Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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After securing a note from my daughter's pediatrician recommending snacks from home instead of the amazingly awful crap her daycare gives kids for snack (fig newtons, poptarts, fruit loops, gah!)...I now need snack suggestions for my 20 month old. They get a morning and afternoon snack. I have an insulated lunch bag with reusable ice packs, so I can send refrigerated stuff. She does eat some cheese and yogurt.

We've been doing home snacks for 2 weeks, and I feel like I'm relying too much fruit. I always pair it with a protein/fat item. So apple slices with almond butter, or cheese. I also send yogurt. And I've sent paleo banana bread and egg muffins.

The other kids get a lot of variety in their SAD snacks because there are a million crackers and cookies. I'd like to give my daughter lots of variety, too. But she's not old enough to tackle raw veggies or jerky or whole nuts. It has to be something she can feed herself without being a choking hazard.

I've thought about more paleo baking, but have some concerns about trying too hard to replicate SAD food rather than guiding her to prefer fairly unaltered, whole natural foods. But I'm flexible. And she's not picky at all so far, so I think I could be creative with some help.

Thanks for any ideas!

flag	asked Mar 23 2011 at 14:33 Sj 71●4

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At 20 months, your child shouldn't struggle with jerky. A baby learns how to chew before they start swallowing foods. An adult is as likely to choke as a child would be. However, children's gag reflex isfurtger forwards than an adult's is. I have a 25 month old son & 36 month old daughter. Both at jerky without problems. It's surprising how capable and inventive they can be with their food. Give any foods a try, you'll be surprised :-). – Efaitch Mar 23 2011 at 15:21

Try tomatoes and mozarella - citrus pieces and some nuts - veggie sticks, cucumbers, etc. – Oranges13 Mar 23 2011 at 18:37

sherpamelissa · Answer 1 · 2011-03-23 14:41:15Z UTC

Our very own familygrokumentarian, has a great blog with posts of her kids awesome bento style lunch boxes and what she sends the with. It's truly inspiring! http://www.primalkitchen.blogspot.com

http://www.everydaypaleo.com is run by a Paleo mom with four kids and she also has great ideas.

Two previous threads:

Paleo 4 kids meal/snack ideas: http://paleohacks.com/questions/18061/paleo-4-kids-meal-snack-ideas#axzz1HQuY8Iyi

And a Halloween thread that also has good ideas: http://paleohacks.com/questions/11724/halloween-and-paleo-kids#axzz1HQuY8Iyi

Dexter · Answer 2 · 2011-03-23 14:40:23Z UTC

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Beef Jerky!

I posted in an answer two inexpensive ways to set up to make your own jerky at home. What better paleo snack than MEAT for your little one!

http://paleohacks.com/questions/27735/beef-jerky-paleo-style-in-canada/27741#27741

answered Mar 23 2011 at 14:40

Dexter
10.9k●1●12●31

	This was my first thought too! My kids love jerky. – Efaitch Mar 23 2011 at 15:21
	If you stick to jerky made with ground meat, the choking concern goes down. Easy to chew. – WyldKard Mar 23 2011 at 15:41

Thumper · Answer 3 · 2011-03-23 14:45:55Z UTC

I do steamed vegetables for my guys snack - with a dipping sauce for him (homemade ranch dressing or baba ganoush) he really likes to dip things, and actually some of the other kiddos in his daycare now bring similar snacks. I would say don't fret the fruit - some would argue with me - but we provide strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apples etc for our son in his lunch (not all at once) we send frozen berries, and by snack they've thawed - I'm sure they are a mess for the daycare providers, but that's why we pay them the big bucks!!

I also send lunch foods for snack as well, and daycare lets him choose what he would like. We do lots of chicken, leftover fish or steak/roast.

But I really believe that doing the paleo baking, like you are is great - at their age they don't know why they don't get what the other kids have - I made flax bread for our little guy and sent him with an almond butter and home-made jam (raspberries and honey) sandwich. I know that it is not the most ideal paleo meal - BUT it's not a twinkie!!

Efaitch · Answer 4 · 2011-03-23 15:35:26Z UTC

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We love this recipe: http://www.joyfulabode.com/2010/09/12/grain-free-granola-bars/

I will be sending my kids to nursery (preschool?) & they'll probably be taking their own snacks too!

answered Mar 23 2011 at 15:35

Efaitch
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	I'll second the vote for that recipe! Yum. You definitely have to push HARD though. – familygrokumentarian Mar 23 2011 at 15:45
	Oh yes! And, put it in the fridge to set!!! – Efaitch Mar 23 2011 at 19:52

Ambimorph · Answer 5 · 2011-03-23 16:11:25Z UTC

I give my 17 month old cold hamburgers, squares of cheese, carrot sticks, or pork rinds when I leave him in childcare at the gym. He's been fine with those items for many months. You should look into Baby Led Weaning. It's poorly named: it just means letting your child learn to eat real foods from the beginning. They really don't need mush, because they have sophisticated gag reflexes to prevent choking.

As to jerky, mine has been chewing on it from a very young age. He would basically chew and suck until it got soggy. I don't know how much he actually swallowed, but he loved it. I haven't made any lately -- must get on that.

Daycare-friendly toddler snacks

5 Answers