2019 Top 10 store bought allergy free snack foods for kids and toddlers!

I've done a few of these posts over the years, as we have made more and more friends with food allergies, and sensitivities. It seems like our "Food-free" and "allergy" community is growing bigger by the day... It makes me a little sad inside that there are so many children that have so many issues with food, no matter where they stem from, but I know that food companies are getting better and better, and even some new companies have surfaced in that time too! Below is our 2019 top 10 favorite snack for young kids and toddlers, that are store bought, ready to eat snacks, without you having to do ANYTHING! It's great, because sometimes we just need a break... or we're going on vacation, or our kids are going to play at a friends house... The reason we want something quick and easy are nearly unending, so hopefully this will give you some new ideas to keep little hands full, and tummies happy, all the while giving you a moment to breath and relax.  Please note that some of these yummy snacks have peanuts, and a couple of the foods below our top 10 contain egg. Links are available for almost every product listed so you can look and make sure each is safe for your family. With love and admiration, for your willingness to work hard and make food still taste good!
Hugs and Love,
The Allergy Mommy!

TOP 10!!!!
1.) Kind Kids chewy granola bars! (Honey vanilla, chocolate, and PB chocolate chip) These are at most big box stores and online. Around here they average $5 for a box of 10 or $3.50 for a box of 5)
2.)Trader Joes Fruit Buttons (Strawberry, grape, and mango) These are only at Trader Joes, but are $.59 each, and my kids all LOVE them! I even love them haha!
3.)So Delicious coconut milk yogurts. When the kids were younger I only gave them 1/2 the container since they are a bit pricey, but they are at most stores and I haven't had a bad flavor yet!
4.)Cascadian Farms chewy Vanilla chip Granola Bars & Crunchy Honey oat Granola Bars (Cascadian farms has several other safe options, these are just our two favorite by them) These are easily found at Target, and sprouts, as well as vitacost.com and run about $3.50 a box at most places.
5.)"Enjoy Life" Snicker-doodle cookies. These are typically found the gluten free section at the store (walmart does have them in the GF section), but not every store carries them. Also give the ginger-bread cookies a try, they are great too! Check out the whole cookie line HERE They are very soft & chewy!
6.)Gerber Fruit and Veggie Melts , these are the "safe" alternative to the yogurt melts many little kiddos get... They are super tasty, and my kids are always wanting more. Walmart and target both have them, and many other stores have them.
7.)Plum Organics Mashups & Plum Organics Teensy Fruits(do not mix these up with regular plum organics as those have dairy. These are normally found on the fruit cup/fruit pouches isle in most grocery stores, and the teensy fruits are on the baby food isle.)
8.Earth Balance Aged white cheddar puffs (my little ones safe "pirate booty")
9.)Kind Fruit Bites (No sugar added, and truly scrumptious!)
10.)Trader Joes Apples and Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal


Some of our other favorite store bought foods are below. These include things that even you adults will want to munch on. :)

• "Naked" fruit drinks. We love the mighty mango, Red Machine and green machine. Make sure you get the "Naked" brand, as Odwalla brand tends to use soy in a lot of their products!!
• "Al Fresco" sausages ( These are chicken sausages. Aidells also has some chicken sausages that are safe. We love these sausages, especially when we're going to a BBQ with friends, and want to be able to eat something.
• "Stretch Island Fruit co." fruit leathers 
• Trader Joes Mayonaise, and it's soooooo good! (This has EGG!)
• Earth Balance Soy free buttery spread. It's our butter substitute. (red container)
• "Tostitos Natural" organic blue corn tortilla chips w/Herdes mild salsa
• "Dole" Fruit cups. We typically do pears as they are easier on the digestive tract than many fruits
• Corn Tortillas (Not all brands are soy and wheat free, so make sure you read the label) for tacos.
• Cascadian Farms Fruit and Nut, and French Vanilla Almond granola Cereals
• Trader Joes Gluten Free egg Fettuccine pasta (CONTAINS EGG)
• Breanna's Dressings (The poppyseed, and honey Mustard are our favorites)
• Preggo "Market Fresh" Tomato Basil Spaghetti sauce

Understanding the basics of MFPI (multiple food Protein Intolerance) in babies toddlers & children

I would love to say that I knew nothing about MFPI, and have to be educated by some other loving Mom out there, and then never have to think about it again. But it's not, and I have 2 sweet, darling little girls that both live with MFPI. So, I'm just going to do a breakdown for those mommies out there that are new to this food world, and hope it helps someone, even if it's just some one single person. :)
MFPI, commonly misunderstood, is not an "Allergy", and is your bodies inability to deal with several particular proteins. And, typically it is the absence of particular digestive enzymes that is the problem. It most often has the largest affect on the digestive system, with mild reactions in other areas of the body (seldom). A few of the typical signs are excessive gas, excessive diarrhea, fresh blood in the stools, abdominal cramping, general fussiness.  These signs, depending on how long the culprit is eaten for, will typically clear up within about 6-8 weeks. If your little one has had digestive issues for quite some time, it may take several months to clear up after they have been removed from your or their diet, as the foods their body is intolerant to agitate both the small and large intestines when present, and cause cause a lot of swelling in tissues for a while.  Think of it like any reaction, say, a rash. It just starts out with your skin not liking something. Then your skin gets itchy. You scratch, then you scratch some more... The more you scratch, the more it itches, and the worse it gets, and in turn, the longer it takes to heal. Make sense. Well, our insides are the same way. The longer it's the there, the more it "itches" and the worse it gets, and... the longer it takes to heal.
From what the GI specialists and pediatricians have said MFPI normally isn't all that there is. Normally this is just a chip off the O'l iceberg. Like my girls, and myself, proteins are not the only thing we have to avoid, but it opens the door to understanding what is going on, and how to make it better. With MFPI, the typical things to avoid are as follows (These are normally the first things to be removed from the diet of the mother who is nursing or the child who is eating solid foods, or both):

Cows milk and products containing milk/dairy
Soy (in all it's tons of forms)
Eggs (both the yolk and the whites)
Wheat/Gluten

Avoiding these foods is crucial in aiding the digestive tract of you, the baby, or the child. I know that even the slightest amount of any one of these, can be torture for my little one, so we read the label of EVERYTHING. This is a must, and not to be sharp, but if you're not good at it.... Get good at it, now! No excuses! Food companies are required to print EVERY ingredient on the box/package for you, so they have made it as easy as it could get to make sure you aren't having something in the diet that shouldn't be there.  If you want to make it easier, learn to start making things from scratch. I have a wonderful recipe for muffins avoiding all of these "types" of foods, as well as a bread recipe. We make taco seasoning and chili seasoning from scratch... So, hopefully you get the point here. A good rule of thumb is, if it's packaged, and not from a health food store (but even these tend to have stuff you can't have), you probably can't have it.  I'll be doing a post on soy soon, and I urge you to read it. Not only will it help you learn how to avoid it, if it is a MFPI, but some great info on why it's not good for anyone! I'll also be doing another post on "favorite snacks" that are actually packaged, that avoid all 4 of the things listed above. I hope this helped open the door of understanding Multiple food protein intolerance, for you or your child, and as always... If you have questions, or would like me to touch on a subject feel free to email me or make a comment, and I'll get it out there asap!

*Just a side note to answer some of the emails I've received... When a label says "vegetable oil", this is 99% of the time going to include soybean oil. If you're avvoiding soy, avoid it unless it specifically states what oils it's using. :)