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Children love to eat almost as much as they love to play.  This is sometimes a problem, though.  Kids do not always eat healthy snacks to fill in the gaps between meals.  Sugary foods—especially ones that are sticky and adhere to teeth—are leading causes of cavities in kids.  To keep this from happening, parents sometimes have to be very proactive, and even a bit creative, in creating alternatives that are both appealing to their children and affordable to their family budgets. 

The appearance of food packaging plays a big role in a buying decision.  Children get excited when they see a food product with their favorite TV character on the box, or a scene from the latest video game.  Many of these foods, however, are not healthy snacks for kids. 

This often creates an embarrassing situation for the parent who takes his or her child to the store.  The child sees the label, and begins with the “Mama I want that” mantra that either results in the parent caving in or the kid leaving the store stomping and raging through angry tears.

We would like to help you prevent this from happening by making a few helpful suggestions on how to create healthy snacks that are not only good for kids, but also appealing to them.

One simple way to do this is to go to the store and buy something nutritious and sneak it into the kitchen while the children are busy playing video games, agitating pets, or playing outside.  You can take plastic zipper bags which often cost less than a dollar and fill them with almost any type of healthy snack.  You can also package foods in environmentally friendly, reusable containers that children can carry with them to school or to the park. 

An even more pragmatic solution is to buy something that is not so good for children, dump out its contents, and fill it with a nutritious substitute.  The old label will still attract attention as it always has—only this time it will attract attention to something that is good for your child.

Muffin tins and cookie cans are sure things when it comes to getting your child’s attention—and improving their dental health in the long run.  You can make very affordable snacks out of some of the cheapest foods in the market.  Small pretzels, goldfish crackers, peanuts, cheese cubes, and chunks of fruits like apples, grapes, and bananas are snacks that kids will immediately like and consistently eat thereafter.

Once your children get their first taste of healthy snacks and like them, you can create some real quality time with your kids by having them help you prepare any number of foods as meals between meals.  Rice cakes spread can be cooked and topped with peanut butter and bananas.  For something quick and simple, spread peanut butter or cream cheese over celery sticks, or mix pretzels and peanuts with cheese cubes. 

Other healthy snacks include graham crackers and peanut butter, apple slices and peanut butter, cheese of any kind, and canned fruit topped with yogurt. 

There are also pre-packaged foods out there that are genuinely healthy.  Applesauce, fruit and pudding, string cheese, and trail mix with dried fruit are very popular products with kids of all ages, and equally beneficial to their dental health. 

See to it, however, that tooth brushing and flossing regimens are strictly maintained.  No matter how nutritious a food source is, anything kind of food residue left on the teeth will cause plaque to form that can in turn create tartar and cavities.   Never neglect the basis of teaching your children sound dental self care.

If you are looking to improve your smile without diminishing it with visible orthodontics in the process, please call us at 1-888-790-0309 to schedule an appointment for this highly specialized and technologically advanced alternative to metal braces.