[hollybells]

The littlest will be 7 next week but from what I remember, favourite toddler snacky lunch items were:

- grated cheese, cottage cheese, hummus, yogurt, occasionally pudding
- grated carrots, spinach leaves with dip (yes, he was a bit of a weirdo ), veggies - (some purees or steamed a little, some raw), mashed sweet potatoes and regular potatoes
- leftover pancakes and French toast with a little compartment of syrup to dip
- applesauce (he loved helping me chop and toss apples, pears and berries into the crockpot to cook down), chopped up berries, apples, grapes, bananas
- toast, chunks of pita bread or tortilla, mini muffins, cubed bread, pieces of different bun, the cheese stick buns were a favourite, a few pretzels, goldfish or multigrain crackers
- rice, quinoa, left over pasta, cooked cheese tortellini noodles cut in half were a favourite - often without sauce but could be with butter or sauce
- cooked & chopped chicken, beef, ham etc.
- I always had a "treat" in one tiny compartment but the treat could be anything - exciting treats were: 2 - 3 mini marshmallows, 5 - 6 chocolate chips, 3 jelly bellies, a Hershey's kiss or two, a few teddy grahams, a few cubes of jello (fun to work on the pincer grasp ) - oh! a square of my caramilk bar was always a hit

My ratio for 6 compartments was usually 2 fruits / veggies, 1 protein, 2 carbs and one treat. Or 2, 2 & 2 with the "treat" beside it. Just my 2 cents, but I always put everything out together and allowed it to be eaten in any order. Once they were old enough to ask if they could eat their treat first, my answer was always the same - if they ate the rest, no problem. If they started eating the treat only and boycotting the rest, we'd save it until last. It was never a problem.