Make Healthy Snacks Readily Available

If you’ve ever tried to negotiate with a hangry toddler who just discovered the existence of cookies, you know the stakes here. This is for the parent who’s tired of being the snack gatekeeper, referee, and short-order chef—all before 9 a.m. Imagine a world where the healthy stuff is as easy to grab as the junk (and maybe, just maybe, you can eat a vegetable too). If your snack life feels like a game of ‘what’s behind door number three?’—this one’s for you.

Having healthy snacks at arm’s reach means fewer sugar crashes, better moods, and less epic meltdowns (for both kid and parent—science says so!). Kids who see and snack on fruits and veggies are more likely to develop healthy habits, and parents get the bonus of guilt-free snacking. Plus, predictability and control over snack time can lower everyone’s stress hormones, making your brain less likely to short-circuit at 4pm.

How to do it

  1. Buy fruits, vegetables, nuts, and other healthy snacks. Even if you think they might go uneaten, purchase them anyway—having them on hand is the first step.

  2. As soon as you get home, wash and chop the produce. Don’t put this off; your future self will thank you for doing it now, when you have the motivation.

  3. Store the prepped snacks in clear, easy-to-reach containers. Place them at kid-eye level in the fridge or pantry so they’re the first thing your child sees.

  4. Move less healthy snacks to the highest shelf, ideally hidden behind something rarely used (like the waffle iron). This makes them less tempting and less accessible.

  5. When your child announces, “I’m hungry!”, simply point to the healthy snack zone. Enjoy the satisfaction of having healthy options ready to go.

Tips:

  • Use transparent containers to make snacks more visible and appealing.
  • Prepping snacks in advance saves time and encourages healthy choices.
  • Rotate snack options weekly to keep things interesting.
  • Involve your child in the prep process to boost their interest in healthy foods.

After unloading groceries each week.

Wash and chop just one fruit or veggie and put it in a clear container.
Give yourself a mental high-five and take a proud photo of your snack masterpiece.
Buy a set of clear containers for snack storage and dedicate a fridge shelf to healthy snacks.

When you open the fridge looking for a snack for yourself.

Grab one healthy snack from your list and put it at the front of the fridge.
Say ‘look at me, snack hero!’ out loud (bonus points for jazz hands).
Make a list of 3 healthy snacks your kid actually likes and keep it on the fridge.

When your kid asks for a snack between meals.

Offer one healthy snack first before mentioning anything else.
Do a tiny dance or wink at your reflection—snack win!
Move less healthy snacks to a hard-to-reach spot in the pantry.
Make Healthy Snacks Readily Available | Dad Pilot