Did you know that 25% of a kid’s daily energy intake comes from snacking between meals?
Parents of toddlers often wonder if their kids are getting enough to eat. It’s an understandable concern, and offering healthy snacks can help ensure that the answer is yes.
Most toddlers do well with three meals and two or three snacks a day —1 snack half-way between breakfast and lunch and 1 snack between lunch and dinner. Healthy well-timed snacks a day can balance out the uneven diet, keeping them from getting hungry and boost the nutrient intake your toddler needs.
When you make something, you get to control the ingredients and put in what’s good for your child!
Here is a list of healthy snacks that you can prepare at home:
- A handful of almonds are great brain food
- Snack Mix (Toss together nuts, whole grain cereal and honey)
- Colorful fruit salad (slices of banana, grapes, apples and strawberries)
- Milk with honey or whole-grain cereals
- Fruit smoothie made with your child’s favorite fruit blended with milk
- Peanut butter banana bites (Spread peanut butter all over banana chunks)
- Homemade desserts such as custard or sponge cake
- Milk with cocoa powder and a banana
- Fruit-filled frozen popsicles (Chop his preferred seasonal fruit and pour milkshake over it and freeze in popsicles)
- Popcorn or sweet corn
- Vegetables with hummus dip
- Apple wedges dipped in nut butter and rolled in sliced almonds
- Whole-wheat waffle or pan cake with peanut butter spread. (Top with sliced banana and a drizzle of honey)
- Fruit-filled spring rolls (Fill the roll with slices of her preferred seasonal fruit tossed with strawberry flavored yoghurt)
- Corn sandwich (Mix up the ingredients – corn, mashed potato and spices and stuff in between the bread slices)