Routine is our best friend when it comes it maintaining our toddler’s healthy eating patterns. Familiarity reigns supreme as we gather together and rely on our favourite toddler recipes.
Travelling is a different story and one that can easily turn a happy calm toddler into a cranky hungry toddler. Not what we had in mind when it comes to holidays…
So, what is the backup plan and what toddler food ideas can you utilise while travelling with toddlers?
5 Healthy Eating Tips When Travelling With Toddlers
1. Book an apartment with a kitchen
Having the convenience of a kitchen has been a lifesaver for me, even as my children grow older, we still make sure we have kitchen facilities to prepare healthy breakfasts and lunches. We tend to find a healthy restaurant for dinner to feel like we are on holidays (and who wants to cook on holidays?) but it makes life so much easier to at least have 2 familiar meals at home that are nutritionally balanced. Make a beeline for the nearest grocery shop and stock up on fruits, snacks, cereals, milk, eggs, bread and salads and you will save a heap of money also.
2. Keep the balance
Fair enough if you would like to get into the spirit of the holiday by enjoying the local cuisine. Many toddlers will welcome the change, but please keep in mind that with each meal we are trying to incorporate colours of the rainbow. Fish and chips each night is not going to give our toddlers the energy they need to keep up the holiday pace. Even if you order a side of salad or veggies or include a healthy smoothie with an array or fruits and vegetables. This will help to keep their immune systems boosted and make it easier to return to your healthy eating patterns at home.
3. Set the example
The only normal our toddlers know if the normal that they see. Even though you may be travelling, it doesn’t mean that healthy eating goes out the window. Bring some of your own familiarity and values to the table and this will help ease a toddlers anguish.
4. Take your own
Airline food can be quite unappealing to the best of us, let alone our fussy toddlers. The simple answer is to pack your own. For the sake of convenience, throw in some trusted jars or pouches of baby food which is going to help make life easier when you’re on the road/ in the air / stuck in transit. There is no need for refrigeration and parents can have confidence in knowing that the majority are preservative-free, prepared locally from Australian ingredients
5. Carry a water bottle everywhere
Excessive liquid calories are one of the biggest mistakes parents make with young children on holidays. Stick to your guns and only allow water with meals and perhaps a watered-down juice once a day if you are enjoying a beverage.
pic via lowcostholidaysblog
