Healthy treats for your child

Children have a small stomach and need frequent smaller portions rather than larger meals. Most children will go through a fussy eating stage and most love sugary treats. The challenge we face as adults is to find snacks that they enjoy and are good for them at the same time.
Here at Crawford Childcare in Glanmire we have seen some fab snacks come in with the children we care for so we thought we would share a few of these with you.
• Fruit – sweet and good for you is a winner with children and adults. Why not try adding a plain yogurt for dipping in to as well.
• Cereals are a great source of fibre but be careful the ones you give your child are not loaded with sugar. Some cereals rated as low in sugar and nutritious include Cheerios – including the honey nut varieties!
• Peanut butter is packed with fibre and protein – but be careful of allergies. If these are not a problem try on some crackers or celery sticks.
• Homemade smoothies made from bananas and strawberries, plain yoghurt and milk are a healthy source of calcium and protein.
• Savoury mixes of dried fruits, seeds and plain popcorn are also a popular treat which allows your child to pick out what they fancy.
Some ways of promoting healthy snacks can include getting children involved with the shopping, involving them in what goes into their lunch box and the actual food preparation. Here in Crawford Childcare we provide dramatic play experiences such as supermarket play and often organise a pre-school restaurant to have fun with and reinforce positive attitudes around nutrition. Healthy foods are often introduced to the children during this play and the children often try new foods readily through this.
The team at Crawford Childcare would love to hear some of your ideas to share in future blogs. Happy healthy eating everyone!