Need more ideas for my toddlers snack tray - Page 3

[streetkitty]

dd LOVES it!!

So I got my tray at pottery barn kids (way too expensive but I knew they had cute, heavy weight trays that work and I was so inspired to start the next day!) I actually did a morning and afternoon tray (morning included breakfast and lunch included lunch) and my 19 month old "ohhh"ed a few times before digging in. What a fantastic idea and I am so thrilled to have so many new snack ideas!

[mystic~mama]

great thread

i'm looking for a alternative to plastic for our snack tray, anyone know of anywhere to order/buy those?


thanks!

[rainbowmoon]

loving this thread and making a list for future reference! thanks for the ideas mamas!

btw my ds is a younger toddler(12mo) and been on solids for some time now.
so far he snacks on
cheerios
banana pieces rolled in oatmeal
cooked beans


what other things do you think we could we try with a younger toddler? sometimes he won't eat lunch but still seems to want to snack so I'd like to add some variety.


Twinmom- what's fruity booty?

[rainbowmoon]

mystic mama- how about a wooden tray? I think I've seen some at Target and Cost Plus. HTH!

[meco]

rice cakes
raisins
organic dried fruits
sunflower seeds
seed mixes
edamame (my son's faves)
boiled peanuts
all veggies cut up (bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, etc)

[NYCVeg]

This is such a cool idea! I may steal it next time I babysit my niece.

Question: how do you keep the peanut butter and hummus from getting crusty sitting out all day? I'm also curious about stuff like pineapple, apples, and avocado, which I would think would dry out or brown over the course of the day.

Thanks!

[IdentityCrisisMama]

[TwinMom]

I thought of one more snack tray idea--olives! My kids LOVE olives, so this is always a great addition for us.

[ju-cee]

ideas for snack tray

Hi excellent ideas everyone! THANX
To Surfmama, How do you roast garbanzo beans?
Does anyone find trouble w/kids eating supper after "grazing all day?

[katebleu]

Originally Posted by rosie29

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

rosie29,
i just meant that the meat need not be actually animal product but could be soy product that's molded like cold meat cuts. hope that explains things.

[Gidget]

I read this thread last night and thought it an awesome idea. I did it for my toddlers this morning. They loved it. While they stayed at the table longer, they go back and snack. HOw do you all keep your kids from carrying the food around the house? Mine are always trying to get out of the table with food in hand.

I was wondering if it made meal time a problem too. How do you do that? Do you cook dinner and let the kids graze the rest of the dayon the tray?

[Fluffy Peanut]

Great idea!! My toddler (2.8 yrs) is at a stage where he plays with his food more than he eats it, so maybe offering him a snack tray would help! It'll help me too since I need to eat more often due to nursing and a fast metabolism.

[Gidget]

I guess I am going to have to experiment with foods. I put 4 hard boiled egg halves in there. Isaac chewed them all up and spit them back in the tray.

[loon13]

Originally Posted by NYCVeg

This is such a cool idea! I may steal it next time I babysit my niece.

Question: how do you keep the peanut butter and hummus from getting crusty sitting out all day? I'm also curious about stuff like pineapple, apples, and avocado, which I would think would dry out or brown over the course of the day.

Thanks!

For apples and vegetables, rinse them in a very diluted vinegar rinse, something like 1 tsp vinegar to a cup of water. I say diluted so that you won't get vinegar taste but you will get the benefits. That's what I did for our apples today and it really helped.

or another idea from "Tips to help make life easier" (http://www.mmavs.org/easy.htm)
one part lemon juice to one part water. When cutting fresh fruit, spritz it with the mixture to prevent discoloring.

ETA: As for the peanut butter and hummus, I'd be interested if anyone has tips on that, too!

[captain optimism]

I dip apple pieces in orange juice to keep them from discoloring. We always have o.j. in the house so I don't have to squeeze it, and it doesn't make the fruit sour.

I haven't given peanut butter yet. with hummus, if I want to give it as a snack, I put a little of it in a small container. My son loves containers! It's kind of a messy snack for him, though.

This thread has been really helpful! My son likes to graze before breakfast and before lunch anyway, I generally just let him take his snack to the high chair for lunchtime.

[dreamlette]

Thanks for the great ideas!! I've tried this a couple times and my son has enjoyed it a lot. I like it too because I need to eat more and it makes it easy.

Another idea is pickles- Aidan can't seem to get enough of them!

[loon13]

captain optimism, thanks for the idea about the o.j. All of us here like orange juice so I wouldn't mind any taste of it on other food.

When I put out peanut butter, it's for me. DD hasn't wanted to touch it or hummus. Maybe a texture thing. She has tried peanuts and mashed garbanzo beans. She's 2.8, so I felt a little better about her trying the peanuts. She also likes cashews. And luckily, we have no family history of nut sensitivities. Dairy, however, is another story...

[Messac888]

Hey, I read on here before, don't remember if I posted, but I wanted to say I LOVED this idea! My 2 1/2 son loves it too, and my dh even put in his 2 cents worth! I couldn't decide on a tray for my son since a muffin pan's compartments just seemed too big and an ice cube tray seemed too small. My hubby came back home from the HARDWARE store with a plastic compartment tray meant to be used for nails, screws, etc. I thought it was a great idea- and it has a hinged lid so we can take it places. (We use plastic, I know some moms don't, but for those that do, this works for us!)

For apples I rinse them in lemon juice/water and they stay pretty fresh-looking for over a full day. The browning doesn't bother my ds though, it only bothers us adults. I put yogurt in one part and salad dressing on the opposite side. A few graham cracker sticks, cheese cubes, apples, cereal with raisins (not Raisin Bran), grapes, carrot strips and frozen peas, organic cheesy guppies crackers, and tomato chunks and my son was good to go. He loved it!

We usually graze all day long in my home anyway, so dinnertime has never been a problem after snacking all day. I find that, not only does this improve my chances of getting my son to eat better, but it lessens MY workload during the day- important since I'm nursing an infant. I just stick it in the fridge during naptime after adding more grapes and yogurt, since those are the two that seem to go the quickest.

[Greensleeves]

T

[noeyjeanne]

Rice Cakes (ones you can cook up with leftover rice and goodies) - I just make mini ones for snacks

how do you make rice cakes from leftover rice?