For a regular snack for your toddler, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends choosing fruit, vegetables or a little wholemeal bread rather than crushed aniseed sprinkles or chocolate. Crushed aniseed sprinkles are sugared aniseed for topping or decoration, not a box of chocolates. If you’d like to offer something sweet for a special occasion, keep the portion small, check the label and make sure your child eats calmly and under supervision.
If snack time comes around regularly, it’s important to distinguish between a snack and a sweet spread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists fruit, vegetables and a little wholemeal bread as snack options for babies and toddlers.
With their aniseed flavour, crushed aniseed sprinkles can be a good choice on rusk or as part of another festive presentation. Albert Heijn and Jumbo describe De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes as sugared aniseed, not as a box of chocolates or a snack in their own right.
Jumbo lists wheat starch in the ingredients for De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes, 270 g. Check the allergen information on the packaging of the exact variant you choose every time you buy it.
First decide whether you’re looking for something for a regular snack, a special occasion or a gift outside toddler snack time. Then check the product type and, where relevant, the label.
| What to consider | What to look for | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Regular snack | For a regular snack, look to fruit, vegetables or a little wholemeal bread, as recommended by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre for babies and toddlers. Choose something your child can eat easily. | If I often give my child something between meals, I want an option that fits into my toddler’s daily eating routine. This would be the main priority for around 50% of consumers. |
| Allergens and labelling | Read the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging of the variant you choose; Jumbo lists wheat starch in De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes, 270 g. | If wheat or gluten is a concern in my household, I need to know what’s in the pack I buy. For around 30% of consumers, this check would be the top priority. |
| A sweet treat for a special occasion | Check whether you want crushed aniseed sprinkles for their aniseed flavour or are actually looking for a box of chocolates. Keep sweet spreads for toddlers to a small amount and offer them only occasionally. | For a special occasion, I want to add a little aniseed flavour without making it an everyday snack. Around 20% of consumers would choose them mainly for this reason. |
Albert Heijn and Jumbo describe crushed aniseed sprinkles as sugared aniseed for topping or decoration. They’re not the same as a box of chocolates, nor are they a substitute for an everyday snack.
Before choosing, decide whether you’re looking for a regular snack, a small treat or a gift for someone else.
Sugar is listed first in the ingredients for De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes as shown by Jumbo. Even a small amount doesn’t make it an everyday snack option.
Save sweet sprinkles for an occasional treat. For a regular snack, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends fruit, vegetables and a little wholemeal bread.
The ingredients must match the variant you’re actually giving your child. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that allergens must be clearly shown on the label of pre-packed foods.
So, check the label on the pack you’ve bought before use, especially if wheat or gluten is a concern.
Even during a festive meal, how your child eats matters. VeiligheidNL advises that children sit calmly while eating and that an adult stays with them.
Make sure your child eats sitting down, stay nearby and adapt large, hard or round pieces to your child’s eating ability.
Albert Heijn and Jumbo list De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes, 270 g, as crushed, sugared aniseed for sweet toppings or decoration.
The listing below is for De Ruijter Pink Muisjes, 330 g. If you’re specifically looking for crushed aniseed sprinkles, check the variant name: Pink Muisjes and Gestampte Muisjes aren’t necessarily interchangeable. For a regular toddler snack, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre’s advice on fruit, vegetables and a little wholemeal bread remains the best guide.
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Consider this variant only if you’re looking for Pink Muisjes for an occasional celebration, not as a substitute for an everyday toddler snack. The listing is for a 330 g pack; check the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging before use, and don’t assume it has the same ingredients as Gestampte Muisjes.
Not as a regular choice. For babies and toddlers, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends snacks from the Wheel of Five, such as fruit, vegetables or a little wholemeal bread. Crushed aniseed sprinkles are a sweet topping for occasional treats.
No. Albert Heijn and Jumbo describe De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes as crushed, sugared aniseed for topping or decoration. A box of chocolates is a different product category and isn’t a substitute for an everyday toddler snack.
Check the label of the exact variant you’re buying. Jumbo lists wheat starch in De Ruijter Gestampte Muisjes, 270 g; don’t assume that the same ingredients apply to other aniseed sprinkles or pack sizes.
Yes. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergens must be clearly and correctly shown on the label of pre-packed foods. Check the information on the pack you’ve bought before use.
Make sure your child eats sitting down and stay with them. VeiligheidNL recommends supervision and sitting calmly while eating; adapt large, hard or round pieces to your child’s eating ability.
