It’s family vacation time, which means long hours on the road or in the air. Be ready when the kids start getting hungry, and use these 19 snack ideas to keep things as stress free as possible.
1. Turn a bath caddy into a food holder.
Keep individual meals organized with dollar store bath caddies.
2. Make an edible snack necklace before the trip.
3. Reuse a container and an empty baby food jar for carrots and dip on the go.
Via Thrive
4. Convert a mason jar into a spill-proof snack container.
Via Babble
All you need is an empty juice carton with a plastic twist-top spout and a pint size mason jar.
Get instructions here.
5. Use a rubber band to keep a sliced apple together.
6. Fill plastic Easter eggs with snacks, and keep them safe in an egg carton.
7. Make surprise snacks that kids can open on specific stops.
The kids will be so excited to open their bags that they won’t even notice you’ve slipped in some healthy choices.
8. Use a bucket-and-pulley system to pass snacks back and forth.
All you have to do is thread a sturdy rope between the front and back seat grip handles on the ceiling of your vehicle, then add a bucket to the rope and tie it off tightly. You can then safely send the bucket back and forth as needed during your trip—and the kids will love it!
9. Freeze PB&J sandwiches ahead of time.
10. Poke a straw through a yogurt’s lid for a mess-free yogurt drink.
Via Bora Photo Blog
Because drinking through a straw is a lot less messy than letting your youngest kid eat yogurt with a spoon all by themselves.
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11. Turn bananas into secret message boards.
This is a great way to pass time. Use a toothpick to draw a picture or write a message on a banana peel. At first it’ll be hard to see, but after an hour the messages will have darkened enough to read. The riper the banana, the quicker you’ll see the message.
12. Fill a bag with different snacks, and cinch it shut with a butterfly clothespin.
You’ll need clothespins, pipe cleaners, and markers—googley eyes are optional. Once you’ve filled a bag with one or two snacks and clipped it with a colored clothespin, curl the tips of a pipe cleaner, and bend the entire piece in half. Clip the pipe cleaner into the clothespin. Kids love making these and enjoy snacking with them—at home or on the road.
13. Store snacks in empty coffee creamer containers.
Via Drivenct
Pouring crackers and cereal is a cinch this way!
14. Fill a zip bag with air before sealing to prevent chips from being crushed.
15. Create one big snack bin.
Via Not Just A Mommy
This bin should fit in the middle of the backseat with snacks right at your kids’ fingertips. The bin also works as a buffer when the kids start to pick on each other!
16. Serve celery and peanut butter in lidded mason jars.
17. Organize snacks in a tackle box.
Via Hotdish Moms
18. Use plastic wrap to prevent spills.
19. Store snacks in a shoe holder tied to a car seat.
Thread heavy cords or zip ties through the top holes to keep the organizer in place. Add snacks, along with other items for easy reach.
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