Some days, it can seem like your children spend the entire day either eating or asking for a snack. Although snacking too close to mealtimes can spoil your child's appetite--and over-dosing on sugary or fatty snacks can lead to excessive weight gain--healthy snacks can boost his overall nutrition. They can also give him energy between meals and help younger kids from becoming cranky due to hunger. You don't need to buy expensive, over-processed snack foods--you can turn simple fare like crackers, cheese and yogurt into fun, kid-friendly snacks.
Whole Grains
Get rid of over-processed, white flour junk foods that contribute little beyond extra calories and replace them with whole grains. The Mayoclinic.com suggests boosting your child's energy levels by encouraging her to snack on whole-grain tortillas, crackers and pretzels. Breakfast foods, like whole-grain waffles, cereal and toast, can also make good anytime snack options. Increase your snack's nutrition even further by dipping your grains in salsa, hummus, low-fat yogurt or applesauce.
Create no-bake healthy cookies by mixing together peanut butter and cornflakes. Roll the mixture into balls and dip them in graham cracker crumbs. Whole-grain noodles are a good source of complex carbohydrates. Cook a box of your child's favorite and keep it in the refrigerator for a quick snack. When your child is ready to eat, toss the pasta with jarred pasta sauce and leftover veggies or chicken and microwave it.
Fruits and Vegetables
Although many kids enjoy snacking on fruits and vegetables, they often bypass them in favor of prepared foods like crackers or waffles. Keep a bin of your refrigerator stocked with a variety of washed and cut-up fruits and vegetables to make it easy for your children to find and eat them. Stock a cabinet of your pantry with applesauce and fruits canned in low-sugar fruit juices. The American Dietetic Association advises making snack time fun by creating kabobs by stringing grapes, strawberries and cubes of cheese onto mini-pretzel rods. Create "ladybugs on a log" by spreading a slice of celery with cream cheese and topping it with dried cranberries. Turn a banana into a "banana dog" by putting it inside of a whole grain hot dog bun and topping it with peanut butter and raisins.
Proteins
A bit of protein gives your child's snacks "staying power" and helps him stay full until the next mealtime. Dr. Mary Gavin, a medical editor at the KidHealth by Nemours website, cautions against allowing your children to eat constantly throughout the day. According to Gavin, scheduling snack times at regular intervals throughout the day helps them to develop life-long healthy snack habits. Cut cheese and lunchmeat into different shapes with cookie cutters for a change of pace from the normal sandwich. Hard boil a batch of eggs and keep them in your refrigerator for an on-the-go protein fix. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of popcorn.
Instead of serving your kids fatty ice cream bars or sugary popsicles, create a protein-filled yogurt pop. Mix 2 cups of low-fat vanilla yogurt with a cup of cut-up fruit like strawberries and blueberries. Pour the mixture into 3 oz. paper cups and cover with foil. Make a hole in the foil and insert half of a pretzel rod in each. Freeze until firm and remove the cup before serving.
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