7 Healthy Snacks for Babies – Great for Traveling!

Today we have Charlee stopping in and sharing easy on-the-go, healthy snacks for babies. I wish I would have had this list on last summer’s road trip with our little one. These 7 healthy baby snacks are great for traveling but are equally awesome for serving at home too!

Image credit: marilyn barbone / Dollar Photo Club

The baby food I had prepared and had frozen for our trip was as soft as could be. Although we had taken the precaution of changing ice every single time we stopped for gas, the food did not make it through the 12 hour car ride. I was super bummed and wondered what I would feed my baby now.

You see, I enjoy giving my kids homemade baby food. I avoid those convenient, highly-processed jars as much as possible. But I wasn’t prepared with a backup plan in case the food I had made did not survive the trip.

Here’s what I wish I had known then, because panicking only made things worse.

• Babies can eat a gazillion different foods without pureeing them.

-Yes, I am a puree kind of mama.

• A baby who is older than one can definitely eat foods that don’t need to be pureed, even if they do not have a lot of teeth.

-My only child at the time was 13 months old and she had just a couple of teeth, but I was still feeding her purees for the most part.

• A lot of foods can be prepared in 5-10 minutes without special equipment, and baby will love them just the same.

-I might have spent lots of time making baby food for my oldest daughter, and maybe I went a little overboard making her special recipes.

The smart thing to do in my melty situation on vacation was just to run to a grocery store and buy foods that were fresh, healthy, and super easy to prepare.

7 Healthy Snacks for Babies

I wish I would have had a list handy to help me think of healthy foods for my baby at the time, but I did not. Here are some ideas for you in case you ever find yourself on a road trip with melty homemade baby food that you specially prepared for your sweet pea.

Avocados – These bad boys take about 2 minutes to prepare for your baby. The older the baby, the less smooshing you have to do. Avocados are one of the healthiest foods on earth, containing plenty of vitamins and minerals as well as fiber.

Bananas – I have never met any baby who turns down a banana. My girls eat bananas pretty much every day and never gets tired of them. They take a whole minute to peel and mash or you can just hand it over to your child to snack on. Just be careful since they can be a choking hazard.

Dried apricots – Grab a package of dried apricots from the store and take it back to your hotel. If your baby can eat finger foods, chop them up to a size that you know your baby can handle. If your baby is at least 6 months old but younger than a year old, toss a couple apricots in a bowl and add some warm water. Let them soak for at least 1/2 hour to soften. Then you can chop them up into small pieces for baby to snack on.

Kiwis – Kiwis are full of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and fiber, and they are insanely easy to prepare for your baby. You just need a knife and a spoon and you’re good to go. Cut in half, scoop and mash or just give tiny bites to your little one. Kiwis are safe for babies who are at least 8 months old.

Cherries – Cherries have plenty of Vitamin C, potassium, and even calcium! If you want to give these to your baby, be sure he is at least 8 months old and you have removed the pits and skins.

Prunes – Your baby will either get plenty of energy from these babies or the runs! They are a perfect snack because they taste so sweet. Prunes have a lot of fiber, iron, and boron (which is wonderful for your muscles and bones). This is a great snack for a baby to hold them over until the next meal because they can keep you fuller longer. Prunes are easy to prepare for your baby if you give them as a finger food. Pureeing would take cooking on the stove, and when you’re traveling, you likely don’t have access to a stove! So just cut them into small pieces that you know your baby can handle and there you have it!

Mangoes – Mangoes are full of Vitamin C and Vitamin A. They are a little tricky to cut, but once you do it a few times you will be cutting it up in no time. I like to buy a bag of frozen mangoes for my girls when mangoes are not in season. I just cut the frozen ones into smaller pieces that they can handle and they love them like that. Mangoes are safest served to babies who are at least 8 months old.

Bonus: Finger foods with no cooking required, just chop and serve – I have a list of finger foods on my blog for babies who have few teeth. Just click on this link and look for the foods that do not require any cooking.

If your baby is eating dairy, serve these awesome, healthy foods with some cut up cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, or a little bit of milk for a more complete snack.

Traveling with a baby who is still eating purees or very soft foods does not have to be a stressful event! Just keep it simple with these easy-to-prepare foods and your baby will be one happy little traveler!

We’d love to see you again!

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BY GUEST WRITER: Charlee Flaminio

Charlee is raising two daughters with her Argentine-born husband. They are living the adventure of starting a small business and learning how to deal with the erratic schedule that brings. Charlee writes on her blog, Humble in a Heartbeat, about family finances, frugal food, and motherhood – including feeding babies and raising kids who love to eat! 

P.S. Are you looking for extra side income? I make full-time income blogging part-time—check out this easy step-by-step tutorial on how start a blog (no tech knowledge required).