The World at your Table

How to feed children and babies while traveling? Tips from our Community

Everyone knows a child who refuses to eat, especially when their routine is disrupted. Check out the tips from our Community to avoid this headache

By Sut-Mie Guibert

This section is typically dedicated to restaurants and chefs around the world, to inspire and showcase culinary stars with beautiful projects. But it also exists because gastronomy is an important part of travel, and many young palates develop and adapt outside the home (as this month’s mother tells us here).

However, this is not always so easy and obvious. What do families with babies and young children do when they refuse to try new flavors? “A child won’t die of hunger,” says the popular saying. But the biggest concern with children who eat nothing or eat like birds is that the little one may lose weight or get sick during the trip… to the extent that some families change their minds when thinking about traveling to distant destinations.

We asked the families in our Community, who, with a lot of empathy – don’t worry, because this happens more than you think – gave some tips, and who knows, maybe one of them will help you get through this phase.

Hotel or House with Kitchen

Having a kitchen is very helpful with young children; it’s easy to warm up soup, leave fruits out, cookies, yogurts, things that the child eats more easily.

It’s also more practical for making food without seasoning for children who find the local flavor strange or a bean dish, since there are many children who refuse to eat when they don’t find their “rice and beans.” Thankfully, there are already several brands on the market with canned or vacuum-packed beans that only need to be seasoned at the time. Just pack it in your suitcase.

Having your own kitchen also allows you to shop, explore local markets to discover novelties, reduce restaurant costs, and even eat more healthily by making plenty of organic vegetables and salads.

With Babies

It’s important to bring the powdered milk that the child drinks. Normally, there are equivalents in other countries, but it’s good to have at least one can until finding milk at the destination.

A good option for picky babies is to bring frozen food. Leave this packaging for the last minute. Put the frozen purees in a bag or thermal bag with gel packs; this will keep everything cold until the destination. On the outside of the bag, put a label “Baby food”, and normally, immigration agents are already accustomed to this.

In Orlando, the brand @chefinhogourmet makes organic and healthy purees and meals that can be ordered, isn’t that wonderful!

If you prefer to buy purees at the destination, know that there are increasingly diverse organic brands.

Extra tip: It’s interesting to have a thermal container that keeps the food warm so the baby can eat whenever they want, without having to wait to heat the food (it’s not always easy to find a microwave on the way).

With Children

In any place, there are foods that children can eat without problems, like rice, pasta, bread, fruits, eggs, meat… and the little ones also enjoy more “childish” dishes like pizzas and hamburgers with french fries. Depending on the destination, restaurants offer children’s menus with more playful dishes and coloring pencils. They may not be the healthiest foods, but breaking routine occasionally is also part of the holidays.

Some families choose to have a good breakfast and provide fruits for the child to eat during the day (banana, apple), saving the bigger hunger for dinner time.

Having everyone at the table and turning that space into a unique and fun moment of many conversations and laughter also helps. After all, vacations are meant for strengthening bonds. When parents relax, the child might even surprise by trying new things during the trip. It has happened more than once.

There’s no magic recipe; each child is unique and each family has its own rules. The main thing is not to stop traveling because of it. The more these adventures outside of home are experienced, the more the child will get used to opening up their palate to new flavors. And you’ll see, sooner than expected, the opposite can happen: children open to new discoveries, loving to try everything, even spicy foods.

Sut-Mie Guibert is the founder and moderator of our community of traveling families, Family Trippers – Family Travel, a closed group with over 11,000 families sharing their real experiences and travel tips to help other parents travel better. Co-founder of Family Trip Magazine and mother of Clara and Nina, she brings a new article in each issue sharing the discoveries of other families around the world.

Flávia Oliveira, mother of Duda and Bernardo, also moderates the group with great humor and is a frequent traveler.