What to give your child for snacks

Your child needs to eat healthful snacks.

Avoid high-sugar foods or foods that have empty calories (such as soft drinks or juice). Eating extra sugar puts your child at risk for tooth decay, even if he is just getting baby teeth.

Because your child may not eat a lot during meals, it is important that she eat healthful snacks.

• Grain group

— crackers and cheese spread

— ready-to-eat cereals (not sugar-coated)

— flavored mini rice cakes or popcorn cakes

— bread

— ginger snaps or fig bars

— popcorn*

— trail mix* (ready-to-eat cereal with raisins or other dried fruit)

*May cause choking in children younger than age 4.

• Vegetable group

— vegetable sticks such as carrot*, celery*, cucumber or squash

— celery* stuffed with peanut butter (can add raisins)

— cherry tomatoes cut in small pieces

— steamed broccoli, green beans or sugar peas with low-fat dip

*May cause choking in children younger than age 4.

• Fruit group

— peanut butter on apple slices

— tangerine or orange sections

— chunks of banana or pineapple

— canned fruits (such as peaches, pears or mandarin oranges)

• Milk group

— milkshakes/smoothies (made with fruit and milk)

— cheese slices with thin apple wedges

— string cheese or individually wrapped slices

— mini yogurt cups

— pudding made with skim milk

• Meat group

— hard cooked eggs

— peanut butter spread thin on crackers

— bean dip spread thin on crackers

— turkey or other meat slices

Snacks to limit

Limit the following snacks to an occasional treat:

• cookies
• cake
• pie
• caramel corn
• sweet rolls
• donuts
• candy
• pop
• ice cream
• sugared cereals
• juice (even 100 percent juice).

There are some foods that are unsafe for children younger than age 4. They are:

• nuts (do not give your child peanuts until age 7)
• popcorn
• whole hot dogs
• raw carrots or other hard vegetables
• hard candy
• large marshmallows
• lollipops with hard sticks
• caramel corn or Cracker Jack®
• whole grapes
• chunks of meat or cheese.