The Importance of Healthy Snacks for Toddlers

Posted by Sandy on July 8, 2010

Anyone with a toddler knows how much fun these little people can be. Right now, my son is a toddler and we have a blast with him. My husband and I are amazed at how quickly his vocabulary is expanding, as well as how much he is learning on his own. I love the fact that every day is a new adventure for him! Because my son is a toddler, I know that it is a crucial time for him because everything about him is growing – his body, his mind, his understanding of the world around him and much more. For this reason, it’s important that I have an abundance of healthy snacks for toddlers to get us through the day!

The toddler years are arguably the most important in a child’s life. Many parents don’t understand the awesome responsibility they have during this time. This is when kids learn the majority of their behavioral patterns, communication skills, eating habits and so much more! Yes, that means a large part of our children’s “identity” is formed during these early years! So, if you want to teach your children about eating healthy, the best time to start is now. You can do that by providing healthy snacks for toddlers when your kids are young!

While many parents don’t understand the importance of providing healthy snacks for toddlers, they do notice how often their toddler wants to eat. The hubby and I joke that our son is like a bottomless pit – almost like what we expect of a teenage boy! This is because he is growing and his body is demanding more food to supply the energy it needs to grow.

Right now, my son has no problem letting me know when he’s hungry. His daily eating schedule goes something like this: eat breakfast within 20 minutes of getting up, 2 hours later it’s time for a snack, 2 hours later it’s lunch time, then comes naptime followed by another snack, then in another 1 ½ hours he’s ready for another snack and about 1 ½ hours later it’s dinner time. In case you weren’t counting- that’s three snacks and three meals throughout the course of a day. That’s a lot of food for a little guy only weighing 28 pounds!

The hard part isn’t necessarily giving my little one snacks, it’s the fact that he’s a toddler and what works one day doesn’t always work the next. So, I have to keep a wide variety of healthy snacks for toddlers in stock. The types of snacks we eat around here include whole grain crackers, mandarin oranges (in the cups), apples, bananas, regular oranges, grapes – basically any kind of fruit. Raisins, yogurt, breakfast fruit bars (these are great on the go), cheese sticks or cubes, sliced tomatoes and somewhat healthy cookies (examples are oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookies). I also keep a jar of peanut butter in the pantry as it goes perfectly on top of the crackers and several types of fruit. Not all snacks have to be 100% healthy, but if you want to instill healthy eating habits in your child for life, then the majority of your daily snacks should be healthy. The key is to keep a variety of snacks available for those growing bellies!

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Tags: healthy food, Healthy Snacks, healthy snacks and toddlers, healthy snacks for toddlers, snack ideas for toddlers, snacks and toddlers

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