OK, parents! Welcome to Toddler Snacks! If you’re like me, you spent a large portion of this day thinking: ‘Shit, what am I going to feed this stupid kid right the fuck now?’ Between tireless energy and the most adorable yet completely exhausting 20-minute snack requests every hour, on the hour, it’s hard to make it quick, easy, and healthy as you fight through the day!

 But guess what?! You don’t have to. I have some absolutely easy snack ideas for your toddler (and maybe for you, too!) that will have you and your little one absolutely gagging for more.

 Did you know that the typical toddler eats five to six times a day? It’s true. With snacks sandwiched between meals, it seems as though our shopping cart-stocking kamikaze mini-mes somehow manage to eat all day long.

 The culprit? The pretzels! Invariably, your cups fill more after breakfast than after lunch…you get the idea. Nevertheless, we want to fill the most popular of cups – not to mention fun and easy ones – with nutritious ideas that are prime for that busy time of day…or any time of day, for that matter. So, put up your feet (if you can!) and take a look at 15 easy snacks for your growing snack monster.

Fruit Kabobs

Mom, you’re kidding. Food cute? As in ‘cute food?’ Yeah, there’s cute food – and fruit kabobs. Kabobs on a stick – party! Fruit kabobs. Select a combination: strawberries, bananas, halved grapes, and blueberries. (In case you’re thinking, ‘Wait, isn’t that nutrition?’ … welcome to the party.) Picky eaters who don’t want to eat nutritious foods or colors such as fruit pick withers when you put them on a stick and say, ‘Have your party on a stick.’ (And, whenever feasible, have your toddler or baby help you make them too – more fun to eat if you help make it.

Veggie Sticks with Hummus

 This is our vegetable snack snack. Carrot sticks, cucumber slices, and bits of bell pepper go perfectly with hummus. If you have a toddler who refuses to even look at vegetables at mealtimes, well, again—snack times are different creatures. Hummus is also packed with protein to keep toddlers full for hours. 

Cheese and Crackers

So cheesy. Cheese goes with everything (particularly, however, with toddlers). It’s just one of those all-time classic, no-cook things, just a quick schmeer over a wholegrain cracker. There’s your snack — I’m talking a minute and a half, two minutes maybe, and, should you carve it into shards with a cookie cutter (hearts! Stars! Animals!), well, one minute and a half suddenly morphed into Not Bad At All! Snackering — it’s going to be Just Peachy! 

Mini Muffins

This is where you can indulge a little! Mini muffins are, without a doubt, the perfect prep-ahead snack and a great ready-to-go option, too. Make batch after batch of banana muffins or zucchini (carrot, blueberry) muffins packed full of veggies they’ll never know they’re eating. 

 According to one study, 75 percent of kids who were given vegetables mixed in with sweet foods actually ate them, while only 13 percent who were served the vegetables on their own ate them.

Smoothie Pops

 Pop-sick-les, popsicle, do you combine these words in any way? If you have a toddler with a smoothie habit, pour some of that same deliciousness into silicone molds that will create popsicles when frozen. Tada! The fruity, healthy, cold kids’ treat will come in handy any time of the year when temperatures rise a bit, but your kids’ moods stay cold. 

And the other green in it – yes, you guessed that, right? That’s where you get to sneak in greens. Hell, just put spinach in it, and your kids won’t even know.

Apple Sandwiches

 Hang with me here because apple sandwiches are more cool than good-tasting. Just: two pieces of apple – sliced and spread with, I suppose, peanut butter (the very best thing), almond butter (what is not to like?), or the less palatable spread of cream cheese. And then a few raisins slipped or a scattering of granola stuffed between the two slices and wiped off with a napkin. Crunchy, fun, filling, probably rewarding. A snack-mini-meal!

Yogurt Parfaits

 It actually tastes luscious but feels totally virtuous. Scoop up some yogurt, pile on your child’s top fruits of choice, then sprinkle on some granola, and voilà: a creamy, crunchy, sweet combination they can’t get enough of. A dusting of honey or a sprinkle of chia seeds makes it feel fancy and adds some nutritional bonus points. 

Cucumber Sandwiches

 Prschhlng prschh prschhlng rnlgin. Make homemade cucumber sandwiches of your childhood – the best is to slice the cucumber in large circles and lay on it a spread of cream cheese, turkey slices, or even hummus. Light. Cooling. Ultrahydrating. Effective on the days when your toddler won’t be still.

Ants on a Log

 It’s a great kid’s snack I still love to this day. Smear your peanut butter (or other nut butter) on some celery sticks (‘log’) and then place the raisins on top that look like the ‘ants.’ If your child doesn’t like celery, try thinly sliced apples or even a banana cut in half and attached to the other half with a ‘chive’ of peanut butter. This snack is super fiber-filled and full of good fats, and your toddler should be full until the next meal.

Rice Cake Pizzas

Do you make pizza like that? Or a cake of rice? First, you cut a hole in the rice cake, put a little bit of sauce, put a little bit of cheese, put a little bit of vegetable bits, then put 30 seconds in the microwave, melt, and – boom! Little mini pizza.

Energy Bites

Energy bites are no bake, nothing to fuss over, and one hundred percent baby-proof. They are round snacks made of oatmeal, peanut butter, honey, and healthy extras such as chocolate chips or chia seeds. They are a great energy gala to get you and your toddler through those hectic mornings. They are better than picking an equally ‘extra-natural’ packet of smashed dates in the morning. Better still, you don’t need to bake those; you just stuff them away in your fridge for two, three, or four days. 

Avocado Toast

 (Did you know that toddlers are great with new foods?)

 This is the easiest version of avocado toast you’ll ever make: Smash up some ripe avocado and smear it on some whole-grain toast. Sprinkle some salt on it, and if you want to really boost its protein value, add a poached egg. The tots will thank you, but everyone else will, too. 

Pita Bread and Guacamole

Easy and fast No 3: Sliced whole wheat pita bread, chopped into little triangles, served with a cup of guacamole – dipping is a great toddler activity, and guacamole is fat-rich goodness. Not too spicy for little tongues.

Frozen Peas

 Peas are super-easy and toddler-friendly: Yes, peas! They’re easy because you open the bag and pour. Teething, because it’s cold in their mouths, and a helpful nutrient hit in one go.

Homemade Fruit Leather

But if you have a bit of time on your hands, DIY fruit leather is a fun—somewhat healthful—alternative to store-bought fruit snacks. Even little hands can help to mash some fruit. After that, you just bake it dry until it’s puckery enough that you can peel it off the pan, and you’ve got your super-pure snack that your toddler will love to peel away. 

 Snack Time Doesn’t Have to Be a Struggle

So many ‘low-hanging fruits’, from stress-free to I should capitalize the F for FUN in no time! And Healthy! But yummy too. Do you have any mission-impossible-grade toddler snack hacks to share??? We all should help one another. 

  Thus the next time your child hangs on your leg and says he is ‘having a bite to eat’, you will know which of these morsels to bring him! Now, I’m off to the market hall! Smackly Likey. Happy Munching!