Travelling with children
Time for holidays! Whether you travel for one day or one week, by car or airplane, if you take children with you, you should be appropriately prepared. The days you used to pack only a small backpack with just a few clothes are long gone. Children need much more and you must predict every possible need. When it comes to their diet, here are some ideas.
Travelling by car
If properly prepared for the trip, you can easily avoid a visit to the fast food restaurants of the national or regional road. Even for small children, you can easily carry with you whole-grain cereals in small portions, (as dry food this is easy to keep), chopped fruits in a small food bag, along with an ice pack, or chopped dried fruits and almonds. For longer trips, you can buy small car freezers that use power from the car. Other easy ideas:
- Sandwiches (with cheese, with jam, or with tahini and honey)
- Fresh fruits
- Cheese sticks or yoghurt
- Carrot and cucumber sticks
- Fruit juice and bottles of water
Travelling by plane
At this point, you must be careful. Apart from the dubious quality of meals in airport fast food restaurants, these are also very expensive. However, carrying food on the plane is subject to strict control and restrictions. You should avoid liquid foods, as well as those with strong smell. Therefore, do not choose juice, yoghurt or salami. Each one for different reasons. Instead, choose options like nuts, rusks or small crackers with a few slices of turkey, small croissants and dried fruits. If you choose something that must be kept in low temperatures, use small and soft portable cooler bag and a small ice pack. When empty, fold the cooler bag in your luggage and use it for your next trip.
Travelling with a baby
Travelling with a baby is quite different to travelling with older children. The main difference is that the babies need mashed meals and at specific temperatures, which makes their feeding difficult. However, with a few some adjustments before and during the trip your effort will be much easier.
A few days before your trip, try to serve your child's meal at room temperature. So, it won't make such a difference if you cannot heat the meal properly during your trip.
Milk is usually the easiest way of feeding a baby, even when it has been introduced to solid food. Add milk meals whether you are breastfeeding or not. Even if you are breastfeeding, it's a good idea to carry a baby formula pack with you, for when the going gets tough.
Keeping mashed food is not recommended. However, you can make a small exception. You can prepare the meal carefully, following strict hygiene rules and immediately after cooking and mashing, freeze it into small cubes, like ice cubes. For short trips, you can carry it in a portable cooler bag and serve it immediately after it’s defrosted.
Advice
The nutritional information and recommendations on infant-toddler diet are indicative and refer to general guidance for this age group. Time that every child can be introduced to solid foods or add more to it’s diet, must be individualized. We recommend to set advise from your pediatrician about the specific nutritional needs of your child.
