HOW TO STOP SIBLING ROAD TRIP FIGHTS USING BENTO-STYLE SNACK BOXES
Road trips are fun until the sibling fighting and tantrums start. Picture this - you’re 30 minutes into a 4 hour drive and a fight breaks out in the backseat because someone touched someone else’s bag of pretzels. Just using snack bags or large communal bags of snacks can lead to fighting, difficulty sharing, and constantly asking for “more snacks” or “I don’t like this one.” Big bags of snacks mean that spills are more likely, and who wants to deal with a bunch of crushed up crackers on the floor of the car?!
Let me introduce a better strategy - Bento-style snacking for road trips! Prepping a Bento-box style of snack means that each kid gets their own, visually appealing, full-of-variety box. No more fighting over who’s turn it is to hold the bag of popcorn! Each kids is in charge of their own box, and trust me, this makes all the difference in the world.
There are lots of tools out there that can accomplish this style of snacking, and we took all of the best parts of each of them to design our Mothercould Snack Box Sets. These are made specifically for situations like these - you need a variety of snacks, nicely contained, easy to access for kids, and that’s visually stimulating so kids are excited about snack time. I’ll show you exactly why these are the best choice for your road trip snacking, and how to fill them for maximum snack excitement for your kids.
The “Why” Behind Backseat Bickering
We all know that snacks can be a trigger for sibling fights. This can be heightened by being in a small space, like the backseat of the car, where it’s impossible to simply walk away if you’re frustrated or need a break. Kids don’t feel like they have personal space, they don’t feel like the snack situation is “fair,” they’re bored… so many reasons why this could be an issue.
Eating snacks out of an open bag means that they’ll be finished faster and bored faster. The Bento-style snacking forces kids to slow down, and turns snack time into an activity. Giving each child their own snack tray eliminates the “it’s my turn” and “he got more than me,” because kids can only see their own box that’s in front of them.
Setting Up the Snack System - Step-by-Step
Step 1: Color Code and Personalize
Assign a specific Mothercould Snack Box color to each child. (Choose from yellow, purple, pink, blue, and clear!) Use the dissolvable labels to write their name on the box. (Or let them decorate the sticker labels on the box!)
Step 2: Plan the Compartments
The snack boxes have adjustable compartments to fit a wide variety of snacks. Add or take away dividers to make spaces for each snack. It’s great to have different food groups represented in each box, for example you could do one protein source, two crunchy snacks, two fruits or veggies, and one fun treat.
Step 3: Establish the Boundaries
Setting up clear boundaries for the snacks can help minimize the tantrums. For example, the rule could be that the kids get the snack boxes whenever they want, but if they empty a compartment then it doesn’t get filled with something else until the next rest stop. Clear rules help kids understand the expectations, and will help eliminate the constant questions and “I want more” comments.
3 Balanced Snack Box Mixes for Kids
You can fill your Mothercould Snack Boxes in any way that your kids like! Here are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
A “Fine Motor Skills” Box: Encourage slow, deliberate eating with lots of small items that kids have to use their pincer grasp to take out. Fill the box with blueberries, cheese cubes, pretzel sticks, cereal, raisins, and nuts.
Sweet & Salty Crunch: Lots of kids enjoy the sensory input from crunchy snacks! Fill this box with apple slices, dark chocolate chips, mini rice cakes, pumpkin seeds, and parmesan crisps.
Protein Power: Finding a healthy meal during a road trip can be tricky. Packing a protein box can help keep kids full with good food! Fill this box with a hard boiled egg, rolled turkey slices, a meat stick cut into small pieces, cucumber and hummus.
Why the Mothercould Snack Box Stands Out
There are lots of choices when it comes to snack storage. We have tried a ton of options, took all of our favorite parts of each one, and created our snack boxes. They are a community favorite, a tried-and-true snack solution.
Adjustable Compartments: There are 8 sections in the small size and 18 in the large size. The adjustable dividers make it easy to customize the size of each compartment. They prevent foods from touching or getting soggy, and we all know that toddlers don’t like their foods getting yucky!
Food-Grade Plastic: The material is BPA-free and food-grade plastic. It’s durable, non-toxic, and top-rack dishwasher safe for easy, post-trip clean up. The labels are dissolvable, so just run them under some warm water and watch them disappear! Each set comes with 100 labels so you can personalize the boxes over and over again.
Travel-Friendly Size: The boxes are slim with strong locking clips. They fit seamlessly into car seat pockets, a purse, diaper bag, and even the Mothercould Kids Travel Organizer.
There are so many things that need to be done to prepare for a road trip - packing everyone’s clothes, activities for the car, toys, toiletries, etc. Making sure that you have a good snack system in place is just as important as packing everyone’s toothbrushes, in my opinion! A good system will reduce tantrums, help prevent sibling fights, and keep kids entertained in the back seat. Using a Bento-style snack box will not only keep fighting to a minimum (everyone has their own box!) but it’ll give your kids a variety of snacks that they can independently open and manage. Turn a chaotic drive into a stress-free adventure day with smart travel snack prep!
Ready for the most peaceful road trip yet? (At least less fighting over snacks!) Grab your Mothercould Snack Box Set and start prepping your peaceful backseat!