Your toddler may something seem like a bottomless pit ? following you to the kitchen for a snack every time you get up! At other times, the same toddler may need coaxing to eat anything at all! Mysterious as their feeding habits may be, provide healthy and fun snacks to get them interested in food and keep them filled up with some nutritious ideas that should appeal to the fussiest of toddlers.

1. Smoothie Snack

Let your child make their own smoothie. Add some yogurt and ice cubes to a blender and let your child choose which fruits they want to add ? let them help you to peel and chop the fruits ready to be blended then have fun blitzing it until smooth. Add in fun games; get the child to guess which colour the smoothie will be when blended or tell them a little about where the fruit they have chosen came from.

2. Go Crackers

Giving your child choice really encourages them to try new things ? so provide a range of toppings; cheese, grapes, cooked ham etc. and a few different types of crackers and let them make their own snack. If you think your little one can handle it, it’s a great chance to let them trying to spread butter with a plastic or very rounded butter knife (under good supervision of course!). Your child can make smiley faces, animal shapes? and they can nibble while they play so that before you know if they have had a filling, nutritious snack.

3. Slurpy Snack

If your little one loves ice lollies but you worry about the artificial ingredients many of them contain, then make your own, either in ice cube trays or lolly moulds. Add some diluted fresh orange juice or diluted apple juice and a few chopped strawberries and grapes to the mould and freeze for a few hours or until completely solid. This way, your child has all the fun of making the treats, a healthy snack that gets them well on their way to five a day, and you save money. Simple!

4. Toastie towers

Make these fun little stacked sandwiches with your toddler’s favourite fillings, adding something new for them to try ? this is a great way to introduce a new flavour. Cut buttered toast with a cookie-cutter and place a filling of your choice on top, then layer with another circle of toast and another filling and so on, as high as you want to go. Your little one will be delighted with this easy-peasy snack that is lots of fun (for added fun, and more than a little mess, let them do it them-selves!).

5. Veggie Sticks

If you little one isn’t keen on cooked vegetables, let them try raw slices veggie sticks made from carrot and celery, straight from a cold fridge and dipped in a variety of dips. From the old favourite, ketchup, to new ideas such as hummus, guacamole and coleslaw? let your little one dip and explore the different textures and flavours.

Let us know if you have any other healthy snack ideas.