Survival Guide for Travelling with Young Kids:Part 2 (Feed Them!)

Anyone who has had the pleasure of travelling with me will confirm that I can morph into a grouchy animal when hungry (think the big bad wolf). Consequently, I tend to keep snacks on my person at all times. As a mother this habit has become a blessing. If an adult with a grumbly stomach is scary, a toddler is petrifying!

In my previous post I highlighted the importance of being organized as the key to successfully travelling with kids, but when on the road, food is the magic ingredient for modifying behaviour. Not only does it provide energy and nourishment to keep hunger induced meltdowns at bay, it can also be used as a distraction during long lines, and as a reward for good behaviour. Consequently, I plan my snacks with these 3 criteria in mind.

BE PREPARED
I know I already mentioned this, but when it comes to food and travelling do not assume anything. The coffee shop at the gate might be closed, you may not have time to eat in the terminal, and you may not be offered anything on the plane. So pack adequate non-perishable food items in your hand luggage. This may mean making time before you leave to take a trip to the grocery store or for food preparation. Again, don’t assume that you will have time the day before, stock up a week before or bake and freeze. Pack snacks in zip lock bags so you can easily locate them. You may also want to consider packing each child their own bento style lunchbox (such as the Yumbox) which allows them to select their own snacks.

SUPER SIZE IT!
The first time I traveled after Coco had started eating solids, she consumed all the snacks I had packed during the 2-hour drive to the airport, leaving nothing for the flight. Rookie mistake. Pack what you think will be adequate snacks and double it! After my previous experience, I even carry a few snacks separately for the car. I carry a zip lock full of snacks in my personal carry-on items and the kids both have a small one in their backpacks. I then have a back-up supply in the carry on suitcase.  Even if they’re not consumed on this particular travel day they will be eaten!

PACK NUTRITIOUS AND DELICIOUS SNACKS
A long travel day is not conducive to consuming regular healthy meals, but there are some strategies you can adopt to ensure some balance is maintained. If you are travelling across country borders you will not be permitted to travel with any fresh produce, so the bananas and carrot sticks will need to stay at home. (I found that when my children were under 2 that the border officers were quite lenient with allowing me to bring food for them on the plane but as they got older it had to go in the garbage). Here are some ideas:

• In lieu of fresh fruit/veggies I take a few purée pouches. Some also contain grains or yogurt for variety from different food groups. Most of these products are greater than 100ml so remember to purchase the smaller 90ml varieties.
• Make or purchase trail mix with a variety of nuts (peanuts, walnuts, almonds, cashews), dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, apricots), seeds, cereals (Cheerios, shreddies, pretzels), chocolate chips.
• Granola bars/crackers/plain cookies/rice cakes. Try to select brands with less sugar (<8 g), more fibre (> 2 g), low fat (<5g total fat and <2g saturated fat), no trans fats, and lower in sodium (<480 mg) per serving.
• Make energy balls/oat bars/mini muffins.
• Cereal (Cheerios, Corn Flakes, Shreddies, Rice Krispies, Oats): purchase single serving packages or carry in small tupperware. I also carry a small container of dried infant formula or dried milk that I can mix up to serve with the cereal.
• A small chocolate bar, fruit gummies or other ‘treat’ that they usually don’t have at home.
• Also carry an empty water bottle with a non-spill lid, a small plastic bowl, plastic spoon, fork and knife and some extra zip lock bags (to serve the trail mix and place left-overs/garbage).

EATING ON THE GROUND

If timing permits, try to sit down and consume a substantial ‘home made’ meal before you depart for the airport. You may not have the opportunity to do this again until you reach your destination. Preparing a healthy dish will help to counteract poorer nutritional choices throughout the day.

While navigating the airport crowds and long lines it is very likely that your little one will decide that they are hungry and need to be fed immediately, so keep your snacks handy. They may also need to be distracted from the ‘boredom ‘ of waiting, so I tend to provide snacks that we can turn in to an activity. Things like animal cookies, where they have their own bag and you can make a big fuss about looking to see which animal is chosen and talk about that animal (what does it say? Where does it live? What colour is it? etc).

If you plan to eat a meal in the terminal, either before or between flights, it is tempting to head towards a restaurant, and we have done this on several occasions. But I’d encourage you to save your money. Your children will be confined in their airplane seats for several hours, the last thing they want to do is to be confined in a restaurant booth and be told to remember their manners! The restaurant experience can be stressful for us and them. Alternatively we opt to buy food and find a quiet corner either in the food court or at a closed gate. This way there is minimal wait and once they’ve eaten the children can run around. We tend to go for sandwiches, pizza, or pasta.

In the terminal, remember to stop to buy water to fill up the plastic bottle.

EATING IN FLIGHT
During your flight keep your carefully chosen snacks in your personal bag at your feet. Again these can be used to both nourish and entertain. You may want to try to restrict them to specific times but on travel days I opt to let my children nibble ad libitum.

When you are offered refreshments be mindful that you’re in close quarters and any open cups can get easily spilled. I usually ask the flight attendant just to fill the cups half full. I also request milk because it usually comes in a carton and can also be added to the breakfast cereal as an alternative snack.

If you are on a longer flight that includes a complementary meal service, we discovered (by accident) that it is a good idea for one of your party to pre-order a special meal (e.g. vegetarian). While this does provide an alternative food choice, the main reason is that these meals tend to be served before the main service, meaning that one adult can eat first and is free to assist the younger children with their meals or to hold an infant while the other adult eats. With all the individual packaged food items, airplane meals do not lend themselves to being consumed one-handed with a wriggling toddler on your lap!

Even if they do not directly offer, most flight attendants are more than happy to provide you with extra snacks and drinks for the children. Although, once Coco was invited to first class where she was given a huge ice cream sundae and that did not help with keeping her calm during the flight!

What food tricks do you employ on long travel days? What are your kids’ favourite snacks?

• This post was edited on 21st July 2016 to include the Yumbox recommendation. Which was kindly shared by my friend Louise, also a mother of 2 young children who has travelled across continents and survived!