Commute Friendly Snacks for Children

Commuting can be a challenge on the best of days, but when faced with a tired and hungry child it can become more than a little difficult. There are a number of factors one must consider when choosing the right commute friendly snacks:

• Is it nutritious?
• Will it ruin their appetite for dinner?
• Is it going to be smeared or splattered all over the car/bus/train?

To help keep the belly rumbles at bay, Vanessa Schuldt, Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) at Nutrition Speak, recommends the following tasty and nutritious snacks for the commute – that won’t ruin their appetites!

Plain popcorn
It’s an awesome ‘wholegrain’ snack with a high fibre and antioxidant content.

Home-made trail pack
Combine a mix of sultanas, mixed nuts, sunflower or pumpkin seeds and popcorn. Keep them fresh and portable in a zip-lock bag.

Fresh fruit
Think portable fruits that are easy to eat like mandarin segments, grapes, bananas, apple slices, rockmelon chunks, cherry tomatoes, blueberries etc.

Home-made mini berry muffins
Make these with wholemeal flour, wrap individually and freeze for future snacking.

Chunky fresh fruit salad
Serve this in a spill-proof toddler snack container. Make it extra fun at home by serving the salad in an ice cream cone (line the cone with cupcake paper to stop it from going soggy).

Raisin bread or date scone
Spread with a little margarine.

Reduced-fat fruit yoghurt
Choose a yoghurt in a squeeze tube to reduce mess.

Vegetables
Choose easy to eat and transport veggies like carrot sticks, celery sticks, capsicum slices, green beans, grape tomatoes and serve with a healthy dip like hummus or tzatziki.

Corn on the cob
Corn leftover from last night’s dinner makes for a tasty snack the next day.

High-fibre breakfast cereal buds/bites eg. Sultana Bran or Fruity Bites
Great to eat even without milk. Keep fresh in a zip lock bag.

Wholemeal crackers
Serve with cream cheese and pickled gherkins.

Rye or chia mountain bread with avocado
Assemble this before you leave work/home.

Rice cakes
Smear this with a little peanut butter or Vegemite.

Note: A child’s ability to grind food with their teeth and is limited until they are at least four years old, which puts babies at risk of choking. Some foods that pose the greatest choking risk for babies and toddlers include raw apple pieces, grapes, raw carrots, celery, raw peas, dried fruits, nuts and seeds (including popcorn kernels). So please take your child’s developmental readiness and skills into account before offering any new food and always supervise your child as they eat.

So now that you’ve got your commute friendly snacks, head here to find some amazing childcare centres in Sydney’s CBD.

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