Great Ideas for Healthy Nibbles

Provided by Huggies Baby Network

No eating between meals may be a good rule for dieters, but not necessarily for toddlers. Often toddlers can't eat enough at one regular meal to keep them going till the next, and a nourishing snack can save the day, especially when mealtime appetites are finicky.

The secret to keeping between-meal eating healthy is to make sure that junk food is simply not on the menu. Resist buying sugary treats, soft drinks, imitation fruit drinks, salty chips and pretzels. Instead, opt for nutritious snacks.

Need some ideas for healthy nibbles?

Try these toddler-approved healthy snacks:

• Bite-size chunks of cucumber or tomato
• Slices of apple or banana
• Orange or grapefruit sections
• Pieces of pineapple
• Bits of scrambled eggs
• Dry cereals
• Whole-grain breads and muffins
• Slices of cheese
• A dish of yogurt
• A bowl of cooked rice and milk
• Canned fruit — get rid of most of the sugar by dumping the fruit into a strainer and rinsing it briefly under the tap

Here's a quick recipe for healthy pudding: cottage cheese mixed with applesauce and decorated with raisins. As toddlers grow, they love to help make this simple dish — all it takes is a spoon!