Grab and Go SNACK BAG - Toddler Edition
Do you ever see that mom that looks like she is always prepared? Does she look like she has everything her toddler needs to stay happy instead of having a meltdown because suddenly your little one doesn’t want an apple sauce pouch (even though it’s their favorite), they want a granola bar or fruit snacks? That’s me! I’m that mom! … most of the time.
My goal is to help you get out the door in a couple minutes without realizing you forgot to pack snacks and now you are 15 minutes from home and your toddler goes “I’m hungry” … or like mine… “Eat. Eat. Eat” while signing “Eat” with her hands because she learned it from Ms. Rachel.
My two-year-old is quite the eater. Seriously, we have had lots of people tell us, “Wow she’s a great eater!”. In her two years of life, she has had fast food one time. Chicken nugget kids’ meal from McDonalds. Surprisingly, she wasn’t very fond of it. To be honest, it made me happy since I am not big on fast food either.
With a little one that loves to eat and being a mom likes to be on the go… I learned to keep a snack bag ready to go 24/7. I can grab it, walk out the door and not worry about her telling me she’s hungry 15 minutes into our trip.
The Snack Bag
It’s a backpack and a cooler! I HIGHLY recommend a cooler for your snack bag… especially in those hot summer months. Ours is the bottle bag we got from the hospital for our second born. It is perfect because I always have my “grab n’ go” food…and if I have time, I add fresh/cold items like fruit and veggies. The cooler helps them stay nice and cool for the duration of our trip. The side pouch is perfect for sippy cups!
Tupperware
This 3-tiered food container is my favorite. I purchased it on an Amazon flash sale and it was very much worth it! This is ALWAYS full and ready to go. After every trip, I restock it and put it back in the bag for next time.
The top two containers get switched up often. The usual food items for these two are goldfish, trail mix, teddy grahams, broken pieces of Belvita, cereal, animal crackers, rice and bean crackers… pretty much any dry finger food you can think of. The bottom one if the perfect size for veggie straws. My daughter loves her veggie straws. It is a staple in her snack bag.
Next, I use an old sandwish tupperware box. This is always filled with fruit pouches, nutrigrain bars, and fruit snacks. These items also get refilled immediately when we get home if they have been used.
All of these items in the sandwich container are prepackaged… but I still keep these all in a Tupperware container so they don’t get crushed!
I love to pack fresh food for my toddler. I feel like Mom Of The Year when we are in public and she is eating fresh blueberries, strawberries, carrots, cucumbers… etc. If I have time and am prepping for a trip, I try to always pack something fresh for her. But the items above are always prepped in the bag ready to grab and walk out the door!
SNACK IDEAS
Fresh Fruit
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Strawberries
- Pineapple
- Oranges
- Apples
- Clementines
- Bananas
- Grapes
- Kiwi
- Pears
- Mango
- Watermelon
Fresh Veggies
- Cucumbers
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Green Peppers
- Snap Peas
- Olives
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Celery (with peanut butter!)
- Avocados
Dry Finger Foods
- Goldfish
- Veggie Straws
- Rice Crackers
- Belvita Crackers
- Animal Crackers
- Fruit Snacks
- Fruit and Veggie Bites
- Trail Mix
- Triscuits
- Wheat Thins
Other Ideas
- Hard boiled eggs
- Fruit pouches with apple sauce or smoothies. (Costco and Aldi have great ones!)
- PB & J
- Muffins
- Yogurt
- Cottage cheese
- Deli meat (my little one loves turkey!)
- Hummus