Traveling With Your Baby Over the Holidays? Here Are the Best Ways to Travel With Homemade Baby Food

If you are traveling for the holidays with your baby, you already know you’ve got a lot to pack. So while you’re tossing festive clothes and diapers into your suitcase, you might be wondering how to pack the homemade baby food you’ve been whipping up for your little one. So if your family won’t be home for the holidays, here’s a few simple tips that make traveling with homemade baby food safe and easy.

Skip the Basics- For easy purees like bananas, avocado, or sweet potato, there’s no need to take your homemade stash when you can simply whip up these purees at mealtime. Just share a little of what you eat or stock up when you arrive at your holiday location. These foods are also great on-the-go or on your travel days. All you’ll need is a fork, a container and a hungry baby.

Meal Plan- If your holiday travel plans mean you and your baby will be out and about, plan meals based on foods that your baby will eat at room temperature. So if there are particular purees your baby will out chow down on if they are warm or cold, don't pack those for the trip. Instead, take foods that your baby will happily eat at room temperature. This way you can take the food with you and not worry that you have to search out a microwave or double boiler. This makes all of those family outings a lot easier.

Pack a Cooler- Before you hit the road grab a small cooler and pack frozen food cubes in individual containers, small plastic bags or food pouches, and a few ice packs. Breast milk freezer bags make awesome food storage bags as well. The food cubes will stay frozen for 8 to 12 hours if packed correctly. Once the food cubes have thawed, you can safely serve them to your baby for five days. So be sure to plan ahead so that you don’t bring too many or not enough.

Fly with Food- TSA won’t object to you flying with a “reasonable” amount of baby purees, just be sure to tell the TSA in the security line that you have food for your baby in your carry on. The food will need to be screened and opened, but you can take it with you when flying.