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Food is fuel. And it is incredible how much fuel toddlers need. Though I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Their engines are constantly running, and even when I might need a nap after a morning of swim lessons and a playground visit, they are up for whatever adventure comes next.
Before becoming a parent I read up on best practices for cultivating healthy eaters and learned that French children hardly ever snack on the go (and never in the car). In France there is a designated snack time each afternoon, take it or leave it. However, to borrow a phrase from Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell) in Talladega Nights, “We are not French. We’re American.” As much as I aspired to the French model of snacking, my kids tend to snack anywhere and everywhere.
Having a healthy, organic option on hand makes all the difference. What follows are the best organic toddler snacks, tested by my kids who have tasted (and rejected) just about everything in our efforts to find fuel that is satisfying.
Organic yogurt is full of good stuff, including probiotics that help with digestion, a host of vitamins, and calcium and protein. Stonyfield Organic tubes are low on added sugar and come in crushable flavors like strawberry-banana and cherry-berry. But the real kicker is that they can be frozen and consumed like a push pop. This trick of temperature and texture makes them taste like a dessert despite all the healthiness packed inside.
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Simply having tasty, nutritious food on hand is not necessarily enough to get your kids to actually eat it. That is why leveraging their obsessions can be so useful. My son is all about trucks. Giving him a strawberry, pumpkin, and beet soft baked bar that has no added sugar and is made with fruits and vegetables might not move the needle for him. But call it a tractor wheel and suddenly he can’t get enough nutrients. Wheels for the win.
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Speaking of leveraging obsessions, Elmo smiling out from a bag of airy peanut butter puffs that are made with only five ingredients is always going to be an attraction. Come for the beloved Sesame Street character, stay for the guilt-free snack that has no artificial flavors, only organic ingredients, and a solid hit of protein. These are the perfect playground snack break.
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Hummus, or “hummy,” as it is known in our household, is a nutrient bomb. It is high in fiber, protein, iron, calcium, and potassium. It is also a perfect toddler dip, adding a bit of zest to just about anything. Whether it’s carrots, broccoli, bread, chips, or pretzels, our son will dip it in hummus, adding flavor to a wide variety of foods. Since his attention span is pretty limited, he will often take a few bites and then move onto the next activity, so these mini hummus cups from Kirkland are perfect. We pick up a batch on every Costco trip.
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Even though we failed in utilizing the French approach to snacking, I feel better about our relationship with food thanks to the organic snack options we have on hand. Toddlers ride unpredictable waves of energy, bursting with enthusiasm in one minute and conking out the next. Having food that fuels them for all their adventures by giving them natural energy allows them to explore without crashing too hard from a sugar rush. We may live in a culture that snacks a lot, but the upside to that is there are excellent snacks out there. The above options are sure to help your toddler’s engine run efficiently.
