Snack ideas, and what the research says about when and how much.
What the research says
✌️ Two a day at mostOn top of meals – packaged ones about 100 calories each. Fruit and veg don't count towards the two
⏳ 2–3 hours apartAnd no snack in the 1½–2 hours before dinner
🦷 How often matters mostEvery sugary snack is an acid attack on teeth – keep sweet things and dried fruit with meals
💧 Water or milkBetween meals. Juice or smoothie: 150ml a day at most, with a meal
Half of children's sugar comes from snacks and sugary drinks. The NHS daily sugar limit is 19g (5 sugar cubes) for age 4–6, 24g (6 cubes) for age 7–10 and 30g (7 cubes) from 11.
You decide what, when and where; they decide whether to eat and how much. No screens at the table, and not as a reward or a comfort. Being hungry before a good dinner is a good thing.
Is a snack needed right now?
✅ Yes, if…
lunch was early or light
dinner is 2+ hours away
they're truly hungry – not bored or tired
✋ Skip it, if…
they had a full lunch
dinner is within 1½–2 hours
it's habit, not hunger
Try a glass of water first – or move dinner a little earlier.
Snack ideas – unwrapped first
Carrot sticks and a walnut
An oatcake with almond butter
Hummus with cucumber, carrot or pepper strips
A handful of frozen blueberries
Apple slices with seed butter (lemon stops them browning)
A date and a pecan
Rice cakes with mashed avocado, lemon and a pinch of salt
Wholegrain crackers with guacamole
Plain yoghurt with berries
Home-popped popcorn
Pair fruit with something filling – seeds, nut or seed butter, hummus or yoghurt. A packet only for a good reason: out all day, a trip, or a school rule.
Whole nuts are a choking risk under 5, and many schools are nut-free – check before packing.
Make ahead at the weekend
No-bake energy bites – oats, dried fruit, seeds, coconut oil and a little cacao, rolled and chilled
Mini oat cups – oats, banana, a splash of milk and berries
Chia pudding – chia seeds in milk overnight, fruit on top
Sweet potato crisps – thin slices, a little olive oil and salt, low oven
Keep it easy: a snack shelf
One shelf in the fridge and one in the cupboard, with snacks ready in small pots – cut veg, hummus, berries, rice cakes, oatcakes. At snack time they choose from the shelf, and nothing else.
Sources: Public Health England, Change4Life (2018); NHS guidance on sugar for children and on children's teeth. This is general information, not medical advice.