- shezelgibon
20 Allergy Friendly Kids School Snacks
Hello again! So with a new school year upon us I thought that I would share some of the allergy friendly snacks and brands that I like to give to our daughter Maya. And of course, Maya loves them too!
Maya has numerous food allergies. For now she cannot eat nut products, dairy, coconut, eggs and shellfish. A lot of you are probably asking yourselves, so what does she eat!? And then maybe there's some of you who get it, and can relate. First let me start off by ensuring you all that Maya has many food options outside of her allergens lol. She eats very well! And this food allergy journey really just helped with her being introduced to healthier food options from a very young age-and still loving these foods now. Since she was a baby she loved sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, avocado, berries, broccoli, and so much more of these amazing foods! Another question we get asked is if she is vegan. The answer is no, she does eat and enjoy meat with us!
We have definitely grown in this area as a family, and so I am open to sharing anything that some of you parents who may be going through similar things would like to know. It is not always easy, as there are a lot of the conventional party or school lunch foods that Maya has not experienced due to her allergies. But we always try our best to either work with substitutes (like vegan cake) or to get rid of some ingredients (like cheeseless pizza) so that she can still feel included. Plus we love to bring some of her own snacks, like these Made Good ones pictured below for example, along with us any where we go so that she has options!
We're still learning and growing with Maya and her food allergens. We have made great progress and look forward to her continuing to grow out of some of these allergens with time. For example, we safely discovered with her allergist that she can now have eggs when they are baked in to things like muffins, cakes etc.
However, the most important thing to us as parents of a child with food allergies, is letting the people that are around Maya know all about them (and how/when to use benedryl and/or an Epipen), as well as teaching Maya about her allergies from a young age.
I can definitely say that at the age of 6 she has already developed such a great understanding of all things related to this topic!
Okay so let's get in to these snacks shall we!
Made Good Snacks (All of 'em!)
Boom Chicka Pop Sea Salt Popcorn
GoGo Squeez Organic Apple Sauce
Bear Fruit Rolls
Organic Banana and Plantain Chips
The Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps
President's Choice Sea Salt Baked Pita Crackers
Sensible Portions Veggie Straws and Chips
Welch's Fruit Snacks
SunRype Fruit To Go Snacks
Ritz Crackers
President's Choice Beet and Sweet Potato Veggie Snaps
Organic Seaweed
Hummus With Crackers, Carrot and Cucumber Sticks
Organic Turkey Jerky
Lundberg Organic Brown Rice Lightly Salted Thin Stackers or Quaker Original Rice Cakes
Organic Dried Fruits (ex. Mango, Apricots)
Dole Fruit Cups (No Sugar Added)
Organic Raisins and Pumpkin Seeds
Welo Kids Probiotic Bar
I hope this quick list of allergy friendly snacks will help all of you parents out with school lunches as the year progresses!
For my 6 year old daughter's lunch, I start with 2-3 fruits and 1-2 veggies as her base then incorporate 1-2 snacks along with her main hot dish/sandwhich or wrap. Fruits and veggies are always a necessity that no snack can replace. I always encourage Maya to eat the healthiest stuff first and then move on to her snacks if she is still feeling hungry for something... and truth be told, she does exactly that!
Once in awhile I'll also experiment with baked goods, like my home made oatmeal, banana and apple muffins that she loves, and throw that in as a snack as well. I am having more fun experimenting with baking from scratch, I never really enjoyed it before and still have a long way to go, but my family loves what I have been trying my hand at so far and that's what matters most to me. Plus it gives our girl a chance to eat things like muffins, breads, cookies and cakes that we don't buy from the store for her due to her allergies. And when we make things ourselves they will naturally be better for us, because we know exactly what is being put in to them. So don't worry if baking is not your strong suit, be open to it and remember that kids are always honest with us-so they'll let you know when things taste good or not to them!
Please feel free to share any allergy friendly snacks that you know of and enjoy in the comments below as well. Any more kids lunch inspiration is greatly appreciated! This quick list that I provided doesn't capture every single brand or snack that we love, but it's a great start for some of you who may be scratching your heads and wondering what snacks to send your kids to school with in the same way that I once was!
As a working mom, I am not able to make every single thing from scratch for my child's lunches on a daily basis. Kudos to you if that is what you're doing. However with that being said, I do try to choose healthy food and snack options that my daughter is also going to enjoy eating safely. So don't beat yourself up over things pertaining to what your child eats or doesn't eat. Just try your best, educate them about healthy foods, and get them involved by giving them options. Remember that kids are resilient!
Happy snacking and lunch making,
S.S.