Some mothers raise math wizards. Others, future professional athletes. Me? I’m raising two snacking champions.
Oh yes, there is such a thing.
When the boys return home from school, they make a beeline to the pantry and refrigerator. They’re so ravenous, you’d swear they have hollow legs! I used to hover, helicopter-parent style, ensuring they were making healthy and satisfying choices. But over the years I’ve learned that if you make nutritious options easy to grab and readily available, it’s that much easier for kids to gravitate towards them.
Here are my tips for after school snacking success.
1. Create a squad of BFFs. Best Finger Foods, that is. There’s no doubt that little hands like to reach for little foods. I always have sliced vegetables, sweet berries, bite-size croissants and Mini Babybel on hand. The varying tastes and textures satisfy their need for crunchy, soft, salty and sweet.
Below: #SquadGoals.
2. Let them graze. The best part about offering a variety of finger foods is that they can have as much or as little as they want without spoiling their appetite. Because really, do I care if they eat less at dinner because they’re full of fresh vegetables, antioxidant-rich fruit and Mini Babybel, which is packed with dairy goodness? Nope!
3. Indulge their healthy preferences. Those who’ve followed me for a long time know that my boys are very healthy eaters – by choice! Our home is stocked with chips and cookies and candy and popcorn, but on the whole, they tend to gravitate towards more nutritious options, and I couldn’t be happier. However, that doesn’t mean that they don’t crave some of the more traditional “snack foods”; it just means that everything is enjoyed in moderation.
Thankfully, my mini me is also a cheese lover, and I’m happy to help him indulge in his cheesy obsession with the legendary taste of Mini Babybel!
Mild, creamy and delicious, Mini Babybel makes snack time an adventure in deliciousness. My little guy has enjoyed a Mini Babybel every day after school for as long as I can remember! He loves that it’s portable and fun to unwrap; I love that it’s a wholesome snacking choice with important dairy nutrients such as protein, calcium and vitamins.
Do you love Babybel as much as we do? Visit Babybel on Facebook for a chance to win a YEAR of free Mini Babybel! There are 15 winners – good luck folks!
What are some of your child’s favourite after school snacks?
This post is sponsored by Babybel. The opinions on this blog, as always, are my own.
I love Babybel or any type of cheese for that matter.
We love cheese and my grandkids love Babybel in their lunches!
I am a grazer myself so I appreciate that as a tip – I’d rather small meals through the day rather than 3 large ones! Babybel is one of my favorites too :)
Love Babybel, we always keep some in the fridge for snacks.
My kids and I love baby bel
My son and I love babybel cheese! Always make sure to grab a bag when I can
Those are all great snacking foods, it’s great that they choose the healthy over the junk!!
I the babybel cheese too. I always stock up on the Gouda and the Swiss ones,
I’ve actually never bought the Babybel cheeses before. Are they as delicious as you make them sound? Lol! I’d love to try them out and I think my boys would too. They often have fruit like bananas, berries, or grapes after school – with some yogurt or a few crackers. Sometimes they want popcorn. I try to keep it light and healthy before dinner so they don’t get too full lol
We have Babybels in our fridge as I type this. The are a fun, cute way to get a healthy, protein-filled snack into my kids.
I’m a cheese lover and Babybel is my favourite snack and my grandkids love it too.
Can you imagine a year’s work of baby bel!? Awesome.
Babybel is a hit in our house. I also love it for a work snack :)
I love Babybel and they are so convenient and perfect for a quick snack!
My kids love Babybel too and always have them handy! I also stock up on GoGo Squeez when the are on sale so we have those available too! Every time the are BOGO I get around 20 boxes…haha! I have a little box of healthy snacks in the pantry in reach so they can grab them for a snack or on Saturday mornings when I’m not quite ready to get up and make breakfast yet. Like you said, I don’t care how many they eat, because they are healthy foods!
I love cheese, especially Gouda and Leerdammer. I must admit I did laugh hard at the very first paragraph – sounds just like my grandson!
I love Baby Bel and especially since they got so many different types now
Babybel is of of the finger foods that our family enjoys.
Babybel is one of my favorites snacks for on the go!
My daughter loves strawberries and cucumbers, loves crackers but will only eat them with melted cheese usually!
We love all of the new Babybel cheese options and add them to salads.
the cutest snacks around
When my son (31 y.o) was little he LOVED these… my 15 y.o. won’t touch them. I wish she liked them though because they are so easy for lunches!
I like that they have a nice variety to suit one’s taste!
an icon in snacking
My mom likes them, we got a few free product coupons and they are nice.
I am obsessed with Babybels – they are so good and the perfect healthy snack.. mmm :)
We love Mini Babybel too. We don’t get them that often but when we do, we really appreciate the creaminess!
We love snacking on Babybels too. I like that they always taste fresh and are so healthy for their lunches.
My daughter loves these as a snack! She asks for them every time we are in the grocery store. :) and I love that I don’t feel guilty giving them to her!
The kids love these for snacking when they go hiking
These babybels are the perfect portion size for a snack
I have some tasty Babybel in the fridge right now.
I’ve never had Babybel cheese before. Is that weird? I should try some!
We always have Babybel in our house.
Important tips many people should use for school.