our healthy go-to toddler snacks

Talk to any mom with kids 5 and under... and they'll tell you one thing: snacks are life. Okay yes, in the most literal sense of the phrase, small bites to munch on between meals is necessary (sustenance = survival), BUT having a quick and easy snack to hand your kiddo during those last 15 minutes of a long Target trip can be a total life saver.

I learned this pretty quickly after becoming a mama, and have since made it a habit to always have a few snacks in my diaper bag when we are on-the-go. I get a little more creative with snack-time at home, so today I'm going to break-down some of our favorite *healthy* toddler snacks that come in handy in each situation.

Julienned Fruit or Veggies

If you aren't big on cooking, to "julienne" simply means to cut into long thin strips. One of our recent go-to snacks is Fuji apples cut this way. I like that the pieces are too thin to be a choking hazard, but long enough that Ava can grab hold of a couple and snack away.

I also like doing this with pears and bell peppers. And FUN FACT: this is the only way I can get Ava to eat carrots lately. Apparently she likes this hand-held shape!

Toddler Trail Mix

A fun and simple snack (that is great when on-the-go) is a little home-made toddler trail mix! You can mix in any of your little's favorite cereals, pretzels, grahams and dried fruit. I've even seen some mixes feature mini M&M's or marshmallows, but since we are sticking to healthy snacks, here is a great recipe your tiny human is bound to love:

Toddler Trail Mix Recipe:

-1 Cup Cheddar Bunnies (Annie's brand)

-1 Cup dried cranberries

-1 Cup pretzel sticks

-1 Cup cinnamon apple straws

-1 Cup Cherrios

Tiny Giants Plant-Based Yogurt Pouches

We recently discovered Tiny Giants plant-based yogurt and it has been a HUGE hit in our household. These organic, non-GMO pouches taste great and come in three fun flavors: Berry Fly, Mangood and Vanilla Banilla. They are packaged in portable pouches, so they are great on-the-go but also a really easy addition to quick breakfasts (eaten as we rush to daycare on my work days)!

Okay so on to the healthy part. These little snacks pack a probiotic-punch.. meaning they balance the good bacteria in Ava's tummy + give her a little immune-boost that she seriously needs (because little girl picks up EVERY germ she can get her curious hands on!).

Snack Bars

I always find myself doubting how healthy little kid snack bars realllllyyyy are. And I'm not going to lie, Ava has had her fair share of kid-sized breakfast bars that probably have more grams of sugar than she should be consuming. BUT for the most part, I try to veer towards the healthier bar options.

Our two favorites are Happytot Fiber & Protein Bars, and RXBAR Kids Bars (the Apple Cinnamon flavor). Ava loves both of these! The RXBAR is made with 4 ingredients (how awesome is that) BUT note they are very chewy so I like to pre-cut these for Ava.

Banana Sushi

This is a fun idea that is definitely better suited for at-home snacking (peanut butter fingers are not my favorite when we are out in public). I first saw this on Pinterest a while back (original recipe can be found here), but you essentially spread Peanut or Almond Butter on a whole wheat tortilla, and wrap a banana inside. Slice in 1/2 inch pieces (like sushi) and enjoy! (Warning: you WILL want to steal a few of these off your little one's plate).

So that's a wrap! Hopefully a few of these ideas/snack brands are new to you, and can be incorporated in your little one's weekly diet! All kids have their own likes and preferences, but I can say all of these ideas are Ava tested and approved! Happy snacking!

This post was sponsored by Tiny Giants, but all opinions are, of course, mine!