Car Snacks For After-school Survival

Snacks when my daughter was younger was a huge part of keeping  her healthy and happy, and still are. When I would arrive at school to pick to her up around 5:30 p.m. and sometimes even 6:00 p.m.depending on how horrible the traffic although she attended an after-school program that provided a fairly decent snack, she would constantly always ask, “mommy do you have anything to eat?’ the moment we finished hugging.

I finally decided that the snack alone was not enough and since we still had a long commute home she needed something else to keep her energized before dinner. So I decided “Car Snacks” for after school survival, would be the only way I’d make it through the car ride.

*Note: These are all safe to keep in your trunk or at work. Also keep plenty of plastic bags for the trash. It’s also important to note that my girl was around 8 years old when we started this so the messes were small. It’s up to you what age you implement this with your child. A car can always be cleaned, I prefer my child to be happy and healthy before anything else. I know some people are not big fans of car eating because of the mess it creates and the lime green chicken nugget you find months later that may have slipped underneath a seat, but hey such is life. It’s all a part of parenting. Right?

Here is my list and I suggest using a combination of any 2-3 items. It makes for a quick snack and won’t spoil dinner.

Snack #1

Fruit (Bananas, apples, pears, plums, oranges):  Keep more than one kind on hand is perfection, but simply buying a bag of apples and leaving them at work or in a smaller cooler in the car make you “mom of the week”. This trick works great all year round, just be mindful of the heat in warmer climates and the summer months. You don’t want to leave any food in the car when the temperature isn’t right. Depending on your child’s age you may want to stay with the fruits that aren’t to messy to avoid getting it all over the car.

Snack #2

3- 4 Ritz Crackers: They are buttery and delicious and so much better than those boring Saltine crackers. But if your child likes those, it will work too. You’re not trying to create a gourmet dinner, just trying to keep that tummy happy.

Snack #3

My daughter’s favorite were those Pepperidge Farm Cheddar Gold Fish . I kept the snack packs of those handy. I must admit, after a long day of work I would find myself stuck in traffic eating some.

Snack #4

I kept a ton of Chex Mix around. I fell in love with the Sweet  & Salty Chex Mix . If you haven’t tasted that flavor you don’t know what you’re missing. My daughter loved it as well, so it kept us happy.

Snack #5

Welch’s Fruit Snack , most kid like fruit snacks.  If you are okay with allowing your child to have a little something sweet before dinner, then this is okay. I’m not a super strict mom. I don’t like a lot of candy or gum in my household, so this is an alternative. I know these things are filled with sugars, but it’s not something she eats on a regular so I let her have it once in a while.

Bonus Snack

Raisins this one is a hard one and I put it as a bonus one because a lot of kid don’t like raisins. If your child likes raisins (and mine does) it can be a good replacement for the fruit snacks).

There you have it,  a quick survival list to make refer to at home of a  few snack ideas that won’t spoil dinner. Remember this is just my list. You can have whatever you want, chips, candy, etc. Whatever keeps your kid tummy pleased before dinner. Remember there is no handbook to parenting, we are just trying to make it through life one step at a time and what works for some may not work for others.

P.S don’t forget something to drink. My kid carried a water bottle to school so she always had water on hand.

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