Need more ideas for my toddlers snack tray - Page 2

[TwinMom]

Wow, what a great idea! How about little cubes of tofu? I'm not sure what can sit out all day and still be okay. In our house the tofu would be eaten pretty soon, so I'm not worried about that one here! Would boiled eggs be okay to sit out for awhile?

Oh, I wanted to share something that my little one likes--toothpicks. If he's acting picky and doesn't want to accept any of my snack ideas, I can usually get him to go along with something that he can eat with a toothpick. Tofu, raisins, grapes. fruity booty...almost any kind of finger food can be toothpicked! :LOL

[GruppieGirl]

My ds loves to DIP!!

I toast tortillas and give him apple sauce as a dip

Thanks for the great ideas! My dd now has to bring her snack to school once a week and have been in a rut lately.

[Alkenny]

Dips would be a great idea...applesauce, peanut butter, hummus, or whatever....mmmmm carrots with peanut butter (my DD turned me onto that one!)

[surf mama]

I just wrote down a list of ideas from everyone...thanks

I need to eat through out the day to stay happy. This will be great for dd and me!

Other ideas:

healthy mini muffins (cranberries, oats, flax, sunflower seeds, carob, etc...)

roasted garbanzo beans (they taste better when they are just cool enough to eat but they are still okay later in the day) I like them roasted with a little olive oil and tamari soy sauce...for me and dh I add a little chili powder or hot sauce.

[TwinMom]

mini-muffins and beans are a great idea! My 3-year old loves any kind of beans.

I just made up a snack tray for Alec and he's so excited! I think this is going to be a regular thing in our house.

[streetkitty]

Originally Posted by Nu_Mommy_2003

I will be copying all the ideas here to compile a list in MS Word to put on the fridge for easy access of your great suggestions. Thanks again!

Thank you for asking! I also just compiled a list- dd was really getting sick of the same old, same old- this is great! I'm even going to go out and get some trays today! Inspiration!

I'll add:
the dried just peas (dd LOVES THESE)
cut up homemade tortilla pizza

[hlkm2e]

I read about this somewhere else and tried it. We used an egg carton, with all of its little compartments filled with different snacks. DD loved it.

[Wugmama]

This sounds like such a good idea, especially because I am constantly worried that my dd doesn't consume enough calories, but when I tried this it didn't go too well. I used an ice cube tray which my daughter tried to carry around and ended up dumping on the floor. Even before she did that, the grapes started getting dried out. How do you manage to keep the tray going all day? Where can I get a good tray? I suppose a kitchen store would be a good place to start.

[~*max*~]

Lovin' this thread! I am one of those mamas obsessed w/healthy eating for the kids (wish I was that way about myself too!), so this is a great idea for us.

Now for a tray..... What does everyone use? I've got a houseful, so I'd need something w/bigger compartments than an ice cube tray or egg carton.

[~*max*~]

OK, I'm back again to say that you mamas are geniuses! I dug out a crystal tray that has divided sections (wedding gift, glad it's finally getting some use!) and decided to try this for our lunch today. Usually mealtime is an ongoing battle for us, but today the kids loved it. They got to be "the boss" of what they ate. I filled it w/raisins, dried apricots, rice cakes, whole wheat crackers, blue corn flakes, carrots, celery, red pepper, and they each had their own yogurt. They even asked if we could do this every day.

Thank you everyone for the ideas.

[bebe luna]

For snacks we offer:

dried fruit
nuts
nut butters
whole grain crackers
cheeses
hard boiled egg
sushi rolls
homemade granola bars and muffins
olives (limited though, since so salty)
fruit
berries
yogurt
miso
carrot sticks
celery sticks
nori
blue corn chips
whole grain cereals (mostly for baby to snack on)
stuffed grape leaves
trail mix
smoothies
baked apples
seasoned & baked sweet potato fries
occassional popcorn
homemade fruit pops

I try and eat seasonally... what is in season, as well as what goes best w/ the seasons. Such as warmer foods, dried fruits, nuts, bakes fruits, roasted vegis, etc in the cooler months, and more raw fruits, vegis, and colder foods like yogurt, etc in the warmer months.

[MuseMom]

This is a great thread. My son is 15 mths and just getting more interested in "real" food. Just one question, do you keep the trays out and at your toddler's level all day long for grazing? Thanks!

[pixiexto]

Thanks for this super idea! I will be poking around to improvise a "snack tray" later today, and we'll kick it off tomorrow

I'm not sure I have any fresh ideas to suggest, but I got a few from your lists. Can't wait to try this out; I think DD will be thrilled to pieces! She's a grazer, just like her Mama

[nym]

Usually my toddler will eat all the cold things, like grapes, egg, cubed chicken, and cheese first, and then snack on the other stuff. I do a smaller tray, so if it is sitting out Ill put it in the fridge, or Ill do the more perishable things for lunch, and then dried fruit and etc for an afternoon nosh so it can sit out all day.

[HRC121799]

K, I have been wanting to do this, I think I'll use a muffin tin to put the snacks in. We're going grocery shopping tonight. We're staying with my sister and her two boys right now, so I think I"ll be re-filling this snack tray *quite* often with 3 big boys and 1 little guy snacking on it! Thanks for the awesome ideas all ! Dh watched with big eyes as my shopping list grew...and grew...and grew some more....

[katebleu]

i don't know if any of these have been mentioned. i don't remember seeing them. they are all things that were eaten by my brothers and i when we were toddlers or i eat now as part of my eat like a toddler cuz i'm breast feeding lifestyle. and i think i will start making up a snack tray for myself.

cheese curds
canned green beans
fresh peas
rye crisp
meat or "meat" roll-ups

[Nu_Mommy_2003]

Originally Posted by MuseMom

...Just one question, do you keep the trays out and at your toddler's level all day long for grazing? Thanks!

I leave the tray at toddler level so he graze :LOL as he wish. I use my plastic divide party tray with 8 compartments ($1.50 at Walmart/Target in all colors). I put the tray out after breakfast for him to snack on in between meals (it depends what items are on the tray, as to if I leave it out until dinner) the tray normally stays out until dinner or until DH finishes it off when he gets home. Also, the tray goes outside with us and I put a mesh dome food tent over it. DS loves to share with kids that come over to play. If we go traveling (car rides, walks, hikes, park, etc.) I put the snacks in divided snack bowls and put them in a canvas lunch bag. Yay!! healthy snacks on the go (no fast food stops for us ) HTH!

Edited to add: I started this because my toddler does not usually eat 3 meals a day. So to assure that he was getting enough calories and eating healthy the tray was created and has been a great success. We both are eating better

[cortsmommy]

Thats cool! I'm going to do this! Thanks.

[Slackermom]

This is a great idea! I think I'd probably benefit from having healthy snacks handy, too!

I would add:

hummus and rice crackers
avacado slices

[rosie29]

Originally Posted by katebleu

"meat" roll-ups

Katebleu, can you give tell me how you make your "meat" roll-ups? Thanks! Sounds interesting.