Granola Bar Recommendations

I prefer the fruit bars from Trader Joes - they have tons of flavor and are not filled with preservatives and all that fun stuff... they are also pretty inexpensive.

My daughter loves them.

What about a fruit and ceral bar? I would be nervous giving traditional granola to such a young child since they could choke. My 19 month old son loves fruit and cereal bars and we just buy the generic supermarket brand so they are pretty reasonable in terms of price. Good luck.

I make my own little "granola bars" and my daughter ADORES them If you're worried about chew-ability, you could prepare this in the food processor and grind the oats up.

The night before, combine: 4 cups oats, 1 cup oil, 1 cup brown sugar.
At least 12 hours later, add in 1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 cup dried fruit and nuts )craisins, raisins and dried pineapple are our favorites.) Last, add 2 beaten eggs.

Press into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cut into bars while still warm, but leave them in the pan until completely cool.

Om nom nom, and MUCH cheaper than buying them. Also, I like knowing what's IN them.

I gave my kids nutrigrain bars when they were that age and they really liked them and ate them well (still do).

I either buy the Gerber fruit bars or the Natures best???-(the ones right in the baby food aisle with the sesame street characters on them) which my sone LOVES....He used to call them "Candy Bars"-and that was the closest he has ever come to eating a candy bar. He is four now and still eats one as a snack in his lunch at school.

I would not recommend granola bars for breakfast at all. baby's/toddlers need to get into good habits, not bad ones. Granola bars are not real food!!! Oatmeal, eggs, rice cereal, corn grits, yogurt and fruit, like bananas, bluberries, strawberries....these are real foods and great for breakfast. If you want to raise a healthy child, I don't suggest you give them granola bars...sorry if this sounds harsh but nutrition is very important.

G. in NYC

unless you buy granola bars from the nurtution store, the bars you buy in the supermarket are a glorified cookie. One for a 13 month old for breakfast?? HUMMMM not such a good idea if you are looking health. If you make your own that is ideal.
research them you will be amazed at what you find.
good luck,
Dawn

wegman's brand are just fine & priced right. they have a variety of flavors. also - aldi has the same ones that wegman's sells. i found out b/c i bought a box of apple cinamon granola bars at aldi & when i opened the box i saw that they are wrapped the same as the wegman's ones, and much cheaper...they taste the exact same...so they must be made at the same manufacturer!

My kids love the South Beach Diet cereal bars. They're loaded with nutrients, and I eat them too!

I'd worry about the granola getting caught in her throat. How about the old fashioned idea of gramcrackers and peanut butter? I she has an allergy to peanuts, then use a fruit spread instead.

we give our son nutrigrain cereal bars which he loves. I even buy the stop and shop brand and they're good! Be careful with granola bars...just make sure he can chew them well.
Lynsey

Make your own! It's not hard, I make 2 batches & freeze them, they are healthier, taste better & less expensive that buying them. I found a great recipe at my favorite mommy blog: Mommypoppins.com, the exact URL to the recipe is:
http://mommypoppins.com/ny-kids/make-your-own-granola-bars

I actually think the Earth's Best cereal bars are the best! (Not granola, though.) They are marketed to kids, but there's a good reason- they are fortified with tons of iron and vitamins! And no high fructose corn syrup, either. I compared them to the Gerber, Nutra Grain and Kashi bars, and there was a major difference! It's probably no big deal, if your kiddo eats well. But my son hates meat and vegetables, so I'll take whatever help I can get. :)

He likes the Quaker granola bars, and so do I (yum!), but there really isn't much nutritional value to them. The Kashi granola bars are a little better, but they don't taste as good.

I have to make every bite count with my guy, because he's so picky. So I only give granola bars as a snack occasionally. I give him half a bar, and let him chew away. If your guy is a good chewer, I wouldn't worry about breaking it up into pieces. Just keep an eye on him, in case he chokes.

Nutrigrain bars are good for kids. They actually do have a lot of nutrients. You can read the box and compare, some of the store brands have all the same things, and of course are cheaper. My little guys love them. Don't fall for the commercials that Kashi is so good for you. It doesn't have half the good stuff that Nutrigrain bars have.

We have just started to give our soon 13 mo old granola. She loves the cereal as a snack and bars. So far she likes the quaker oat simple harvest best. http://www.quakeroats.com/products/oat-snacks/simple-harv... We have stayed away from any with nuts, and they're chewy (and a bit sticky). She loves to hold the bar herself rather than have it broke up. Cost is an issue for us also, but when I find something she likes I stick with it - otherwise we just waste money on the cheaper brand when she doesn't eat them. I did by the gerber cereal bars this weekend and will see how she does with them.

Have you tried french toast sticks yet - they are also a hit and when she doesn't want them I do put a dab of syrup on them.

good luck!

Hi L.!

I have an 8 year old who loves the nutripals granola bars! I find them in the baby food aisle...close to the pediasure. It is packed full of vitamins and minerals and they taste good! I think they are about $4 a box? The bars are chewy so I would break it into bite sizes. Hope you find this helpful!

B.

i wouldnt recommend any granola bars but what does work and both of my kis seem to throughly enjoy them and are just as healthy as granola are nutri grain bars