Having snacks is important. What you wanna give you baby in snacks, that could be a little challenging. Every other day I have to think about something innovative, if not everyday, to keep my baby engaged in picking up new food. It was always been an invisible stress on your head once you get up from your bed. But, over the time, I got a grip on it; realized which food my little one might like and which one she might through away right there.
While I was young, hearing snacks always sounds something crunchy or crispy. But after doing research on this I realized best kind of baby snack could be the food on which you want your baby to be adapted to. For example, from the very beginning once you start introducing solid food, if you give your baby boiled or sautéed broccoli or beans, their brain will accept those as snacks and when they will grow up, they will naturally drag towards vegetables in their snacks time. So, I tried to follow the same but I was a bit late. So, I will be honest with you. If I say my baby crave for vegetables, that would be a lie. But she loves it and I don’t remember lately when she refused to eat vegetables. But if you wanna give vegetables in every single meal, it’s not gonna work.
I also give her baby cookies in her hand, so that she can chew it, bite on it and play with it. One of the other intention is also improving her motor skills. Once, she grabs a cookie and try to put it on her mouth, there several things happen. First, her eyes and hand need to coordinate accordingly, then she need to realize where her mouth is and send signal to her hand to put it in the mouth. I still remember when my baby tried to put something on her mouth for the first time, most of the times she used to miss her mouth and hit on the side of her lips. But over the time, it improved. Now she can put food in her mouth on the very first attempt.
As a snack, I also like to give her apples cut in different shapes. At the beginning, I used to peel the apple before let her eat. Then I realized it might be best for her if she can have it with the skin on. It is for two reasons. One, the skin is rich is vitamins and minerals; and two, the difference in skin and the fruit helps her differentiate between different texture which is essential to improve her sense of taste.
Spaghetti is another great snack for a baby. It is reach in fiber, makes their tummy full. And its shape and wrangling physical appearance catches the immediate attention for a baby. They can grasp it, pinch it and most importantly they struggle to put it as a whole in their mouth or suck it inside. All this happen with a single food, and that’s why I love spaghetti that much for my baby.
Other than that, you can find baby fruit pouch in Walmart. They are easy to use. You just open the cap and put in your baby’s mouth. They will start sucking it eventually. There are different types of fruit and flavors available for these baby pouch. So you will get a plenty of options to choose from. And my baby never gets bore out of this. And these pouches are particularly helpful when your are outdoor for an extended period of time. Grab a pouch from your bag, open the cap and plug it into your baby’s mouth, simple!
Except all these sometimes, we just feel lazy and give her our spicy food, a mixture of rice and curry and some shredded chicken may be. At times she finds it a bit difficult because of the spices level, but as more she was exposed to this kind of food, she got comfortable with it.
By carefully selecting snacks and considering their nutritional value and developmental benefits, you can ensure your babies are nourished and happy too.