It’s not uncommon for growing kids to feel hunger and wish to snack something between their main meals. This snack time can turn out to be an ideal opportunity for parents to enrich the healthy kids’ meals with some added nutrients. Packaged small kids and toddler snacks may be readily available, but they’re known to be unhealthy. These are not what you’d want to add to your toddler meals as they often contain a lot of refined sugar and flour, as well as artificial ingredients. So, when it comes to snack ideas for toddlers, it’s important to combine nutritive health with a delicious taste. That said, consider the following snacks to top off healthy kids’ meals.
1. Yogurt
When it comes to healthy toddler snack ideas, you can’t go wrong with yogurt. Yogurt is rich in calcium and protein, which is very beneficial for a young child’s proper bone development. Also, yogurt is known to be a splendid aid for the digestive system.
Keep in mind, though, that ready-to-consume sweetened and fruity yogurts may not be the best option as they tend to contain really high amounts of sugar. You can make this snack healthy and delicious on your own simply by sweetening plain yogurt with some honey or adding some fresh fruit.
2. Nuts and Trail Mix
Healthy kids’ meals will always benefit from a selection of nuts as long as your child doesn’t have a nut allergy. After all, nuts present a great source of antioxidants, fiber, and healthy fats that all support a child’s growth.
You can surprise them with a handful of nuts, or you can spice up snacking time with a carefully thought-out trail mix, which will have a selection of different nuts and maybe even bits of chocolate and dried fruit for added satiation and satisfaction.
3. Oatmeal
Oatmeal is not just reserved for breakfast when it comes to toddler meals, but it can be a delicious and healthy snack, too. Thanks to their high content of soluble fiber, oats have many benefits, especially in the digestive tract department. And the way you prepare them can only add to the benefits.
That said, avoid prepacked oatmeal packets as they’re filled with sugar and artificial ingredients. Instead, get some whole oats and prepare them together with some apples and a pinch of cinnamon, for instance. You can also boil/soak the oats in milk instead of water for extra calcium intake.
4. Fruit Smoothie
A fruit smoothie is a great snack idea for toddlers as it allows you to mix and match different fruits for a delicious and healthy vitamin-packed treat. Not to mention that fruit smoothies also let you sneak in some green veggies to the mix without having your child protest as the sweet fruit taste will overpower the veggies.
Make sure not to make fruit smoothies with store-bought fruit juice. Either use fresh fruit juice, water, perhaps milk or yogurt. This snack makes for a seemingly infinite number of combinations. If you’re looking for recipes to start, consider the following one for orange and carrot smoothie:
- 2 peeled oranges
- 2 chopped/grated carrots
- A tiny piece of grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons of oats
- 150ml of water and/or 100g of ice (adjust it how you feel best)
5. Sweet Potato Fries
There’s nothing like vitamin A for healthy skin and eyes, and sweet potato is a great source of this vitamin. Not to mention that the taste of sweet potato appeals to children a lot. That said, one of your healthy toddler snack ideas can easily include French fries, only a more nutritious option made from sweet potato at home.
All you need is one sweet potato, salt, and some olive oil. Peel the sweet potato and cut it in the shape of French fries (or whatever other interesting shapes you can come up with). Add a teaspoon of olive oil and some salt, and toss everything to combine. Then simply put it in the oven to bake on a cookie sheet.
6. Carrots and Hummus
Toddler snacks can come with a dip that so many children love. For instance, hummus is a great dip option that’s both healthy and nutritious. You can even easily make your own hummus from chickpeas, a great source of antioxidants, folate, and fiber.
It’s possible to use hummus as a spread as well, but using it as a dip for fresh carrots is incredibly tasty, and kids are bound to like this combo.
7. Whole-Grain Crackers and Nut Butter
For toddler snacks with a nicely balanced amount of fat, carbs, and protein, prepare some sandwich crackers with a nut butter spread. You can go for almond or peanut butter.
When crackers are concerned, make sure to choose ones that are whole-grain. Pay attention to the ingredients list as you want to avoid hydrogenated oils and refined flour and go only for 100% whole grains.
8. Frozen Fruit Popsicles
If you’re looking for snack ideas for toddlers during the warm summer months, surprise them with some frozen fruit popsicles. Store-bought popsicles are full of unhealthy sugar and artificial coloring, among other unhealthy things. Yet, it’s hard to beat a refreshing popsicle when the weather is hot. This is why we recommend making the popsicles on your own.
All you have to do is blend bits of frozen fruit with water or fresh fruit juice and then pour the mix into popsicle molds. Make sure to cover the molds with foil so that the sticks can stay in place once you put them into the molds. Freeze everything overnight, and your vitamin-packed popsicles are ready!
9. Popcorn
Let’s finish off the toddler snack ideas with a couple of simple snack options. The first one is popcorn, which can be amazingly healthy for children as a whole grain snack, as long as there are no unhealthy toppings that usually deem popcorn as junk food.
To make popcorn perfectly healthy and delicious for your kids, pop them on your own and then just top them off with a little bit of butter and parmesan cheese. These toppings are more than enough to make popcorn very tasty while still presenting the kids with a nutritious and healthy snack.
10. Sliced Fruit
The second simple yet very healthy snack for toddler meals include fresh fruit cut into bite-size pieces. What’s more, it’s a very convenient option for the parents. Whatever fruit you decide to treat your kid with, be that an apple, banana, peach, pear, plum, etc., you can be absolutely certain that they’re full of vitamins, fibers, and important nutrients essential for a child’s healthy growth.
Make sure to cut the fruit into bite-size pieces and maybe even arrange them in a cute shape to make it more appealing to the child. You can also add some extra nutrition and sweetness when you drizzle a bit of honey on the fruit.
Don’t go Overboard
Even if you do your best to prepare really healthy and balanced main meals for your child, it’s important not to get too lenient with snacks. Snacks can easily become junk food that your child eats every single day if you’re not careful. Hopefully, the above-mentioned snack suggestions will prove useful for all parents who wish to maintain a nutritious and healthy diet for their children throughout the day. A balanced diet with all the vitamins and nutrients that children get from food will significantly boost their immune system. Sadly though, this is not a miracle cure for every single ailment there is. In case you need to take your child to the doctor, feel free to reach out to the renowned pediatrician in Plantation, FL. You can count on chief physician Dr. Juan Carlos Millon, who has years of experience and expertise under his belt when it comes to pediatric medicine.
