#ChobaniKids Project and How I Regulate Snack Time in my Casa

Getting my kids to eat what I want them to eat is a struggle. However, healthy eating doesn’t need to be a daily battle with your toddlers. I was asked by Chobani to participate in their #Chobanikids project and share tips of healthy lifestyle choices and proper nutrition in honor of National Nutrition Month. I jumped at this opportunity and thought about the ways I encourage healthy lifestyles in my casa.

We have all heard how lifelong healthy habits start when we encourage our kids at an early stage. I like to have the kids try out new foods, but lately my two have had a hard time accepting new foods. They continue to want snacks all day long. Does this sound familiar? You say no and they argue or cry, depending on their age.

I get the arguing from my 3 year old, Nugget, and the crying from my 2 year old, Chi-Chi. Nugget has even went into the pantry himself to get snacks even though it wasn’t snack time. I’ve learned to involve the kids in snack time by teaching them how to tell when snack time is and allowing them to choose their nutritional snacks. Learning what time snack time occurs and allowing them to choose their snack makes them feel empowered even at a toddler age. Actively engaging your children in physical activity is just as important for a healthy lifestyle.

My snack time clock hangs on my pantry door. The kids know that it is snack time once the red apple is on one of the green apples. When its snack time, they get to choose their own healthy snacks from a pantry snack crate or snack refrigerator container which has preselected healthy snacks. I made my snack clock very easily using a clock I already owned, some of the kids’ coloring book pages, and stickers. Here is the simple tutorial for the Snack Time Clock here.

Stocking your snack containers can be so much fun for the kids. Nugget and Chi Chi love when I bring new healthy snacks into the house. The most requested snack is yogurt and fruit snacks. I am excited that Chobani has launched a new line of Chobani kids yogurts that come in squeezer tubes and pouches. I love when snacks come in an easy to use container. Yogurt is Chi-Chi’s favorite food and we have been eating Chobani yogurt for a while. Here she is 1 years old and eating her Chobani yogurt all by herself for the first time. The second picture is over a year later and she still loves Chobani yogurt.

We use a lot of yogurt pouches in our house. So much that I have used the pouch tops for kids activities. I have made fun, educational activities to help learn concepts and keep them actively engaged. For details on these pouch top activities check out my posts on Using Household Items for Tot School, Bilingual Color cards, and Mis Colores Bingo.

Make sure you keep them hydrated with water when playing outdoor activities. I limit the kids’ juice intake as much as possible. Juice contains relatively no nutritional benefits, but it does taste great. Nugget and Chi-Chi only have a 1/2 cup of orange juice fortified with Vitamin D and calcium in the morning. We avoid drinking juice the rest of the day. At times, they do get to have apple juice as a treat.

The weather is finally getting better and it will soon be time to play outdoors. I like packing easy snacks for outdoor play. Grab your cooler and pack up small baggies of vegetables and fruits. I usually throw in a few pouches of apple sauce or a fruit and veggie mix pouch. You can also pack an ice pack and take some of the new Chobani kids yogurt squeezers or pouches!

There is so much you can do to keep your kids on a healthy lifestyle path. Remember that your kids emulate you as well, so its also important for you to eat healthy foods and include at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. Why not tie your 30 minutes of activity in with the kids and go out for an adventure walk.