Giving Your Child Healthy Snacks

Young children eat small amounts of food because their stomachs are small. In addition to giving your child healthy meals, giving your child a variety of healthy snacks at scheduled times during the day is important to keep your child healthy. Encourage your child to try new foods.

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Tips for healthy snacks:

• Give your child a variety of healthy snacks, such as:
  • Fruits like apples, bananas, oranges, or berries
    • Give your child cut-up or whole fruit instead of fruit juice.
  • Vegetables like broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumbers, or peppers
  • Foods made with whole grains, like cereals, crackers, bread, or bagels
  • Dairy products like low-fat milk, cheese, cottage cheese, and unsweetened yogurt
• Avoid foods that may cause choking, like popcorn, nuts, seeds, raw carrots, or whole grapes. Cut food into small pieces.
• Give your child water or milk to drink with snacks.
• Do not give your child sweets like candy, cookies, and cake at snack time. And do not give your child sweet drinks like fruit flavored drinks, pop (soda), and fruit juice at snack time.

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Last Updated: April 26, 2023