Hello, I am looking for advise on healthy snacks for my son who will be 2 in August. We are trying to serve him healthier snacks then what he has been getting. He already eats alot of cheese, yogurt, fruit and cottage cheese. My two older girls love raw veggies, but he obviously can't have them. Any help would be appreciated, as he is getting bored with the same old stuff and whines at the cubboard for tractor fruit snacks and cheetos, Which we no longer buy. Thanks
Why can't he have raw veggies? My 14 month old loves them. I feed them to him under supervision and appropriate sizes.
How about smoothies, you can add almost anything to them. My daughter is 15 months old and loves them. Also maybe give him some cooked baby carrots instead of raw ones. Also cooked apples with a little cinnamon. I can't think of anything else other than what you've mentioned. My kids get crackers, cheese, yogurt, fruit, smoothies, banana bread or zuchini bread or pumpkin bread. Try putting a little jelly on some crackers for a change too or if he is not allergic to peanut butter give him that. I also do toast with peanut butter, jelly or cinnamon. Quesadillas too.
Frozen veggies are great cause they will sort of mush up a bit as soon as he pops them into his mouth and they're very flavorful even frozen. Small ones, like Frozen Peas and corn, etc. My daughter loves them. Plus, you can bring them with you as a cold snack in the summer and it makes for sort of a refreshing snack because they're frozen.
We also toast a piece of bread and spread Peanut Butter or Cream Cheese on 1/2 and fold it in 1/2. A little mini toasted sandwhich that is pretty mess-free and fairly healthy. My daughter will also ask for just a slice of deli meat as well. Ham is her favorite, but she'll do turkey too, sometimes wrapped around a piece of string cheese and poked together with a toothpick to keep it all contained. Try banana with Peanut butter and each one poked w/ a toothpick. Sort of a fun snack. Raisons are good too, or any dried fruit like bananas or raisons covered with yogurt...sweet, but better than chocolate or a junk food. Crackers are always an easy alternative too, like Graham crackers, etc.
I can't get my daughter (who will also be 2 in August) to eat veggies... cooked or raw. I offer veggies with every meal/snack and if they are raw I leave them out for awhile and maybe she will chew on it. I figure if she is really hungry she will eat them.
I have become a fan of veggie puffs (put out by Gerber), unfortunately there is not much in a can so it gets pricey for an everyday snack. They are so yummy, wish they had them in a large bag for adults. I did see that one of the other mom's suggested pirate booty (or something like that) so I will be searching for that... maybe it will be less pricey then the Gerber route.
Other snacks I do is multi grain cheerios cereal, peanuts (but other moms may not agree but my daughter loves them), sesame sticks (I find them in the bulk bins in the grocery store, and they come in a variety of flavors), gram crackers, cheese, yogurt, watermelon, strawberries, apples, or any fruit. Once a week I let her have a cookie with milk along with her snack as a special treat.
My four year old son and two year old daughter eats fresh veggies like crazy...I would think your son can have them too under supervision or cut into bite-size pieces. In addition, my daughter loves black beans which I rinse from the can, sliced avocado, fresh fruit, hummus and crackers or pita bread and toast with whole fruit jam or peanut butter and banana.
We eat really healthy on a daily basis, but I must admit that reading your post made this pregnant woman hungry for Cheetos...haven't had those in years! A craving has begun! :)
To help the transition from the fruit snacks try the Xtreme Fruit Bites from Yumyum Snacks http://www.yumyumsnacks.com/catalog/item/2104619/3556922.htm
To replace the Cheetos, buy some Veggie Booty and Pirate Booty from a local food coop. Even I got addicted to the Veggie Booty :) We also eat a lot of Odwalla bars a quick "out and about" type of snack.
For ease of prep you can buy a bag of julienned carrots at Super Target or Byerly's. Also try frozen peas, cubed carrots, or corn. My son loves those still frozen. For fresh, jicama is an often overlooked vegetable. It has a very slight natural sweetness, is crunchy without being hard to bite, and is tasty plain or with dips/hummus/etc.
When ever I give my older boys carrots, I shred them for my 1 year old. He loves them and they are gone in seconds. Those grahm cracker sticks are also good, as are most crackers. Also if you giving the girls raw veggies, maybe just steam some for him and cut them up into bite sizes. Avacados and tomatoes are also good. I have been hearing that you should stay away from peanut butter until children are 3. Peanut allergies are rising in children and it's happening younger.
