Easy, Healthy Toddler Snack Ideas?

[SassyMummy]

DD is 27.5 months and a bit of a pig. She wants to snack all day, and I'm finding it hard to find something easy to eat.

She often doesn't want to sit in her highchair to eat (we don't have a dining table as there isn't enough room here, so her highchair is the only option), so I tell her to sit on her little couch to eat.

However, it's hard to keep coming up with different snacks that are healthy and yummy and EASY. I could COOK batches of food, but sometimes I just wanna grab something and hand it to her. Or spread something on something and give her that. Just something simple.

Does anyone have any good suggestions on anything that she can eat OUT of her little highchair... just hold it on her lap or whatever?

Healthy is a must (it can be a tiny bit unhealthy, but I'd like it to be mostly healthy).

[Noah_and_Elijah]

Have you tried cut up carrot sticks or celery sticks with cream cheese dip (can be light cream cheese and she would never know)

Also plain crackers with a little cream cheese spread on them.

Quick and easy fruit salad.

[punkbaby]

i have fresh fruit cut up for dd2 (nearly 3) celery, carrots capsicum, mushrooms, also as its getting warmer i freeze some in ice blocks the ones that you can make your own with the stick in them.

DD loves saladas with vegemite, she loves cheese bites (i buy a block and cut into squares) kabana, home made muesli bites, mini savoury muffins that i make or mini scones, apple pancakes umm heaps of stuff!

She loves her fruit though and tends to favour this more

[Milliner]

We always have a stash of sultanas, apricot delights, apricot yoghurt balls, rice crackers etc. Bailey loves them, and it's easy for me to grab some and run out the door or just hand them to him.

[OJandMe]

Snacks the boys love.

- cream cheese and carrot, celery sticks and water cracker biscuits.

- dried apricots

- fruit skewers (skewers with pieces of fruit on it.. prepared in advance and refrigerated or frozen)

- seaweed crackers

- mini sandwiches.. (just vegemite or whatever, but cut into shapes using cookie cutters)

- cucumber sticks

- cucumber sticks wrapped in ham

hmm. I'll think of more and post back later.

[the_queen]

When I babysit my niece, I have 2 of them (younger than Chanel, but still.. this would work for her I think) and I give them veggie sticks with dip, they both love the corn relish dip.

Also, avocado, mashed, and spread on rice crackers. That kept them quiet for a while!

How about healthy-ish iceblocks? I buy Paddle Pop Scribblers, they're iceblocks and they're quite small (so even though Ms V thinks she's getting a treat, really it's about half a treat ;)) and they've got a fair amount of real juice in them - obviously you could make your own and they would be much healthier - but I buy these and they're just so easy to whip out and give to him, in the highchair, and it keeps him quiet for ages. In the hot weather obviously they're brilliant.

How about a mandarin? Would she have the dexterity to peel it herself, if you kinda started it for her? That would keep her busy, build her motor skills, give her a sense of acomplishment, and a healthy treat! :)

[reAllytee]

We do a lot of what everyone has already suggested : Dried fruits, apricot yoghurt balls, cubed vegies & fruit etc.

I do my baking if i get the chance atm that is :rolleyes: on a Sunday or Monday & make up a batch of muffins in a savoury & sweet option. Usually cheese & spinach as well as banana as they are favs here. This then usually gets me through the week easily.

I also do biscuits when i want so that way he has some yum biccies to snack on. I make them with whatever ingredients i have in regards to dried fruits & add things like flaxseed for extra fibre which is good for them. We also use rice milk cause of Boof's intolerance to cows milk so it means i dont need to add sugar as this makes it naturally sweet ! Same with the muffins.

For something 'naughty' i always grab a packet of Vegie Chips from the natural food aisle at Woolies. They are super yum & really good for you. The natural flavour is yum but the BBQ is to die for ! Boof loves them.

The good thing about making up things like the muffins & biccies is you can hide so many things in them that they wouldnt normally eat as well as giving them extra boosts of things as i suggested in the way of flaxseed etc.

[ETsMum]

Everyone has great suggestions. Here is something else we now do: we recently bought a food dryer (think it is a sunbeam) and now make our own dried apples and banana chips, kiwi chips etc... ET loves it. He also likes to snack all day. These take him ages to eat, but there is no mess and it doesn't go off if he only eats some of it. He treats the banana chips like lollies! :)

[SassyMummy]

Thanks for the replies - will definitely give some a go! :thumbsup:

I WISH I could make healthy biscuits... but by god, I suck at baking. I'm a good cook... but just not a good baker. Cakes, biscuits, slices etc... always end up cr*p. :o I'm terrible. :p

[alanasmum]

Cakes, biscuits, slices etc... always end up cr*p. :o I'm terrible. :p

I used to be a terrible baker too until I realised that the temp on my oven was not accurate. Invest in a oven thermometer (a few dollars from coles) and see how you go. Turns out my oven was about 20 degrees out and once I had it on the right temp everything started turning out yummy!

[lukaelmo]

I make Luka hommous, he adores it and I feel great about it as it's so healthy... not really a couch food though, it does tend to go everywhere...

ummmm... no other ideas sorry, it's way too early for my brain yet :D.