Snack Ideas for Kids on International Flights
International travel can be tiring and exhausting especially if you are traveling alone with kids. Last year I traveled with my 7-month old infant daughter, and later realized that maybe I could have packed some snacks to make my trip even more worry free. I have shared with you my experience of traveling with small children in my last blog, see https://tripcompanion.com/blog/traveling-with-small-children/, so let’s discuss the variety of kid-friendly snacks we can carry on flights.
There are several benefits of packing some snacks. All international flights serve food on the flight and you can also buy food at airport transits. Nonetheless, having your own supply of snacks is handy if you have a sleeping baby or a cranky kid. As a solo traveler, sometimes it’s just too difficult to walk to a food stall. On the flight, your child may not like the remaining snacks by the time the cart arrives at your row. Kids want to eat either because they’re bored or hungry so a supply of snacks can come quickly to your rescue.
If you are traveling with kids who suffer severe food allergies, you need to carry sufficient food/snacks yourself to last the long flight. This is in addition to informing the airline about any precautions or special diet that your child needs.
Pack snacks that can stay fresh for a period of time. Here are some ideas that can help you and your little ones.
- No matter what time of the year you are traveling, apples, oranges or clementines are good choices.
- Baby carrots, celery sticks, bread sticks with cheese/ranch/Nutella dip are a good option to satisfy in-flight hunger. You can carry them in separate Ziploc bags, while the dip can be poured in disposable cups. Assembling the meal and dipping can be entertaining for the kids too.
- Cheese and mini-crackers are your best friends if you have toddlers. If your kids are lactose intolerant then you can pack a variety of crackers. Crackers like Saltines, Oreos or some Indian biscuits, like Bourbon, Marie, Krackjack, etc (which you can get from any nearby Indian grocery store or order online from the Amazon store. )
- Cubed tofu in reusable mini-yogurt cups together with plastic spoons are a winner. After the meal, everything can go into the trash.
- Animal crackers are kids’ favorite. You can pack some your kid’s favorite kind (salty or sweet).
- Chocolates and candies are kids’ best friends, so you can carry some to keep your little ones happy. During the summer, candies or M&M’s are good choices since they don’t usually melt in warm conditions.
- Dried nuts or trail mixes can be a good option if you are not allergic to nuts. You can also carry homemade trail mixes in small Ziploc bags.
- If your kids love cereals then you can carry cheerios or other dry cereals in small Ziploc pouches.
- Energy bars, fruit bars, nut and fruit bars are also popular options as they are easy to carry and consume.
- Dried fruit like apricots, apple slices, raisins, plums, papaya, are tasty and healthy kids choices.
What won’t work:
- Strawberries, raspberries or other soft, fragile fruits. They stain, pulverize or decay easily.
- Bananas or avocados, as they may turn brown easily by the time you eat them.
- Crumbly biscuits or crackers. The crumbs could be messy in your limited seat space.
Hopefully the snack ideas will help you on your next international trip. Here are more options, https://www.pinterest.com/explore/healthy-travel-snacks/. Traveling solo with kids? Why not hire a trip companion to be an extra pair of hands on your long journey!
Fly Safe and Fly Confident!