Daycare Snacks

I've had trouble with daycare giving way too many sweets for snacks. There is a history of them getting a chocolate chip cookie for the morning snack and an Oreo for the afternoon snack in the same day. They also frequently get pop tarts as snack. Meals are generally o.k. although there is more processed food than we give at home. My girls are very small (20 pounds at 21 months) and need "optimal nutrition" per our pediatrician. I just learned that the cook at daycare has taken a job elsewhere (woo hoo) and I know the woman who is taking over for her. She asked me for a list of snack ideas. Yea! This is what I've come up with so far, but I feel like I'm overlooking a lot. What do your kids get for snacks at daycare? Do you have other suggestions for my list? I should also mention that I'm not completely opposed to sweets, I just don't think they should have them every day and certainly not twice a day. I also try to give sweets that have some other nutritional value like graham crackers (sugar, but graham flour is good for them) or pudding (sugar, but they need the milk and calories). I see absolutely no value in a pop tart, so we don't give those at home.

Fresh Fruit
Canned Fruit
Ritz Crackers with cheese/peanut butter/strawberry cream cheese
Oyster Crackers
Graham Crackers
Other Crackers
Sliced Cheese
Cheerios
Kix
applesauce
yogurt
cereal bars (like Nutrigrain, but I buy generic)


Snacks we give no more than a couple times a week, at most
Animal Crackers
Pudding

Thanks for your help with this!

 

Mine get given fruit puree with yogurt. I see thats on your list but not in puree form

 

Saw this in the new posts link. I'm the kitchen girl at my day care so it caught my eye.

I remember you posting about not the greatest snacks before. I'm happy you have a new cook at day care. I think you have a good list there (minus the peanut butter, I live in nut free land at day care) I could add

-easily eaten veggies like peppers and cucumbers (with "dip", we use ranch dressing)
-whole grain pretzels
-saltines (with cheese/cream cheese)
-arrowroots
-Melba toast
-Shreddies (do they have those there? Shredded wheat cereal)
-a trail mix
-bread sticks (and cheese or dip)

 

I think its great that you are able to have a say in the snacks! I'm sure the other parents will be thrilled too... and if not... oh well! I think the lists look great.

 

Here's what we eat for snacks:

-string cheese

-cut fresh fruit

-canned fruit in juice -- pineapple, pears, peaches

-turkey, ham or salami slices (Hormel all-natural)

-pretzel sticks (Newman's Own)

-Annie's cheddar bunnies, and cocoa/vanilla bunnies (the organic version of Goldfish and Teddy Grahams) -- incidentally, the Annie's fruit snacks are the best I've found for once-in-awhile treats and bribes!

-Pirate's Booty and Veggie Booty

-yogurt (the Dora & Diego ones, which are relatively low in sugar and have no artificial color, but better consistency than Yo Baby)

-grape tomatoes, sliced in half

-chick peas, tossed with a little Italian dressing (for a meal, I'll toss with olive oil, salt, garlic and spices, and microwave)

-granola bars (Nature's Path EnviroKids)

-applesauce (Karina calls it "puh sauce" )

-crackers (Back to Nature brand, mostly -- we like the white cheddar rice crackers, and the cheddar crackers that are like Cheezits. We also eat All Bran crackers.)

-fruit leather

 

Just a thought, yogurt and applesauce might not work out so well in daycare, I don't think all 18 month olds know how to use a spoon yet (mine would make a huge mess).

We're bad here with snacks because I don't put them in their chairs for snacks anymore and there isn't so much they can eat without making a mess, so it's usually goldfish/graham crackers/animal cookies. But a few options are cut fruit, cereal, cheese cubes, toast or crackers with or without stuff on them etc.

 

My kids are the youngest kids in the center (21 months). Plus, they give chocolate pudding, so I can't see how applesauce or yogurt would be any messier than that.

 

Our typical snacks are as follows

yogurt with fruit
cut up fruit, sometimes with "dips" yogurt, cream cheese, fruit dip
veggies with "dips" ranch, onion, dill, sour cream, peanut butter
crackers, especially triscuits
animal crackers
goldfish
granola bars
dried fruit, raisins, cherries, apricots, apples
cheese, lots of different flavors to try
pizza snacks (tomatos sace on crackers with cheese)
pepperonis
cut up ham, turkey or chicken (especially on days where I know dinner will be later than normal)

 

I just happen to have the daycare menu on my desk. I scanned through what others posted and didn't think I saw these:

Fig newtons
graham crackers w/ strawberry cream cheese
Soft breadstick w/ pizza sauce
Soft pretzel
Soft tortilla w/ peanut butter (assuming your center serves peanut products)
Mini bagel & yogurt
Trail Mix
Sugar cookie (no frosting)
Craisins

 

You've already got so many great suggestions that the only thing I have to add is Houmous and Avacado (freshly mashed/pureed with a little lemon juice) also make great dips for veggies, breadsticks, crackers etc.

How wonderful that they, and all the other children, will be getting much healthier food from now on!