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Stuck in a food rut? Tired of trying to get more healthy snacks into your toddler? Try the snack tray! Find an inexpensive serving tray with separate compartments, or use something you already have - an ice cube tray or a muffin pan - and fill it with various healthy options for your kid to munch on throughout the day. Children love all the tiny little compartments, and when you fill each one of them with something different, it can really look nice. The photo above is of our silicone mini-muffin snack tray, filled with corn, peas, carrots, cheese, pickles, raisins, bread, black beans, crackers, strawberries, celery, and peaches.
Sometimes we forget that our little ones need to eat frequently, especially if they're busy playing and don't think to stop and ask us for food until they're ravenous. Low blood sugar and hunger can make them particularly grumpy or whiny. If you're having one of those days, try filling up a snack tray and leaving it out to help tone down those behavior challenges. Make a larger snack tray for yourself while you're at it!
Most fruits and vegetables are fine to be left out at room temperature all day, although some of them will turn brown once cut. If you want to keep them looking fresh, dip the pieces in a mix of half lemon juice, half water.
If you add perishable items like yogurt, cheese, eggs, or meat to your snack tray, just put it in the fridge when your kids are finished. In fact, I know families with older children who just leave the snack tray in the fridge on the lowest shelf for the kids to graze on throughout the day. My 17-month-old can't open the refrigerator door yet, so I leave the grazing tray out for him when he's awake, and put it in the fridge while he naps or when he has moved on to something besides eating.
Dips are fun additions to the snack tray for older kids who won't smoosh their fists in them. Toothpicks are also popular. Kids love to spear their food with them instead of using silverware or even their fingers. If you can find the fun party toothpicks shaped like swords or the colored frilly ones, even better!
Obviously, you should select snack items depending on your child's likes and dislikes, as well as his or her age. Some of the suggestions below will not be appropriate for very young toddlers or those with various food allergies. You might still fill a compartment or two with a food that you know your child doesn't like that much, and they might be inspired by the novelty of the snack tray and actually eat it.
I keep a copy of this list (click here for a printable .pdf) on my refrigerator to help me when I can't think of what to serve.
Fruits (frozen, dried, or raw):
Apples
Apricots
Asian Pears
Bananas
Blackberries
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Craisins
Dates
Dried Fruit (without preservatives or sweeteners)
Figs
Fruit Leather
Grapefruit
Grapes
Kiwi
Mandarin Oranges
Mangos
Nectarines
Oranges
Peaches
Pears
Pineapple
Plums
Raisins
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tangerines
Trail Mix
Vegetables (frozen, raw, steamed, canned, dried, or roasted):
Asparagus
Avocado
Beets (careful, they stain!)
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Corn
Cucumber
Edamame
Green Beans
Jicama
Lima Beans
Mushrooms
Nori
Olives
Peas
Pickles (you can get many kinds of pickled vegetables, not just cucumbers)
Potatoes
Snow Peas
Spinach
Sprouts
Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Turnips
Zucchini
Protein:
Almonds
Beef Jerky
Black Beans
Cannellini Beans
Cashews
Cheese (cubed or sliced)
Chicken (cubed or shredded)
Chickpeas
Deli meat (cubed or roll-ups)
Eggs (hard boiled)
Fish Sticks (preservative-free)
Ham
Hot Dogs (nitrate-free)
Kidney Beans
Peanuts
Pinto Beans
Pistachios
Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower Seeds (shelled)
Tofu (cubed)
Trail Mix
Carbs/Grains:
Bread (whole-grain)
Cereal (whole-grain)
Cheerios
Crackers (whole-grain)
Graham Crackers
Granola
Granola Bars
Homemade Muffins
Pancakes
Pasta (whole-grain, cooked)
Pita Bread
Popcorn (plain, air-popped)
Pretzels (unsalted)
Rice (cooked)
Rice Cakes
Tortellini (cooked)
Tortillas
Tortilla Chips
Waffles
Dips:
Applesauce
Honey
Hummus
Jam
Ketchup
Maple Syrup
Molasses
Nut Butter
Pasta Sauce
Peanut Butter
Salad Dressing
Salsa
Yogurt
Tray ideas:
Ice Cube Trays
Muffin Pans (Metal or Silicone)
Serving Trays (You can find a variety of different trays at stores like Target.)
