If you’ve been following my blog, you know that we’ve had some stressful times trying to get my 18 month old to eat real food. After the epipen incident, she just wanted to nurse 10 times a day and snack on Cheerios and baby oatmeal. That’s it! I had no idea what to do and felt totally overwhelmed.
The best thing I did was meet with a dietician, who helped me come up with a list of safe foods for my daughter. I put this list on my phone and pulled it up whenever I was panicking over what to feed her next.
And that’s what I’m hoping this blog post can be for you. All the following snacks are free of gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts and tree nuts (other than coconut). Many are also free from eggs and coconut. Some of them might sound weird – like what kid eats black olives? Well, my daughter does. Today she even wanted them for breakfast. 😂🤷♀️
So here you go: 21 Quick, Easy and Allergy-Friendly Snacks for Toddlers.
Side Note: I know I probably sound like a broken record, but just double-check ingredients before buying anything. We learned that the hard way. One time my husband brought home these awesome-looking tortilla chips. I mean what allergen could be in tortilla chips, right? Wrong. They had sesame in them!! I’m glad I thought to check the ingredients at dinner time, because that could have ended very badly!
- Warm oat milk (My daughter loves warm oat milk mixed with a little pure maple syrup. It’s a great post-nap drink for her!)
- Apples with Sunbutter (I just peel and chop up an apple for my daughter to snack on. You could offer the apple plain, or dip it in sunflower seed butter – our alternative to PB!)
- Toast with dairy-free butter (We love the Canyon Bakehouse bread, toasted and topped with Earth Balance Soy-Free Buttery Spread. It’s so yummy and has healthy fats to help fill you up!)
- Canned green beans (These are soft, so they were one of the first foods my daughter started eating after The Epipen Incident.)
- Black olives (Like I said, weird … but my daughter loves them! I just take them out of the can, cut them in half and put them in a bowl for her.)
- Banana (Or, if your child is like mine and doesn’t like bananas, try mashing it up on leftover French toast or pancakes! I love making breakfast for dinner once a week and then saving the leftovers for snack time.)
- Avocado toast (Simply mash an avocado, mix it with a drizzle of lime juice and a pinch of salt, and spread it on top of some toast!)
- Applesauce (I love the GoGo Squeeze applesauce pouches. So easy!)
- Scrambled eggs (I love how quick and easy eggs are to make! Just mix an egg with a dash of oat milk and a pinch of salt, and scramble it in the pan. Or you could hard boil eggs ahead of time and save them in the fridge for snacks over the next couple days!)
- Grated carrots (I just stick a carrot in my food processor and then give it to my daughter. She eats it out of a bowl with a spoon and it takes less than a minute to make!)
- My favorite Grab-N-Go Granola Bars (Check out my favorite granola bars – free from the top allergens and super yummy too!)
- Diced peaches in coconut yogurt (I get diced peaches in fruit cups – packaged with water and juice rather than corn syrup – and then mix it in with some SoDelicious Vanilla Coconut Yogurt! It’s a favorite here. Or, if you’re allergic to coconut, try Silk Oat Yeah Vanilla Oatmilk Yogurt!)
- Blueberries (I just wash them and cut them in half. Or, if fresh berries aren’t in season, I microwave some frozen blueberries until they’re soft. My daughter loves them either way!)
- Steamed broccoli (Pro Tip: Frozen broccoli is a time saver! I just stick it in the microwave with some water until it’s warm and soft. I also add a drizzle of olive oil and some salt – both for the taste, but also to help fill her up with healthy fats.)
- Steamed cauliflower (I just take frozen cauliflower and heat it up in the microwave until it’s warm and soft. Then I cut it into little chunks. My daughter loves it!)
- Ian’s Fish Sticks or Chicken Nuggets (These are free from the top 8 allergens! My daughter is OBSESSED with the fish sticks. You just stick them in the microwave. So easy!)
- Brown rice pasta (It takes a little while to boil pasta, but at least you can let it cook while doing something else. Or if you reheat leftover brown rice pasta, I recommend microwaving it in a bowl with water, so it doesn’t get too hard.)
- Cold meat (Cold cuts / deli meat? Perfect! Just roll it up or chop it up and let the little one munch on it. Just double-check the ingredients on the packaging. Some cold meats have soy hidden in there too.)
- Naked juice (My daughter loves drinking them out of the bottle with a straw. Just double-check the ingredients of course.)
- Crackers with Eggplant Spread (Here’s a blog post with my favorite allergy-friendly crackers. My daughter can’t eat humus because she’s allergic to sesame. However, Trader Joe’s makes a delicious, allergy-friendly Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant and Garlic that you could put on top of them! Or you could top them with Sunbutter or cold meat for extra protein.)
- Tortilla chips with refried beans (Pop open a can of refried beans, then mix them with a little oat milk and microwave them. Dip tortilla chips in them!)
Lastly, here are a few toddler puree pouches that make great snacks!
I’ve found that many purees have dairy in them, and my daughter is allergic to dairy. But we have found plenty without dairy too! Here are 5 of my daughter’s favorites.
- Apple and Sweet Potato by Up&Up
- Apple Blueberry Banana by Little Journey
- Banana Apple Apricot with Rice by Little Journey
- Prune Apple Butternut Squash with Quinoa by Little Journey
- Bananas Raspberries and Oats by Happy Baby
As always, I would love to hear YOUR quick, easy + allergy-friendly snack ideas!
Please share them in the comments so I can try them too!
XOXO,
That Allergy Mama
That Allergy Mama 