What I Keep Stocked in My Kitchen for My Toddler (Products I Buy Again and Again)

Deciding what to feed my daughter has honestly been one of the hardest parts of motherhood.

Every grocery trip suddenly felt overwhelming. There were so many options, conflicting opinions, and ingredient labels to compare that even buying something simple started taking much longer than it should.

As a mom of a picky eater, I'm still figuring a lot of this out too. But one decision I've managed to simplify is what we keep stocked at home.

Whenever I find a product that works for us, I stop overthinking it and simply keep buying it. If I find something even better, I replace it and update my list.

This isn't a list of everything your toddler should eat, and it's definitely not a list of every trendy product on the market. If something doesn't make our life easier or my daughter won't eat it, it simply doesn't stay in our kitchen.

Only got a "mom minute" before your toddler asks for another snack? Here are my favorite pantry picks.

What makes the cut in our home?

When I'm buying something new, I usually ask myself a few simple questions:

• Does it have simple ingredients?
• Does it avoid unnecessary added sugar whenever possible?
• Is it reasonably affordable?
• Can I easily buy it again?
• Most importantly... will my daughter actually eat it?

If the answer is yes, it usually earns a permanent place in our kitchen.

🍓 Snack Options

These are the snacks I almost always keep on hand because they're easy, convenient, and my daughter actually enjoys them.

Once Upon a Farm Tractor Wheels

This is probably my newest discovery, and my daughter absolutely loves them.

They're made with organic fruits and vegetables, have no added sugar, come in convenient individual packs, and are perfect when we need something quick while we're out.

Honestly... I eat them too.

I've liked everything I've tried from Once Upon a Farm so far, so I'm excited to try more of their products. I'll keep updating this list as we discover new favorites.

Plain Makhana (Fox Nuts)

When we want something crunchy, I prefer these over more heavily processed snack options. They're simple, versatile, and easy to season at home.

You can eat them plain, lightly salted, or roast them with your favorite seasoning. They're easy to customize depending on what your child enjoys.

That's It Fruit Bars

I love having these on hand because they're made from fruit without added sugar and don't require any prep before heading out the door.

Homemade Trail Mix

I haven't found a trail mix on the market that I'm happy buying regularly.

Almost every one I've picked up has added sugar, even when it's marketed as "healthy."

So I stopped looking. Instead, I buy individual nuts, seeds, and dried fruits and make my own.

The best part? My daughter gets to help choose what goes into it, which somehow makes her much more excited to eat it.

Just remember to introduce nuts appropriately for your child's age and be mindful of allergies.

If you're looking for even more snack ideas, you can also read my Healthy Toddler Snack Ideas guide.

🥜 Spreads We Buy on Repeat

Most of these come from Costco because that's where I usually shop.

Kirkland Organic Peanut Butter

Peanut butter has become one of those foods I always keep at home because it's easy to serve, filling, and something my daughter actually enjoys eating.

I spent a surprising amount of time looking at peanut butter labels, and this was one of the few that kept the ingredient list simple — just organic peanuts and salt. That's exactly what I was looking for. And my daughter enjoys it on toast and sometimes even by itself.

Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo

Most mayonnaise brands I looked at used oils I personally wanted to avoid, so I switched to this one because it's made with avocado oil and has a simple ingredient list with no added sugar. It's one of those products I am happy to have found and tried.

Smash Foods Blueberry Jam

Finding a jam without lots of added sugar wasn't easy, so this quickly became our favorite. I'll admit — I wasn't expecting much. But my daughter loved it.

For once, I didn't feel guilty when she asked for another serving on her toast.

Kerrygold Unsalted Butter

This is the butter we use for almost everything — toast, pancakes, cooking, and baking — because the ingredient list is simple and it's easy to find at Costco.

I usually buy the unsalted version, although there's also a salted option.

It's simply become one of those products we buy over and over because it works well for us.

🫒 Cooking Oils

Cooking oils are one of those topics with a lot of opinions online. After reading quite a bit myself, avocado oil and olive oil are the two oils I personally feel most comfortable keeping in our kitchen, so that's what we've stuck with.

• Chosen Foods Pure Avocado Oil
• Pompeian Light Taste Olive Oil

🥛 Refrigerator Staples

Vital Farms Pasture-Raised Eggs

I'm still encouraging my daughter to eat eggs more consistently.

When toddlers like eggs, they're such an easy meal or snack that takes very little effort to prepare.

We usually buy organic pasture-raised eggs because, after reading about the different labels, that's the option we personally felt best about while still fitting our budget.

We're Still Figuring It Out

I'm still looking for a bread I'm happy recommending, a ketchup with ingredients I like, and a few other everyday staples.

Either I haven't found a product I'm happy recommending yet, or my daughter completely rejected it.

As I find products that genuinely earn a place in our kitchen, I'll keep updating this article.

And if you have a favorite that's become a staple in your home, I'd love to hear about it.

Because just like you, I'm still learning every day too.

If this list saves you even one grocery aisle research session, then it was worth putting together.

To all the moms who are simply trying to do a little better each day — I hope this helps. ❤️

Some links on this site are affiliate links — I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting our little family! 💕