Healthy Toddler Snacks...

Discussion in Food & Drink started by FirstBaby2011 • Sep 1, 2012.

  1. FirstBaby2011

    FirstBaby2011Active Member

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    What are some healthy snacks that are hits with your toddler?
    I'm trying to add some more variety into my daughter's diet. She does not go much for foods with softer textures or skins, although she will eat 2 or 3 blueberries if she's feeling adventurous.
    Listed below are some foods she enjoys:
    -cheese sticks
    -peanut butter
    -firm pears and apples
    -frozen broccoli florets
    -cooked carrots and celery
    -chicken, ground turkey and beef, sometimes salmon
    -Kashi cereal or Cheerios
    -generally anything covered in spaghetti sauce
    She has no known allergies or dietary restrictions. We just want to feed her mostly nutritious snacks throughout the day. :D
     
  2. englerja

    englerjaMember

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    I don't know if these would all work for your daughter but we do
    baby carrots-usually raw but sometimes I steam them for a minute
    edamame
    fruit dipped in greek yogurt and frozen until they are firm
    crackers and cheese
    homemade muffins and breads
    wraps with hummus spread on them
     
  3. FlanneryCam

    FlanneryCamActive Member

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    -homemade fruit leather
    - hummous and any veggie she likes
    -cheese (in limited quantities)
    -homemade ice pops for summer
    -homemade muffins (fruit, nuts, low sugar, made with whole wheat flour)
    -popcorn (plain or with nutritional yeast)
    -trail mix (nuts, dried fruit, something sweet like dark chocolate chips)


    Hope that helps. These are some of my go-to snacks and they are as good as they are good for you.
     
  4. FirstBaby2011

    FirstBaby2011Active Member

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    Thank you all! I will definitely look into the hummus to add some healthy variety to my daughter's diet. I also think she may enjoy the fruit and yogurt combination. The cold yogurt will probably relieve some of the teething discomfort she's currently having. FlanneryCam, how do you make your own fruit leather?
     
  5. Sandra Piddock

    Sandra PiddockExpert

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    Congratulations - it sounds like she's already enjoying a variety of healthy snacks. Sometimes toddlers can be very picky about food. My little granddaughter loves strawberries and seedless grapes, so her mother always has some in the fridge for her. How about strips of lean deli meat, such as ham or cooked chicken? Hard boiled eggs cut into quarters are another idea. And what about cherry tomatoes? Most of my granddaughter's friends love stuff like that, that they can pop into their mouths without trouble.
     
  6. AnonaMoss

    AnonaMossActive Member

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    Apples, strawberries and bananas with things to spice them up.

    Bananas:
    Sliced bananas
    dipped in organic chocolate and nuts


    Strawberries:

    Sliced strawberries in a graham cracker crust with a little dollop of natural whipped cream.


    Apples:

    Sliced apples dipped in almond butter or peanut butter.
     
  7. FirstBaby2011

    FirstBaby2011Active Member

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    Thank you! I am guilty of offering my toddler only those foods that I enjoy. Unfortunately, eggs and tomatoes are two of them. However, I know she loves scrambled eggs when her daddy has breakfast with her. Cherry tomatoes sound like another great, easy idea to add a little more variety to her diet. You have reminded me to make sure that I expose her to a wider range of healthy foods, not just the ones I prefer.
     
    #7Sep 5, 2012
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2012
  8. beckyv1265

    beckyv1265Active Member

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    I agree that its important to feed kids a wide variety of foods to develope their palette. My kids love frozen bananas dipped in chocolate. Its like an ice cream to them. I also dry a lot of fruit and the kids love to nibble on the dried fruits and nuts. I make a trail mix and add dark chocolate chips as well as yogurt covered raisens. Its the right amount of sweet without going overboard. They also love peanut butter in celery. I feed my kids several snacks throughout the day. It doesnt have to be large but kids need an energy boost between meals. I have several sons with fast metabolisms that I also supliment with protein shakes to add calories.
     
  9. AnonaMoss

    AnonaMossActive Member

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    Cherry tomatoes are amazing. Also, I am a big fan of avocados. you could make her little soft tortillas with avocado, mashed black beans and a little mild salsa for a power snack. I think it would be cool to take her to a farmer's market so she can sample things. She has her own tastes and may like some things that you wouldn't expect her to. Good Luck.
     
  10. FirstBaby2011

    FirstBaby2011Active Member

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    I forgot about avocados. She loves them cut up in soup! That snack sounds awesome; I want to try it for myself as well. We have taken her to a farmer's market once and she loved it. She "danced" to the live music, made friends with another little girl, and wanted to pet every dog in sight. I would LOVE to take her to a farmer's market
    on a weekly basis, but our city does not have one. We will have to head over to the next town and check that one out as it gets cooler. Thank you for the suggestions!
     
  11. dvharris

    dvharrisMember

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    My child is 5 years old and I've never had an issue with his eating habits. He enjoys most everything I give him.

    Snacks he enjoys most are

    cheese and crackers, peanut butter and crackers
    brocolli sprinkled with parmesan cheese
    quesadillas
    fiber one brownies-90 cal
    pretzels with frosting -not very often and only on special occassions.
    cheese popcorn
    watermelon
    papaya
    pineapple cottage cheese
    strawberry applesauce
    goldfish with juice

    These are the snacks I tend to fall back to and the ones that have stood the test of time and he requests more often. I try to repeat others he's disliked for second chances every couple of weeks.
     
  12. tjshort05

    tjshort05Active Member

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    My son is picky and it always changes on what he wants that day. He used to like watermelon now he doesn't. He didn't like grapes, now he does. It makes it hard to plan, but I'm glad he will always eat something healthy. His current favorites are

    string cheese
    grapes
    vanilla yogurt
    applesauce
    bananas
    green beans (only a specific kind)
    peanut butter and crackers

    I have only given him sweets maybe 4 times so far (he's 18 months). I want him to develop as healthy of habits as possible. He may get a little more in the future, he just seems too young right now to have that stuff.