Surviving Road Trips with Kids: Snacks and Activities

Surviving Road Trips with Kids: Snacks and Activities

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Tree Top. All opinions are my own. 

This year we took our first family road trip and I’m surprised we survived. Actually, I’d even say that we ROCKED IT and I’m amazed that we did because it was our first time. Good planning and packing were the reasons for for our successful trip and I wanted to pass along some of the things we did to make our 30 HOUR car ride with KIDS less painful.

Surviving Road Trips with Kids: Snacks and Activities

Going on Road Trips with Kids is easy when you've got the right snacks and activities. Find out more about Tree Top Apple Sauce Pouches and how to make your car ride easier! Click here.

Planning: Packable Snacks

Of the long list of items that we would need to complete a 30-hour road trip, #1 was food. With summertime snacking already in full swing, I needed to make sure that we had enough food for my growing (and sometimes just bored) kiddos.

I didn’t want fast food taking over our time, bodies, and wallet, either.

So I was sure to pack snacks that were easy, healthy, and not messy (I’m all too familiar with the sea of crumbs that comes with pre-packaged snacks). My favorite of them all (and the one with the least number of incident cases that required us to stop) was applesauce pouches.

Best Packable Snack: Tree Top Apple Sauce Pouches

Tre Top Apple Sauce pouches come in a variety of flavors, making them the best packable snack for road trips. Find out more about these healthy snacks for kids. Click here.

What I liked most about these Tree Top apple sauce pouches was that the kids could eat them anywhere and anytime- without me needing a spoon or having to worry about a mess. The pouches are made with 100% USA apples- they are PURE FRUIT with nothing artificial and are available in a variety of flavors (for the pickiest of eaters).  There’s no high fructose corn syrup and they come in BPA-free packaging, which is great for kids to just open and squeeze.

 

These apple sauce pouches really were one of the best snacks we packed for our long car ride. I didn’t need to worry about the kids getting their required fruit servings for the day and they definitely beat eating browned apple slices that require refrigeration once cut. The pouches make eating and clean up easier because all you have to do it close the screw top. This results in less smells circulating in the car and less chances for making a mess.

Beyond road trips, these pouches also come handy for outings, picnics, and school lunches. They are available in a variety of flavors and sold in 4 or 12 count cartons of 3.2 oz. pouches.

Surviving a Road Trip with Kids: Keep ‘Em Busy!!!

Keeping kids busy on your road trip can certainly help to make your trip less stressful! Find out what we brought on our road trip- click here.

Before our trip, I received a road trip survival kit from Tree Top and was all too excited to check it out. It’s contents were so completely thoughtful- taking into account what it’s like to be a kid on a road trip.

In our package, we received the book, I Love Texas: An ABC Adventure by Sondra Magsamen, The Terrific Texas Coloring Book, a pack of Washable Crayola Crayons (Washable being the key word here!), 3 3.2oz pouches of Tree Top Apple Sauce, and 3 $1 off coupons.

We would be away from home for a little over two weeks and the book they sent us about Texas (home) was exactly what the kids needed to fight any anxieties about leaving. The coloring book and crayons kept them busy (and not constantly asking “how much longer?”), and the apple sauce pouches kept them fed. The backpack was perfect to fill with more attention-grabbing items to keep the kids busy on our trip, too.

In addition to the items Tree Top sent us, here are a few other things we packed to keep the kids busy:

Card Games

Eye Spy Cards

Scavenger Hunt Sheets

Matchbox Cars

Portable DVD Player and DVDs

Are We There Yet?

Tree Top Apple Sauce pouches and activities are the perfect duo for keeping kids healthy and busy during summer road trips. Find out more about our experience here.

Overall, our trip was a success and I’m shocked to announce that I would do it again. Keeping the kids busy and fed is all you really need to do to keep them from getting antsy and driving you nuts. Between the Tree Top apple sauce pouches and bag of travel goodies our kids were relatively good on the trip and another trip is definitely in our future.

Ad: Make road trips with #kids healthier and easier with @Treetopinc. Find out more here: #nomessintexas Share on X

For more great tips and tricks on surviving summer outings, check out my posts The Best Beach Vacation Packing Tips (FREE PRINTABLES INCLUDED!) and How to Plan a Cheap Family Vacation.

What items do you deem completely necessary when road-tripping with kids?

Pamela is a Freelance Writer, Blogger, WAHM of 3, and Veteran Military Wife living in Southwest Texas. Raised in the Northeast and having lived a few years in the Pacific Northwest, she likes to write about mom life, parenting, frugal living, experiences, and WINE. (Lots of wine!) When she’s not busy chasing toddlers around, you can find her on the blog or on social media. Check her out on Instagram: instagram.com/wineandlavender



40 thoughts on “Surviving Road Trips with Kids: Snacks and Activities”

  • No high fructose corn syrup is a must for us–I like that this apple sauce doesn’t have any. So glad you survived your 30 hr trip! I can imagine the snacks and activities helped a lot. We did an 8 hour away trip and that was quite enough for me, lol!

  • Those Tree Top pouches are great and my son would still love them and he is 12. Your long trip had some great games, eye spy was always a favorite of ours in years gone by.

  • Road trips can be a little boring for kids especially for the long drives. It’s really important to bring snacks that they enjoy and toys that they’ll want to play with. These are awesome suggestions!

    • Hey Karen! They were asking for snacks every 5 minutes- because they 1) liked them and 2) knew they were there. LOL

  • We have tons of family travelling down to see us this year. All driving for the first time with kids. Snacks and activities are a must!! Glad your 30plus hours driving were made easier by good planning!

  • I know how I feel on long road trips so I can imagine how kids feel. I usually have snacks with me for my nieces and nephews but I admit they could be a bit healthier. Thanks for the info.

  • I don’t have any kids, but this is great advice for anyone! I was recently on a road trip and we brought plenty of snacks and picked out a playlist and we didn’t die of boredom! 🙂

    • Hey Carly! One of the best things we brought was the DVD player… It got us at least an hour and a half of “quiet” time when we needed it.

  • Its amazing how much you have to plan for just the car ride! Honestly, that’s the most stressful part when it comes to our vacations. We like to go to the library and get new movies and books for car rides!

  • Omg I can’t believe you all took a 30 hour road trip. I’m ready to jump out the car after 4 hours. I love those cute little snack pouches for kids.

    • Hahaha Chellbee!! I thought I would do the same… leading up to the trip, I had a lot of anxiety about it, but it turned out well.

    • Hi Hannah! I totally agree- whatever makes traveling easier (and in this case, the perk is that it’s healthy, too!)

  • Our child is still only 1.5 and we have not dared do any road trips with him yet. But these are some great ideas when we do, do this. I was amazed to see your pics where the kids are engaged andengrossed in their reading and activities.

    • Hi Nayantara! When I was a kid, all we had to entertain us on road trips was looking out the window. LOL My kids were happuy to have things to do. (Still not sure how they can look down for so long without getting sick! I’d be so dizzy- but I guess that comes with age.) LOL

  • These all wonderful tips. I have teens and the most important travel necessity is FOOD at this age. I love that you included books:)

    • Hahah Andrea- YES- food is the biggest part (and I can’t imagine how much more I’ll need to buy in the coming years!).

  • Long road trips are definitely boring for my kids. They just keep on bugging everyone in the car. So i think snacks and games are good for them. Coz me, I do lot sleeps in the car. lol!

    • Hi Margarette! I would have loved to have slept in the car- but I kept getting asked for snacks every 5 minutes. LOL

  • I am a grown adult, and I would just like to say that without snacks, I would have never survived the most recent road trip I went on! Really good ideas. A scavenger hunt seems like a fun activity for kids in the car!

  • My brother and I had the longest road trip when we were about 7-8 years old. UGH the first 18 hours were hell but then we learned to adapt to our respectable places and keep ourselves entertained. Even as an adult I keep those applesauce packets handy haha.

  • good mama and papa advice, road trips or just about any trip out with kids can be somehow stressful but when they are kept busy all in, you have nothing to worry about in it.

  • Applesauce pushes are a must have on our trips. I have two big kids and a little guy but they all love them!

  • You DEFINITELY have to keep kids fed and entertained during road trips! (I’ve found that this is the same for my husband as well haha!)

  • Wow! COngrats for surviving the trip with a breeze. It takes much effort to keep the kids interested. At least you got that health snacks and entertainment on the way.

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