Summer holidays often mean lots of time on the road (or in the air) and long days of adventure. Exciting? Yes. Easy with kids and food in the mix? Not always.
Let’s go through some of the practical tips to help keep everyone fed, happy and (mostly) mess-free while you’re on the go.
Manage expectations (yours and theirs)
Holiday eating often looks different from home – and that’s okay.
Your kids might:
You might rely a bit more on:
This doesn't undo your usual eating routine. When you're home again, you can move back to your regular rhythm.
Eating while on the road
You may need to adjust your family's usual routine on travel days. That might look like packing snacks and lunchboxes to eat at rest stops, eating at cafes or restaurants along your route, or a combination of these options.
From a safety point of view, it’s important that toddlers and babies are seated and supervised to eat. Keeping a picnic mat and/or portable highchair in the car can make this more manageable.
If you’re flying, it’s often helpful to pack plenty of in-flight snacks (even if a meal is provided). Kids aren’t always hungry on airline timelines and flight delays can throw out your plans.
Expert-led feeding guidance that grows with your child
One membership, three dedicated stages tailored to your child. Start where you need, switch when you want.
(4 - 15 months)
Starting solids
Introducing allergens
Finger food and puree recipes
(1 - 4 Years)
Fussy Eating
Toddler-tested snacks and meals
Confidence through the chaos
(5 - 12 years)
Weekly family menu
School lunchbox ideas
Navigating body conversations
Ideas on packing snacks and lunch
Choosing food for a road trip with kids
Low mess foods are your friend here. These tend to be easily contained or dry, but not too crumbly. Make sure you’re prepared with wet wipes for clean up and a spare outfit just in case. A pack of antibacterial wipes is often handy if you’re eating at a public table.
Ideas for low-mess food:
Make sure anything you pack matches your child’s biting and chewing skills, and that younger kids are sitting down to eat. It’s tempting to let them stretch their legs while eating but sitting to eat is so important from a choking prevention point of view.
Have back-up snacks for delays
Flight delays, traffic jams, long queues at attractions – delays are almost guaranteed at some point.
Pack a small stash of back-up snacks for these occasions. This is a great time to utilise packaged food that keeps well and doesn’t squash easily:
Include a couple of adult-friendly snacks too. Hungry grown ups don’t cope well with delays either!
Bring a few familiar foods from home
If you’re not sure what will be available at your destination, pack some familiar pantry items your kids reliably eat. This can be helpful overseas, on road trips to remote areas, or if your child is going through a particularly picky phase.
Happy Travels!
