When we travel with our baby, we’ve learned that being near a grocery store is pretty crucial. This goes both for us as parents (because we need snacks, even if our baby only drinks milk!), and after our child starts solids.

Being near a supermarket while traveling as a family means a lifeline to snacks, forgotten items, urgent needs and daily food. Of course, we like to dine in restaurants, but for our baby/toddler, having access to a variety of foods we can prepare is invaluable.

Here are our tips for planning grocery trips and meals for your baby or toddler while on your trip.

Look up supermarkets beforehand

How do we find supermarkets for our destination, even before we leave? We use Google Maps to search for grocery stores or supermarkets before the trip.

Reminder that when we write the full guide, to screen cap how to do this in Google Maps. The find nearby feature.

You can create “stars” on your Google Map, so you can prepare for the distance away from your accommodation. The stars are useful because they give you quick access to know how to navigate to the store if you’re out and about (and usually, we are!).

When we were in Mexico, we were out to lunch and wanted to stop by the store on the way home for a nap. We were quickly able to choose the star and navigate there first, and know how long it would take us without too much effort.

Helpful Tip

It may even be helpful to make grocery lists based on what you, your partner and your baby or toddler like to eat—things you hope to find while on your trip.

Or, plan to stay in accommodation near a grocery store

We’re never too opposed to staying as close to a supermarket as possible when we travel. We visited a grocery store in Mexico City probably 3 or 4 times during a 7-day trip, as we wanted to keep introducing our toddler to new food choices!

In cities, this is usually quite easy. When you’re staying in wilderness, at beaches or in rural communities, it can get trickier. You can always ask your hotel concierge or vacation rental host about recommended stores, before you arrive.

Load up on groceries on day 1

When we travel with our child, it’s customary for us to land, go to where we’re staying, and go to the nearest grocery store so that we have snacks at the ready for our baby or toddler!

If your child is on a fully-milk diet (4 months and younger, approx.), you may need baby formula from the nearest supermarket, OR, filtered/bottled/spring water by the gallons (for international travel). Having a pure water source, even if traveling domestically, is a must, when you’re with a baby.

When we were in Mexico, we probably got 2 or 3 liters of water every day for all 3 of us. Had we not been near a store, that would have been hard to carry around on a daily basis because we walked everywhere with our stroller.

Plan a loose meal schedule for expectations

For babies eating solid food, and toddlers: this could be eating breakfast at “home” (hotel or vacation rental) every day, lunch out at a restaurant, and dinner prepared or cooked at your accommodation.

If you want to be eating local food, pick up restaurant meals before you head in for the night, as you go to prepare your baby’s dinner. If you plan to be out at restaurants for every single meal, make sure you have some baby food backups in the diaper bag, in case your child rejects what’s on your plate and his or hers.

During most of our trips with a baby eating solid food: we know that every day we’ll need breakfast foods, followed by coffee/juices at a cafe (for us), lunch at a restaurant (followed by a nap) and then dinner picked up or cooked at our room with all our groceries, for us and our child. This is what worked when traveling with a 20-month-old.

Plan to buy snacks locally before the plane ride

Snacks for the plane ride can be its own topic! Airports certainly won’t have all types of food available, especially baby and toddler favorites.

Our idea is: keep an empty tote bag available for packaged snacks, baby food or any snacks you still have from home, for the trip back. This is part of how to survive plane travel with a toddler!

We had no problems with a giant tote bag filled with snacks during our rounds through security both in New York and in Mexico, Colombia and Canada.

Helpful Tip

Grocery stores will have unbeatable prices compared with the selection you’ll find at an airport or even a rest area (on road trips).

Stop at the grocery store as an activity

As your infant starts recognizing fruits and vegetables, along with other foods, going to supermarkets can be fun! We always tend to work in a supermarket trip as an activity, either before dinner, or before we go back to the hotel for a nap.

Depending on how far you traveled from home, the food for sale may be different, which can always be an adventure! And as your child grows older and more verbal, they may want to choose the snacks, or flavors, to bring home.

While many things on a vacation are once-in-a-lifetime experiences and bucket list activities, grocery trips will always be thrilling for little ones (or for you).