Feeding a Baby While Traveling

As a rule, I hate to give Little Frances store bought baby foods, even when we are traveling. I think its because I like to know exactly what she’s eating and also I think the fact that she eats home made food is a huge part of the reason why she is such a great eater! I have been doing a lot of traveling since she has been born, and right now we are in the middle of a move that will involve temporarily living in a hotel for several weeks before we leave for our final destination. I have learned a few things about traveling with a baby that might help those of you who would like to continue feeding your baby healthy, and when possible home-made food while you are gone! If you can’t, I have a few tips for you too.

General Traveling Tips:

• Wherever you travel, you can usually find a grocery store nearby. There are a lot of foods that you can buy that you can easily prepare without a stove if you don’t have one where you are visiting. You can check out our no cook recipes for some help. Most foods that are easily mashable also make great finger foods when chopped, like banana and avocado.
• Most hotels now have a fridge and some even have a microwave to help with food preparation or storage. There are a lot of vegetables can be cooked in the microwave in a steam-able bag. I have used the Steamfresh Sweet Peas in many recipes and they make a great finger food!

• Whenever possible, I try to bring my small KitchenAid Chopper with me. These are very inexpensive and a great investment for preparing smaller quantities of food, both cooked and uncooked.
• I try to be flexible. (I am the type of person that has to remind myself to be flexible!)
• There are things that I would not normally feed Little Frances that I will give her when we are on vacation. For example: I have given her reduced fat fruit yogurt on a plane or saltine crackers at a restaurant, which I would never give her at home. I try to remember that this is just one meal, and then do my best at the next one.
• I also have to remember that Isla’s routine pretty much goes out the window when we travel! And that is fine. We will have plenty of time to get back on her routine when we get back home.

Short Trips:

• If we are just out for the day, I try to bring baby food that I have made. I store them in old baby food jars, and I thaw them before I leave the house. Its just like packing a lunch! I do this for my husband and I too when we make road trips, so it only makes sense now to do this for Little Frances.
• I also have a little cooler bag that hangs off of the back of my seat, and I will frequently store snacks/purees/expressed milk in.

Weekend/Driving Tips:

• If we are driving, I always take my Chopper as I mentioned before.
• I will always bring along homemade baby food in a cooler, along with some breast milk.
• I try to stick as much to Little Frances’s eating routine as I can. I usually stop close to her usual meal times, although some times I have to be flexible, depending on how fussy she is.

Long Trips, including Airplane Trips:

• The TSA now allows you to carry baby food, formula, and breast milk on a plane without it affecting your total liquid allowance.
• Even breastfeeding mothers feel more comfortable bringing a bottle of expressed milk, rather than nursing, when feeding a baby in tight spaces. I usually nurse Little Frances to sleep, which is not a normal practice at home.
• When traveling with a baby, snacks are a MUST! I personally love to bring Puffs. They are light and easy to carry, and they keep a wriggly, fussy baby very entertained in confined spaces. I normally like to buy HAPPYBABY Organic Puffs.

• My preferred brand baby food when I cannot bring my own is Sprout. I like Sprout for several reasons.
  • Its delicious! I don’t give Little Frances anything I would eat myself, and this is one of the better tasting baby food brands.
  • It comes in re-sealable bags!
    • The re-sealable part is great so you don’t have to throw the entire bag away if your baby doesn’t eat much.
    • These are much lighter weight than the jars that most other organic baby food brands come in, which is a bonus if you are going on a long trip and you need to bring a lot.
    • Best of all, they are easy to reheat - just put them in a hot cup of water; you don’t need a microwave. Almost any restaurant or plane will give you a cup of heated water if you ask for one!

Restaurants Outside of the US

When traveling, restaurants a given! And although most of us have the restaurants close to home that are kid friendly figured out, that is not always the case when you travel, especially when you are traveling outside of the United States. In fact in many countries, children are decidedly NOT welcome/expected at restaurants, but sometimes you just can’t help it. Be prepared for some odd looks!

• If you are traveling overseas, you should be aware that not many restaurants have booster chairs or high chairs for kids. If you will be eating out with your small child, you might consider investing in a portable high chair. They are light weight (as low as 2 lbs) and can be used on almost any table. I learned how important these are the hard way; meals overseas are usually much longer and having to pass a squirmy 9 month old around for two hours is NOT fun! I could do a whole different post on baby gear when traveling, but I am trying to limit this to just food/eating related things.
• As I mentioned, meals are much longer, and food takes much longer to prepare and get to your table. Depending where you are, there are not a lot of fast food restaurants.
• Once again, Puffs to the rescue! These are great way to keep little hands occupied while you are eating. Crackers or bread from the bread work well if you run out of puffs.
• Consider investing in a few high chair toys to put on the table. These toys come with suction cups on the bottom so (fingers crossed) your little one won’t be strong enough to knock them to the ground. Little Frances loves her Melissa and Doug My First Bead Maze.
• Be prepared for the smoking! I don’t know if I just don’t notice it here in the states, but WOW, I felt like I was taking my girl into cancer factory every time we entered a restaurant. I don’t know what you can do about that, its just something to be aware of.

***********UPDATE***********

I forgot to add one more thing. I found that disposable pocket bibsters, like these found here, are a must have when traveling in an airport, and are very handy at other times outside of the house too. Its so nice just be able to throw them away when done and if they aren’t too messy, they are great for wiping off your babies face. They are also very light weight!

If you have any tips or tricks that you have figured out for feeding your child while traveling, please let us know! We love to hear from other Mommy Experts :).