1.     What are the most common challenges you hear from parents  about  getting children to eat healthy snacks?  Parents of school-aged children often complain about the difficulty in finding healthy snacks that can compete with the junky snacks their kids see at school, on TV, at the store, and at friends’ homes. They often worry about repetition and wonder if it’s “bad” to let their child have the same snacks day after day.  Many parents are also concerned that their child seems to be “hungry” for snacks all the time.

2.     What are your best snacking strategies for addressing these challenges? One strategy is good role modeling. Select healthy snacks and enjoy them in front of your children. It’s also important to set boundaries with snacks. Don’t allow the child to make the selections at the grocery store, instead, give them healthy options to choose from.

To avoid over-snacking, set a snack-time just as you set meal times and then stick to it. Allowing your child to snack all the time will only ruin their appetite for meals and start a vicious cycle of filling up on snacks at the expense of healthy meals.

3.    What are your best recommendations for nutritious snack options that kids will love, and why?

• Great snack products / standbys to rely on. Fresh fruit of course – keep carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, jicama, and other vegetables sliced in a container in the refrigerator. This is especially good for after school/before dinner when kids are hungriest.

• More go-to snacks
  • Happy Squeeze smoothies (organic fruit combinations – some with vegetables, Salba® the Super chia, coconut milk or Greek yogurt – in convenient portable pouches from Happy Family)
  • Whole wheat pretzels, organic cheese sticks and slices
  • Unsweetened dry cereal, unsalted nuts and dried fruit – try combining all three to make a healthy trail-mix!
  • Homemade whole grain pancakes which can be easily kept on-hand in the freezer

• Sweet Treats. Sweets have their place, and in my opinion, many children will just get obsessed with them if over-restricted. Give your children healthy sweets such as frozen grapes and homemade fruit popsicles, as well as the occasional ice cream, all-natural or homemade cookies, fruit leathers or fruit snacks. Don’t make every evening snack a sweet, but if you have a sweet treat in the house every so often, and control the portion size, this is a healthy way to teach moderation.

• Snacks that get kids involved in the prep
  Two great snacks to make with your children are muffins and smoothies.  There are plenty of muffin recipes made with nutrient-packed ingredients like fruit purees, oats, wheat germ, whole grain flours, and dried or fresh fruit. You can even sneak in some veggies. Let young kids mix the ingredients, and older children can measure the ingredients and pour the mixture into the muffin tins. To control portion size, use mini-muffin tins instead of full size. Don’t forget to make extra – they freeze well and are a quick snack anytime!Smoothies can easily be made at home with yogurt, fresh and frozen fruit, milk and ice. Kids can get involved by choosing the ingredients, putting them in the blender, and turning it on. Another tip is to freeze smoothies in popsicle molds for a healthy frozen dessert.

• Other snacking ideas. Parents should think about “real” food as being great potential for snacks, like sandwiches, quesadillas, pancakes and pizza bagels. Turn snack-time into a mini-meal instead of relying on less nutrient dense snack foods. This is a good strategy for two types of snackers – the active tween or teen who is truly ravenous all the time and the young child who tends not to eat enough at meal times

4.     Please explain why it’s so important to get children to adopt healthy eating habits early in life and the possible future implications.
Eating habits are just that – habits. The best way to set up a child for a lifetime of healthy eating is to get them into the habit early through offering healthy foods in and out of the home. Physiologically, a key time for developing healthy food preferences is before age three, as that’s when the child’s taste buds are learning to accept and enjoy flavors.

Amy Marlow is a registered dietitian (RD) and New York State certified nutritionist. In addition to her work with Happy Family, Amy helps manage a Fortune 100 company’s employee wellness program and sits on the board of the New York State Dietetic Association. Amy is the proud mother of three.

HAPPYFAMILY is a leading premium organic food brand delivering nutritious meals and snacks for babies, toddlers and beyond.  The company supports Project Peanut Butter, a nonprofit that feeds starving children Africa.  Since its launch Happy Family has underwritten more than 1 million meals through PPB.  For more information, visit www.happyfamilybrands.com

The past few weeks have been notably fun to watch. The girls follow each other around, find little cubbies to giggle in together and more and more frequently embrace each other. I love each and every moment I have to watch them learn, grow, and smile, and look forward to guiding them through this journey, together!

-Courtney  is a Sitter2Mom, sister of the President, Lindsay Bell,  and mother of Ava and Amelia! 

Enjoying their first birthday celebration

This has also given me a chance to sit back and let my babies by babies. It’s not time to plan for their college education, but to let them explore and make a mess. Watch them get sooo exited to play with the pots and the pans and make noise. These are the things that matter. So mommy’s: live in the moment and hold onto this time when you can still rock your baby(s) to sleep.

-Courtney is a mother of twins, former sitter2mom, and an original LLD sitter! 

In addition to being enrolled in a music class that starts in January, my daughter and I went to our first class at our local library this past Friday.  We loved it!  The teacher was wonderful, and it was great to get back out into the world of the living and into a room full of other parents, child care providers, and little ones.  These classes are extremely popular (they are free for one thing), so you must sign up in well in advance—registration opens on the 15 or 16th of every month.  I found myself rushing out of bed first thing this morning to make sure we were all signed up for January—as I clicked through the registration process and glanced out the window to see that the sun had not even risen yet, I realized that I had turned into one of those crazy parents who thinks their son/daughter needs to be enrolled in every class, group, infant band audition so as not to miss out on anything (before she even knows that there is food beyond breast milk).  The bottom line is that I, of course, want the best for my child (as do most parents who sign up for these classes). And I’m trying to think of myself as not crazy for setting my alarm to sign up, as I’m convinced it’s been the most effective way to find the best classes for me and my daughter.

-Samantha is a former LLD sitter, event planner, and elementary school teacher. She and her husband live in New York and are first-time parents

Christmas Munchkins

What better way to gear up for the Holidays than by putting up your Christmas tree! My husband and I took the girls to a nearby garden center and picked out their first Christmas tree. Of course they were oblivious to what was going on but are extremely curious as to what that lit green thing is in the corner of our family room. Cannot wait to see their expressions on Christmas morning as they attempt to open their very first Christmas gifts! Happy holidays, love Amelia & Ava!

-Courtney has been a part of LLD since nearly the beginning, she has babysat for over 5 years with our troupe & is a new mom. Courtney is the sister of the President of LLD & lives in New Jersey with her husband.

Hey mom, I’m ready for some more food

The next chapter is rice cereal, followed by other solids- this should be fun! Although, I have to admit I’m not looking forward to the girls eating actual food- is it acceptable to puree chicken nuggets and hot dogs? I packed up all of their 3 month clothes the other day too…it was really sad, I think I even wiped a couple tears away. The twins are almost 6 months old! I cannot believe how fast time flies! My next blog will most likely be about coping with two crawling babies…

-Courtney has been a part of LLD since nearly the beginning, she has babysat for over 5 years with our troupe & is a new mom. Courtney is the sister of the President of LLD & lives in New Jersey with her husband.

Papa Bell & the gals

Then came the in laws from Ireland and a brother and his wife. Upon entering their house it looked like a shoe store. There should have been a “Beware of Shoes” sign on the front door. Seats were at a minimum and you needed a sign-up sheet to use the bathroom. Even though it was crowded and the poor house transformed into a frat house for the weekend it was a great family affair.

P.S. I spent the day cleaning on Monday.

-Mama Bell

Yesterday was my first day back in the office from my maternity leave. The whole week prior I found myself crying sporadically thinking of having to leave my two little babies at home. Even the smallest things would set me off…a smile, greeting cards at Target…you name it. I should have had these babies in my husband’s motherland, Ireland, so I could have a nice 6 months off.

Wish I could stay home every day with her!

So yesterday morning I stared at Amelia & Ava for a good 10 minutes before having to pry myself away.

Had to tear myself away from this lil’ one

Once I got into work, I was welcomed by many familiar faces and was able to share several pictures of the girls and discussed parenthood with another mother of twins which made me feel at ease. Throw in some work, pumping, and lunch, and before I knew it the day was over! I left work in such a fury, running to make the 6PM train so I could hold those little ones in my arms and kiss their cheeks uncontrollably. Luckily, they were in good care of Mama Bell.

Mama Bell if you’re reading this…are you interested in coming on full time? Room & board, and baby love included ☺

-Courtney has been a part of LLD since nearly the beginning, she has babysat for over 5 years with our troupe & is a new mom. Courtney is the sister of the President of LLD & lives in New Jersey with her husband.