I just got back from 2 weeks out west visiting my sisters both of whom have newborn babies. My twin sister had her first: little mister Elliot,
My older sister had her second: little miss Farrah,
The purpose of the trip was to meet the new bundles of joy and to help-out as much as I could. It was a lovely trip although I’m not sure how much help I was…..the reality of the situation is that traveling with a toddler is quite the task!
The biggest issue is that they fall off their routine and have to adapt to a new setting, and in our case, to a new time zone. Not only is it difficult for most toddlers to adapt, but mine had to adapt with an ear infection to top it all off. I came home a little shaken, but arrived in one peice.
I did learn something from this trip though, I learned that it’s important to keep whatever you can control as close to normal as possible.
Why not keep their meals and snacks the same and why not feed them at their usual time. Food is an integral part of a toddler’s routine and in many cases familiar food makes toddlers feel safe. So when a toddler is in a strange place having familiar food on a familiar schedule helps to make them feel more “at home”. It’s really easy to get caught up in buying all of the baby convenience foods like goldfish crackers and arrowroot cookies, instead try making easy, healthy, and homemade food for kids while traveling so they’re supported nutritionally for the stresses of traveling.
I made an adapted version of Your Green Baby\’s granola bars and have decided that they would be a perfect travel snack for the whole family, but especially for toddlers.
Granola Bars
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp organic butter
- 1/4 cup almond butter
- 3/4 cup spelt flakes
- 3/4 cup whole oats
- 1/4 cup coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds
- Gently heat syrup, vanilla, butter, and almond butter in a sauce pan until melted.
- Slowly stir in remaining ingredients until well mixed.
- Pat mixture so that it’s flat into am 8×8 inch pan.
- Refrigerate for an hour then cut into desirable sized bars to be enjoyed.
