Snack Ideas for a Pre-schooler

Hi,

My kids LOVE the Dole diced peaches. I also send animal crackers, goldfish crackers and oranges (already peeled and sectioned). The little sticks of cheese are great too.

C.

Hi S.
My favorites are bananas wrapped in cheese
and celery sticks with cream cheese topped with raisins(a different version of ants on a log)
good luck

Pre-School is such a fun time for little ones and the munchkins in the school I worked at were unbelievable eaters! Here's a partial list of the common snacks.

Graham crackers (read the lables for the nut issues)
gold fish
pretzles
fresh fruit (halved grapes, strawberries, apples, pears etc)
pre-packaged fruit cups
cheese (block cheddar or muenster sliced or cubed)
pepperoni
roll ups (bread flattened or tortilla with ham and cheese or cream cheese and jam rolled up and sliced)
yogurt/gogurt
Have your little one help you choose some things too.

Have fun!

Here are a ton of suggesitons:
Try fresh cut turkey or shredded turkey or chicken (not Bologna or the old style of lunch meat) cheese sandwiches cut into cute shapes (any sandwiches can be cut up with cookie cutters) tuna, fish sticks, ham & cheese. Cut any kind of meat into cubes for easy pickup and give them the cheese cubes too.

Cheese pieces, squares or cheese sticks (to go with the turkey/chicken)

Carrot sticks or bunny luvs, peas, celery (if they like it) cukes, tomatoes (cherry) mini baby corm is cool, green beans, Edamame aka soy beans..hey, who are they to know!

Yogurt in all forms (drinks, cups, squeeze)

Fruit:All forms cut up watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, apples, peaches, nectarines, grapes, bananas, apple sauce, raisins, blueberries, strawberries

If they like salad dressing give them that to dip their veggies in

Mac n cheese,Pasta salad-cold

Juice boxes come in so many flavors not just Apple (mango, peach..white grape) water too!

Muffins : blueberry, banana, brand..any kind

Mini Bagels as well as big ones cut up (blueberry) cream cheese

No spaghetti, messy then you know what!

Mini burgers, turkey hot dogs, those mini baby food dogs in a jar..my son still loves the turkey ones! lol

hi S.,
I am a personal trainer and nutritional specialist so I can give you great advise for snacks.note: with children you need to get creative with their food...kids love dipping things.I get baby carrots with a ranch dip.there sold 3 in a pack but I do it that way because its easier but depending on what you rchild likes,you can cut up other veggies(celery,carrots,strawberries ect.and add some dip to it
you can make a chex mix...you can use chex cereal,cheeris,granola,raisons top with your childs fav flavor yogurt.just be sure to look at sugar content on yogurt...some are all sugar,try to get light,fat free....
also beware of high fructose corn syrap.try to shop organic when possible.nine times out of ten you wont find any bad chemicals(corn syrap,refined sugar ect.) and last, when looking at ingrediants look at the 1st 5,make sure that if it does have high sugar,high fructose corn syrap...that its at the end of the list.good luck.H.

I always sent my son with cheesesticks, fresh fruit or veggies. He never cared for granola bars but out of the blue has started eating them.

Craisons (dried cranberries) yum. other dried fruit. slices of cheese and apples, celery sticks he can dip in ranch dressing, canned mandarin oranges, you can make cresent rolls with chocolate chips inside or jelly. cut up pieces of ham and cheese with crackers. make banana bread and skip the nuts, coffee or apple cake, hope this helps.

Hi! Pepperidge Farm goldfish are always a hit, as well as pretzels or a piece of fruit. Good Luck!!

Hi S.,
I read some of the suggestions and am a little concerned. Many of the suggestions include ingredients for cooking or prepackaged items that now are often in packages labelled "may be manufactured in a plant that manufactures food with nut products". These items are not safe in a nut=free environment. For example pretzels, cookies packages, mini-puddings, etc. are sometimes not safe. It varies by manufacturer. Just check the ingredients lists each time you buy, then mark the safe package at home with a big smiley face. After a while, you get used to reading every pack. Good luck and God bless you for caring.

The other responses are great. You might try fruit or veg based mini-muffins (pumpkin, banana, zucchini, apple), applesauce w/cinnamon, raisins or other dried fruit, yogurt, cereal, jam and ricotta or hummus or cream cheese and deli meat on bread (cut in cubes), fruit, hard-boiled egg.

You don't say which snacks you've been sending, so hopefully the ones I'm about to suggest are not the ones you already know about: baby-cut carrots with or without ranch dressing, cheese sticks, drinkable yogurts or regular yogurt, pre-cut apple slices (Pink Lady variety are amazing - you cut them, and hours later, they're barely brown! great to send for snacks), grapes, bananas, cream cheese and jelly sandwich, or deli-sliced meat and cheese rolled up together. Hope these help!

I send my son with apple slices, raisins, grapes, bananas, blueberries, fruit cups, carrot sticks, celery sticks, non-dairy cheese cubes or yogurt (he can't have dairy or soy but you could use the real thing). Read labels of crackers and pretzels - most a free of nuts, like Annie's Cheddar Bunnies or Snyder's pretzels.

How about just fruit or veggies (celery, carrot sticks) for something healthy? Graham crackers, portable squeeze yogurts, dried fruit. Pita with hummus. whole grain tortillas with salsa.

I send in applesauce or yogurt with my daughter - I just alternate and switch up the flavors and she doesn't seem to mind

anything with dip the kids usually eat up really well...carrots/celery sticks with ranch dressing, pita chips w/hummus, grapes/strawberries with yogurt dip, have you tried sushi yet? My son loves california rolls.

I have a son with nut allergies so I need to look at everything I give him (as an ingredient, packaged in a facility that uses nuts, etc). The snacks that I usually use are: goldfish, plain cheerios, Bachman pretzel sticks, Quacker rice cakes (not the snack size ones with chocolate, but the ranch or cheddar flavored...their nutrition label is different), Nutragrain bars, Frutabu or Gerber fruit strips, tortilla chips or baked Lays, Pirate's Booty, raisins (any fruit, just not packaged dried fruit snacks), crackers (Club and Ritz are usually fine), Barnum animal crackers, Honey Maid graham crackers, mixes by Betty Crocker tend to be ok, Veggie sticks (like potato chips...most brands are ok), dairy (yogurt, cheese). This is just a quick list.
Above all, just take a quick peek at the allergen note at the end of the ingredient list before buying. As a parent of a nut allergic kid, I can't tell you how appreciated a simple, quick thing that is to do. Thank you so much for even asking the question. My son will be going to preschool soon and I only hope that the other parents are as thoughtful as you are!! Parents need to realize that it is a very real issue and not something to roll their eyes at. We don't want you all to have to really go out of your way to accommodate, so the little things help. Thanks!!

Hi S.,
I have a four year old son, and packing lunch and snacks for preschool has been challenging! What I have found to be helpful are cheesesticks, or cheese and cracker packs, mini carrots, celery sticks, fruit "roll ups" which are really called smooshed fruit I think, non nutty granola bars (trader joe's has some really great banana bars, yogurt sticks, yogurt cups, sliced apples......we are also trying to put dried soy nuts for protein in his lunch....hope this is helpful, it's a great conversation to have before school begins again! Take care, A.
Oh and the mini bagel is great!

Will they refrigerate the snack? How about yogurt? Or the small pitas with jelly or soynut butter? Since attending nut-free centers since he was eating solid food, my older one won't even look at peanut butter, only soynut for him!

S.,
Hello! The other posts are great. My son has a peanut allergy (as well as dairy & egg). Fresh fruit is wonderful, or fruit/applesauce cups are great too. Also, Teddy grahams (nabisco), graham crackers (nabisco), and barnum's animal crackers are safe. They sell the little packs of these in bulk at BJs where we live. They are great for on the go. I keep a few in the diaper bag too.
It can be hard to keep snacks exciting! Good Luck.

Hi S.,

Here are a few ideas:

Cheese stick w/gold fish or cracker
Choc. gram cracker with fluff inside
Celery w/cream cheese
Vegetable with dip
Homemade trail mix w/out nuts just more dried fruit

Hope this helps.

I would love ideas too. I go to the organic section and get him organic crackers, fig cookies, fruit and yogurt bars, and organic goldfish. I also send fruit and sticks of cheese, but its definitely the same round of options every week!

If soynut butter is okay for your school (IM Healthy brand tastes best - it is made in peanut free facility) there are a couple of snacks my sons (including one who has peanut allergy) love:

Honey Milk Balls -
1C old fashioned oats (not bought in bulk section because of cross contamination issues - Quaker brand is usually fine)
1 packet of dry milk powder (the package says it is sufficient to make 1 quart of milk)
1/2 C honey
1/2 C soynut butter

Place oats in food processor. Grind finely. Add the dry milk powder, the honey and the soynut butter, process until it is all mixed together and begins to ball up like dough. Roll into small balls (they are rich so make them small). I keep the main stash in the refrigerator and tote some around in my diaper bag and/or lunch pail as snacks.

The second is a spread that we call "Mr. Rogers Treat" because we saw a similar recipe on Mr. Rogers.

1C soynut butter
1C apple butter
1/3C dry milk powder

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. It is a spread that you can serve with rice cakes, crackers, bread, carrots, celery, or anything else your child likes.

The only problem with these for preschool is that they look nut based so you may want to give the teachers a heads up and/or send a label with name and all ingredients on it the first few times you send them to school. These snacks are also nice because your child can help you roll the balls or mix the spread when you make them.

Finally, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the nut free seriously and without animosity. It is so stressful as a mom of an allergic son to send your child to school and people who are understanding really make a difference in our lives.

Hello,

Before I had my baby I taught preschool. Some ideas I have for you are:

fruit
dried fruit
yogurt
crackers
cheese
granola bars
graham crackers
pretzels
cereal
cereal bars
apple sauce (now they have flavored apple sauce as well)

Good luck!

A.