The Ultimate Toddler Snack Guide: Recommended Snacks from Popular Grocery Stores

Growing children need adequate calories to stay fueled throughout their day, but their small tummy size does not make it easy for them to only consume 3 meals per day like most adults do. Therefore, snacks are a great way to keep up with your toddlers' high-activity levels and fast metabolism. An ideal snack is well-balanced and pairs a carbohydrate with a protein or fat food. Providing balanced, nutrient-dense snacks will help your little one stay satisfied longer, especially in comparison to a high carb snack such as a fruit pouch. So now that we have defined what the ideal snack is, let’s take a look at how that translates into the world of packaged store bought snacks.

Can store bought snacks be healthy?

Yes, however this is not always the case. There are a variety of packaged snacks available at grocery stores today, making snack time easy and convenient. However, while the majority of foods today are processed in some way, they are not always made equal with the best ingredients to nourish the growing bodies and minds of children. Finding snacks that are wholesome, nutrient-dense, and pleasing to kids isn’t easy but don’t lose hope yet because they are out there!

Tips for Healthy Store Bought Snacks

See what it is made of:

Typically most foods catered towards children will look fun and attempt to have a “health” appeal to them, but these packaged store bought snacks can be deceiving. Take a look at the ingredient list as well as the Nutrition Facts label to assess the calories per serving, saturated fat content, sugar, salt, and fiber. Navigating the ingredient list may feel overwhelming, don’t worry I am here to help! Let’s break it down together…

Aim for fewer ingredients:

The aim for both meals and snacks is to provide as many whole foods as possible, so ideally we want any packaged food we offer to contain fewer ingredients and avoid anything artificial. There are plenty of convenient snack options that are primarily made of whole foods - it just takes a little digging to find them.

 Watch for unhealthy fats:

Focus on incorporating foods that are rich in healthy fats while avoiding trans fats and highly saturated fats. 

Examples: 

👎🏻partially hydrogenated oil, palm kernel oil

👍🏻 sunflower oil, peanut butter, avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower seed butter, DHA algal oil

Opt out of synthetic ingredients:

Snacks that contain artificial colors, flavors, and chemical preservatives are more common than you might think, and they aren't worth adding to your shopping cart, as recent studies show they can contribute to hyperactivity and neurobehavioral issues.

Examples: 

👎🏻 Red 40, Maltodextrin, Vegetable glycerin, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium nitrite

 Look for fiber and whole grains:

Shoot for snacks made with whole grains rather than refined flours, and aim for at least a couple of grams of fiber in a serving to help with fullness and bowel regularity.

Examples:

👎🏻 enriched wheat flour, rice flour

👍🏻 whole grain wheat, whole grain rolled oats, sorghum flour, dates

Watch the added sugar: 

Snacks marketed to children often contain higher levels of sugar, as they tend to be more appealing to their developing taste buds, especially for kiddos with picky eating tendencies. Typically these snacks will contain multiple forms of sugar, from dextrose to high-fructose corn syrup. Think twice about snacks in which sugar is listed as the first or second ingredient.

Examples:

👎🏻 high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, lemon juice concentrate, invert sugar, Refiner’s syrup

 Also be mindful of less processed sweeteners such as maple syrup and honey. While they may offer a small bump of nutrition, they’re still sugar. (One thing to note - it is best to avoid any snacks that contain honey when choosing a snack option for a baby less than 12 months of age due to the risk of botulism.)

Examples: maple syrup, honey, brown rice syrup, date syrup, monk fruit

 Be mindful of sodium intake:

It is best to be mindful of any sodium intake in children less than 2 years of age and to limit it when possible for older kiddos (>2 years of age). Evidence shows that high salt intake in children can influence their blood pressure and predispose them to a variety of diseases. 

The recommended daily sodium intake for children 1-3 years of age is less than 1500 mg/day. Best practice is to choose a snack that contains <150 mg per serving if possible for 2 years + and <50 mg per serving for <2 years of age.

Recommended Snacks by Store:

Now that we have broken down key components to look out for when shopping for snacks, let’s take a look at some healthy snack products available at several common grocery stores. Hopefully, on your next grocery trip you can pick and choose which items to add to your grocery list and have more peace of mind the next time you are offering your little one a snack!

Pouches 

Kirkland organic fruit & vegetable pouches, Kirkland organic apple sauce, Once Upon a Farm, Go Go squeez organic fruit & veggie, Braniac fruit & veggie pouches

Sweet snacks 

Amara yogurt melts, Bare Snacks apple chips, Bear snacks fruit rolls, Nature’s Turn freeze dried fruit

Savory Snacks

Chomps beef sticks, Baby Bel cheese, Hummus cups, Guacamole cups, Hard-boiled eggs 

Bars/Bites 

That’s It mini fruit bars, Pure organic fruit bars, Aussie Bites, Made good granola minis

Puffs/Crackers

hippeas chickpea puffs, pirates booty, harvest snaps, simple mills cheddar crackers, roasted seaweed 

Pouches 

Once Upon a Farm, Good & Gather fruit & veggie pouches, MySerenity kids (meat/smoothie/veggie) pouches, Good & Gather applesauce

Sweet snacks 

 Mush Overnight Oats, Purely Elizabeth individual oatmeal cups, Good & Gather freeze dried cinnamon apple slices Raisins, fruity raisins

Savory snacks

Fresh bellies, Babybel cheese, Good & Gather cheese stick

Bars/Bites

Good & Gather Cashew Cookie bar, Good & Gather organic orange & sweet potato snack bar, Made Good granola minis, Cerebelly bar, Beechnut oat bars

Puffs/Crackers

Cheerios, Bamba peanut butter puffs, MySerenity kids puffs

 Pouches

Apple unsweetened squeezable blend, Little Journey Organics fruit/veggie variety pouches

Sweet snacks

California raisins, Freeze dried strawberries, Green Dream smoothie blend

Savory snacks

Classic hummus minis, fresh mozzarella snacking cheese, simply nature broccoli bites

Bars/Bites

Pure & Simple apple bars

Puffs/Crackers

White cheddar puffs, Almond flour crackers, Coconut crisps

Pouches

Stonyfield Organic Yogurt w/ real fruit & veg, Noka superfood smoothie pouches, GoGo Squeez organic fruit & veggie, Beech-Nut veggie pouches, SerenityKids pouches, Once Upon a Farm pouches

Sweet snacks

Great Value freeze dried fruit crisps, Wyman’s fruit & yogurt bites, DeeBees organic popsicles, Bear apple chips, Bear fruit rolls, Fresh Bellies freeze-dried fruit, SunMaid raisins

Savory snacks

Smashed Avocado Minis (nothing added), Great Value frozen edamame, Great Value cheese sticks, Chomps meat sticks, Babybel cheese

Bars/Bites

Little bellies organic date, Oat & banana bars, Great value cashew cookie, Yumi snack bars, That’s it mini fruit bars, Happy tot superfood bars, Earth's Best Organic Crunchy sticks, Ready Set Food bars, Sprout Oatie Bars, Bobo's bars, Cerebelly bars, MadeGood mornings bar, Simple Mills soft baked bars
 

Puffs/Crackers

Stonefire Naan dippers, Great Value woven wheat crackers, Simple Mills crackers, Yumi puffs, Lesser Evil lil’ Puffs, Lesser Evil lil' Puff, Bamba peanut butter puffs, Hippeas chickpea puffs, Little Bellies organic puffs, Once Upon a Farm puffs, Yumi Puffs

 As an added bonus, I have also included a list of recommended snacks for toddlers from Thrive Market, which has quickly gained a lot of popularity for its health-conscious products. Thrive Market is an online retailer that focuses on selling natural and organic groceries among other household items. It is a membership based shopping experience, but it contains excellent choices for the whole family, kids included! For 30% off your first order and a free $60 gift, shop using this link. 

Pouches

GoGo Squeez pouches, Cerebelly pouches, SerenityKids pouches

Sweet snacks

Amara organic fruit bites, Yum Earth organic gummy fruits, Solely organic fruit strips, Organic fruit circles, Simple Mills honey cinnamon sweet thins

Savory snacks

Mission Meats grass-fed beef sticks, Thrive Market organic veggie sticks, Snack Mates Chicken & Maple mini snacks, GimMe seaweed snacks

Bars/Bites

That’s It Mini Fruit Bars, Skout organic snack bars, Blake’s seed-based crispy treats, Cerebelly smart bars 

Puffs/Crackers

Simple Mills almond flour crackers, Annie’s organic cheddar bunnies, Thrive Market grain-free puffs, LesserEvil Lil puffs, The Good Crisp Company chips

If you come across a snack item not listed above, remember to follow the recommended tips when looking for healthy store bought snacks. Also, keep in mind that you don’t always have to buy a packaged snack item to provide for your child. They are more convenient but can often are pricier than offering whole foods. Your child is not missing out if their snack for the day is greek yogurt and fruit or wheat crackers and a slice of cheese. Any kind of snack will do as long as your kiddo enjoys it and it is nourishing to their body!