Healthy Snacks, Healthy Kids

Does it seem like kids are always asking for a snack? Believe it or not, this makes perfect sense.

Because their stomachs are smaller than ours, children can only eat so much at a time before they feel full (Shield 2017).

So, consider complementing their meals with nutritious snacks throughout the day.

General Snacking Guidelines

Here are some general snacking guidelines for each age group:

• Toddlers (ages 1–3) and preschoolers (ages 3–5) should be offered two snacks a day: one snack 2 hours before lunch and another snack 2 hours before dinner (Shield 2017).
• Kids ages 6–12 should be offered one afternoon snack. According to The Better Kid Care program, this is usually enough to fill any nutrition gaps (Cox and Mincemoyer 2017).

Do not worry if your child does not seem hungry at a specific time—just offer food again a few hours later at the next meal or snack.

Remember, it is important to choose snacks that are full of nutrients from the MyPlate food groups (US Department
of Agriculture [USDA] n.d.-a). Keep the sample snack list below handy as you plan these mini-meals for children (Shield 2017).

As always, to prevent choking, provide young children with developmentally appropriate foods—that is, an appropriate size, consistency, and shape—that are easy for them to eat and swallow (USDA and US Department of Health and Human Services 2020).

Snack Ideas from Each Food Group.

For children ages 2 and older, choose fat-free or low-fat dairy or fortified soy milk or yogurt. For 1-year-olds, choose whole milk dairy products or fortified unsweetened soy milk or yogurt.

Fruits

• Clementine sections
• Banana or pineapple chunks
• Fruit with fruit dip
• Canned fruits packed in their own juice
• Yogurt topped with fresh fruit
• Fruit and cheese kabobs
• Whole-grain waffles topped with yogurt and fruit
• Fruit smoothies made with milk and yogurt
• Banana "ice cream"
• Apple ring sandwiches

Vegetables

• Celery sticks filled with peanut butter
• Cherry tomatoes cut in half
• Vegetables cut into sticks (carrots, celery, green peppers, cucumbers, squash)
• Steamed broccoli, green beans, or sugar snap peas with dip or with hummus
• Baked potato topped with salsa

Grains

• Whole-grain crackers
• Whole-grain cereal
• Brown rice cakes
• Graham crackers
• Popcorn
• Whole-grain pretzels with hummus
• Baked tortilla chips with salsa or guacamole

Protein Foods

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Bean dip spread on whole-grain crackers or sliced bread
• Peanut or other nut butter spread on whole-grain crackers
• Peanut butter energy bites
• Traditional hummus or chocolate hummus
• Roasted chickpeas

Dairy

• Fruit smoothies made with milk and yogurt
• Cheese slices with thin apple wedges
• Cheese slices with whole-grain crackers
• String cheese
• Mini yogurt cups
• Parfaits made with yogurt, fruit, and granola
• Cottage cheese with pineapple or peaches
• Whole-grain cereal with milk

Recommended Daily Amounts

For all snacks and meals, refer to the chart below for the total recommended daily amounts from each food group.

Source: Data from USDA (n.d.-b).

References

Cox J and Mincemoyer C. 2017. "Sample Meal Schedules." Better Kid Care. Penn State Extension.

Shield JE. 2017. "When Should My Kids Snack?" 

USDA. n.d.-a. "MyPlate Graphics." 

USDA. n.d.-b. "MyPlate Plan." 

USDA and US Department of Health and Human Services. 2020. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025, 9th edition. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture.