If you happen to’re planning a household highway journey, there are such a lot of issues to pack and plan – however no matter you do, wherever you go, don’t set off with out loads of highway journey snacks for teenagers.
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Important should you’ve taken an thrilling detour and are working late for dinner, have discovered your self caught in surprising site visitors, are tackling journey illness, staving off hangry meltdowns or simply coping with highway journey boredom, you may merely by no means have too many!
In any case, you don’t need to make a cease each time somebody says, “I’m hungry!” – so whether or not you’re searching for a simple choice (who isn’t?!), wholesome snacks for teenagers, one thing which received’t trigger an enormous mess, and can tempt choosy eaters or nauseous passengers, take a look at my checklist of one of the best highway journey snacks for teenagers.
The straightforward choices
Straightforward highway journeys snacks are at all times good to have available – so if you wish to maintain it easy and don’t need to waste an excessive amount of time getting ready completely different elements, think about bringing a few of these choices with you on the highway journey.
Cereal
Packing dry cereal couldn’t be a lot simpler – though to keep away from discovering bits throughout your automobile, it’s a great plan to take it out of the field or bag, pour it into particular person containers for every youngster, and place the cereal containers into your storage bin or bag for the automobile.
In case your children all like completely different cereals, that additionally makes it simpler to pack a number of differing types. Tremendous easy and an effective way to maintain the youngsters from feeling hungry whereas on the highway.
For extra tips about packing for a highway journey with children, take a look at my important checklist
Chex Combine
Slightly extra effort than simply placing cereal in a field, making your personal Chex Combine continues to be a fairly straightforward choice – create your personal model from Chex cereal with mini chocolate chip morsels, mini marshmallows, and nuts for a child-friendly deal with.
If you happen to’re not within the US, Shreddies are the closest substitute for Chex in each the UK and Canada.
Rice muffins
At all times a winner with youthful children, they’re additionally an excellent choice should you’re searching for a snack to stave off boredom however not fill them up fully earlier than the subsequent meal.
Popcorn
One other super-easy snack, you may keep on with plain variations should you don’t need to give your children an excessive amount of sugar or salt.
You’ll be able to even make your personal and divide it into containers should you’ve acquired the time/power, which is nice if you wish to make a salt-sweet combine, or add just a bit flavour relatively than shop-bought choices.
Vegetable crisps/chips
What child doesn’t love a bag of those? Whether or not they’re a fan of tortilla chips, the traditional potato model, strange flavours or super-plain, there’s at all times an choice to fit your household.
If you happen to’re searching for a barely more healthy different, there are extra vegetable crisps round lately than simply potato – as she’s acquired older, my daughter has actually acquired into these, though I doubt she’d have tried a beetroot one when she was a toddler! (The spinach ones are nonetheless a agency no although).
Oat crackers
Extra filling than most crackers and with a bit extra flavour than plain wheat choices, these are one other straightforward choice for teenagers to nibble on.
My daughter loves the Nairn high quality milled oatcakes, and handily there are sealed packs throughout the field, so you may simply seize a type of and go.
Pop-Tarts
One other no problem snack is Pop-Tarts – with the added comfort of with the ability to merely open the package deal and hand one to every youngster.
Once more, you may select from completely different choices to swimsuit every youngster, whether or not your little ones are followers of Strawberry, S’mores, and even the Scorching Fudge Sundae variety!
Granola bars/Cereal bars
From chocolate chip to peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, and extra, there are every kind of tasty granola bars to select from that your kids can get pleasure from whereas highway tripping.
Yogurt tubes
Ditch the spoon and the plastic pots, and supply the youngsters with some transportable yogurt tubes to get pleasure from, or you will discover pouch variations too.
Frubes and Gogurt are each good manufacturers to attempt.
The good things (wholesome snacks for teenagers)
Whereas it’s at all times good to have the ability to seize and go, if you wish to ensure that your kids are snacking one thing that’s good for them – or not less than mixing a couple of nutritional vitamins in among the many straightforward choices – take a look at these wholesome highway suggestions snacks for teenagers as properly.
Fruit Salad
If you happen to don’t thoughts prepping some elements beforehand, it’s arduous to beat one thing as easy, scrumptious and naturally good for teenagers as a fruit salad.
Simply wash and slice a complete batch to place into small containers, and don’t neglect a fork on your children to eat it on the go.
Veggie sticks
As a much less sugary different to fruit, pack up some vegetable sticks for the journey – carrot batons, cucumber sticks, slices of bell pepper, child plum tomatoes.
All straightforward to organize, good for teenagers and can final the journey properly. You’ll be able to add in a aspect of their favorite dips, like hummus or ranch dressing, as properly.
String Cheese (Cheesestrings/Cheese strips)
Stuffed with protein, it’ll curb their starvation for longer whereas they’re within the automobile, and so long as they don’t have an excessive amount of salt, the calcium and nutritional vitamins make it a wholesome selection too.
Splendid if you would like one thing to interrupt up sugar overload, and it’s one that the majority children love.
Path Combine
You’ll be able to’t go unsuitable with path combine, and should you’ve acquired choosy eaters, you may simply make your personal model to keep away from any pet hates.
In any other case, an choice stuffed with peanuts, almonds, cashews, dried cranberries, and different dried fruit will assist maintain children full till their subsequent meal with out too huge a sugar rush.
Choosy eater must-haves
Whereas wholesome snacks can come in useful, should you’ve acquired picker eaters who don’t like fruit and veggies, or maybe have sensory points that cease them consuming meals with specific textures, there are nonetheless loads of concepts for child-friendly snacks.
Animal Crackers (or any crackers)
They’re mild, stuffed with flavour, and formed like lovely animals. What extra might children need? Any crackers will do right here, but when children are losing interest alongside the best way, any little leisure helps, proper?
Goldfish Crackers
In case your children like Goldfish crackers or every other baked cheese crackers, corresponding to Cheese Nips, these are an excellent snack to have within the automobile.
Pretzels
The crunchy texture and barely salty style make pretzels an excellent selection – and in case your children also have a favourite form, you’ll discover sticks, circles, thick pretzels, skinny pretzels, pretzel nuggets, and extra, so there are many nice choices to maintain them joyful.
Breadsticks
A toddler favorite, these are a more healthy different to salty crackers, chips or crisps, and I’ve but to seek out many children who received’t eat them.
They won’t be probably the most thrilling snack, however they’ll maintain children going and you will discover particular person packs of mini breadsticks in addition to the full-size variations.
If you happen to’ve acquired a technique to maintain dips cool (and there’s one your choosy eater enjoys), these are nice to have on the aspect.
Journey sick-friendly choices
There’s nothing worse than movement illness when you’re travelling, however packing the proper snacks can assist forestall nausea as you’re driving – whether or not you’re utilizing movement illness cures alongside or not.
Plainer snacks like breadsticks, oat crackers and plain popcorn are additionally good choices right here too.
Saltines/Ritz crackers
You’ll be able to’t go unsuitable with saltines – most youngsters are followers, they usually’re an excellent choice should you’re not feeling too properly (or if journey illness has struck, the saltiness is an efficient technique to perk children up once more).
If you happen to’re exterior the US, Ritz crackers or cream crackers are a great different – the latter are much less salty too.
Bananas
At all times a success with children, bananas tick all of the containers – straightforward to pack, you received’t get juice in all places, and better of all, they can assist fight emotions of nauseousness and dizziness.
Applesauce/fruit pouches
One other straightforward fruit choice if children aren’t feeling so properly, pack some applesauce or one other fruity different – both put within the containers and a spoon, or seize the pouches for an much more handy choice.
If you happen to can’t discover any choices aimed toward older children, test the newborn and toddler aisles in native meals shops – your children may not want their fruit pureeing, however it’s an excellent easy different for youthful travellers, particularly preschoolers.
Mess-free goodies
There’s just one actual draw back to packing numerous snacks for a highway journey with children… discovering an enormous mess within the automobile when you get to your vacation spot.
The excellent news is that you would be able to nonetheless discover loads of nice meals that are much less more likely to depart a multitude in your car, even when your little ones are consuming them!
Frozen Grapes
Many kids like frozen grapes for a candy, chilly deal with, particularly on a sizzling journey.
They’re good for consuming on the go as a result of they don’t depart a lot of a multitude behind – with youthful children, ensure you slice them although vertically, and clearly you want a technique to maintain them frozen.
Fruit Snacks
Decide your fruit properly although – bananas will be nice, however a super-soft juicy pear is a recipe for catastrophe.
However seize an apple or two, and it’s not solely filling and wholesome, you need to solely should cope with the core.
Raisins/dried fruit
Dried fruit is even simpler to move than the recent variety – though whereas my daughter would have eaten a whole bag of raisins in a single go, if I’d let her, it’s finest to snack on these carefully!
You should purchase small containers for comfort, or package deal your personal (or every other dried fruit snacks, corresponding to dried apricots) into your personal containers for a less expensive choice.
Banana chips/fruit crisps
One other straightforward choices for teenagers to nibble on, these are one other extra sugary selection like dried fruit, however a handful is mess-free and straightforward to pop right into a snack field.
Banana chips are often best to seek out, however you’ll see apple crisps and different options in case your children aren’t followers of bananas (otherwise you need another choice).
Fruit Leather-based
You could find fruit leather-based at shops like Goal within the US and most supermarkets within the UK – my daughter is an enormous fan of Yoyo bears and the Fruit Bowl octopus peelers.
Aside from some barely sticky fingers as you unroll the fruit leather-based or peel your octopus, it’s additionally mess-free. These are a way more sugary choice although; perhaps finest to save lots of them for simply earlier than your subsequent cease, to allow them to burn off the sugar rush out of the automobile.
Malt loaf
One other household favorite, fruity malt loaf is much less sugary than cake however looks like extra of a deal with than fruit, should you want a little bit of a bribe.
Even higher, they don’t have a tendency to go away crumbs like muffins and cookies. My daughter loves the Soreen banana lunchbox loaves, which come individually wrapped, or just slice the usual malt loaf for his or her lunch containers.
It doesn’t are likely to dry out as quick as bread, however you may butter it (so long as it’ll keep cool sufficient) in case your children want.
Selecting snacks for highway journeys with children: suggestions & merchandise
- Don’t neglect to ensure you have loads of drinks too, even when it’s simply water – salty snacks and dry crackers are usually not tempting once you don’t have one thing to sip as properly.
We love Chilly’s bottles to maintain drinks cool, or Ion8 bottles and Sistema bottles are simpler for youthful children to open. You’ll be able to even get purifying water bottles from Larq.
Keep in mind that saltier snacks may imply children drink extra… which implies extra stops for bathroom breaks!
- Particular person containers may imply extra effort however they are often the most suitable choice – it saves children preventing over who’s had extra/who will get to carry it, or any bulletins that they received’t eat that snack as a result of it’s touched one thing they don’t like.
Reusable choices are finest: I really like these stacking snack field units – it’s straightforward to pack them away inside one another once you’re completed, and there are some enjoyable designs, together with these optimistic affirmations.
Or attempt Bento-style snack containers – both the traditional Bento field (this one has area for a fork too) or these little containers with separate sections.
And whereas there’s nothing to cease a decided toddler from dumping all their snacks everywhere in the automobile (sorry), these snack catchers from Munchkin imply that unintended spills are restricted.
- Don’t journey with out wipes! It hardly wants saying, proper? Whether or not you seize a pack of your regular model, or attempt reusable and biodegradable variations, they’re more likely to come in useful sooner or later.
- Hold a seat organiser within the automobile – it’s a great plan from a security viewpoint, relatively than having numerous unfastened gadgets strewn round, however it additionally means there’s much less probability of the snack pot rolling out of attain by some means.
We love this Diono Journey Pal organiser which has a number of pockets together with for drinks bottles and outdoors mesh sections, plus it’s wipe clear and folds flat or this again seat organizer is one other good choice.
For extra tips about packing for a highway journey with children, take a look at my important checklist, in addition to tips about planning a highway journey with children
*First revealed 2022, final up to date 2024*
Disclosure: This put up comprises affiliate hyperlinks – any purchases you make are unaffected however I’ll obtain a small fee. All opinions on one of the best highway journey snacks for teenagers are my very own (and my daughter’s!)
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