[bbeard72]

Frequently I'm running errands etc and not at home when it's time for snack. So I always have to resort to giving our son something like goldfish. All the healthy stuff seems to need to be refridgerated etc. I hate just giving him crackers all the time for snack. He's only 20 months so I can't give him an apple or anything. Any ideas for snacks that can be brought on the go?

[GuatabeeAMum]

I give our daughter mandarin oranges, chopped raisins, yogurt (in cooler or thermal lunch bag)...that's about all I can come up with for the moment

[guatparents2be]

hey there! great question. here are some ideas:

not all crackers are as artificial and refined as goldfish. whole grain non-hydrogenated crackers (like ak-maks etc from the health food store) are a healthy snack. there are lots of brands that are like this if you go to the health food store.

a small cooler bag for the car, even without an ice pack will keep most snacks perfectly fine even if they do better with refrigeration for the long haul: cut up grapes, pears, pineapple, steamed carrots, steamed broccoli, avocado, quartered hard boiled eggs, cut up whole grain waffles, etc.

organic cheese sticks

organic whole grain teething biscuits, even i eat those as a snack sometimes,

whole wheat pretzels

our son LOVES lara bars (just cashews and dates)

puffed cereal from the health food store with no added sugars etc.

i'm sure i can come up with more, but this should be a good place to start!

[robandjulie]

I think the offical word is that raisins are for older kids, but our DD at that age loved a bag of raisins, craisins, pretzel sticks, goldfish, and dried cereals. We'd also get the puffs or dried fruit bits from Gerber which ARE safe for kids but pricey.

depending on how long you'll be out, some pepperoni or other lunch meat (heated and then cooled, if you're worried about that stuff) and some cubed cheese holds for awhile and is at least a change of pace. Salty though.

[Rondidondi]

My 16 month old loves dried fruit. His favorite is pineapple. I keep a bag in the car.
A few others I carry are
granola bars
rice or soy cakes
breakfast bars (healthy ones)
I also carry along a couple of 100% juice boxes to quinch his thirst.

[cbmstephanie]

I bought an organizer for the car that fits over the seat in front of Maria's carseat. It has holders towards the top that toys etc can go in and then has a cooler at the bottom. When we are traveling I am able to put a refreezable ice pack in there along with her items and she always has the snacks she enjoys even if they have to stay cold.

[drasusi]

I have been saved more times than I care to be reminded by an individually wrapped lo-fat cheese stick. We eat very little processed food...but these are lifesavers for me!

[CEB]

You received some good suggestions so far. The only additional one in our bag of tricks are cereal bars (like Nutrigrain although we tend towards Trader Joes or organic versions)

[Disneycrazed]

Cereal-we mix different healthy cereals together and call it Malea munch.
Peanut butter crackers

We have to do a lot of high fat high protein for Malea so we do a lot of peanut butter.

[ana-mom]

Ana is a great eater at meals but very picky about her snacks. She likes pretzel rods, rice cakes, cheerios, saltines and any kind of fruit.

[SKL]

Cheerios and the like - they are not as sugary as many kids' cereals and they are super-tasty and full of vitamins / iron.

I also keep my diaper bag stocked with the organic equivalents of goldfish and graham crackers, toddler cereal/fruit bars, and 8-ounce servings of those milks that you don't have to refrigerate.

Mostly we don't snack anyway, but these are handy to keep in case we find ourselves needing to have a meal away from home. If I know we're going to eat a meal on the fly, I also pack organic berry/applesauce cups and maybe a cup of pre-mixed rice-based dinner or other healthy entree that's easy to serve with a spoon. If it's breakfast, I'll pack a banana, which the kids know how to eat the way grown-ups do (bite right into the half-peeled banana).

[myguatbabes]

We use lots of applesauce and bananas at our place. Bananas are better for self feeding obviously, but if I need to, I can always stop for a few minutes and feed our 12 month old or 2 yo applesauce. My 3 and 4 yo DD's can manage applesauce on thier own, even in the car!! We also do dry multigrain cheerios, cereal bars, peanut butter crackers, and if all else fails, we will do the drive through at McD's and get the apple slices with yogurt dip. All my kids LOVE those!!

Thanks for this post and all the great ideas!

[jules17]

i second lara bars!!

our kids LOVE them.