• Cheese can take over your fridge as well. Cubing, slicing, and dipping can be a fun way to snack on it!
• Being creative with those beans can be tough as well. Add them to some salsa or make bean dip might be fun.

Time & Money Savers

• Pre-sort larger bags/boxes of pretzels, crackers, fruit snacks into “serving sized” bags for quick grabbing and you don’t have to pay for the pre-packaged stuff
• Cube/Slice cheese and store
• Pre-cut fruit and veggies

 Less Mess

• Have sloppy snacks at the table
• Make “screen time” snack time as well- keeps the food from traveling around the entire house
• Snack Cups- these are great for on the road or even at home
• Sippy Cups- I have a 4, 2, and 1-year-old as well as a 8-year old niece and 6-year old nephew. They all still use sippy cups or cups with lids for snack. We do practice {with the littles} using regular cups here and there but for the everyday- cups with lids!

Safty 1st

• Remember to keep in mind that pediatricians are now recommending children not try peanut butter until after the age of 3 due to new research that has found it could possibly cause allergies being exposed to soon. Plus, they are so tiny it’s a dangerous game to ‘test’ and see if they are allergic.
• Small items like nuts, popcorn and even small slippery fruit {i.e. grapes, peaches} aren’t necessarily unhealthy but can be dangerous choking hazards for littles.

These are just some things I have waded through over the past few years. I try to keep in mind them when choosing snacks for my growing babies. Hope these tips help you in the process of thinking through snackage for your littles.

 

What suggestions do you have for starting healthy snacking habits with kids while not breaking the budget and being late everywhere?