Healthy snacks can help your toddler meet their daily nutrient needs by spreading their food out across the day.    

Keeping healthy snacks at home will make healthy choices much easier for you and your child. Children will take the healthy option if it’s the only one they have, so try to avoid buying unhealthy snacks where possible.  

Healthy snacks are snacks that are based on the 5 food groups – fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy and meat/alternatives. Healthy snack ideas include: 

• Fresh, frozen or dried fruit 

• Vegetable sticks and dip 

• Wholegrain cracker with cheese 

• Corn or rice cakes with spreads, avocado, tomato or cheese 

• Plain or fruit yoghurt 

• Custard 

• Baked beans on toast 

• Small fruit or vegetable muffin 

• Hummus with pita bread or breadsticks 

• Raisin bread 

For healthy snack recipe ideas, you can try the Cancer Council’s Healthy Lunch Box website.  

If you are worried that your toddler is eating too much, or not eating their main meal, you can have snacks at set times instead of on demand. At snack time, offer your toddler two healthy snacks and let them choose which one they want and how much to eat. They will be more likely to eat the snack, and it will help them to understand when they are full.    

Other tips to encourage healthy snacks include: 

• Keep healthy snacks within easy reach and view at home. Keep any unhealthy snacks on higher shelves and out of sight. 

• Choose healthy snacks yourself and eat together with your child. This will help your child learn to eat healthy snacks. 

For More Information

• Munch & Move – Select healthier snacks 

• Western Sydney Local Health District – Choose healthy snacks 

• Raising Children Network – Healthy eating habits for children