The Best & Easy Advice for Traveling with a Toddler

If you are thinking about traveling by airplane with young children anytime soon, you must know the best airplane snacks for toddlers. 

As a seasoned traveler and mother, I understand the paramount importance of keeping your little ones satisfied and comfortable during long flights.

Snacks, preferably healthy and tasty ones, can be a lifesaver when traveling with a toddler! But finding the right balance between what’s nutritious, what’s transportable, and what your kid will actually eat can be a tough nut to crack.

One of the best ways to ensure you have the perfect airplane snacks for your toddler is to plan ahead. Don’t wait until the last minute to pull together a list of snacks, as this can lead to increased costs and potentially unhealthy food options. Instead, start thinking about what your child likes to eat and what will be easy to transport on the flight.

That’s why I have compiled this list of the best airplane snacks for toddlers. These snacks are easy to carry, less messy, and loved by kids. So buckle up as we embark on a flavor-filled journey at 35,000 feet, making your flying experience smoother and your toddlers happier. If you are looking for toddler travel advice, explore more on my site.

As a mom who lives to travel, trying to find the best toddler travel advice can be hard.

Flying is already stressful whether you are going with kids or not. Packaging snacks becomes even more critical if you have to take long flights.

The flight attendant will pass out some snacks. Some of my favorite airplane snacks come from Delta Airlines and United Airlines.

They won’t be healthy snacks, but the airlines’ snacks will be enough to reach your final destination. If you are taking flights longer than six hours, you can have more variety of meal options.

Ensuring you have the best airplane snacks for toddlers can be tricky.

Some picky kids have allergies, so you want to be mindful of what your child will eat and what will be the easiest to transport.

The last thing you want to do is wait until the last minute to pull together your snack list, so planning is the best option to avoid the extra cost. 

Airport food is costly. Even if you buy a day pass access to the lounge, the best way to ensure you have lots of snacks is to get them ahead of time.

The grocery store has great snack packs. They come in so many varieties that you will find something your child will love to snack on during the flight. 

It’s also great to take advantage of the snacks after a long travel day since you have no idea what may happen as you are going to your destination.

So having an assortment of snacks for you and your family is always a good option. 

Here is the list of the best airplane snacks for toddlers.

While most of the items aren’t sticky, you want to ensure you have some wet wipes.

Little kids will make some messes while on the airplane, so it’s a good idea to be prepared to clean up any messes while onboard.

These snacks would also work for a road trip.

You also want to stay away from snacks that have too much sugar.

Children and sugar are a terrible combination. The snack ideas below are a great balance. 

Healthy Travel Snacks

• apple slices
• almond butter
• peanut butter
• granola bars
• fresh fruit
• yogurt tubes
• rice cakes
• baby carrots
• hard-boiled eggs
• string cheese
• chocolate chips
• cheese sticks
• dried apricots
• cereal bars
• carrot sticks
• cucumber sticks

Easy Travel Snacks

• trail mix
• candy bars
• fruit snacks
• mini breadsticks
• pretzel sticks

This is just a small list of items that you can include. If you are bringing baby food, also know that certain items are considered solid food items. 

So, it has the risk of being tossed out. For example, apple sauce is very dense and has a high risk of being thrown out.

A great way to avoid this would be to put a small about into freezer bags or food pouches so that it’s easier to pass through TSA.

The same rules would apply to fruit pouches. 

These items also don’t create a huge mess since young kids don’t really know how to clean up after themselves.

You also want to avoid foods that can be a choking hazard during a flight. Here are the foods that you want to stay away from. 

Worst Travel Snacks

• Popcorn
• Small candies
• Hot dogs
• Hard candies
• Chewing gum
• Taffy
• Raisins
• Peanuts
• Grapes
• Marshmallow
• Gummies
• Nuts & Seeds
• Large chunks of Meat/Cheese

I would only have the above snacks if you were at the gate waiting for your flight. The flight can have turbulence.

You don’t want to add the stress of managing your children in flight while also trying to keep them from choking.

The above wouldn’t have been good options even if you packed them as your own snacks.

Remember to think of an “easy snack” that takes little effort when traveling.

The perfect airplane snack requires no real clean up and can be eaten without a drink and at room temperature. 

Best Toddler Snack Containers

While getting great airplane snacks is important, having something to put them in is even more critical.

Make sure to check the TSA rules when it comes to containers, as they may have the risk of getting flagged and discarded while you are going through security.

Suppose you are traveling with children under the age of four.

In that case, these are some of the best containers I have found to be easy to clean, travel well, and allow your child to work on their fine motor skills. 

Munchkin Snack Catcher

GoBe Kids Snack Spinner Bundle

Munchkin Snack+ Stainless Steel Snack Catcher with Lid

Skip Hop Baby Snack Container

SELEWARE Portable Stackable Food Storage Containers

Ubbi Tweat No Spill Snack Container for Kids

When filling up the containers, remember to put reasonable quantities of the snacks in the packaging.

The most important thing to remember is that you want to have the right snacks to carry with you to make air travel as easy as possible. 

While some snacks are suitable for your child’s lunchbox, they might translate for plane travel.

Keep all of these factors in mind. You can also use freezer packs or clear plastic bags to store your snacks. 

https://youtu.be/hkOUC-ZCGGk

Are you interested in getting a full list of TSA-approved items for travel? Click here to see where I bought it and other TSA-approved products.

Best Snack Bags for Travel

These are my favorites if you want options to store your snacks outside the original packaging.

They will allow you to go through airport security since they are clear and come in individual portions.

Its a great idea to take out items that you think might get flagged.

Please let the TSA agent know upfront so that you don’t risk missing your flight, waiting for them to examine your bag, or confiscating it all together. 

Reusable Food Storage Bags

Tangibay Reusable Food Storage Bags 

Vove Compostable Snack Bags

If this is your first time flying or you haven’t been flying in a long time, it may catch you off guard to know how often the airport changes.

When you have a long trip ahead of you, being able to see what snacks you have left also keeps you informed about new snacks that you will have to get on your return flight or if you fly again. 

The only exception that is made is if it’s something that is needed for newborns or infants when it comes to what you can put in the bags.

Again, you want to make sure that you let the TSA agent know upfront what you have so they can take it out and let you get through security. 

Carry-on bags for the best airplane snacks for toddlers

If you are traveling with breast milk, you want to check with the airport or the TSA website as this is something I have seen change occasionally.

Some airports know the laws and will allow you to keep it as a personal item or in your carry-on bags, but others are unaware. 

Also, depending on your child’s age will determine how the airport will handle breast milk, so keep those factors in mind before traveling.

Make sure to get ice packs for anything that is highly perishable. 

If you are thinking about international travel with a toddler, check the laws in that country.

While TSA is a good resource, check with the government and the airport or airline about what you can bring.

It’s best to save the heartache at home since it’s already tough traveling. 

Traveling on long flights? Always have an empty water bottle or empty sippy cup.

Not only can you put liquids in them, but you can also put snacks in the bottles, making them easier to dispense as needed. 

Final thoughts on the best airplane snacks for toddlers.

Traveling by plane can be stressful, and adding younger children to the mix can make it daunting.

Preparing is the only way to ensure you have the best flight possible.

The list for the best toddler airplane snacks are also great options for families.

Even if you have older kids, it will benefit the whole family to get these excellent snacks. 

Remember, the best travel snacks are the ones that can be a filling snack.

You do want snacks that have some health benefits, but when traveling, that can be hard to do.

The goal of traveling with toddlers is to make sure that you have enough to get you from one place to the next. 

If you are unsure about the snacks that you can bring for children, the TSA website has the latest information.

If you are traveling someplace warm and need swim gear, here are the best swim vests for 2 year olds for boys and girls. Almost all of the items are US Coast Guard-approved. 

Other TSA Travel Must Haves

While you can travel with your child in your lap if you want to put your child under two in a car seat while in flight, my Diono Radian 3R Review will give you the confidence to get a TSA-compliant car seat that travels well. 

Remember to apply the lessons you learned from this flight to your next flight.

Even if you don’t fly as often, it will make you prepared to know what to watch out for so that you can have the flight possible.

We’re all doing our best. So don’t feel bad if you don’t get it right the first time. 

Having the best airplane snacks for toddlers should go hand and hand with being able to do easy summer crafts for toddlers. 

If that is not something your little toddler is interested in doing, reading to them on the flight is another excellent way of getting young kids to remain calm during take-off and landing.

These are the best books for toddlers you and your kids will love at any age.

Great toddler snacks are hard to come by, and with prices increasing, this is not the time to try new foods with your kids.

Consider how long your flight will be and make the best decision for you, your toddler, and your family. Let me know in the comments your list of the best airplane snacks for toddlers.

However, traveling with a toddler can be a fun and exciting adventure if done with preparation, time, and care.

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