With the holidays around the corner, there's never been a better time to learn all you can about on-the-go feeding. From one mom to another, here's a tip: use modern-day inventions to your advantage! I myself am driving through several states this Christmas season, and thankfully, I have some helpful feeding tools in my arsenal to make the drive a bit easier.
So let's talk mealtimes away from home; what are some of the most common struggles? Below are some of my biggest frustrations with on-the-go feeding, and some solutions I use to keep the madness and mess at bay. I hope they help!
1. Keeping Food Organized
On busy days (honestly, what days aren't?), you might find yourself pulling into the drive-thru line more often than you'd like. The truth is that packing a meal for a toddler is something of a joke. Is it even possible to keep all their food and snacks in one place without it spoiling or getting all over the diaper bag? I'm glad you asked. Yes, this is a common struggle, but with nifty gadgets like the Skip Hop Grab & Go Baby Food Storage Tower, you can keep all the food in airtight containers and perfectly organized, to boot.
Grab & Go Baby Food Storage Tower
All you need is a little advanced preparation, and these adjustable containers let your toddler chow down on fresh berries, cheerios, beans, or cheese and crackers all while you pick up the dry-cleaning. Remember to avoid letting your child eat larger food items where you can't monitor their chewing. Otherwise, this little number is great for anything from snack time at the park to a quick meal before preschool. Just wash out the containers when you get home, and pack it for the next busy day!
2. Formula Feeding and All It Entails
It's no secret that formula feeding has it's inconveniences, it's hard to whip a ready-made bottle out like you can a boob. Or can you? Lots of new bottle designs provide ways to make formula mixing quick and easy, like the Mixie bottles that let you combine separate compartments of warmed water and formula with the push of a button.
Mixie 8 oz bottle
When you're at your nephew's preschool Christmas program, there's not always a tap nearby with trustworthy water that you can get to the right temperature. But, bringing a tupperware or separate bottle full of water is a royal pain, not to mention finding a place to combine the ingredients and hoping they mix properly. With a bottle that holds it all for you and mixes all on its own, you've got peace of mind and a well-made snack for the babe so you don't have to miss your nephew's beautiful vocal solo, ahem. If you need to keep breastmilk cold on-the-go, consider using a cold pack that doubles as a toy for optimal child entertainment value.
3. Troublesome/Messy Baby Food
As great as baby food is, it's a very tricky stage to be in. You may still be breastfeeding or using formula to balance out your baby's diet, but either way, that's a lot of messy things to pack up each time you go out. Getting baby food from container to your baby's mouth is even more of a challenge on-the-go, but don't get too down about it. My absolute favorite on-the-go feeding tool is my Boon Squirt Baby Food Dispensing Spoon, because it has a cap to secure all that food until you need it.
Boon Squirt Baby Food Dispensing Spoon
Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about this Squirt spoon. Instead of packing spoons, bibs, jars of baby food, etc., I only have to bring along this spoon packed with food and the cap tightly in place. When it's time to feed, I simply remove the cap and squeeze small amounts of food right into my baby's mouth. Easy as pie, except it's baby food.
4. Leaky Sippy Cups and Bottles
Most moms always pack some sort of bottle or sippy cup along for the ride. But we've all suffered the consequences of a sippy cup with a leaky spout or a loose lid on a bottle or kid's cup. Also, can I just say that washing sippy cups is also ridiculously time consuming? And I never seem to have enough sippy cups, either. Thankfully this vicious cycle has come to an end because I'm getting the Boon Snugs for Christmas!
These lovely contraptions let you turn any old cup into a sippy, and with one magical piece of silicone, you can slip it on and off and throw it in the dishwasher for one-step washing. Seriously so cool---thank you Santa Claus!