SNACKING WITH BABY ON THE GO - Mama's Organized Chaos

Once babies are on solid foods, I think it is very important to offer breakfast, lunch and dinner on a daily basis. Our goal is to eventually have them eating with us during those meals (once they pass the 1 year mark). There are moments, however, where we might be out and about and have to take food on the go.

Depending on the age, you can get away with more or less emphasis on the solid food intake versus formula/breast milk. At 4 months of age (when we first started Caroline on solid foods), if we had to miss a solid food meal one day, it was certainly not the end of the world, as she wasn’t dependent on that food to satisfy her hunger at all.

Once she was on solid foods for about a month, I noticed that she noticed if we skipped a meal! And by 6 months of age, she definitely would fuss and tell me “It’s time to eat!” in her own little ways. It will make your life a whole lot easier if you have introduced bite sized foods and have started working on the pincher grasp as soon as you can.

During month 4 and 5 we were offering Caroline purees, and we started moving into chopped food by the end of month 5. As her first bite sized food, I gave her puffs. I knew they would dissolve and we weren’t at any risk of choking (This first time mama was nervous!). I started by breaking the puff in half and dipping it in water. Overly cautious I know! By the 4th or 5th one she was eating them whole and dry. From there we started bite sized pieces of soft foods (bread, soft fruit and veggies). Her ability to eat these foods drastically changed our behavior for “on the go”.

Now that Caroline is 8 months old, she eats ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. She also picks it up on her own and has mastered the pincher grasp! YAY for Mama being hands free! While we rarely miss a full meal at home, we do occasionally find the need to have some snacks on the go, so we like to be prepared.

Our favorite item for on the go is the POUCH. Applesauce pouches, fruit and veggie pouches, and yogurt pouches. Caroline just learned how to use these in month 7, and she has already become a pro! I can hand her one and she handles it well and knows just what to do. I was thrilled when I found out that Stonyfield made yogurt pouches, because yogurt is our go to food when Caroline is refusing everything else. She literally NEVER refuses a yogurt!

Once she was handling food and chewing well, our on the go menu was able to expand. Some of the dry foods that we like to carry are: Hawaiian rolls (another item she never refuses), graham crackers and Cheerios. These can be put in little baggies and left in your diaper bag for future use, along with some food pouches, of course. We usually always have 1 or all of these in the bag just in case. You never know when your errands might run long and your baby might need a snack.

If I am feeling really adventurous (and I know that we will be needing a snack on the go for sure), I
pack something a bit different. Cheese cubes, chunks of deli meat, bite sized veggies, baby pancakes and fruit are a few options. We have these wonderful glass containers that we store things in. I purchased these to heat up purees in the microwave so we weren’t having to worry about all of the issues involved with heating plastic. They have turned out to be great on the go containers as well. You can find the link to these containers on the Must Have List For Baby page!

I also have to mention this AMAZING trick with bananas! Mamas, if you haven’t seen this yet…you
leave part of the banana unpeeled. You no longer have a slippery banana that your little one can’t hold on to! Such a great idea that was sent my way by another mama who was doing some poking around on Pinterest!

The baby pancakes are another favorite in this house. They are easy to make and fabulous for taking on the go. It’s another food that Caroline never says “NO” to. They freeze well, so I make a huge batch at once. Check back soon for the recipe!

Finally, our absolute new favorite for taking on the go and beating the heat…. Stonyfield Squeezers! We tried putting these in the freezer today, and serving it up as a frozen treat. WOW, did Caroline love these! These are going to be a great option when she eventually gets around to teething (yes that’s right – over 8 months in with no teeth). It is a fabulous way to cool her off with one of her favorite items. You can’t beat the fact that it is a healthy and exciting treat all in one!