Kid's Food Tantrums on Vacations

Not in the mood for food.

Traveling with kids who have food tantrums can be a difficult, for us it was a nightmare as I could literally count on fingers the things Viraaj ate. From the time we had booked tickets for Dubai, almost every day I used to discuss with my husband on how would we manage as Viraaj was still not on full solid diet when we took this trip. Even at home it was a big task for me to feed him, and so it was giving me jitters on how would I handle it.Although now after taking few trips with Viraaj I have realized that feeding your baby during travel needn’t be a huge source of stress! With just a little effort on your part, you can ensure that everyone enjoys the journey, without any worries about food!!

First and foremost, a tip from a Paediatrician: Its ok if your child skips a meal, it is more important to keep him hydrated all the time.

The first day I carried home cooked mashed daal rice for lunch (but Viraaj did not eat even a spoon!). Hence from next day on wards I started carrying some bananas, his favourite Biscuits & Mathris to feed him on the go and would order steamed rice for lunch. We experimented a bit with his food & were happy to find out that he liked the mild spicy chicken & the Pappa Roti buns (I was dancing with happiness that day). I would recommend the travelling mothers to let your kids taste the local cuisines of the place (unless you are not sure of your baby’s food allergies) & trust me you’ll be surprised to see what all your kids can like.

Following are some tips for that can come handy:

1.  For parents who are travelling to a place where Veg Food is not easily available or you have a hectic itinerary, I would highly recommend you to carry a small sized rice cooker. Trust me it makes your entire day travel easier. It takes nearly 20 mins to cook rice, oats or porridge in it. Just plug it in the morning and the meal will be ready by the time you get ready. I have attached the photo of the rice cooker that I have (one of the most useful gadgets that I have bought till now).
   

   

   Rice Cooker

2. You can carry carrots and potatoes as they last for more than 2 to 3 days without refrigeration & use it to make khichdi in the rice cooker.
3. If you don’t own a rice cooker, you can dry roast rice and dal in ghee (so it kind of becomes pre-cooked) and grind it to a powder. You can carry this powder in an air tight container and cook it with hot water from your flask. You can also add grated carrot, which doesn’t take long to cook.
4. For parents who do not have a rice cooker or time to dry roast, the MTR ready to eat Poha  & Upma are a good option, as you just need to add boiled water in them. (Image attached below)
   

   

   MTR Ready to eat Poha & Upma

5.  If you want to get lunch from a restaurant, you can ask for steamed hot rice with some curry/ mashed potato/ soups.
6.  Boiled eggs or plain omelette are always safe and easily available options.

Following are some of the healthy snacks that you can carry for the day:

1.  Fresh cut fruits
2. Dry fruits like Almonds, Cashews, Raisins, Figs for instant energy
3.  Dried fruits like Apricots or Prunes (Images attached below)
4. Plain or Flavoured yoghurt
5. Energy bars / Chocolate Bars
6. Homemade Cookies/ Aata Mathris
7. Puffed Rice sauté with little salt  and turmeric
8. Dry cereals like Chocos, Fruit Loops or Corn Flakes. You can mix them with milk from tetra pack directly as there is no need to boil this milk.
9. Crackers & Cheese or small cheese slices
10. Glucose biscuits / Your Kid’s favourite biscuits
11. Soup Sticks
12. 1 or 2 canned juices (safer than juices from street shops)

Dried Cranberries & Prunes

 

What not to feed

Sometimes, there is no option but to feed your baby from a restaurant. In such cases, just keep these few tips in mind.

1.  Always try to go for steamed food. Never give raw foods like salads from shops or chutneys to babies.
2. Along with raw foods, you should also avoid dishes with raw ingredients like mayonnaise, sushi, soufflé, etc.
3. Use your own cutlery.
4. Always use bottled water for baby when travelling.
5. Avoid juices or milkshakes from outside (basically anything that can have tap water in it).
6. Try & carry fruits which are a little firm to touch because you do not want them to get spoilt during journey. Carry chopped banana instead of the whole thing..
7. Ensure there are no choking hazards in baby’s food. Like Pop Corn is good to be given but it got stuck in Viraaj’s throat & I literally had to put my finger inside to take it out. So let’s just try and avoid such drama scenes to enjoy the vacations:P