Toddler On-the-go Meals

One of the best ways to keep your little one happy while you travel in the car, plane or just having a day out at the park, is to bring some healthy tasty snacks along. Spend few minutes to think trough what your child would prefer, to avoid a lot of spitting and fussiness outside. When your toddler is happy, everyone on the journey will be happy too :o)

Here are a few suggestions:

• Peeled, seeded, and wedged apples, oranges, pears, plums or grapes. Put them in the Ziploc bags or small containers. Bananas are great too, but don’t peel them or cut them till they’re ready to be eaten (they go black and mushy very quickly).
• Mini bagels (or normal sized ones cut in pieces) with some cream cheese spread.
• Mini muffins -They are easier to hold then normal size ones :o)
• Cucumbers, celery, or carrots (for older toddlers), peeled and cut as sticks to be easy to hold. My daughter loves cucumbers, although we have only six teeth.
• Pretzels -They are crunchy and fun to eat.
• Cheerios- Make sure to get low sugar ones.
• Raisins along with other dry fruits. Such a yummy healthy option: o). They look cheerful an appealing in that Ziploc bag.
• If your toddler is above 2 years old, chop some nuts too. Make sure your little one doesn’t have allergies to any of them.
• Crackers are also a good-to-go snack. Always fun to munch.
• Cheese sticks- Cut your baby’s favorite cheese in to stick for easy hold. Or cut it in to different shapes :o)
• Homemade veggie chips – Peel carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, turnip or apples into thin slices. Place them on a sheet slightly sprayed with oil. Bake the vegetables at 140C for about 30-40 min, or until crisp and golden brown. You can cut your veggies into “french fries” sticks and bake them about an hour and a half.

Different kinds of vegetables cook for varying lengths of times, so it is important to check for doneness frequently.

Do not forget to take some liquids with you. Water is the best. It will keep your baby hydrated, thirst satisfied. Of course if your baby prefers juices, it’s fine as long as they are low in sugar. My baby is still on the breast milk/formula, but I never leave without a Sippy-cup of water :o)