A toddler’s urge for meals can usually seem like a bottomless pit! Their rising our our our our bodies require nourishment, and quite a lot of it. Transcend customary finger meals like Cheerios and little one puffs with these ideas for straightforward and nourishing finger meals for toddlers.
I promise… even picky eaters will ask for additional of these!
Healthful Finger Meals for Toddlers & Children
There are few components that toddlers love higher than making an enormous amount feeding themselves! Packaged snacks for toddlers abound, nonetheless a whole lot of them are extreme in sugar and low on vitamin.
As a alternative, listed beneath are some real-food, low-sugar finger meals to take care of up toddlers busy (and develop these type buds in the perfect route).
(Confession: Whereas loads of these are recipes for hand-crafted snacks, I don’t usually have time to make them! Fortuitously healthful store-bought variations might be found at my favorite on-line grocery retailer, Thrive Market. It’s my secret weapon with reference to staying beneath price vary on pure meals.
Crunchy Kale Chips
These simple hand-crafted kale chips have a comforting crunch like potato chips, nonetheless with a healthful twist. They’re good straightforward and fast to make and provide an superior current of fiber and folate for little tummies. Children love how they’re barely salty, and I actually like that they’re having pleasing with one problem healthful.
Veggie Chips
Sliced beets, parsnips, jicama, and fully fully totally different root greens make the best automotive for a delicious dip (see beneath). They supply a healthful, crunchy varied to potato chips. I haven’t made these myself however (aside from kale chips) nonetheless I actually like these plantain chips from Thrive Market for a easy ready-made selection.
Parsnip Fries
Assume toddlers gained’t eat parsnips? They’re going to as rapidly as they’re made as fries! Right correct proper right here’s make them. (P.S. The harissa mayo might be too spicy as is for toddlers, so omit the cayenne pepper for a toddler-friendly mannequin.)
Grain-Free Crackers
It’d sound like lots to make grain-free crackers, nonetheless I promise this recipe is sweet straightforward. Just a few elements come collectively to make a crunchy snack to affiliate with veggies, cheese, meat slices, or dip.
We moreover love this mannequin as rapidly as we wish a ready-made selection.
Celery Smiles
Barely trick a mom-friend taught me: calling meals by a satisfying title makes all the excellence to children! De-string celery and serve small slices as “celery smiles” with almond butter for dipping. (Warning: That’s undoubtedly for additional superior toddlers.)
Don’t Skip the Dip!
Toddlers love nothing higher than making an enormous amount! The upside? It retains them busy for a while! Serve finger meals with a healthful dip (and permit them to have at it) for an setting pleasant decision to get all by means of the healthful fats children need for progress.
Suggestion: Serve previous to bathtub time 🙂
Guacamole
Avocados are a satisfying inexperienced color for kids, and they also moreover’re filled with monounsaturated fat for rising brains. Veggies like carrot, celery, cucumber, and pepper slices go appropriately with hand-crafted guacamole.
Smoked Salmon Dip
This delicious smoked salmon dip tastes unbelievable ample to serve at a fancy-schmancy cocktail get collectively, nonetheless it’s nutritious and kid-friendly ample for a toddler. I like serving it with grain-free crackers or veggie sticks for dipping… it’s like a meal in itself.
Hummus… Made With Cauliflower!
Nothing improper with solely a bit hummus, nonetheless everytime you steer clear of grains and legumes as I usually do, this cauliflower hummus recipe can be worthwhile. (Hidden veggies = ranking!)
Precise Meals Pouches
Time in order so as in order so as to add a model new mannequin or texture into their menu? Try turning a purée mannequin appropriate correct proper right into a dip and blend with flavors and meals they already like. Serenity Children is a transparent and healthful current of unbelievable fats and proteins that infants should assemble sturdy our our our our bodies and brains. These pouches moreover work good on the go in case you is prone to be touring or simply out of the house working errands. Infants love the type and Moms love the vitamin and macronutrients in each chew!
On-the Go Snacks
As my children develop earlier, we spend additional time going to and from actions. Listed beneath are some transportable snacks we have to protect spherical:
Fruit Snacks
I’m not talking the sugary, processed, and artificially colored gummies, nonetheless the variability with healthful blood-sugar-balancing protein! These hand-crafted fruit snacks embrace little sugar and a considerable quantity of gelatin for higher pores and pores and pores and pores and skin, hair, nails, and joint efficiently being.
Gelatin moreover is sweet for digestion, improves mineral absorption, and helps balances amino acids. Your full toddler will type though is a delicious, satisfying gummy take care of!
- Selfmade Fruit Snacks Recipe – These might be custom-made with whichever mannequin you want by altering up the juice. Give it an impressive extra healthful twist by means of the usage of kombucha!
- Probiotic Jello Recipe – I add hand-crafted yogurt or milk kefir to these for a creamy, berry take care of that’s rich in probiotics.
I haven’t found a store-bought mannequin of fruit snacks however that’s low ample in sugar and extreme ample in protein to swimsuit the bill, however everytime you acknowledge of 1, I’m all ears…
Vitality Bars
Okay, so toddlers possibly don’t need any additional energy (!), nonetheless these kid-friendly bars will protect them full and nourished (with out processed sugar). They’re moreover transportable.
- Chia Seed Vitality Bar Recipe – Protein-packed and energizing chia seeds give these bars a nice crunch. I like serving these earlier all by means of the day so that they don’t intervene with bedtime.
- Wellness Vitality Bar Recipe – My little ones really title these candy bars, nonetheless they’re created from healthful elements, like dates.
- Chocolate Coconut Vitality Bar Recipe – These chocolate coconut energy bars are made with coconut oil and cocoa as an alternative of sugary chocolate chips.
Fruit Leather-based-based-based-based
- Strawberry Beet Fruit Leather-based-based-based-based Recipe – Use any fruit/veggie combination that sounds good to you, nonetheless my children truly like this mannequin combination. I combine beets in with the strawberries in order so as in order so as to add iron and additional vitamin (and all the youngsters type are strawberries).
- SCOBY Fruit Leather-based-based-based-based Recipe – This SCOBY fruit leather-based within reason like my hand-crafted fruit leather-based, nonetheless with probiotics from kombucha.
(Grain-Free) Sandwiches for Little Fingers
We don’t serve bread usually at our residence (appropriate correct proper right here’s why), nonetheless there are fully fully totally different strategies to get the feel of a sandwich:
Cucumber Sandwiches
Skip the bread and make mini sandwiches with cucumber slices. Cream cheese, tomato slices, sliced cheese, and meat are varied filling ideas. These is also made with sliced zucchini. My children love stacking them and making their very personal mixtures.
Lettuce Wraps
Wrapping sandwich fillings in crunchy lettuce is an easy means in order so as in order so as to add additional vitamin with out the grains. Chopped tomato, sliced bell peppers, shredded hen or beef, and hand-crafted mayo are varied filling ideas.
If a lettuce wrap is simply too exhausting in your toddler to hold, chop off the firmer end of some romaine lettuce or endive leaves and permit them to dip into hand-crafted hen salad or one fully totally different creamy dip as an alternative.
Breakfast Finger Meals for Toddlers
Start the day acceptable with these simple breakfast ideas, nice for little palms and tummies.
Coconut Flour Apple Cinnamon Muffins
This recipe occurred one morning as rapidly as I used to be low on eggs for breakfast. These apple cinnamon muffins are grain-free, naturally sweetened, and conveyable as efficiently.
Grain-Free Banana Muffins
Naturally sweetened with fruit and filled with fiber and protein, these banana bread muffins could very efficiently be made with a mini muffin tin to make them moderately additional bite-sized.
Breakfast Burgers
These breakfast burgers are sausage patties with an added improve of style from nutrient-dense herbs and spices. They’re an superior current of protein all by means of the morning and might be served alongside a troublesome boiled egg, a slice of cheese, and halved grape tomatoes for a whole toddler-friendly finger meals breakfast.
Inventive Strategies to Serve Finger Meals
Often it’s just about dicing up the meals you’re serving anyone and giving it a satisfying presentation. Listed beneath are some ideas I’ve tried and my children love:
Fruit or Veggie Shish Kabobs
Presentation may make or break a snack for a toddler. Veggies they won’t generally eat look additional fascinating when cubed and skewered. (In any case, popsicle sticks or chopsticks are a safer selection for toddlers than the usual bamboo skewer.)
- Layer cucumber chunks, grape tomatoes, cheese cubes, and fully fully totally different veggies collectively.
- Small strawberries, apple chunks and cheese cubes make a tasty fruit mannequin.
- Serve with dip, like guacamole for the veggies, and a creamy fruit dip for the fruit.
Meatball Shish Kabobs
This healthful protein might be paired with rice pasta or spaghetti squash, nonetheless they could even be used to make meatball shish kabobs. Layer mini Greek meatballs, halved grape tomatoes, and dices of cucumber collectively, and serve with a tzatziki dipping sauce. Get the recipe for the Greek meatballs and tzatziki sauce appropriate correct proper right here.
How I Stock My Pantry (With out Breaking the Monetary establishment)
Discovering prime quality snacks for kids that aren’t filled with sugar, low-cost fillers, or harmful preservatives was as rapidly as extraordinarily environment friendly, nonetheless it’s getting simpler! I’ve my favorite hand-crafted recipes lastly, nonetheless life is lots busier than it was as rapidly as.
I make it simple on myself and save a ton of money by trying to find most of my kid-friendly snacks from Thrive Market. Contained in the occasion you haven’t heard of it, suppose Costco wholesale pricing on Full Meals prime quality meals and varieties, with the consolation of shopping for by the use of Amazon.
It’s the perfect of all worlds and I uncover I save 25-50% over prices in retailers and on-line. Thrive now even has their very personal mannequin of many meals staples I buy, which saves moderately additional!
My Favorite Toddler-Good Snacks From Thrive Market:
What are your favorite snacks for the little people in your life? Are there healthful decisions they prefer to eat? I’d want to be conscious of your ideas!
Many ensuing from Thrive Market for sponsoring this publish. For a restricted time, as a Wellness Mama reader you probably can buy a further 25% off your first order + a free 30-day membership! Try it out appropriate correct proper right here.
