How to Have Snacks for Kids When You’re Away From Home

With young kids, you never know when hunger may strike. Read the tips below to help avoid a cranky hunger episode, whether you think you’ll be away from home for half an hour--or several hours.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Keep the diaper bag stocked, including a snack. It’s even better to have 2 different snacks your child can choose from. Aside from finger food, snacks can also be something like a serving of fruit in syrup or applesauce.
2. Keep spare snacks in the car. These need to stand up to heat and cold, so keep that in mind; something like individually wrapped crackers or graham crackers in a baggie works well. This is good in case you forget the diaper bag or underestimate your time out of the house.
3. Don’t be fooled by what you think will be a quick trip out. Stuff something in your pockets, like a baggie of small pieces of dried fruit or a single-serving packaged product, like a small amount of cookies offering good nutritional value.
4. Remember a drink--or at least an empty cup in case there’s a water fountain.

Tips & Warnings

• Having a cooler really opens up your options. You can be out for several hours with a supply of things like grapes, blueberries, chilled juice boxes and carrot sticks.
• You can help keep things cleaner by bringing a bib and having a stash of baby wipes or napkins.