Healthy Snack Ideas for Tiny Tots

I often laugh to myself as I look back at the recommendations I have given several mothers over the years on working with picky eaters. While the advice still stands, there is nothing that can better prepare you to help others with a fickle little one than hands-on experience. My husband frequently reminds me to take my own advice when introducing Jasper to a variety of new foods. My son goes from eating eggs excitedly one day to spitting them out (adorable face included) the next. Some days I cannot get him to eat much of anything, yet he wants to nibble on food out of the dog's bowl. On occasion, it seems he cannot get enough to eat and he surprises me with his love for new fruits and vegetables on the first try. I am sure all mothers agree, no day is the same when it comes to menu options. I wanted to share a list of nutritious food ideas for teeny snackers (ages 10-12 months or so) and I hope that others will share some with me! This mama needs a few new ideas herself!

• Whole-grain or Whole Wheat toast pieces spread thinly with avocado, ripe banana, hummus or cream cheese sprinkled with cinnamon.
• Plain, whole-milk yogurt with Vitamin D. Why plain? No added sugar is necessary! I was so surprised to see that sugar is the second ingredient in a popular organic brand of baby yogurt--why?? My son gobbles up plain yogurt and sometimes we add some mashed banana or pureed fruit for a little extra flavor.
• Steamed veggies dipped in hummus. Tiny pieces of raw vegetable without tough skin work well too (ex. peeled cucumber).
• Tiny pieces of fruit (get creative and expose your little one to mango, kiwi, halved blueberries, papaya and melon--the old favorites such as peaches and pears are great too). Try dusting the fruit lightly with wheat germ for easier grasping.
• Lentil balls. I have pureed cooked lentils, garlic, baked sweet potato, avocado, brown rice, broccoli, olive oil and a little bit of flour together in a food processor, shaped them into balls and baked them. This works well for different grains and veggies you may have on hand. You could even use ground meat in place of the lentils!
• Noodles. We have dipped some of Jasper's cooked noodles in leftover baby food purees for "sauce."
• Shredded cheese or small pieces of cheese
• Cooked beans (remove any tough skin as needed)
• Harboiled egg (chopped into tiny pieces) or eggs scrambled with garlic, herbs and veggies.
• Homemade mini muffins
• Baked apples (skin removed) sprinkled with ginger and cinnamon
• Homemade sweet potato fries or other soft roasted veggies (my son loves roasted parsnips!)

I have learned that it truly can take 10-15 exposures to a new food or flavor before your little one accepts. Don't give up! In the case of the roasted beet pancakes I lovingly prepared for Jasper, it might just be a little closer to 20!

Just a word on food allergies etc. I mention several times that hummus is a great snack option—if you have severe allergies to nuts/ seeds in your family you may want to wait until your little one is around one-year old before trying it out (due to the tahini in the hummus). I also mention eggs--we started by giving Jasper egg yolks (the whites have a higher allergen potential) and then finally gave him whole eggs at around 7 months of age. We do not have egg allergies in our family, but if you do, you may want to wait longer before introducing and start with the yolk first. ALSO-because of the risk of botulism, wait before introducing honey until your little one is around one-year old. Check ingredient lists well--one of our favorite hummus flavors even had honey in it!