Healthy snacks to fuel adventures
Bestselling baby and children’s cookery author Annabel Karmel shares her top healthy snacking tips for scootering tots!
Fresh Fruit Wands
Let’s face it, snacks are LIFE for little ones.
Healthy snacks are a great way to pack essential nutrients and boost energy levels for play, learning and growth.
Did you know that small brains develop more in the first three years of life than at any other time? Yet, with toddler tummies being three times smaller than grown-ups, frequent fuel stops are a good way of avoiding hunger meltdowns.
Here are my 5 top snacking tips for scoot-happy tots!
• See snacks as small nutritious meals. Aim to offer two food groups at each snack: a carbohydrate or protein with fruit or veg. This will provide a good balance of nutrients to fill the gaps between mealtimes.
• Don’t pair snacks with screens. As with main meals, children watching screens while eating are less likely to pay attention to what and how they are eating, what their bodies are telling them, and when they are full.
• If you are taking snacks out on the go, make sure you stop to eat them. Eating and moving could increase the chance of choking.
• Little ones thrive on routine and knowing what to expect when. Arrange a rough snack schedule and let your child know about it – and refer to points in the day rather than a specific time, as a child will better understand when to expect the goods (i.e. after nursery, after school pick-up).
• Avoid offering snacks too close to dinner, spoiling their appetite. A tactical healthy snack 1-2 hours ahead of dinner should keep those “I’m hungry” moans at bay. And if they get a good nutrition boost in their snack, you can always offer a slightly smaller portion at dinner.
Sheet pan fritters
Annabel’s 10 snack pairings
- Toasted raisin bread + yoghurt & strawberries
2. Veggie sticks + hummus
3. Rice cakes + cream cheese with cucumber
4. Toast with avocado + tomato
5. Yoghurt + berries & sprinkled seeds
6. Oat cakes with peanut butter + banana
7. Mini savoury veggie muffins
8. Slice of banana bread
9. Wedge of frittata or mini frittata muffin
10. Homemade energy balls
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