Great Airplane Snacks for Toddlers & Kids for Happy Flying

Are you looking for the best airplane snacks for toddlers and kids?

This post is packed with great ideas for the best travel snacks — delicious, healthy, satisfying snacks to give toddlers and kids on a flight. 

No one wants to be hungry when they’re traveling, and no one wants to travel with hungry toddlers or kids.

These days, you can’t expect to get great snacks on a flight, even on long flights!

If you do get a snack or a meal on your flight, there’s no guarantee your toddler will like the food or that the airline snack will be large enough to satisfy your child’s hunger. 

To prevent your children being hungry and cranky, take snacks on the plane. 

If you plan ahead and bring your own toddler- and kid-friendly snacks on your next flight, you can:

• Offer healthy travel snacks
• Have the right snacks you know your kids will like
• Save money by avoiding expensive airport food
• Save time at the airport by shopping at the grocery store or on Amazon before your flight

To be prepared, it’s a good idea to pack plenty of snacks for toddlers and kids when you fly. 

But what kid snacks will travel well on a plane? What snacks will your toddler want to eat when flying? 

As a mom of three, I have a lot of experience traveling with young children. And I’ve packed an unbelievable number of snacks for my kids! So I know what snacks are good for kids and toddlers to eat when flying!

Here’s some in-flight snack inspiration to help you get ready for the next time you fly with your toddler! 

This list of the best airplane snacks for toddlers and kids will give you plenty of easy snack ideas! You’ll be ready to pack delicious air travel snacks your children (and whole family) will love!

Best Airplane Snacks for Toddlers and Kids

Best Fruit Snacks for Toddlers and Kids on a Plane

Fruit makes a great snack for toddlers on a flight. Fresh fruit is sweet, filling, and hydrating, with lots of health benefits. Just be sure to fruit into small pieces so it’s safe for toddlers to eat. 

• Cut up grapes and strawberries
• Apple slices — toss them with a little lemon juice and they won’t brown!
• Bananas to peel and cut when needed
• Clementines
• Fruit puree in pouches
• Applesauce pouches
• Fresh blueberries 
• Raisins
• Freeze-dried fruit

Best Veggie Snacks for Kids on Toddlers on Flights

Vegetables are excellent healthy snacks. Packing vegetables as snacks is a way to ensure your toddler doesn’t have too much sugar when traveling. Cut veggies into small pieces, so they aren’t a choking hazard.

• Carrot sticks or baby carrots
• Sliced or diced cucumber
• Bell peppers sliced into thin strips or diced
• Freeze-dried vegetables

Best Protein-based Snacks for Kids and Toddlers on a Plane

Protein-rich foods are a great option when traveling with toddlers. 

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Yogurt tubes
• Protein bars
• Chomps mini sticks (beef jerky or turkey jerky)
• String cheese sticks
• Babybel cheese
• Cheese cubes

Best Crunchy Travel Snacks for Toddlers and Kids 

Crunchy snacks are a great idea for plane travel. Crackers, chips, and other crunchy foods are simply a perfect snack!

• Potato chips — Pringles is the best brand of potato chips to take on a flight because the tubular container protects them and makes them easy to pack. 
• Veggie straws and veggie chips
• Cheerios
• Rice Chex
• Pretzel sticks and knots
• Pirate’s Booty
• Whole grain crackers
• Rice cakes
• Popcorn
• Homemade nut-free trail mix
• Crispy rice rolls
• Goldfish crackers
• Annie’s bunny crackers
• Nut-free granola bars

Best Mini-Meals for Toddlers and Kids when Flying

The best toddler airplane snacks are ones that keep small bellies full for a long time. Mini-meals are a perfect snack, because they’re filling!

• Bagel and Cream Cheese
• Turkey or ham sandwiches or wraps
• Fruit and cheese kabobs
• Hummus with pita bread, carrots, celery, and peppers
• Instant oatmeal cups — ask the flight attendant for hot water. Be sure the oatmeal cools before giving it to your child. Add some dried fruit for extra vitamins and more flavor. 
• Mini waffles — toast freezer waffles and let them cool before you pack them. 

Best Treats for Kids and Toddlers on a Plane

When traveling with toddlers, I wouldn’t worry too much about only handing out the healthiest snacks. I’d also pack some special snacks that are treats, things that you don’t often give your child.

I recommend that you bring special snacks with you on the plane for a few reasons:

1. You’re traveling. The most important thing is to get through this experience with your nerves intact. 
2. It’s OK to have treats. Great airplane snacks keep kids full, entertained, and happy. Treats can be part of that equation.
3. I’m not above bribery, and if your toddler is screaming their head off at 20,000 feet, I bet you won’t be either. 

Pack the special snacks separately from the regular snacks so that they will be an exciting surprise when you pull them out later in the trip, when you really need a good distraction for your toddler. 

Here are some special snacks that make great treats when flying with a toddler:

• Lollipops — the best option to help relieve ear discomfort due to changes in air pressure during takeoff and landing. We love this brand the best.
• Animal crackers
• Annie’s bunny graham crackers
• Mini-muffins — you can bake these yourself a day or two before you fly, or buy these
• Fruit snacks — try my middle daughter’s favorite brand
• Fruit leather
• Gummy bears
• M&Ms
• Skittles
• Oreos
• Clif Bars Z bars for kids

Snacks NOT to take on a plane with toddlers

Many people deal with food allergies on a daily basis. While it’s challenging to avoid allergens in everyday life, it’s much harder to do so on a plane, when you’re at the mercy of other passengers. 

Out of respect for your fellow passengers who might have a nut allergy, I encourage you to avoid packing snacks with tree nuts or peanuts when flying.  Don’t take these snacks on a plane:

• Packages of nuts
• Packages of trail mix with nuts
• Peanut butter sandwich crackers
• Peanut butter cups

Even if there isn’t anyone on your flight with a peanut or nut allergy, the flight attendants will appreciate your thoughtfulness!

Best Drinks for Kids on a Plane

Bring an empty water bottle through the airport security checkpoint. Fill it with water after you clear security. Then pour the water into a sippy cup for your child to use. 

If your child is past the sippy cup stage, use toddler-sized water bottles instead.

Skip juice and sweet drinks on a plane. If they spill, your child will be a sticky mess. 

Best containers for packing snacks on an airplane

There are so many cute ways you can pack snacks for a flight! I recommend serving snacks in individual portions as the best way to avoid food going to waste or having a huge mess if the container spills.

The best toddler snack containers require toddlers to practice their fine motor skills!These toddler snack containers are my favorite: 

• Toddler-friendly cups to hold dry snacks, like the munchkin Snack Catcher snack cups
• Reusable snack bags
• Pack snacks in a snackle box. Think fishing tackle box meets pill case meets lunch box. Fill each section with a different snack item.

You can give older children access to all their snacks at once, perhaps in a gallon-sized ziploc plastic bag, to budget for the whole trip. For younger children, it’s probably best to give one snack at a time, and alternate between a variety of snacks. 

Tips for bringing snacks on a plane

Bring a plate with suction to stick onto the tray table.

Wet wipes are a great way to wash your toddler’s hands before and after they eat. 

Bring a packet of sanitizing wipes to clean the tray table, arm rests, window–anything on the plane your toddler will touch!

If you’re packing snacks that need to be refrigerated, don’t forget to add an icepack. Give your toddler those snacks to eat first. 

Pack plenty of snacks that can be at room temperature, so they’ll stay fresh throughout a long travel day.

Try new snacks at home first, so if your child doesn’t like it, you’ll know not to bring it on your trip. 

FAQs about snacks on planes

Is it OK to bring my own snacks on a plane? 

Yes, you can bring your own snacks on a plane. Frankly, these days, you should plan to bring lots of snacks on a flight, whether you’re traveling with toddlers, little kids, or older kids. 

What food or snacks can I expect to get on the plane? 

You might get a small bag of pretzels or cookies on domestic flights. It’s not going to be enough for a hungry toddler. 

On long-haul flights, you can expect to be served meals, but your kids might not like the food.

Can I bring liquid or gel snacks for my toddler on a plane?

Yes, you can bring liquids and gel type foods for toddlers on a plane. 

Specifically, from the TSA website, TSA regulations state:
“Formula, breast milk, toddler drinks and baby/toddler food (to include puree pouches) in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters are allowed in carry-on baggage and do not need to fit within a quart-sized bag. Formula, breast milk, toddler drinks, baby/toddler food (to include puree pouches) are considered medically necessary liquids. This also applies to breast milk and formula cooling accessories, such as ice packs, freezer packs and gel packs (regardless of presence of breast milk).“

When you go through the airport security screening, you’ll just need to tell the TSA officer that you are carrying baby food or toddler food and drinks in excess of 3.4 ounces.

Take everything out of your carry-on bags so it can be screened separately from your other possessions. A TSA agent might test the liquids or conduct additional screening.  

To make the process easier and quicker, pack all the toddler food together in a separate bag or packing cube, so it all stays together. 

Can I buy  snacks at the airport?

You can, but here are some reasons you won’t want to buy toddler travel snacks at the airport:

Given all that, your best option might be to pack your own snacks when flying with your children. 

How many snacks should I bring on a flight with my kids?

Now that you’re ready to pack the perfect airplane snack, how much should you take? The amount of kids snacks to bring on plane depends on several factors. Consider:

• How picky is your kid? If your child will only eat a certain brand of crackers and one type of cheese, you’d better bring enough to make it to your final destination. 

• Are you going on a short trip or a long trip? Calculate how many snacks and meals your child is likely to want over the duration of your flight. 

• Do you have enough if your flight gets delayed? You want to pack reasonable quantities of snacks for your kids, so you aren’t trying to fit your whole pantry in the confined space allotted to your carry-on bag. But you also want to have enough great toddler snacks in case you miss a connecting flight or have a long delay. 

Final Thoughts on the Best Travel Snacks for Toddlers and Kids

Choosing the best snacks for airplane travel with toddlers and young kids can help ensure you have a pleasant flight. 

If you pack filling, convenient, and mess-free options, you can keep your little one full, even during a long flight, layovers, and another flight. 

Packing plenty of snacks will save you from being at the mercy of flight delays, closed airport restaurants, and overpriced airport snack shops. 

Of course, customize this list of the best snacks for kids and toddlers on a flight to your children’s preferences, dietary restrictions, and age. 

With these great flight snack ideas and some planning, traveling with your children will be so much easier and less stressful! 

You’ll find that having a well-stocked snack bag with you on your flight will keep your child from getting hungry and help prevent some of the crankiness that comes with flying. Remember to throw in some snacks for yourself as well!

If your toddler’s favorite airplane snacks aren’t on this list, email me and let me know what they are!

And one last thing — this post is all about great toddler snacks for flights, but all of these snacks are great for road trips, too!

Bon voyage — have a great flight with your toddler!