Fruit is the number one snack for kids under 6

by Bethany Sanders (Subscribe to Bethany Sanders's posts)
Jun 15th 2008 1:00PM

Filed under: Babies, Toddlers Preschoolers, Preschoolers, Big Kids, Nutrition: Health, In The News, Mealtime

Hey moms and dads -- give yourself a pat on the back. The NPD group recently found that fruit is now the number one snack food for kids under the age of 6, bumping cookies -- a longtime favorite -- out of their number one slot.

They also found that, in general, parents are making subtle changes to feed their children healthier foods at snack times. Compared to moms who participated in the survey in 1987, today's moms are less likely to serve their kids soft drinks, cookies, cake and fruit juice. Because kids are often grazers, snacks make up a large portion of their daily calories, so what they're eating at snack time is important.

Popular snacks today include yogurt, fruit, granola bars, bottled water, and fruit snacks. Health experts say that while snack food choices are improving, we still clearly have a lot of work to do, because nearly everything on that list is highly processed. Some nutritionists would like to see parents re-think snack foods altogether, and feed more meal-like foods at snack time instead.

For a few healthy snack ideas, check out the gallery below. What's your child's favorite snack time food?