Nutritious Snack Ideas for Kids On the Go

Between school and sports, field trips and family outings, kids always seem to be on the go! They’re not just constantly moving —  they’re actively growing, too. From the days when they’re sweet little things toddling around, to the years when you barely catch a glimpse of your busy teen racing out the door, their bodies will always need nutritious, well-balanced meals and snack foods to stay energized.

That’s why we’re sharing tips and tricks for snack-packing parents. If you want to find out the perfect way to power your child’s day, stick around!

Busy Kids Need Super Snacks

For kids on the go, fueling up rarely looks like the quaint family dinners you’d see on Leave it to Beaver. These days, children need super snacks that can keep up with the demands of modern-day life.

Despite being intended for little tummies, on-the-go snacks have a big job to do: They’ve got to be portable, nutritious, bite-sized, and delicious. Let’s take a quick look at why each of these qualities matters — and some common pitfalls parents should avoid.

Prioritize Portability

Whether your little ones are headed to class, day camp, or karate lessons, they probably won’t have access to a freezer and microwave. Even if they do, most busy kids don’t have the time or resources to keep frozen foods cold and zap them in the microwave while on the go. (It’s best to save the more sophisticated snacking for college-aged kids.)

For this reason, the foods you choose shouldn’t need to be frozen or heated up before they’re consumed. Instead, the best snacks are safe to store and ready to eat at room temperature for a few hours or a few days.

Kids’ snacks should also be super easy to stash in a backpack or locker. Prepackaged products are great choices, as are foods that fit into resealable (and ideally, reusable) baggies and food storage containers.

They should also be hand-held and utensil-free. Cutlery is easy to forget and hard to clean for children on the move. But if you send your kid out into the world with a travel-sized bottle of hand sanitizer and a napkin, they can always keep clean.

Give Active Kids the Right Nutrients

Parents have to be careful when searching for kids’ snacks at the grocery store. Many leading brands dump loads of added sugar into their packaged goods, but this will only make your kids’ energy levels spike and crash.

Check the ingredients list to learn more about the sugar content — and scan for any artificial flavors and additives while you’re at it. Opt for snacks without artificial sugar and instead look for natural sweeteners like organic honey that deliver more real, whole-food goodness.

The ideal kids’ snacks contain a variety of micro- and macronutrients, such as fiber, antioxidants, and essential vitamins and minerals. Kids on the go also need plenty of lean protein to stay up and running. Whole-food protein, derived from real and minimally processed foods, provides the vital amino acids kids’ bodies need to function.

Bite-sized Is Best

Portion control matters when it comes to packing snacks for busy kids. The snack shouldn’t be too filling, or else your child won’t be hungry when it’s time for lunch or dinner.

The correct portion size will depend on your child’s age, height, and weight, so you’ll want to refer to serving recommendations before filling up those snack boxes.

Don’t Forget About Flavor

Picky kids won’t eat the snacks you pack for them unless they actually like the foods you’ve chosen. You don’t want to be the one to discover last month’s broccoli bites at the bottom of a backpack, do you? That’s an easily avoidable situation if you know your little one doesn’t like the flavor. So, make sure you choose great-tasting options that have your kids’ stamp of approval.

6 Nutritious Snacks to Serve Kids on the Go

Here are a few healthful, bite-sized, and highly portable picks for snack time that also taste great:

• Whole fruits like apples, bananas, and berries
• Sliced veggies like baby carrots and celery sticks
• Trail mix made with nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate chips
• Dried fruits like raisins, dried apricots, and banana chips
• Whole-grain pretzels or crackers
• Granola bars and snack bars

Perfect Snacks for the Whole Family

At Perfect Snacks, we know how tough it can be for parents and kids on the go to eat healthfully. That’s why we’ve created a collection of snackable bars and bites for busy families to enjoy.

Rather than tossing a sugary granola bar into your child’s bag, try Perfect Kids snack bars in one of our kid-approved flavors, Peanut Butter Cookie or Chocolate Chip. Prepared with organic honey instead of artificially added sugar, they truly do tick all the boxes for being a super snack.

Perfect Kids bars are smaller than their grown-up counterpart, Perfect Bar. These snacks give your children just the right amount of midday fuel. They’re packed with seven grams of protein from peanut butter and eight superfoods — plus, they’re made with gluten-free oats for an additional boost of fiber and that cookie-dough texture kids love. The five-count boxes like to chill out in the fridge, but Perfect Kids are happy at room temperature for up to a week.

If you’re looking for nutritious and delicious options the rest of the family can snack on, we’ve got just the thing for you. Little ones, bigger kids, and parents will all love popping Perfect Bites. These bits of bite-sized goodness are great for sharing on a road trip or afternoon in the park. And, with 4 servings per resealable container, mom and dad won’t mind sharing.

Check out our store locator and pick up your favorite flavors today!