It’s said that kids learn the most when the travel. Travelling to new destinations, travelling to family homes, travelling for weddings or travelling to unwind; food during these trips gives all mothers nightmares. Here are a few tips and tricks to make your trip an enjoyable experience. 

TRAVELLING WITH TODDLERS

Travelling with toddlers requires extra caution. If your toddler is on breast milk, then there is no reason to worry. But if your toddler is on top feed, these are some foods you must include in your travel bag;

• Homemade formula – you just need to add water and its done (a mix of sprouted grains, coconut & go nuts)

• Milk powder – as a replacement for milk

• Nut powders – to make a quick milkshake (grind go nuts!! almonds with pistachios & cashews to make a nuts powder)

• Orange/ lemon juicer – to squeeze fresh juices

• A small rice cooker – to cook porridge, rice, soup, purees

TRAVELLING WITH KIDS

Travelling with kids can be tricky. If your child is a picky eater, plan your travel route well, marking out good restaurants along the journey. Note the following points while choosing meals for your little ones

• Ensure a hot meal three times a day – i.e breakfast, lunch and dinner. This prevents untimely hunger pangs, keeps up their energy and nutrition quotient and prevents illness

• Choose fresh preparations over packet preparations eg. parathas or idli over instant noodles

• Ensure that each main meal is well balanced i.e. a combination of cereal + vegetable + protein. Examples – gobi paratha + curd, masala dosa + sambar, chicken curry +rice, penne arrabiata with feta cheese, chicken salad sandwich

• Choose fresh fruit, Go nuts!! Sea salt caramel almonds, 4 O’Clock Nut munch as mid meal snacks

STOCKING UP

It is wise to stock up on a few emergency health foods while travelling with your kids. These rescue you during long journeys, emergency hunger pangs, unavailability of hygienic food, for picky eaters.

• Homemade granola bars, nutrition bars

• Trail mixes (nuts over seeds, maple granola)

• Homemade cookies

• Baked crackers

• Roasted chivda

• Roasted chickpeas

• Puffed fox nut (makhana)

EATING LOCAL

Travel teaches kids to adapt to new cultures, new cuisines and new traditions. The more a child is exposed to local cuisines, the better developed are his taste buds, and they grow up to be lesser picky eaters. Plus, eating local means that you ensure you eat fresh, seasonal food that is devoid of preservation and chemicals. Local food is also best suited for the local climatic conditions, hence lesser chances of your children attracting infections. not to mention, most local preparations are nutritionally well balanced 

WATCH OUT FOR

While we exercise utmost caution while feeding our kids, tiny aspects of travel may go unnoticed. Check out these pointers to help your kids stay fit while travelling.

• Avoid roadside food – no matter how delicious it is. Children may not be able to fight the infection it brings along

• Avoid raw foods like curd, chutneys, juices, salads, cold sandwiches and tap water

• Do not eat food without washing hands with soap or a sanitizer – even if you are using a fork/spoon to eat

• Prevent your children from eating after dinner mouth fresheners served at Indian restaurants. They are the most contaminated and loaded with colourants & flavours. 

your children remember experiences more than the things you buy for them, especially food experiences. Hope this blog helps you ease out the food battle and make feeding your kids a hassle free process.