Toddler snack attack

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Time to come up with some snacks - young children need to eat five or six times a day!

Now that your baby is eating solid foods, it's up to you to come up with healthy meals and snacks. Young children really need to eat five or six times a day, so the snacks should really be called mini-meals. This needn't be as hard as it sounds. Healthy snacks are easy to come by once you know what to look for.

Foods to Avoid

A Word About Juice

1 Year

18 Months

2 Years

3 Years

Foods to Avoid

Certain foods are notorious choking hazards for babies and children. They include:

 Whole grapes, whole cherry tomatoes
 Hard sweets, including jelly beans
 Nuts, peanuts
 Popcorn
 Raw carrots, celery, green beans or any hard vegetable
 Seeds (such as pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds)
 Large chunks of any food such as meat or potatoes

A Word About Juice

Juice is a sweet drink that is highly addictive for children. It's up to you to make sure your youngster doesn't get hooked.

What's wrong with juice? Nothing, if you give it in small amounts - no more than 120 to 180 ml (4 to 6 ounces) a day. More juice than that every day leads to too much sugar and is associated with toddler diarrhoea that contributes to poor nutrition. Too much juice displaces healthier alternatives such as milk and solid foods. Also, due to their acidity level, fruit juices can increase the risk of tooth erosion. Juice given in a bottle is linked to ear infections and tooth cavities. In developed countries, the most common cause of undernourishment is too much juice!

Try to limit fruit juices to mealtimes and give healthier alternatives such as milk and water between meals. Real fruit juice is better than "fruit drinks" or other synthetic products. Read the labels and keep the juice monster from taking over snack time.

Below are some tips for small eaters of different ages and appetites.

1 Year

Your 1-year-old doesn't seem to eat anything any more, as his appetite and rate of growth have decreased. All the more reason to tempt him with tasty, healthy snacks. Babies of this age are ready for "finger foods".

 Eggs are a good source of balanced nutrition. Babies can benefit from the extra iron in egg yolks. Some babies may be allergic to egg whites though, so watch carefully for any reaction. Scrambled eggs are a delicious option all day long and will not cause your child to choke. Don't worry about the cholesterol - babies need more than you do. Three or four eggs a week are fine.
 Fresh fruits are better than just fruit juice. While fruit juice is mainly sugar, fruits themselves are great sources of vitamins and other nutrients. Give your child small slices of fresh, juicy peach - or delicious, squishy bananas - and see how long he can resist!
 Apple sauce is another clever way to get fruit into your child. Be ready for a mess!
 Small cubes of cheese are a good way to give him calcium if he doesn't like milk - or even if he does. Cottage cheese is also a favourite.
 Carrots and green beans, chopped and cooked, make a tasty snack. No whole peas, though.
 Potatoes, diced and cooked, do the trick. Watch out for the chips habit - too many, too greasy and too salty.

18 Months

At his age, your toddler needs two or three nutritious snacks a day in addition to meals. Try these:

 Ripe bananas cut into pieces.
 Toast, preferably wholemeal - the ultimate toddler food. Try spreading it with a thin coating of cream cheese to give it a more nutritional boost.
 Cheese strings, slices of any processed cheese, cubes of Cheddar - whatever works. If you find a cheese your toddler likes, let him have it.
 Cereal bits - put some in a cup for an afternoon snack. Part of the appeal for a toddler is picking them up one by one.
 Unsalted rice cakes - big and fun for little hands to hold. These crunchy snacks melt in his mouth.
 Plain muffins - these are a wonderful vehicle for healthy snacking. Cut them into manageable bits or just in half to gnaw on. Add cream cheese, melted and cooled cheese, or fruit purée.

2 Years

Watch your child's diet to make sure he's getting enough important nutrients such as iron, calcium, B vitamins and protein. With his fussy appetite these days, it's hard to know whether he's getting what he needs every day. Here are some nutrient-packed foods that make great, munchable snacks for your little one.

 Scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs - great source of iron and protein. Make mini-omelettes and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
 Cheese strings, cheese slices and cubes - a clever way of getting your child to eat his calcium and protein.
 Fish fingers - a dinner favourite and a good source of calcium. Combine with yummy mashed potato for carbohydrates and you've got a meal!
 Unsalted bread sticks, unsalted rice cakes, toast - any grain product is a good source of B vitamins, and toddlers generally go for their relative blandness. Try spreading half a muffin with a bit of cream cheese for a healthy combination that's high in protein and carbohydrates.
 Apple slices, peach slices, plums, orange slices - you can't go wrong with fresh fruit.
 Dried fruit - cut into bits. Make sure you remove the stones from any prunes or dates you give him. Toddlers will love picking minced dried fruit out of their favourite cup.
 "Little trees" - steamed pieces of broccoli and cauliflower, stood upright in mashed potato. If introduced early, these can become favourite snacks.
 Mini-pizzas - use half an English muffin or a crumpet, spread with tomato sauce, top with cheese, and put it in the oven to melt. Cool and serve, and hear him say "Mamma mia!"

3 Years

With his many daytime activities and growing imagination, your 3-year-old is constantly busy, making good nutrition more important than ever.

 Scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs - great source of iron and protein. Make mini-omelettes and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
 Cheese strings, cheese slices and cubes - a clever way of getting your child to eat his calcium and protein.
 Mini-pizzas - use half an English muffin or a crumpet, spread with tomato sauce, top with cheese, and put it in the oven to melt. Cool and serve, and hear him say "Mamma mia!"
 Fish fingers - a dinner favourite and a good source of calcium. Combine with yummy mashed potato for carbohydrates and you've got a meal!
 Unsalted bread sticks, unsalted rice cakes, toast - any grain product is a good source of B vitamins, and toddlers generally go for their relative blandness. Try spreading half a muffin with a bit of cream cheese for a healthy combination that's high in protein and carbohydrates.
 Apple slices, peach slices, plums, orange slices - you can't go wrong with fresh fruit.
 Dried fruit - cut into bits. Make sure you remove the stones from any prunes or dates you give him. Toddlers will love picking minced dried fruit out of their favourite cup.
 "Little trees" - steamed pieces of broccoli and cauliflower. If introduced early, these vegetables can become favourite snacks.
 Tuna fish and salmon - mix with yoghurt to make it spreadable and create delicious, nutritious sandwiches.
 Breads - wholemeal buns, rye bread and banana bread - made with honey and wholemeal flour are healthier than the shop-bought kind. Make a batch, freeze and defrost for a special but quick snack.
 Biscuits - choose fig-filled or oatmeal varieties rather than the other sugary types.

Now that your child is getting older, here are some general guidelines for feeding him:

 Choose snacks that are high in complex carbohydrates, such as bread, bread sticks, bagels, muffins, crackers and pasta salads. To make them even more nutritious, add a little protein and fat, such as cream cheese.
 Any snack that he can help make is much more likely to be consumed. Put him to work!
 Avoid the many snacks marketed for children that are high in salt, fat and sugar. Carefully read labels on food products, even those made especially for small children. Try to get a sense of how much salt or fat your child consumes in a day. A quarter of his recommended daily intake of salt, for example, is too much for one snack.
 At 3, your child needs fewer fats and fatty acids than he did before. Ask your doctor or health visitor if he is ready to start drinking low-fat milk. Remember, however, that skimmed milk is too low in fat for small children.
 Dairy products are important, but don't overdo it. Your child needs 480 to 720 ml (16 to 24 ounces) of milk (or dairy products such as yoghurt or cheese) per day for strong bones and growth. But more than 720 ml (24 ounces) could cause your child to lose his appetite for other foods containing important nutrients that milk doesn't have.
 Breakfast cereal is likely to become a staple food. It's a good choice for a meal or a snack as long as you choose a cereal without too much added sugar.

Category Tags:

Nutrition

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Feeding

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choking hazards

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vitamins

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juice

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solid foods

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fruit

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snacks