With kids going back to school this month, I thought it would be helpful to share some of our favorite clean after school snacks that I buy for my three year old, Raffi. Packaged snacks are great for convenience, but often, they are laden with chemical preservatives, additives, added sugar, and natural flavors (which are anything but natural.) But I get it, who has the time to make fresh snacks that are portable for kids on the go? I’m by no means the mom who always has clean snacks on hand, but whenever possible, I do make an effort to be mindful about reading labels to make sure what we give Raffi isn’t too bad. I like to look for products with minimal ingredients made from real whole food. I try to stay away from inflammatory oils, food coloring, and added sugar.
Here’s a short list of his favorite healthy pre-packaged snacks that I feel good about serving.
Raffi tried pistachios for the first time just a few months ago and loved them, but since he hasn’t quite mastered opening them up on his own yet, these are also great.
These are a toddler classic. Yes, making real applesauce is relatively simple, but we rarely have the time and even when we do, it’s hard to travel with the homemade kind. This packaged applesauce is made with organic apples and has very minimal ingredients.
I buy these all the time for myself and it was only a matter of time before Raffi started snacking on them alongside with me. Now I just buy him his own packets so we don’t have to share.
Are cookies considered a healthy after-school snack? If they’re made by Hu Kitchen, then my answer is yes! I’m such a fan of everything Hu Kitchen makes. The ingredients are clean and minimal and the quality is just so good and tasty.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with anything Hu Kitchen makes. These sea salt crackers are simple and so good either on their own or dipped in hummus or topped with cheese. I’ll usually just put a bunch in a Stasher bag and take them on the go to eat at the playground.
I think it’s safe to say that all kids love fruit snacks, but the more popular brands tend to have a lot of added sugar and additives that I’d rather avoid. This Bear brand is a relatively new discovery for us and I love that the ingredients are way better that what I usually see. This strawberry pack for example just has apples, pears, strawberries, and black carrot extract. And bonus, they taste sweet and delicious.
Sandwich cookies are another toddler and big kid classic. I grew up eating Ritz peanut butter cookies, but a quick look at the ingredients list makes me glad that newer companies like Simple Mills exist. Simple Mills has so many great products (we love their pancake and waffle mix, too) but these new sandwich cookies stuffed with cashew butter are a great and cleaner spin on an old classic.
What are you kids snacking on these days? I’d love to hear! Let me know in the comments below.
Top photo by note thanun on Unsplash.
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Hi Lisa! Love this list – also thank you for confirming the Bear snacks are a good choice because I love eating them too. 🙃
Will definitely give these a shot for Aspen! We also love the Once Upon a Farm pouches, or will make our own oatmeal or fruit blends and put em in a WeeSprout reusable kids pouch! It’s been pretty effective so far to have on hand. 🙂
We love Once Upon a Farm too! Raffi had a period where he was obsessed with them. But unfortunately, once we introduced the applesauce pouches to him, he stopped eating them. I should have included them in this list for sure though, such a good snack/meal on the go.
And omg! I did now know about WeeSprout pouches! They look great! Thanks for sharing.
Love all these! I’m always looking for new ideas for L & M now that school has started. I’ll add these to cart on my next shopping trip!
Yay! I think they’ll enjoy them. 🙂