With all the swimming and outdoor play that comes with summertime, also comes extra hungry toddlers! And by now, we all know that toddlers absolutely love snacks. So if you need some more kid-friendly snack ideas to add into your rotation this season, you’ve come to the right place. Here are our all-time favourite snacks that are sure to keep your energetic children full and happy this summer.

Mini Charcuterie Boards

While “charcuterie boards” sound like a fancy snack for adults, with a little creativity, you can create some toddler-approved boards that are quick and easy. While toddlers and preschoolers often protest certain foods, sometimes all you need to do is make the food look pretty and they’ll be all over it. Plus, with charcuterie boards, they’ll love the freedom of picking and choosing which foods they want to eat. Here are some items to include:

• Mild cheeses cut into squares (mozzarella, cheddar, gouda)
• Your little one’s favourite deli meat rolled up (ham, salami, chicken)
• Fresh fruit (strawberries, apples, mango)
• Veggies (celery, baby carrots, cucumber slices)

Cutting up sandwiches like chicken and cucumber or ham and cheese into mini shapes can also make these boards into a full summertime lunch!

Mango Nice Cream

A fun alternative to smoothies, try making some “nice cream” with mango and banana (or whichever fruit you have on hand!). Your little one will love the creamy texture while you’ll love that you’re serving up a healthy, fruit-based treat. Here’s how to make this “nice cream” using only three ingredients!

Ingredients

• 3 mangoes (peeled, pitted, and cut into small pieces)
• 1 banana (cut into small rounds)
• 2/3 cup milk of choice

Method

• Place your fruit pieces on a baking tray and freeze for around 4 hours
• Add your frozen fruit to a food processor and blend until crumbly
• Add in the milk and then continue to blend

You’ll need to stop the food processor, scrape down the sides of the cup and stir, and then start processing again until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.

Fruit Skewers

Fresh fruit is always a summer go to. Whether you pick your own fruit with your children as a summer activity or grab some at your local supermarket, it’s likely to be bursting with juicy flavour that kids typically enjoy. But sometimes, offering a few strawberries on a plate might not spark your toddler’s interest, so you might have to get creative. One thing that’ll intrigue any toddler? Fruit skewers!

Simply cut your fruit into bite sized pieces (or into shapes if you’re feeling up to it) and serve on a skewer or popsicle stick with round edges depending on your child’s age. They’ll love picking the fruit off one by one. Plus, these can be made the day before if you’ll be having a play group over or you know it’ll be a busy day.

P.S. – these would be great to have on hand for Christmas day as a healthy snack!

Spinach & Cheese Muffins

Muffins are one the best foods that you can sneak veggies into without your toddlers or preschoolers protesting! Plus, they can be made in batches and are freezer-friendly, so you can have a whole lot of them on hand for whenever hunger strikes. One of our favourite veggie muffin recipes is this Spinach & Cheese Muffin recipe. This recipe makes 24 regular sized muffins, so you’ll have plenty to reach for in your freezer this summer.

Ingredients

• 4 cups self-raising flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 cups finely chopped spinach
• 2 cups tasty cheese
• 2 cups milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs

Method

• Preheat oven to 200°C
• Grease a muffin tray
• Combine flour and baking soda to a bowl
• Add spinach and cheese and stir
• Combine the wet ingredients in another bowl and combine. Add to the flour mixture and mix until combined
• Spoon mixture over the muffin trays
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

Banana Chips

Are your little ones chip-obsessed? These banana chips are simple to make and have that saltiness that your children love in their regular potato chips, without all the extra grease. If your toddler is a fan of dips, or you’d like to introduce them to hummus or guacamole, this snack is the perfect pair for it. You can even make these chips in large batches and store in a Ziploc bag for a snack that lasts multiple days.

Ingredients

• 1 Banana (firm)
• 1 TBSP lemon juice

Method

• Preheat your oven to 105°C
• Line a baking tray with baking paper
• Peel and slice your bananas – the thinner you slice, the crunchier they’ll be
• Lightly brush each side with lemon juice and place the banana slices on the baking paper lined tray
• Slow bake for 1 hour or so until firm, then flip and bake the other side for a little colour
• Remove from the oven and set aside to cool (they’ll get crispier as they cool)