When you hear the word 'snacking', it’s typical for anyone to think about reaching for their favourite packet of crisps, a bar of chocolate, or a jam-filled doughnut—a ‘guilty pleasure'; a treat for Friday nights. And when it comes to your children, we know you’ll be especially wary of the beckoning call of sweet-treat-style snacks.

Snacks have a bad reputation, sure. But when they’re healthy and nutritionally balanced, snacks can be a wonderful way to provide mini-meals for any gaps that are left by the regular meals in your child’s diet. Sometimes just three meals a day may not meet their nutrition and calorie needs, and snacks are a great remedy for this.

With the five ideas below, you can leave all nightmarish images of your child munching on high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks behind and find productive ways to easily introduce healthy snacking habits into their daily routine while finding a healthy balance for the occasional sweet treat-style snack!

What are some ideas to help my child snack healthily?

Let snacks supplement meals, not replace them.

Snacks shouldn’t be a replacement for main meals; they should supplement them. Therefore, keep food-group snacks handy (such as small portions of vegetables, fruits, or whole-grain foods) and offer them to your child at snack time if meals come up short on their nutrients. This way, snack intake is managed in the right way and won’t overtake actual mealtimes. Avoid offering too many options for a snack, and ideally, offer only 1 or 2 nutritious snacks.

Offer snacks two hours or more before meals.

The timing of snacking is everything. This is why it’s important to plan when you offer snacks to your child to ensure that when supper time arrives, they are hungry and will finish their main evening meal. Therefore, aim to offer your child snacks for two hours or more before serving their supper. Avoid giving them snacks while standing in line at the supermarket or just a half-hour before a meal.

Learn to recognise when your child needs attention instead of food.

It’s common for parents to offer snacks to their children when they make a fuss or start crying, as this is an easy and quick way to better their mood. However, this enforces unhealthy habits, as the child may then develop a pattern of emotional overeating. Instead, try to understand what is wrong by communicating with them. This will help ensure they mentally separate food from their emotions.

Make snack time fun.

You can easily encourage your child to snack healthily by getting them excited about it. To do this, focus on talking about the attractive qualities of the fruits and vegetable snacks you give them. Children respond well to visual and sensory stimuli; for example, while putting some slices of watermelon in their lunch box, use see-through containers and clear plastic bags to store them, so the child can see what’s inside. Also, you could comment on the sweet aroma of the fruit. Or, when serving cheese and crackers, talk about the different textures of soft, creamy cheese and crisp, crunchy crackers.

Don’t demonise or label sweet treats to avoid undue emphasis.

Sweet treats are fine for your children to have in moderation. It’s important to talk to your child in the right way when discussing sweet treats, such as chocolate or sweets, and not overly label them as either ‘bad’ or ‘a special treat’. Children need to learn the balance of sweet treats in their lives, and they will do this over time if the right standard is set. For example, it’s ok to give your child a doughnut at the cinema as a treat, but don’t give one for breakfast to substitute banana on toast. In addition, you can try techniques such as putting nutrient-rich foods where your child can reach them and 'sometimes' foods such as cookies a bit further out of reach. This will encourage them to find the balance naturally.

How do I introduce healthy snacking into my toddler’s routine?

From Unii’s Toddler Nutrition Journey: top tips for making healthy snacks your child’s go-to.