The Snack Pack – Feeding Kids Healthy While Traveling And A Travel Treat Box

Here is a great idea for feeding your kids while you are traveling.  Wither you are on a long road trip or just running errands during lunch time this is a simple and fun way to feed your kids nutritionally while you are on the go.

When we are traveling with the kids, eating fast food is not the best option for our family.  For some strange reason the kids end up sick and uncomfortable, probably because it is not something that they are used to eating.  Not to mention , fast food isn’t always a “cheap” way to feed a family of four when traveling.  Paying for three fast food meals a day for four people can get expensive fast.  Before a recent road trip I was searching for a way to be able to feed the kids their normal nutritionally balanced meals that we eat at home, only in the car.   I found this great idea for a travel treat box and had my answer.

In our house we call this the “Snack Pack”.  I turned a bead organizer from a craft section into the perfect solution for my kids to eat on the go.  These little plastic organizers have removable dividers that make it simple to pack and separate a meal for on the go.  My kids love using these and they are perfect for in the car.

The dividers can easily be moved around to accommodate whatever you would like to add to their meal.  I usually pre-pack them with a crunchy snack, fruit, veggie, drink, and some sort of treat.  Then we can either pull a pre-made sandwich from the cooler and add it, or stop at subway and add a sandwich (depending on how far we are traveling).

These are a great option for feeding your nutritionally balanced meals while on the go for many reasons:

• They allow the kids to have their entire meal right in front of them all at once.
• It saves me from having to get something from a bag and hand it to them every couple of minutes.
• They can open and close them on their own without help.
• They are stack able for easy storage and to save space in the car
• They slide easily under the seat in front of them to keep the car clear of clutter on a trip

• It saves them from dropping, and spilling everything on on the floor.
• The containers fit perfectly on their laps and are easy for them (toddler and preschool ages) to hold.
• They can close and save their meal for later if they choose to.
• They are fun for the kids and they love eating out of their own special Snack Pack
• They dividers can be removed and cleaned and the box is easily washed in hot soapy water.

I was able to find one in pink and one in blue for my son and daughter in the craft section of Walmart.  It would be really simple to personalize the cover with their names with vinyl or let the kids add stickers too.  If I remember right these were about $6.00 each, and they have certainly paid for themselves because we have used them so many times, and saved ourselves from several stops at a fast food restaurants.  We use these not only for lunch or dinner on the go, long trips, but for picnics too.  If we are heading to the park, or just outside for a picnic during the day the kids always ask if they can have it in their Snack pack.  I don’t mind a bit because then I can sit and enjoy the picnic with them instead of handing out food and drinks.  We get to our picnic spot they open up their snack pack, and enjoy – everyone is happy!

My original reason for getting these containers was for a 16 hour road trip that we took with the kids to visit some close friends.  I was nervous about the long trip and tried to think of many ways to make the 16 hours a little more exciting for the kids.  The travel treat box was an idea that I couldn’t ignore.  What a great way for the kids to be able to have, and enjoy some special treats throughout the trip.

I gathered a whole mess of treats.  I choose many different prepacked goodies from the grocery store that I thought the kids might like.  They don’t often get treats like this, so these packs were a really really big deal for them.  Each child had their own snack pack filled with the same things.  I told them that they were free to eat anything form the pack that they wanted whenever they wanted.  It was theirs to enjoy at will.  The only rule was that I would not fill it again until we were on our way back home.

They loved their snacks, and did a great job enjoying one thing at a time throughout the trip there, while we were there, and on the way home.  I know that it looks like a lot of snacks for a three and five year old, but it was perfect for our three day stay with our friends.  I stashed their treat boxes under the seat in front of them, so all I had to do was lean over, grab it, and hand it to them in the car when they needed a snack.  Once we arrived at our destination they had their snacks with them so we weren’t bothering anyone for snacks.  It worked perfectly, and this is something I will certainly be doing again.  I think I should have made one for me sweet husband, who drove the 16 hours straight – he certainly deserved it!

Along with their snack packs, the kids had plenty of healthy options in the cooler for snacks.  We had prepackaged snack sized bags of grapes and carrot sticks, string cheese, and bite sized sandwich cracker fixings to choose from.  We had plenty of juice boxes, water, and milk to keep them hydrated and happy the entire trip.  To have a great road trip with kids I think it is important to keep them on their normal eating routine.  Then they feel healthy, happy, and full of energy, and you can feel good that you are feeding them well on the go.  Of course, everyone’s idea of “healthy” is different and I fully understand that some of these snack options are not perfect, but if you ask me…they are far better than three stops at McDonalds in one day!