The road trip snack hacks you need to know about
Constant cries of ‘I’m hungry!’ or ‘I’m bored’ from the back seat can turn a fun family road trip into a nightmare very quickly.Keeping kids happy on a road trip often involves careful planning, lots of stops and entertainment, and most importantly, plenty of snacks. But if you’re sick of pulling a back muscle reaching around the back to pass snacks to your kids, or finding half-eaten apple cores under the seat and crumbs in every crevice, we’re here to help.
These ultimate road trip snack hacks will ensure the whole family can enjoy some peace and quiet on your next adventure.
The snackle box
Grab one of these multi-compartment organisers (in 12 or 24) from Kmart for $5 and make meal times happy. It puts the snacks at kids' fingertips while allowing you to fit in a huge variety of options including fruit, sandwiches, cheese, nuts and sweets.
Connect your sippy cup
If your little one is prone to dropping their sippy cup or drink bottle after every sip, you’ll love this hack. Grab a connect-a-cup lead and connect it to the side of the door or seat and attach the other end around the bottle. That way, if they drop their cup, they can simply pull the lead and retrieve it.
Mess-free snacks
Sandwiches and biscuits invariably crumble and leave a mess throughout the back seat. So opt for mess-free snacks in the car and save yourself a lot of cleaning up. The best ones include anything that’s not sticky or crumbly:
- Seaweed slices
- Dried fruit
- Celery or carrot sticks
- Roasted chickpeas
- Puree fruit pouches
- Mini cucumbers
- Grapes
- Cheese cubes
Freeze a juice box
Pack a frozen juice box or Up&Go into the esky, and it will slowly defrost along the trip. The kids get to enjoy a yummy slushie-like drink, while the frozen drink acts as a handy ice pack in the esky for all your other snacks and treats.
Keeping cut fruit fresh
If your child complains about yucky brown apples after you’ve cut the slices, try this simple hack. Cut the apple into pieces at home, then put it back together with a rubber band. It’ll keep the slices fresh and keep fussy kids happy. Alternatively, squirt a few lemon juice drops on the slices to keep them looking fresh.
The snack pot
These cleverly designed pots are perfect for road trip snacks. With a soft lid, the portable snack bowls let little hands reach in through the soft flaps on the lid to get snacks, while preventing spills. At only $6.40 from Woolworths, they’re a winner!
The food caddy
These plastic caddies are super versatile and will save you a lot of time cleaning. Simply load up each child’s individual caddy, and let them munch away. It works for takeaway too, simply pop the items into the caddy and kids will get much easier access to the food without spilling fries and sauce all over the back seat. You can pick them up for $6 at Spotlight.
Related: Genius travel hacks to keep your kids entertained when driving
Related: The best gadgets for your next road trip
Related: Children and car safety: Everything you should know
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