Flying cross country w/toddler - food?

[Angel Ariel]

We're heading to DLR with DD (3 y/o). It's only our second time taking her on a long flight..her first long flight (longer than 2 hrs) was to Denver earlier this year. The timing on that trip was different, though...we left the east coast essentially at lunch time, and were able to feed DD with food purchased after security while we were on the plane. We arrived at dinner time, so all we needed to worry about was snacks. This trip is different.

For this flight to DLR, we will be leaving the house at appx 5:30am. Our plan is to get her up at the last possible second and put her straight in her car seat. She'll have milk to drink during the drive to the airport. We will get breakfast after going through security, before boarding (we should have at least 30-40 mins to do this with the timetable we're looking at). We all have TSA Precheck for the flight. We are flying Southwest, so no in flight food other than snacks are provided. The flight is appx 6 hrs long, non stop.

We're going to be in the air during what would be her lunch time on the east coast, so I'm concerned she's going to want more than just snacks. By the time we land and get off the plane and get bags and such it's goign to be at least noon at LAX...so 3pm eastern...I think that's probably too long to go without giving her something more substantive than snacks.

So...those who have done this before, what have you done for your toddlers when there's no substantive food options offered by the airline? Do you bring something from home and use an ice pack (as I believe families are allowed to with TSA)? Or do you have go to snack type foods that are more substantive than typical snacks?

Thanks in advance!

ETA: Peanut Butter is not an option at this point. We haven't introduced it to her yet, not because of allergies, but because of oral-motor delays. We will be introducing it soon, as she can handle it now, but since we don't know if she will have an allergic reaction, we don't want to risk it on the plane.

 

[Alesia]

What sort of things does she normally eat?

Use frozen grapes instead of bringing ice packs.

 

[jacknsally19]

I tend to go with more substantive snacks on flights - mostly because my daughter won't eat salad or sandwiches and these are typical items that I'd bring on board. I think if I was in your shoes - I'd probably bring an orange or apple, carrot sticks, granola bar, lots of nuts (my DD could live off nuts), and peanut butter crackers. If your kid would eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I think that would be a good option too. Also, a good emergency stash of lollipops!

 

[Gracie09]

crackers and cheese cubes Use frozen grapes or peas to keep it cold.

 

[Angel Ariel]

What sort of things does she normally eat?

Use frozen grapes instead of bringing ice packs.

When i make lunches for her to bring to her preschool, the protein is usually things like deli meat (thick cut, cut into cubes), cut up meatballs (she'll eat them cold, cut up chicken tenders...that kind of stuff, then a fruit cup (things like mangoes, pears, peaches, applesauce, raisins) and veggies (green beans usually, since she can pick those up herself, but she eats broccoli/peas/carrots, etc too).

Snacks tend to be things like the gerber snack sticks, puffs, raisins, avocado, bananas, etc..

Frozen grapes is a good idea...I would guess they'd thaw by the time we'd be looking at feeding her, right?

 

[Angel Ariel]

I tend to go with more substantive snacks on flights - mostly because my daughter won't eat salad or sandwiches and these are typical items that I'd bring on board. I think if I was in your shoes - I'd probably bring an orange or apple, carrot sticks, granola bar, lots of nuts (my DD could live off nuts), and peanut butter crackers. If your kid would eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I think that would be a good option too. Also, a good emergency stash of lollipops!

Unfortunately, nuts are not an option yet...she hasn't been introduced to them yet because of oral-motor delays. We'll be doing so soon, but not in enough time to feel comfortable with them on the flight (since we don't know if she'll have an allergy to them.). DH and I don't have allergies, so we don't expect her to, but we want to have a decent history of having it at home before bringing it on a flight.

 

[Baklava]

We never used the toddler foods but I hear good things about Gerber pick ups- they're like sauceless pasta with stuff inside. Easy to eat without a mess.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Would she eat hard boiled eggs? Or make a mashed up egg sandwich. Cheerios and get her some milk to go with it so it seems more than like a snack. You could look up small meals on pinterest for kids as well.

 

[Alesia]

When i make lunches for her to bring to her preschool, the protein is usually things like deli meat (thick cut, cut into cubes), cut up meatballs (she'll eat them cold, cut up chicken tenders...that kind of stuff, then a fruit cup (things like mangoes, pears, peaches, applesauce, raisins) and veggies (green beans usually, since she can pick those up herself, but she eats broccoli/peas/carrots, etc too).

Snacks tend to be things like the gerber snack sticks, puffs, raisins, avocado, bananas, etc..

Frozen grapes is a good idea...I would guess they'd thaw by the time we'd be looking at feeding her, right?

Just take some of those things, preferably the ones she can eat with the least mess. If you put it in an insulated bag, the frozen grapes will keep it plenty cold.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Not sure about hard boiled eggs..we could definitely try it before we go and see though. Thanks!

 

[Angel Ariel]

Just take some of those things, preferably the ones she can eat with the least mess. If you put it in an insulated bag, the frozen grapes will keep it plenty cold.

I'd been thinking that stuff wouldn't work because of the cooler pack need, but the frozen grapes are an awesome idea. That definitely helps with our options!!

How is TSA about fruit cups? They're easy to bring, but I don't know if they'll take issue with the liquid? I know they can be a pain with the shelf stable soy milk singles and juice boxes sometimes.

 

[NJlauren]

I tend to bring what I would serve at home. A sandwich if that's what she has for lunch, etc. also you could pick up something at the airport for the flight.

Back like your packing her a school lunch.

 

[Alesia]

I'd been thinking that stuff wouldn't work because of the cooler pack need, but the frozen grapes are an awesome idea. That definitely helps with our options!!

How is TSA about fruit cups? They're easy to bring, but I don't know if they'll take issue with the liquid? I know they can be a pain with the shelf stable soy milk singles and juice boxes sometimes.

The fruit cups could be an issue. You could just bring fresh fruit. Or drain the syrup off of canned fruit and put it in a plastic container or a ziploc bag.

 

[branv]

For travel meals, I like to bring rotini (easy to grip) that I've very lightly tossed with some olive oil and parmesan (or halved mozzarella balls), cut up turkey meatballs and peas. The oil on his fingers has usually been minimal.

Pouches like applesauce or fruit/veggie blends, just know that like other liquids, they have to be under 3.4oz and fit into a qt size baggie.

Freeze dried fruit and veggies -- in the past I got these at Trader Joes, but now I'm seeing them in the infant food section at Target. Pricey, but worth it for ease.

Mini cheese crackers

Yogurt pouches (I get the baby brand that has pumpkin in it).

I won't be bringing grapes personally as last time I tried this it was an unholy squished mess even frozen.

A friend reminded me of something important btw. On her last trip there was a storm, so they were held on the airplane at the terminal for FIVE hours. They ran out of food, and she had a 3 & 5 yo who were very upset. Be sure to pack more food than you think you need.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Fruit cups have liquid, so they must be in your 311 bag. Frozen grapes thaw very fast.

This is no big deal. Just bring whatever she usually likes to eat, eliminating anything which is liquid and can't fit in a 311 bag. You can buy liquids after security. You cannot bring juice boxes or boxed milk through security.

If she likes to drink milk, Southwest doesn't provide milk, so buy some after security.

BTW, no airline provides meals in economy class on domestic flights.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Fruit cups have liquid, so they must be in your 311 bag. Frozen grapes thaw very fast.

This is no big deal. Just bring whatever she usually likes to eat, eliminating anything which is liquid and can't fit in a 311 bag. You can buy liquids after security. You cannot bring juice boxes or boxed milk through security.

If she likes to drink milk, Southwest doesn't provide milk, so buy some after security.

You can actually bring boxed liquids through security with toddlers. I have done it at every airport we have flown out of with DD. They require separate screening, but it is allowed. Here's the link to TSA's information about it:

Formula, breast milk and juice for infants or toddlers are permitted through the security checkpoint. Separate formula, breast milk and juice from other liquids, gels and aerosols limited to 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters.

Source

We have always brought her soy milk with us as it is never a guarantee to find it in an airport. They screen the soy milk and juice itself separately, and it takes us a bit longer to go through security because they pull us off to the side to a machine that tests for explosive residue, but we have never not been allowed to bring it..including the trip to Denver we just took in august.

I was mostly thinking about bringing things that need to be kept cold and not bringing a cooler pack. The frozen grapes idea is a good one and we will try it out. Of course we will have room temp offerings as well just in case the grapes don't work for some reason, and there have been good suggestions here for those snacks as well. Thanks, everyone!

 

[jacknsally19]

What about soy butter? I know some friends with nut allergies use it instead of peanut butter for sandwiches.

I think pasta with olive oil and Parmesan is a really good idea. I use to bring that to school for my lunch all the time. I'd also suggest looking on Pinterest for packed lunch ideas. There are lots of great ideas there.

 

[Alesia]

.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

You can actually bring boxed liquids through security with toddlers. I have done it at every airport we have flown out of with DD. They require separate screening, but it is allowed........

Op's daughter is not a toddler; she is three years old.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Op's daughter is not a toddler; she is three years old.

I am the OP. A toddler is a young child between the ages of 1-3 who is unsteady on their feet. My daughter is 3 and is not yet walking on her own. She is a toddler. Would I consider her a toddler at 4, even if she weren't walking yet? No.

We took her on a flight in august, after she turned 3 in July, and we were still allowed to bring her soy milk and juice with us. We are in no way trying to get away with anything we shouldn't be able to do.

I also posted that information so that anyone reading this who had a toddler or infant would be aware that they can in fact bring those liquids with them. There is a lot of misinformation out there that it's just flat out not allowed, and if anyone searches this thread later I want them to see that info so they know it is.