Sanity Saving Tips for Kids Snacking

ByJanel
163 Comments

This post is sponsored by PediaSure. All opinions are my own.

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about 5 Things Kids Need Every Day. I still totally stand behind that list. However, the past week my boys have been home for Fall Break from school and I’ve had 4 hungry little boys to feed in what feels like a never-ending barrage of needing to eat! If I made a gender specific list, FOOD would be on my list for boys!!

It never ceases to amaze me how much my little boys can eat. They are 2, 4, 6, and 8 and my 6 and 8 year old literally out eat me at nearly every meal.

A meal earlier this week my six year old scarfed down the most food, nearly doubling my portion and even out eating his big brother. I don’t know where the skinny little boy puts it all, but it tells me one thing is for sure that these boys are growing!

Sanity Saving Tips for Kids Snacking




Without fail, the first thing I hear when I pick up my boys from school and we walk in the door in the mid-afternoon is that they’re hungry and would like a snack. At just 3 weeks shy of my due date, I have no energy to whip up some fantastic and overly cute snack.

I’ve quickly learned that keeping a few easy, convenient, and healthy snacks on hand has made an enormous difference in making both me and my boys happy. Now when they walk through the door they still ask for a snack, but they already know what their options are and what they are allowed to help themselves to as long as they have eaten their main meals without complaint.

I won’t do the “I’m FULL” because they won’t try dinner, for example, only to dig into the apple sauce instead. They know the snacks are only for between meal times or after a filling meal if they’ve finished off the casserole dish.

How to Set-up a Snack Drawer

So, here’s what we’ve done that has worked great for us!

1. Create a Designated Space – We happen to have a fridge drawer that is super handy with kids in the home. You could easily replicate the same effect with a mini fridge or using a designated space at kid level in your fridge.

The point is to have a very specific location that is set aside for your approved snacks. You could use a fridge bin to help you keep the kids snacks contained or even a pull-out drawer that already exists. Assess your area and figure out what will work best with you family.

2. Stock-up on Healthy Snacks – The key here is to keep a good variety on hand. Think around 5-6 healthy and yummy snacks your children would happily go for.

I’m always amazed that one day apple sauce is “the” thing and every one of my boys has to have one and the next day they wouldn’t touch touch it if I bribed them to. Kids are just like us, they don’t want the same choices over and over again so keeping a variety helps keep their options open.

3. Set the Rules – This will take some learning together as you figure out what you’re okay with and what you’re not. It also just takes some time to see what is working and what just didn’t for your family.

For us, my boys know they won’t get any of the snacks if they haven’t eaten their meals, for example. That works for our family because I know my 4 year old in particular would skip all meals just to be a stinker and to get to have something else offered to him. Our family rule might not work for your family, though.

I also won’t divvy out a majority of the snack options for off times, like breakfast. We do have exceptions, like they’re allowed access to yogurt and bananas for breakfast as my boys love to pair yogurt with toast or cereal for a quick and more filling breakfast.

4. Have refills ready!! This step may be a bit biased since my house is overrun with boys, but the logic is still there. If you have shelf stable items, keep extras on hand so you can easily pop them into the fridge to replace what’s been consumed so you always have cool snacks ready!

What Snacks to Use?

You might be wondering about now what kinds of snacks to start with. We’re always trying new things and I’m not afraid to try something new to the rotation to see if it’s a good fit, but here are some great picks you can start with:

  • Fruits – Fresh fruit is the hardest, by far, to keep on hand. My boys love just about every type of fruit so they blow through it pretty quickly.

    I try to keep a basket on the counter with fresh apples and bananas, though, that they are welcome to at any time of the day. It really helps my kids turn to fruit rather than sweets and convenience foods for snacks having them so easily available. Our fruit basket also often has the easy peel mandarin oranges when they are available.

  • Veggies – Easy to munch on veggies like baby carrots, mushrooms, pea pods, broccoli, or other vegetables your child may like. Vegetables are often harder to get your kids to eat as freely as fruit but you can have dips ready like ranch, peanut butter, or cream cheese to help encourage your kids.
  • Apple Sauce – Pre-portioned apple sauce is easiest if you have a few kids to consider. It also takes out all the guess work of how much to serve and extra dishes. You can easily do a tub of applesauce, if preferred.
  • Yogurt – My boys are big fans of yogurt! We keep it interesting by picking up different kinds of yogurts from small cups to gogurts and we’ve even done the drinkable yogurts which were a really fun switch!
  • Fruit Cups – When your favorite fruits aren’t seasonally available or you just can’t keep them on hand as easily as you’d like, fruit cups can be a good option. I always peel back the lid and strain out all the juice before serving because they nearly always seem to spill or splash and make a mess.

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  • Crackers & Pre-sliced cheese – This is one of my own favorite snacks, and my boys love it too! I just grab a ziploc bag and pre-slice some cheese and stash some crackers in with the cheese so I have an easy to grab single portion. This snack never last long in the rotation as it is quick to be picked!
  • Popcorn – Small pre-portioned baggies of lightly buttered popcorn is a snack that feels like a treat! As long as you don’t go overboard with butter and salt then popcorn can be a pretty healthy snack!
  • PediaSure – Stocking your snack supply with PediaSure can help sneak in vital nutrients that your growing children need, especially if you are worried about your child’s overall nutrition or development. I have a few very picky eaters, so making sure they get a well balanced diet is especially important to me when it comes to their snacking.

PediaSure is a yummy shake that is available in 5 kid-approved flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Banana, and Berry. The shakes are kosher, gluten-free, and even suitable for kids that are lactose intolerant.
pediasure
Because our children go through so much growing up through the age of 12, their snacking can really make a difference in their overall health and well being. PediaSure can give them a great start with a blend of all the vital nutrients kids need including proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and 25 essential vitamins!

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I worry about my youngest son’s nutrition as he is 2 and nearly always refuses milk. I just don’t think he likes the taste. Really, I can’t blame him as I’m not a big milk drinker myself. When I introduced PediaSure to him, though, he very happily downed his drink and couldn’t seem to get enough!

How do you handle snacking at your house?

PediaSure partnered with bloggers such as me for its PediaSure Fridgeworthy blogger program. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. PediaSure believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. PediaSure’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.


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163 Comments

  3. I try to keep plenty of healthy snacks on hand and they are all gathered together in one cupboard and one spot in the fridge.

  4. We think snacking is great- as long as it is to curb hunger and healthy snacks are implemented!

  7. Before moving in with my mother in law we limited the amount of snacks that we brought into the house. Unfortunately, we can no longer do that and she keeps the house stocked with junk.

  8. Oh what a little life safer that would be!! I usually handle snacking around the house with my little one, with fruit cups, cheess-stix and occasionally things like pudding and jello. It get’s a lot harder when we’re out and about, if i forget to grab things when we leave, then we tend to stop at gas stations and grab easy…..not so healthy snacks :/

  11. I limit the junk food I buy so that none of us are regularly eating a lot of garbage. When we do have unhealthy snacks, I don’t leave them out in the open to deter my youngest child from getting fixated on the snack.

  12. snacks are great as long as they are healthy choices! In the summer its hard when the kids are home not to have them in and out of the fridge but we try to make our own fun snacks with frozen yogurt and fruit!

  16. we have limited snacks at home but I try to make veggies fun so the kids want to eat them

  18. I have a picky eater, although he has gotten a tad better as he gets older, but it’s not been easy. You have some good tips! Thanks!

  22. My grandson lives here and we try healthy snacking most of the time. It usually consist of fruits and veggies and dip. He loves yogurt, peanut butter crackers, raisins, and fruit snacks so he’s a pretty healthy snacker.

  24. I have little baggies of cut of veggies in the fridge for the girls to grab as they wish.

  26. When my kids want snacks I always offer fruits and veggies first and then move on to dairy items they love like cheese or yogurt.

  30. I make sure and always have cut up apple slices, oranges and raisins and walnuts for snacking.

  32. We stopped buying junky treats and stocked up on healthy options like raw nuts and dried fruits

  37. I keep healthy options like apple bananas pears on the counter and table and healthy options in the fridge up close

  38. I try to always have quick healthy options on hand. My youngest son’s favorite is cheese sticks!

  43. I keep plenty of fruit, applesauce, fruit cups, and yogurt in the fridge for the grandkids.

  44. We always have a snack bin filled and ready for snacktime. We get to select what we want.

  45. I always keep fruits, veggies, yogurt and jello cups on hand for my children to snack on.

    jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com

  46. I love this post. My boys love to snack, snack snack. The younger one is super picky with meals though. I love having choices and your list is certainly helpful for this Mama!

  51. I place approved snacks on the shelf that is easier to grab things on. Somehow they get to the hidden stash of junk for me. LOL!

  52. My kids could use Pediasure on the days when they dont eat good. I refuse to make multiple meals so if they dont eat then, that’s that!

  55. keep only healthy foods on hand. I can’t eat the junk if I don’t have it around. Easier said than done!

  62. My kids eat grapes usually for snack and my youngest is a very picky eater so he drinks Pediasure!

  63. I always get healthy snacks. We are the ones that are in control of what are kids eat, so teach them right from the beginning. Oh, love the nice and neat snack drawers, mine would not stay that way!

  69. I do the same, no snacks until after your meal, otherwise, the kids wouldn’t eat the meals! I also have to put a stop to any snacking at least an hour before any meals.

  74. I try to keep one of the refrigerator crispers stocked with yogurt, fruit cups, cheese, etc.

  79. Great snack tips. These are snack that are very similar that my kids still eat as older teens. By the way, they eventually eat less, but it’s going to be a few more years for you 🙂

  82. Love this post such great ideas! My kids snack all the time they’d probably eat everything if we didn’t monitor. I need to set up a snacking station!

  83. My daughter used to have trouble maintaining weight even though she ate all the time. We loved Pediasure to keep her at a healthy weight and make sure she got all her vitamins!

  84. My kiddo has some crazy food allergies and eating issues so he drinks a pediasure every day. They are seriously great for making sure he gets all his nutrients.

  85. The snack drawer is such a great idea. I thought feeding one boy was bad. I can’t imagine feeding 4.

  87. we do a lot of snacking. i have a lot of fresh fruits as well as other kid friendly snacks on hand for anytime we need a snack.

  90. That is actually a REALLY great idea. I am all for saving time and my sanity!!

  91. Snacking can be tough in my house. I have two teenagers, one of which is 17! They are always “hungry”! I’m trying to bring in healthier options for them, because it I’d really like us to eat healthier and take back our health. I allow them to have one snack when they come home from school. I also keep a bowl of individually wrapped snacks on the table. Some items are quick breakfast grabs like cereal bars. They know these snacks will be removed if they abuse the snack bowl.

  92. I handle snacks at home by making sure that I have fruits and yogurts avaliable for the kids to snack on.

  94. MY son mostly gets string cheese and clementines, sliced olives, and crackers. He’s too little to eat harder veggies, but will get those too when he is bigger.

  96. I try to keep lots of fruit and other healthy snacks at level for their reach in the fridge

  97. I try to plan all snacks ahead of time and I use Pinterest a lot. Snacking is tricky! You want healthy, but not to make them feel deprived!

  101. My son is a picky eater but loves fruit, I take advantage of that by always having fruits handy for him as part of his snack

  103. we keep a lot of fruit and cheeses in the fridge and try to limit the junk food we buy every week, also we buy Hugh bags of trail mix that have the m&m’s in it so they do get a few and it gives them the taste and they don’t even think about it being healthy

  104. I keep apple sauce,cheese sticks,yogurt,cup of fruit and capri sun in a drawer in my fridge for when my nieces come over. I eat them too. I like something I can grab and go. Thank you for the great giveaway 🙂

  107. I have a box that is easily accesible and a drawer in the fridge specifically for snacks. I try to strike a balance between tasty and nutritious. My son can be picky, so pediasure is great for filling in the gaps.

  110. We try to keep healthy snacks accessible and in the front of the fridge so they are the first things that are reached for…

  112. Snacking is frequent in my house. One of my children has to take medication and unfortunately it makes her super hungry. I make sure to keep stocked up on healthy options so both of my children have a variety to choose from. I love stocking up on fruits and veggies. I normally cut them up put them in a container and let them grab them when they would like a snack=)

  113. The kids are allowed to snack as often as they’d like but it’d only with fruits, and veggies. My daughter who is 5 loves salads. She will eat them all day.

  115. I make sure that I have healthy snacks on hand and keep them where the kids can reach. Anything that isn’t healthy but we still like to eat I keep up high and out of sight for special occasions.

  116. we have set snacks available for my son to choose himself. That way we know he gets a nutritious snack but he gets to make the decision. We also have set snack times…

  118. Snacks can be eaten before dinner but have to be a healthy snack. In addition, you must eat your dinner and if not, snacks won’t be given before dinner.

  122. Snacking in my home is mostly fruits. Once in a while, I will let my daughter have something she wants which is usually chips, but I like to have healthy snacks rather than junk food.

  123. My kids love fruit and they like to snack on rice cakes too. We try not to have much junk food snacks around.

  124. I try to stay too busy to snack, but I do snack some. For the kids, on summer days, I set the timer for every three hours and have them snack/eat something every 3 hours because it keeps blood sugar level (I have one who tests with high sugar every time so we have to monitor via diet or he will have to be on meds). During the school year, it’s snack after you get off bus, dinner, and if up late, snack before bed, otherwise, no snack

  125. All my grandkids love string cheese and fruit thank goodness, so that’s what I keep on hand.

  126. I try to not overdo it. I know that if I’m having a bad day, I might oversnack. And so, if I’m having a bad day, I’ll go for a walk or distract myself in a different way so that I don’t oversnack.

  129. We like to eat healthy snacks a few times a day – one in the afternoon and one before bed!

  131. I try not to over feed my kids and when I do give them snacks they get healthy food.

  132. We have a set time for snacks one after lunch and one after dinner. I usually pick light and healthy snacks for my kids

  133. Leave a relevant comment on this post. How do you handle snacking at your home?

    for myseld..i run alot,and that tends to make me less snacky

  134. Kiddo seems like she is a bottomless pit and is always hungry so we like to keep fresh fruit on hand, where she can reach it. Thankfully, she loves apples, grapes, bananas, etc.

  137. I usually purchase goldfish, fruit or bars for snacks and the kids take one to school and get one home daily

  139. I buy the kids’ favorite snacks for the week on one shopping trip (not always nutritious ones) , and if they run out, well, that was all the snacks for the week. Of course, I always have plenty of nutritious things for snacks around in case the not-so-good-for-you treats are gone, like peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, etc.

  140. My kids are always on the low end of the charts so I really don’t worry too much about snacking. I worry more about them getting enough nutrition throughout the day I make sure I have healthy foods for them to snack on.

  141. My kids are allowed to snack in moderation but only after they’ve eaten their supper or lunch
    annabella @ centurytel dot net

  143. I handle snacking at my home by keeping fresh fruit, cheeses, nuts, and peanut butter in the house for snacking.

  146. I handle snacking with the same idea as your advice- the junk snacks, which we DO have some of, are kept up high. The snacks we want the kids to have when over, are kept right where they can get to them easily. Works like a charm!

  148. it is hard no lie my son is so picky i mean its hard i cook he doesnt want it i fix snacks and he will eat like a bird and i just have to let him pick what he wants and hope i didnt just waste money but since my son loves carrots my fridge is always full of carrots and peanut butter with eggos is what i feed him

  149. Snacks are fresh veggies with ranch dressing, soft pretzels with cream cheese or fruit cups.

  152. We only keep healthy snacks in the house. Usually it involves a mix of whole grains, cheese, veggies, fruit, and peanut butter, which the love.

  153. We keep the healthiest snacks readily available. The harder to get to, the more noticeable it is when someone reaches for one.

  155. We are a little willy-nilly about snacks at our house. I mean, we have routines, but we snack on all sorts of things. Apples with peanut butter, celery with peanut butter, cheese with pears, etc.

  158. I try to have snack baggies ready to go with carrots and celery and things like that the kids can grab quickly!

  159. My kids like the juices that have fruit and veggies in them so after school they get that and a snack like cheese and crackers with it

  160. Snacking is a bit of a problem at my house. My husband thinks snacking is bad because if the kids snack they won’t eat enough at meals. I personally think that as long as they are eating healthy snacks it doesn’t matter if they eat their meals or not. It’s something we’re still trying to work out.

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