Toddlers
Kids at this age may have trouble staying focused for whole meals. Having a snack schedule and giving them choices can help them get enough to eat between meals without spoiling their appetites. Some suggestions:
- Fortified ready-to-eat cereals
- Small pieces of fruit
- Graham crackers
- Cheese slices
- Applesauce and yogurt
Pre-schoolers
The same suggestions, scheduling snacks and giving choices, are still really helpful at this age. The snacks are similar too, but with the addition of whole-grain crackers and cut raw or cooked vegetables.
School-age
Mid-morning and after-school snacks can help kids get through busy school days.
- Ready-to-eat cereal made with whole grain and low-fat milk
- Low-fat smoothies
- Fruits, dried fruits and nuts
- Whole-grain pretzels
- Low-fat cubed or string cheese
Snacks on the go
Snacks on the go
Meltdown: Many parents have learned the hard way after being caught unprepared when kids are hungry. Bananas, other fruits, dried fruits, cut vegetables and ready-to-eat cereals are portable healthy snacks. When you do run out of time, you can find yogurt, small bottles or cartons of milk, bottled water, string cheese, ready-to-eat cereal, popcorn, pretzels, granola bars or crackers made with whole grain at some convenience stores.
How we can help
Parents have discovered on their own that original Cheerios® cereal is easy to transport, easy to eat and easy to like, both as a finger food and as kids get older.