Snacks for older babies/toddlers

I've noticed that some of you are feeding your older babies and toddlers snacks. Mine are nursing 4 times a day and eating 3 solid meals a day. Do they also need snacks? How will I know if they are hungry? How many snacks a day do they need? What should the snack be? Right now my idea of a snack is 2 animal crackers and water. I really don't want to seat them at their high chairs and clean up after another big mess. Are there any other easy snacks besides crackers that they can eat on the floor?

 

I give my girls Puffs a lot. They also like the flavored yogurt bites. Both are Graduates brand, I believe. A lot of the time I will not even bother putting a bib on them while they eat them, but sometimes I do. It's typically not really messy.

 

puffs are good, my son liked those. When my oldest was that age, I gave him a snack after his afternoon nap. He usually got a yoguart, or some fruit.

 

Mine get 2 full meals a day and sometimes a bedtime "snack/meal" of yogurt and fruit/cereal mixed together. It just depends on how fussy they are in the evening.

As for snacks, we do puffs, the cruncher/crunchies things, yogurt bites...etc mostly when we are out and about. It's a good distraction when they are fussy or getting hungry but it's inconvenient to feed them yet. We don't do many snacks at home as such, but after they finish their lunch I put some crunchers and some puffs on their trays while I clean up the kitchen.

 

No. Mine NEVER wanted a snack. I could not and still CANNOT even get them to eat MEALS. I used to offer them but they'd just look at me like I was nuts.

We do ONLY meals. IF we do a snack, it takes the place of a meal so whatever.

I do NOT have those kids (like everyone else in the world does ) that want a snack when they see other people having one. I have to BEG my kids to eat! It's weird. They're healthy and stuff but just not hungry kids!

No snacks here!

 

Amber, it sounds like they are doing great with what you are doing, so I would leave it for now. My kids have never been big eaters, so snacks were a way to get smaller meals in them, more often.

 

My kids have never been big snackers. I only give snacks if they seem to be getting grumpy & it's awhile yet until mealtime.

 

Mine are pretty big eaters at mealtimes, so I guess they're doing okay. I did find an idea for cheerios covered with yogurt and frozen in the Second Year Handbook. I'm going to see how they like that today.