Toddler Snacking Tips & Suggestions

• Try serving snacks in food groups that might be missed at meals—such as fruits and vegetables. If your toddler doesn’t like nutritious foods that should be diet staples, associate them with what they already like. For example, if your toddler likes chicken noodle soup but not peas and carrots, add peas and carrots to the soup.

• The best snacks are small in size and nutritious. For help with meal planning, Canada’s Food Guide provides sample meals and information about each food group, recommended portions for a healthy diet, and information about food labels, exercise, and overall wellness.¹

• Serve snacks one to two hours before mealtime to avoid spoiling your toddler’s appetite. Snacking a couple hours before helps add nutrients that may not be present in the forthcoming meal, but avoid snacking too much before the main event. Mealtime is for the whole family to enjoy and can introduce tastes your toddler could enjoy the rest of his life.

• Use snack time as an opportunity to introduce new textures and flavours. In your little one’s first year, they’re curious about the world—use this opportunity to mix, match, and try new, nutritious foods. Who knows, new favourites may surprise you!

• Smoothies are a sneaky solution for nutritious toddler snacking roadblocks. Blend healthy foods your toddler needs but doesn’t like with favourites.

Here are some tried-and-true toddler snack ideas to spark some snack time inspiration for you and your little one.

• Diced fruit with vanilla yogurt as a dip

• Fruit smoothie

• Whole-grain crackers and cheese

• Yogurt or whole milk

• Whole-grain muffin

• Cut-up vegetables (such as mini carrots cut into narrow strips with dip or cottage cheese)

• Applesauce or other fruit purees

• Fruit cups

• Cookies such as graham cookies, animal crackers, or social teas

• Whole grain cereal

• Hummus with whole grain crackers or cut-up vegetables

• Hard-boiled or deviled eggs

• 1 serving of Enfagrow A+^®

When “no” and “yuck” are part of your toddler’s vocabulary and they are a picky eater, ensuring your little one gets the best nutrition can be stressful. The best toddler snacking tip is to practice patience and take the time to figure out what your little one most enjoys eating. Pair those foods with new, healthy snack options. Your toddler will love snacking because they get to enjoy favourite foods while trying healthy, new foods.

According to Canada’s Food Guide, if your toddler rejects new foods, it can always be offered again later.² Research shows that toddlers may need to be offered new foods twelve times before they accept it, which is why serving nutritious food with favourites helps them get used to it.³

If your toddler seems less interested in food than when they were a baby, that’s normal. Babies typically triple their birth weight in the first year and that’s why their bodies need more energy for growth. The rate of growth slows after the first birthday, so the demand for energy to fuel growth is less urgent.⁴

If you have more questions about your toddler’s health and nutrition, please consult your doctor.