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You are here: Home / FOOD / No junk playdates and guilt-free toddler treats #NoJunkJourney

No junk playdates and guilt-free toddler treats #NoJunkJourney

October 16, 2017 by Molly 18 Comments

playdate snacks

I love a playdate. It’s the ultimate easy toddler-entertainment, don’t you think? You get a chance to chat with your mates and your kids get a chance to play and have fun. Whether it’s sharing the pain of soft-play in numbers, visiting a farm for a busy day out or just sitting on your own sofa at home – while toddlers run amok around you – there’s something wonderfully comforting about just hanging out with other like-minded parents while the children cement friendships of their own.

Ever since Effie was born we’ve done regular playdates with the group of mums  who I met through my pregnancy yoga and aquanatal classes. All the babies were born within a month of each other, so they’ve shared every single birthday and milestone so far over the past three years. Playdates are hectic, loud, fun and full of chat. And you know what they’re also full of? FOOD.

playdate snacks ideas

Snacks are, for us, the key to a harmonious playdate. They avoid hangry dramas, give the children an opportunity to learn about sharing, and offer a welcome distraction when a potential playdate meltdown is on the horizon. But get the snack wrong and the whole playdate could go south very quickly. Sweets, chocolate, biscuits and cake may all sound like a good idea at the time, but have you ever seen five tired toddlers jacked up on sugar and E-numbers? Yeah, it’s not a pretty sight.

This is where the Goodies range from Organix saves me every time. The snacks are considered treats, but they’re not full of sugar and junk (hence – the “junk free” tag). They ward off a playdate drama and offer instant satisfaction without the side-effect of toddler sugar-crazy mayhem.

The gingerbread biscuits are a firm favourite in our house and they went down a storm at a third birthday party we went to at a local farm park at the weekend. One bag between all five of the children was enough to keep them going for an hour until our picnic lunch. And, because she’s never grown out of her love of Organix snacks (and she’s four years older than everyone else), Freya had her own bag all to herself…

If you’re after some more ideas for no junk playdate food then here are some brilliant tips from Organix. The pizza one is always a favourite in our house too. We’ve hosted pizza party playdates before where the kids decorate their own pizza bases (you can use tortilla wraps if you can’t be bothered to make your own dough) – a healthy snack or lunch idea PLUS a relatively easy form of entertainment for the kids too. Double win.

 

If I’m hosting a playdate at home then I tend to just lay out a selection of snacks on the table for the kids to help themselves to. This might be chopped up fruit, raisins, rice cakes or Organix biscuits. Whatever I offer them they’re always offered in little pots (what is it about toddlers and little pots? The food always seems to be more appealing to them!) and let the children grab a handful of whatever they want in between playing. I’ve learned from past mistakes that forcing children to sit still and eat a snack in the middle of a busy game often leads to an off-the-scale tantrum that’s no fun for anyone.

How do you negotiate snacks on a playdate? Have you got any tried and tested ideas for healthy and easy snacks to offer a troupe of hungry children? Share them below – I’m always after new inspiration! 

 

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Thanks to Organix for working with me on this post. I’m an ambassador for the brand as part of the #NoJunkJourney campaign. To find out more about ways I work with brands check out my Work With Me page here. To see other posts in the Organix No Junk series click on the titles below: 

Snack saviours and a little confession

The secret ingredients to the perfect family picnic

Take your toddler to work day

Healthy party food and a toddler tea party

The reality of cooking with kids

Eating well on a budget

 

Filed Under: FOOD Tagged With: healthy toddler treats, healthy toddlers snacks, Organix, playdate snacks, treat food

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Comments

  1. Rachel says

    October 29, 2017 at 9:43 pm

    Breadsticks seem to be our standby, I have to be honest, but Organix too – the rice cakes were in every pram back when Pip was a baby in North London.

    Reply
  2. Alice says

    October 25, 2017 at 9:06 am

    Snacks are king, aren’t they?! I always wonder what on earth we’d do without them!!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 25, 2017 at 1:56 pm

      I’d be up the proverbial creek on many an occasion!

      Reply
  3. Katie Albury says

    October 24, 2017 at 11:50 am

    Oh the Organix range is just brilliant! We need to have a good food revamp as we’ve been so disorganized lately. I’ve pinned to food ideas as I really need our toddler to lay off the bic bics and eat more healthily!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 24, 2017 at 6:55 pm

      Hard isn’t it?! There are so many good treats in the Organix range – definitely recommend them. x

      Reply
  4. Laura says

    October 24, 2017 at 10:12 am

    I love the goodies range – they are just the perfect snacks for on the go that you don’t have to feel guilty about – both my kids love them (I also really like the gingerbread, don’t tell anyone 🙂 but yes love their range and so glad something like this is in all the big stores making it easy to get it

    Laura x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 24, 2017 at 6:55 pm

      The gingerbread men are my guilty secret too!

      Reply
  5. Slummy single mummy says

    October 20, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    For me, snacks make for a harmonious DAY, full stop!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 23, 2017 at 9:58 am

      This is true – me too!

      Reply
  6. Emily Nellist says

    October 18, 2017 at 9:08 pm

    Organix are great aren’t they? They’re definitely a play date winner as you just don’t know whether the other parents want them to have all of the sugar. I’ve found they work well to take in as a birthday treat for nursery / school to give out to others too.

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 23, 2017 at 9:59 am

      That’s so true – you can’t go wrong with Organix!

      Reply
  7. Jen Walshaw says

    October 18, 2017 at 11:52 am

    I love healthy snacks for kids as there is nothing worse than Hangry kids. I wish that they did some that were tween/teen friendly. So more grown up packing (they are fine with them if I decant)!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 18, 2017 at 3:32 pm

      Have you tried the Organix Punk’d range? Freya loves those too and they’re No Junk snacks for older kids with more grown-up packaging! x

      Reply
  8. Jade - Raising the Rings says

    October 17, 2017 at 1:15 pm

    My boys loved Organix when they were a bit younger! The carrot sticks were their favourites and you can’t beat a good play date! x

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 18, 2017 at 3:33 pm

      My girls still love the carrot sticks – even my 7yo!

      Reply
  9. Pippa Vincent says

    October 16, 2017 at 3:00 pm

    My kids have always loved the little carrot cake oat bars- it’s nice to be able to buy something convenient and know it’s not stuffed full of sugar!

    Reply
  10. Colette says

    October 16, 2017 at 1:59 pm

    Oh yes we love play dates! They’re so much easier to entertain when they’ve got their mates to play with ! Organix were a firm feature on our shopping list when the kids were younger too x

    Reply
  11. Claire at Tin Box Traveller says

    October 16, 2017 at 12:00 pm

    We love Organix snacks for our days out. My girls love the sweetcorn rings, or ’round crisps’ as they call them! 🙂

    Reply

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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If you feel bad about your body you’re less like If you feel bad about your body you’re less likely to do nice things for it, including moving in a way that feels good and eating in a way that feels good. (FYI health is about more than just exercise and nutrition, but let’s get deeper into the exercise thing for a second...)
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Research shows kids who have low body image are less likely to get involved with sports and more likely to skip PE. 
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Want kids to move more? Stop teaching them that one type of body is better than another - because if their body doesn’t look like your version of a healthy / beautiful / successful body not only will they be more likely to feel shame over their body, they’ll be less likely to engage with the very behaviours you want them to do more of (or be more likely to engage with them in an UNhealthy way - compulsive exercise is dangerous).
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Instead:
💕Try talking about the intrinsic benefits of exercise over the extrinsic ones (ie. how it makes you FEEL instead of how it makes you LOOK).
✨Create opportunities for movement where ALL children feel welcome. 
💕Show children diverse representation so they can see sporting heroes with a range of body types and know that movement is for EVERYbody. 
✨Take a zero tolerance approach to appearance based bullying, body shaming and comments that perpetuate weight stigma (including even the hint that fat = bad). 
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(If you’re a teacher or youth leader interested in knowing more about this topic, a #BodyHappyKids workshop will help - follow the link in my bio 🥰❤️)
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[Image description: A multicoloured slide with an overlaid screenshot of tweet by Molly which reads ‘If your intention is to “get kids healthy” then you need to be aware of how weight bias, weight stigma and poor body image are active barriers to health. The end.]
Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a Sharing this outfit pic with you because it’s a crying shame only the piles of laundry got to see it, quite frankly. Finally, a pair of pre-loved jeans bought online that are true to size, consistent with the rest of the brand’s sizing and actually fit! 🎉 
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PS heads up - I’ll be doing a Q&A about body image and kids in my Stories on Friday. The Q sticker is up in my Stories now if you’d like to submit a Q! 💕 #BodyHappyKids
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[Image description: Molly is standing in front of the mirror looking very pleased with the fact her new jeans bought from Depop fit her. She is wearing pink patterned jeans with cherubs on them, a pink check jumper and pink trainers. There are piles of laundry on the bed behind her.]
Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been Another photo of us on a walk, because it’s been our main form of entertainment this year. Anyone else? 
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I honestly now get excited about putting my boots on and being outdoors, even in the rain. I’m going to start hugging trees next and going on wild camping weekends that involve doing a poo behind a tree and making my own fire. Joke.... maybe. 
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Just another reminder that all movement is valid, exercise doesn’t need to have to be about burning calories or even tracking steps in order for it to be “worth it”. Hope everyone’s had a great weekend ❤️
#BodyHappyMum #JoyfulMovement
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Image description: Molly and her two daughters stand on a bridge in the countryside. They are all wearing hiking boots and outdoor clothes and smiling.
My body is good and excellent and my body only bel My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me ✨ (Words by Effie May, age 6 💕) #BodyHappyMum
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Image description: A close up of Molly’s bare skin as she hugs herself. It’s dark and part of her body is illuminated by light. She has her eyes closed and is smiling.
“Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. “Mummy I wrote a letter to myself,” she said. And my heart swelled. Maybe I’m doing an OK job after all 🤞❤️💕 #BodyHappyKids 
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I could leave this caption here but I need to make something clear: if you think it’s great that my daughter - a thin, white, nondisabled, cisgender kid - feels good in her body but you’re not here for the self-love of any kid who doesn’t look like her.... then you’ve missed the point.
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ALL bodies are good bodies, and without this important piece of the puzzle ALL children will be at risk of doubting their body. And what happens when they doubt their body? Well... hating our body doesn’t make us treat it with love, and the same is true of kids. 
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Great, now we’ve cleared that up, can we take a moment to appreciate the incredible phonetic spelling on show here?! 
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Image description: Effie, age 6, stands against a white wardrobe holding up a letter she has written to herself. It is spelled phonetically and reads “My body is good and excellent and my body only belongs to me.”
I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I ha I used to struggle to buy stuff for myself if I had any spare cash - not just treats, but basics like pants and tights that fit properly. I’d tell myself I didn’t need it, didn’t deserve it, couldn’t justify the expense. There’s still that little voice (the habit of putting everyone else’s needs first and my own last dies hard it seems) but I’m leaning into exploring why it still sometimes rears its head, instead of always listening to it. 
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I’m trying to buy as much as I can from pre-loved places or small businesses these days, which is why I’m very happy to share with you some of my latest finds: a star dress from Depop (£5), earrings from @kelzojewellery by @ourtransitionallife (£12) and the comfiest tights I’ve ever owned in Raspberry Pie by @snagtights (£6.99) 💕💕💕
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