Healthy Snack Ideas for Toddlers #LoveGoodFood

Today I'm talking about and sharing ideas for healthy toddler snacks, in conjunction with the Organix #LoveGoodFood campaign. Snacks are really important for toddlers, as their little tummies aren't big enough to take on board enough energy and nutrients from just three meals a day, so they need healthy snacks between meals too.  Toddlers need snacks to create energy and fuel their explorations, and to grow in a healthy way.

The new ‘Little Book of Good Food – Toddlers & Families’ from Organix (which is free to download from the Organix website) has a great section with advice and tips for parents on snacking for toddlers.  I love these tips from the book:

• Variety is important - lots of shapes, tastes and textures help to expand your little one's repertoire of foods eaten and this helps them to have a wide range nutrients.
• Try a mix of sweet and savoury snacks to enjoy different flavours.
• Ensure a balance of different foods - some treats can be tasty snacks but not all snacks should be treat foods.

Healthy snacks are often eaten at home and you can find lots of healthy toddler snack ideas in the snack ideas section of the Eats Amazing blog and also in my  fun ways to encourage healthy eating for toddlers post.  When we're at home, I'll often keep things very simple by making up a small bowl with several different foods in it for a mid-morning snack for Small Baby - a small handful of raisins, a couple of mini bread sticks and a few blueberries or cherry tomatoes for example. He'll often bring me an empty bowl to let me know that he's hungry, chanting 'snack, snack, snack please' as he goes!

Snacking on the go can be a little trickier, but to help you keep things interesting, I've put together a list of 40 healthy snacks for toddlers that are perfect for packing up into little tubs for eating on the go:

Vegetables:
Carrot sticks
Cucumber sticks
Baby sweetcorn (raw or lightly steamed)
Sugar snap peas (raw or lightly steamed)
Red pepper sticks
Mini peppers
Cherry tomatoes (halved for younger children)

Fruit:
grapes (halved for younger children)
Apple slices (dipped in orange juice to prevent browning)
Blueberries
Strawberries
Raspberries
Sliced tinned peaches
Sliced fresh apricot
Chopped pineapple
Chopped mango
Melon chunks
Mandarin/clementine segments

Dried Fruit:
Raisins
Cranberries
Apricots (chopped for younger children)
Apple rings (chopped for younger children)
Banana chips
Organix fruit snacks

Carbs:
Dry cereal
Mini Breadsticks
Leftover new potatoes
Rice cakes
Oatcakes
Crispbreads
Crackers
Organic oaty bars
Leftover cooked pasta shapes
mini sandwiches
Organix corn & rice snacks

Dairy & Protein:
Rolled ham slices
Shredded roast chicken
Houmous for dipping
Grated or cubed cheddar cheese
Cream cheese for dipping

The great thing about most of these foods is that they can be made up in advance and popped in the fridge or cupboard, ready to grab and go when needed.  I almost always keep a small tub of dried fruit and a couple of Organix oaty bars in my bag which has saved me from hungry meltdowns from my children on many an occasion!  This method has saved me so much money over the years and works brilliantly for after school snacks too.

We have quite a collection of snack boxes, below I've shared links to some of our favourites for packing snacks on the go:

   

For lots more advice on toddler foods and tasty, healthy recipes for all the family you can also visit www.organix.com. Don’t forget to pop over and dowload your free copy of the Little Book of Good Food while you’re there!

Grace

Disclosure: This blog post was written in conjunction with the Organix #LoveGoodFood campaign.  I was compensated for my time, however all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

This post contains some Amazon affiliate links; I may receive commission on items purchased through the links.

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