I thought I knew what hanger was before I had kids. But even now, with my oldest at six years old, I’m constantly surprised by how nasty a kid can be when they’re hungry.

A brother and sister sit at the table and laugh to each other while they eat crackers. — *Please note these children are not nasty or hangry. They were appropriately snacked before they reached hanger stage, and we had fun playing at the table.*

Maybe they’ve been playing something they really enjoy, and just ignored their body’s hunger cues. Maybe they missed a snack because they can’t tell time and their adults were distracted (I know this has never happened to you). Maybe they just expect someone else to prompt them to eat, even though they might be old enough to remember to eat on their own. For whatever reason, if they don’t eat when they’re hungry, they quickly become gremlins. Like from the movie Gremlins. Real, uncooperative, nasty-attituded, whiny gremlins.

Add in the tension of family photos (things having to happen at a certain time, an adult coming to their home), and the hanger gets taken up a full notch.

Toddler girl makes a face at her older brother at the kitchen table and he laughs at her. There are fuzzy gloves sitting on the table in front of him.

So you offer them their favorite snack - nutella on graham crackers - in a last-ditch desperate attempt to make the gremlin happy, just as the photographer rings the doorbell. And a glob of nutella gets smeared across her cheek and into the hair that you washed and combed and put a bow in, just five minutes earlier.

Let’s rewind the tape and start again. This time, you’re properly armed with a stack of non-messy snacks that won’t color their teeth or leave their clothes stained (whatever they decide to wear). If only there was a list of photographer-approved snacks that you could use to help you…

Brother and sister toddlers sit at the kitchen table with crackers and make faces at each other.

Non-messy snacks for kids of all ages, for before and during photo sessions:

Ages 0-6 months:

Milk or formula. Unfortunately there’s a real limited amount of snacks available for babies under 6 months. Just make sure you have an additional outfit picked out in case the snack goes haywire. (Side note: extra outfits are also a good idea for anyone in diapers or potty training, just in case.)

Ages 6 -12 months:

milk or formula
Cheerios or other similar cereal
apple or pear slices with the peel removed
bell pepper slices
whole grain crackers and graham crackers (hold the spread)
pretzel thins
veggie straws
Pirate’s Booty
banana (yes it’s messy, but it’s usually very easy to clean and doesn’t stain)
Puffs (Gerber and Happy Baby both have these)

An overhead shot of two kids eating crackers. An adult hand rests gently on the boy's head and another hand holds an open box of crackers. The girl looks at the photographer.

Ages 1 - 3 years:

Cheerios or other similar cereal
string cheese
cucumber slices
apple slices with the peel removed
raisins (watch the stickiness)
yogurt, apple sauce, or fruit pouches (only if they are good at not squeezing prematurely)
freeze-dried fruit
granola bar bites (no chocolate or frosting that will melt in their little hands)
bell pepper slices
Teddy grahams
whole grain crackers and graham crackers (hold the spread)
pretzel thins
veggie straws
Pirate’s Booty
banana (yes it’s messy, but it’s usually very easy to clean and doesn’t stain)
rice cakes
bread (as a last resort, a slice of plain untoasted bread will fill a belly nicely)

Three generations of a family huddle close at the kitchen table while the kids eat snacks and play with winter gloves.

Ages 4 years and up:

Cheerios or other similar cereal
string or Baby Bel cheese
grapes
freeze-dried fruit
granola bars (no chocolate or peanut butter)
Teddy grahams
whole grain crackers and graham crackers (hold the spread)
pretzels
trail mix
veggie straws
Pirate’s Booty
banana (yes it’s messy, but it’s usually very easy to clean and doesn’t stain)
rice cakes
bread

Mom and daughter huddle close at the dining table and smile at the camera while the little girl holds a cracker.

Some surprising non-messy snacks to avoid before or during your photo session:

Goldfish and other orange crackers (they get stuck in teeth and are pretty hard to edit out)
Carrots (same reason as above)
Green, red, yellow, or blue foods (same reason as above)

Some unsurprising snacks to avoid before or during your photo session:

Blueberries, strawberries, watermelon
Wet spreads like Nutella, peanut butter, hummus, yogurt, cottage cheese
Chocolate
Candy that can’t be eaten quickly and/or that will turn their mouth into that color
Juice (stick with water or milk to avoid extra stickiness)

A little boy laughs with an open mouth at the breakfast table, while his mom squats behind him and grandma walks toward them in the background

A couple of notes: I wouldn’t use the moments before or during your photo session to try to introduce a new snack. If these suggestions are not already on your go-to list, and you don’t have time to introduce them before your session, I’d just revert to whatever snacks your kids usually like - but maybe stay away from anything that’s too liquidy or sticky.

If your kid’s favorite snacks are on the avoid list, and they’re picky about what they eat (what kid isn’t), don’t withhold snacks because you don’t want them to get messy. That will just put you all right back where we started: hangry.

If being messy is the name of the photo game for your session, feel free to ignore all the advice above. Your session is yours! These are suggestions for when you care about the mess.

Also, obviously be aware of your kid’s allergies and what they can and can’t eat, as well as their chewing ability, before you offer them food. I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, and can’t tell you what to feed your kid. These are all only (hopefully helpful) suggestions!