The Ultimate Guide to Healthy Snacks for Toddlers

You’d be hard-pressed to find a toddler who doesn’t perk up at the mere mention of “snack time.” And as it turns out, healthy snacks for toddlers have plenty of benefits.

For starters, nutritious foods are essential to their growth and development, and they can prevent your toddler from getting overly hungry and cranky. Toddlers’ small stomachs often can’t hold enough food to sustain them from one meal to the next, meaning they need to incorporate snacks to keep their bodies properly fueled.

Below is an in-depth guide to tips, tricks, and additional information you need to make snacks a healthy part of your toddler’s daily diet.

Nutritional Benefits of Healthy Snacks for Toddlers

Serving healthy toddler snacks is vital for their growth, development, and overall health. Nutritious snacking can also help maintain a toddler’s energy levels throughout their day, supporting their physical activities and cognitive development says Joel “Gator” Warsh, MD, a board-certified pediatrician in Los Angeles, and author of Parenting at Your Child’s Pace: The Integrative Pediatrician’s Guide to the First Three Years.

“Nutrient-rich snacks provide essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that support brain development, bone growth, and a healthy immune system,” says Dr. Gator. “Additionally, establishing healthy snacking habits early on can help prevent obesity and associated health problems later in life.”

Choosing Healthy Toddler Snacks

The recommended food groups to incorporate into toddler snacks are similar to those of adults: fruits, vegetables, healthy proteins, and fats.

According to Dr. Gator, fruits and vegetables offer vitamins and minerals that are essential for immune function and development. Protein and fats are also important for your toddler’s growth, the repairing of tissues, and brain development.

Combining food groups can help maximize nutrient intake and satiety, says Dani Lebovitz, RDN, and founder of Kid Food Explorers. For example, she says a piece of fruit is a carbohydrate with fiber, but it may not keep a little tummy satisfied until the next meal. By adding protein and/or fat in the form of dairy like yogurt or cheese, it will break down more slowly, keeping toddlers full—and providing calcium and vitamin D as a bonus.

Healthy Toddler Snack Ideas

These dietician- and parent-approved healthy snacks for toddlers are sure to satisfy their cravings—and your peace of mind.

Healthy snacks with fruits and vegetables

• Apple slices and nut butter
• Avocado toast
• Banana and nut butter roll-up
• Bell pepper strips and ranch dip
• Carrot sticks and hummus (carrots should be cut into small pieces to prevent choking)
• Cucumber and cream cheese
• Frozen banana pops dipped in yogurt
• Frozen grapes, cut into quarters
• Fruit kabobs
• Homemade fruit popsicles
• Dried seaweed
• Snap peas
• Sweet potato fries

On-the-go options:

• 100% fruit leather
• Applesauce/applesauce pouches
• Fruit/vegetable purees and pouches
• Dried fruit
• Freeze dried fruit (note that nutrients are dependent on the fruit)
• Fruit cup in 100% juice
• Fruit/vegetable smoothies

Protein-rich healthy toddler snacks

• Almond butter and whole wheat toast
• Chicken quesadilla
• Edamame
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Mini meatballs (be sure to use lean meats)
• Turkey and cheese roll-ups

On-the-go options:

• Chickpea snack mix
• Meat sticks cut in half length-wise
• Prepackaged meat and cheese
• Trail mix (don’t incorporate whole nuts before age 4, as they can be choking hazards)
• Tuna/chicken salad kits
• Packaged peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

Dairy-based healthy toddler snacks

• Cheese cubes and grapes, cut into smaller pieces to prevent choking
• Cottage cheese and pineapple
• Cream cheese and cucumber sandwich
• Frozen yogurt drops
• Greek yogurt and berries parfait
• Kefir
• Ricotta cheese and honey on crackers
• Yogurt and granola

On-the-go options

• String cheese or cheese cubes, cut into smaller pieces to prevent choking
• Yogurt smoothies

Healthy whole grain snacks for toddlers

• Whole grain frozen waffle with peanut butter and jelly
• Oatmeal muffins
• Pre-made whole grain pancakes and fruit
• Whole grain pretzels and nut butter
• Rice cake sandwiches and almond butter
• Whole grain cereal cups
• Whole grain crackers and cheese
• Whole grain tortilla chips and guacamole or salsa
• Whole wheat pita and hummus
• Zucchini bread or muffins

When to Serve Healthy Snacks for Toddlers

Offering snacks at a predictable time makes them part of your toddler’s daily routine instead of a “treat,” says Melissa Pfeister, Stanford-medicine certified nutritionist and founder of Stripped. “The daily recommended breakdown is breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-day snack, then dinner,” she says.

When it comes to fueling the endless energy of toddlers, snacks play a starring role, so you shouldn’t view them as fillers between meals. Lebovitz says it’s helpful to think of snacks as “mini-meal” opportunities you can pack with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and proteins.

“Snacks provide over 25% of a toddler’s daily nutrition so it’s important to use these small meals to fill in dietary gaps with essential nutrients supporting their rapid growth and development,” she says.

Tips for Serving Healthy Toddler Snacks

Dr. Gator says the following tips can help introduce new snacks to toddlers and picky eaters:

• Start with whole foods that are minimally processed
• Make healthy snacks for toddlers look visually appealing by using colors and fun shapes
• Model your own enjoyment of a snack to pique a toddler’s interest and embolden them to try it
• Stick to a consistent snack schedule

Even if new foods are initially rejected, Dr. Gator says it’s important to keep offering them as it may take many exposures to a new snack before a toddler accepts it. In this case, he says to try pairing it with a more well-liked one to encourage experimentation.

Common Snacking Pitfalls to Avoid

One of the biggest mistakes parents can make is giving their toddler too many snacks throughout the day. As a result, they may feel too full when it comes time for their actual meals.

Dr. Gator says the following bad habits can lead to poor nutrition, overeating, and resistance to trying new foods:

• Relying on processed and sugary snacks
• Offering snacks too close to meal times
• Allowing your toddler to graze on snacks throughout the day (without offering a variety of foods)

Potential Allergens in Healthy Toddler Snacks

While early exposure to potential allergens can be beneficial,2 Dr. Gator says it’s essential to introduce them to toddlers cautiously—and one at a time—to monitor for reactions. Common food allergens in toddlers include:

• Nuts
• Eggs
• Dairy
• Wheat
• Soy
• Shellfish3

“Avoiding them is not generally recommended unless a specific allergy is diagnosed because early exposure under the right conditions may reduce the risk of developing allergies,” he says.