"ameliya vii" > wrote in message
...
> Sliced fruit always make a healthy snack but add yogurt to it as a dip
> and kids will love it.

Must disagree on the fruit thing. Kids tend to eat too much fruit. I just
read that our ancestors ate very little fruit. Many fruits are high in
carbs and I think it's better to give kids vegetables than fruits. And not
vegetables dipped in Ranch dressing but if that's the only way they'll eat
them then I guess it's better than no vegetables. Yes, I did make fruit
platters for my daughter and her friends when they were younger but I also
made veggie platters. Both went over well. Daughter never developed a
taste for the Ranch and prefers hummus or even Italian dressing as a dip but
is just as happy to eat the veggies plain. These days she does eat apples
pretty much daily. Some fruits are better than others. Berries are
probably the best for us in terms of antioxidants. And they tend to be
lower in carbs. But she is not a berry lover and neither am I.

> Many years ago, in a time which seems so far away now, I used to have
> my own home daycare. In the state of Connecticut, daycare providers
> could get reimbursed if they followed a meal plan that provided health
> meals and snacks for the kids in their charge. As a mom of my first
> child, it was a wonderful way to learn how to give my own child
> healthy meals and snacks, as well as the children in my daycare. For
> each meal or snack, home daycare providers only received about one
> half the reimbursement of what we paid for it, but it was better than
> nothing. Plus, we received a whole menu packet of different types of
> creative breakfasts, lunches and snacks so the children could have
> variety in the healthy meals they were given at home day cares around
> the state.
> The following list are the most popular choices of healthy snacks,
> based on the particular likes and dislikes of the children
> in my ca
> Popcorn sprinkled with shredded cheese Cheese sticks from the dairy
> department ( not the frozen kind)

Shredded cheese that is frozen? I have never heard of that. And very young
children can choke on popcorn. Neither my daughter nor I like cheese on our
popcorn but some people do.

> Yogurt sticks

How are these healthy? Most are loaded with HFCS. There are organic ones
but I doubt that you were buying those. Not even sure what is in them.
Daughter never liked them much so I didn't pay them much mind. Plain
regular or Greek yogurt is healthy but that's not the kind kids usually
like.

> Whole wheat crackers and cheese ( home made, not the pre-packaged
> kind) Whole wheat crackers and peanut butter ( Home made, not the pre-
> packaged kind)Celery, carrot or cucumber sticks, alone or dipped in
> yogurt or peanut butter

Obviously you had your daycare many years ago because these days nut
products are usually not allowed in daycares. Nut allergies are on the
rise. My daughter can't have peanuts but she will eat sunseed butter. And
how many people make their own crackers? I have but hardly worth the
effort. Neither daughter nor I are cracker lovers. I did make some gluten
free ones and they were good but the recipe made 10 crackers at a time.
Probably because they didn't keep well. They pretty much had to be eaten
straight from the oven. As they sat they became soggy. Do you make your
own cheese too? Some people do. I never tried it. But my grandma made
cottage cheese. My mom said it was yucky though and didn't taste like what
you get from the store.

> Pretzels and cheese slices
> Pretzel sticks dipped in peanut butter
> Ants on a log ( celery sticks spread with peanut butter and sprinkled
> with raisins) Any of the following fruits: raisins, berries, cut up
> apples, oranges, bananas, peaches, pears, cantaloupe or honeydew
> melons,grapes ( cut up if they were for young children) served with
> peanut butter or yogurt as a dip. Plain yogurt or vanilla yogurt were
> favorites.

I have never known a kid who would eat ants on a log. Never. Peanut butter
in celery? Yes. But put raisins on there and they run. Not all pretzels
are healthy either. And it is hard to find whole wheat ones. You can buy
them but they're not always good tasting.
>
> Cereals: ( with milk or without): Corn, Rice or Bran Chex, Cheerios.
> Cut out slices of whole wheat bread ( use cookie cutters to cut heart
> shapes, etc.) spread with peanut butter and then add raisins to make a
> smiley face.

I do not think that Chex are good nutrition or Cheerios either. We did use
them when daughter was learning to feed herself because those things are
easy for a toddler to pick up. But we are not big cereal eaters in this
house. When she does eat cereal these days it's Fiber One. The sugar free
hard core stuff. I doubt that most kids would eat that. I also don't see
the point of cutting stuff out in cute shapes either. Maybe for a party but
for every day that creates waste. Unless you plan to use those scraps for
croutons or stuffing or something else. And if I had ever made a smiley
face or anything else with raisins on my daughter's food, for sure she
wouldn't have eaten it. Neither would I.

I do think that dried fruit can be useful for a snack when mixed in with
other things. Like a trail mix. But it's very high in calories and carbs
and unless it is consumed with plenty of water, isn't very filling.

> If your kids are old enough to not choke on nuts, peanuts and almonds
> are wonderful snack choices. Serving peanuts in the shell also offers
> the challenge of breaking the shells open. Graham crackers spread with
> peanut butter.
> ( This is now one of my favorite healthy snacks as an adult too but I
> use low fat peanut butter) Whole wheat English Muffin with shredded
> cheese sprinkled on top and microwaved for 15 seconds. ( If your kids
> like tomatoes you can add a slice of tomato under the cheese to make a
> mini pizza)

How is a graham cracker a healthy snack?

> These were the most popular choices of my daycare kids but there are
> many other options out there. Please feel free to add other
> suggestions in the comments below, and happy and healthy eating to you
> and your kids!
> Read more.. <snip>

Sorry, not going to your link. I have fed many kids. They love Goldfish
crackers. Not necessarily a healthy food but again, easy for little kids to
pick up. And they do come in whole grain now. I fed them tons of raw
veggies and black olives. Some kids will eat the green but most all will
eat the black. They love to put them on their fingers. Most kids will eat
the Ranch dressing. I don't know why. They also seem to love string cheese
and cubes of mild or medium cheddar. Some kids like the sharp. Most will
eat apples, pears, melon and bananas. The other fruits? Maybe or maybe
not. Most will eat a tortilla spread with peanut butter and jelly or jam
with a banana put down on it and then rolled up. Most will eat quesadillas.
And pierogies.