So I think I was told off by my son's crèche this morning

[NewEraNewMindset]

I was a little bit irritated but think they probably have a point.

I tend to send him in with something that they have to feed him and apparently he isn't really eating it. That's absolutely fine as he is only there for a maximum of two hours a day, straddling lunchtime, and the yogurt purée I send him in with is just something to tide him over until his cooked lunch at home.

Anyway they have got it into their heads that I don't let him feed himself and want me to send him in with finger food instead. I have no problem with that, it's just I don't really know what things they wanted. They suggested jam sandwiches, crisps, dairylea Dunkers!!! Then seems a little put out that I didn't want my 22 month eating crisps particularly.

So the question is, healthy finger foods please. I'm not sure about rice cakes or bread sticks because of the salt content. I know he likes hummus and will eat chopped up fruit and cucumber slices. He doesn't like mini baby bel and the sandwich I've sent him in with previously went untouched.

Ideas please of healthy, teeth friendly snacks.

Thank you!!

Banana. Most rice cakes don't contain salt. Cubes of regular cheese.

Falafel? I'm sure there are lower-salt breadsticks available, too. Carrot sticks and hummus if you can package it up easily.

You can get rice cakes without salt and organix do crisp style snacks suitable for toddlers. If you know he'll eat fruit and cucumber, I'd just send that. My DS's preschool have fruit, cucumber or rice cakes every day! (Supplied by them)

Thank you guys. Any thought about sandwich fillings? I'm going to get a small soft loaf and defrost two slices for him. Cheese spread was mentioned, I know the sandwich he left months ago was cheese but sliced.

My two love cucumber sandwiches.

Cream cheese sandwiches (decent stuff rather than dairlyea, which DH eats but they still regard as "definitely not cheese") worked for my DC.

Other than that, fruit, or lightly cooked carrots or similar, or just bread and butter..

Avocado chunks, or avocado sandwich. A bit of lemon juice mixed in stops it going brown.

carrot sticks.

I made some amazing lentil and oat cheese biscuits last week (I know, I know - I don't know what I've become either). I send lightly cooked carrot (he's not the teeth for raw yet), broccoli and avocado. Would he eat toast?

He loves toast but they have no facilities to heat food.

Those lentil and oat cheese biscuits sound amazing! Maybe I should cook him some bread sticks or similar.

He is 22mo - cant he just feed himself the yoghurt? Sure he might use his fingers more than the spoon but thats how they learn!

They said they gave him the spoon but he didn't want to know. He can feed himself in a haphazard manner, I normally let him have a spoon and I have a spoon too. I primarily get the most food into him admittedly.

It's a free crèche attached to my leisure centre and I doubt they want to give him 1-1 as he is of an age where he doesn't need it now. I've just got to try some different things I think and see what he enjoys.

Something to eat just before he goes would solve the problem.

Most breadsticks have 'trace' salt if you buy the plain ones. Defo case with aldi ones.

My dd had always preferred ham and egg to cheese.

If he's only there 2 hours can't he eat before/after?

Go to a large supermarket and have a look n the baby food aisle.
Organix and Ella's kitchen have a good range and are not full of rubbish

Wow. If rice cakes are bad my DS is fucked. He's just had two quavers.

oatcakes?

Do you need to send anything at all?

I have to pack snacks and lunch for my 20 month old. I send non-finger foods too though and don't think that should be an issue as kids need variety. Also they should be allowing them to at least try with a spoon. they Here are some common things I send:

-tuna sandwiches - in triangles
-turkey and cheese sandwiches which I cut into strips usually
-grape tomatoes quartered and halved
-fresh fruit: berries, sliced pear, match-stick cut apples, banannas, mandarin orange pieces.
-crackers and cheese
-greek yogurt
-unsweetened fruit cups
-raisens
-rice crackers
-homemade muffins

I make mini cheese and veg scones with my son who loves helping with and loves to eat. I grate courgette , mushrooms or add sweet corn and peas- whatever veg is hanging around Into them. I loosely follow the good food recipe which uses a little oil rather than butter making it super easy to whip up a batch. Oh I also only put half the cheese in!

Hummus or peanut butter sandwiches are good. My DS particularly likes almond butter. I think you should start checking labels rather than guessing about salt though, cheese and shop bought hummus will both have way more salt than breadsticks or rice cakes. So will bread.

home made savoury muffins.
cubes of cheese
cucumber / veg / fruit fingers
boiled egg (quartered)
roast meat from the weekend sliced into fingers to chew on

21 month old I look after loves chicken chopped into chunks, cucumber, banana, ham muffins (dairy free due to allergies), strawberries.

Have you tried wraps instead of bread for sandwiches, the children love those here! Cream cheese or tuna go down well.

The 10 month old has
cucumber
fritters - so courgette, sweet potato, spinach, pea
fruit - blueberries, figs, strawberries,
chunks of bread
crumpet
potato cakes
scones - cheese or plain
pitta bread

Don't worry about toast being hot. Toddlers are usually fine with cold toast, or cold cheese toasties!

Pitta bread can be good. Baguette might be nice?
What about egg in a sandwich, or cream cheese?