Top on-the-go toddler snacks that are quick, easy to prepare and healthy. Look no further for snack ideas – for you and your toddler!
Most days we fling whatever we can find in the cupboard into our bag or stuffed into the buggy before heading out, which often means finding half-finished crumbling puffs and rice cakes with their sticky residue in every bit of the lining of your bag, and glued onto your toddler’s cheeks!
Snacking can feel uninspiring, but by putting in a bit of thought to begin with, you can get your snacking sorted each day and get some goodness into those snacks rather than just a filler until a proper meal.
I think it’s a nice idea to put all the snacks in one box that you can then use a smaller pot inside to put things like dips and smaller snacks like seeds. It’s good to aim to balance the snack with a source of protein and something nutrient rich like fruit or vegetables alongside the more obvious carbohydrate/ grain snacks.
1. Vegetables
Sticks of vegetables such as red pepper, carrot, celery, mange tout can be prepared at the beginning of the week. Just cut into long batons and put in a Tupperware with cold water (lasts for 3-4 days). Perfect dipped into hummus, cream cheese or a nut butter.
2. Fruit
Tangerines come in their own wrapper, so perfect for out and about, but slices of apple and pear are also great, but can go a bit brown when exposed to air, so if making, drizzle a bit lemon juice over them to stop them going so brown. Kiwi and melon chunks are great as are berries such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries.
3. Grains
Great, quick grabs and perfect finger food. Try mixing it up so you offer a mix of corn, oat and wheat: pitta bread strips, oatcakes, rice cakes, toast fingers
4. Bakes
When you have time making things like vegetable or fruit muffins, flapjacks or granola bars make fantastic snacks and you know exactly what has gone in them. When making muffins
We also make double then pop one batch in the freezer so you just need to take a couple out the night before for you and your baby the next day.
5. Protein
A good source of quality protein gives long sustained energy and is good for growing bodies. Individually wrapped cheeses make great on-the-go snacks, as do flapjacks with nuts and seeds in them. Trail mixes with nuts and seeds (watch, it is recommended not to give whole nuts to children under five due to the risk of choking) and Dips such as hummus or make your own with cream cheese and herbs or nut butter thinned out with yoghurt. Natural yoghurt flavoured with fruit or fruit pouches also make great snacks – but a bit messier on the go. Try freezing dots of yoghurt for a fun snack in the summer.
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