Travel-Friendly Snacks That Make the Drive-Thru Obsolete

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Before I had kids, I swore I'd never be the type to constantly providing snacks for my kids at every opportunity. Then I actually had kids. Turns out they get snacky all the time, and honestly, not feeding them constantly is not typically a battle I want to fight. Instead, I try to make sure I have healthy snacks on hand, so when they ask, I don't have to compromise in my hurry to find something edible.

Fruity

My girls' favorite fruity snacks are the freeze-dried fruits from Trader Joe's. Apples, mangoes, bananas, strawberries and our latest favorite, grapes, are crunchy and addictive. Plus, these one-ingredient snacks mean there's no guilt.

Protein-Packed

My kids have never shied away from eating meat, and they're a big fan of turkey and beef meat sticks. Chomps and these kosher beef sticks are their favorites. Both are also lower in sodium than most sticks, so they won't leave them thirsty all day.

Nutty

Starting at six months old, we have been feeding our kids Bamba, an Israeli snack that has actually proven to lower the incidence of peanut allergy in populations where kids eat it! When they were babies, the Bamba gave them more fat, protein and calories than the typical puffy snack, and now they just love them. We've also made sure to introduce all sorts of whole nuts to the kids, and they each have their favorites: cashews and pistachios.

Chewy

We definitely try to keep the sticky-sweet treats to a minimum around here, but the all-fruit leathers and dots from Trader Joe's are definitely the girls' favorite sweet-and-sticky treat. They make for a great reward for a fight-free ride or as a mid-flight treat.

Bubbly

Water is best, of course, but making our own bubbly water at home with a SodaStream makes drinking water fun. We let the kiddos add a squeeze of lemon, a few berries or a sprig of mint for some colorful flavor along with the bubbles. Their favorite travel water bottles make the whole experience even better.

Grown-Up

Bubble gum is one of those "big kid foods" that the kids can only have when we go on airplanes to help with any ear pressure pain they might have. Most of the time the chewing just distracts them, but it definitely makes air travel feel like a special adventure. We always let them choose their flavor ahead of time so they can have a hand in the whole thing.

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