A trip to the grocery store with kids can be a long and challenging ordeal. To keep the peace, many parents will resort to a time-honored tradition. They will buy a special, car-ride-only snack to reward their children for their good behavior. These snacks are a powerful form of bribery. They are so tempting and so easy to eat that they are often completely gone before the car has even left the grocery store parking lot. Here are eight of these famously fast-disappearing snacks.
1. Goldfish Crackers
The small, cheesy, fish-shaped crackers from Pepperidge Farm are the ultimate kid-friendly snack. They are the perfect size for a toddler’s small hands. A small, single-serving bag of Goldfish is often the go-to reward for a successful shopping trip. The bag is almost always empty by the time the car gets home.
2. Fruit Snacks
Fruit snacks are another classic kid-pleaser. The small pouches of gummy, fruit-flavored treats are a perfect, self-contained snack. While they are often more candy than fruit, they are a very effective tool for keeping a child happy on the ride home. The entire pouch is usually gone in a matter of minutes.
3. The Free Cookie from the Bakery
The free cookie from the bakery is a legendary and beloved grocery store tradition. Many bakeries will give a free sugar cookie to any child who asks for one. This special treat is often consumed before the child has even made it to the front of the store. It is a powerful and very effective way for the store to build a lot of goodwill with families.
4. Animal Crackers
The small, circus-themed box of animal crackers is a nostalgic and very popular snack for young children. The fun shapes and the lightly sweet flavor make them a huge hit. The small size of the box means that a child can easily finish the entire thing on the short walk from the store to the car.
5. Apple Sauce Pouches
The squeezable apple sauce pouch is a modern marvel of convenient, kid-friendly packaging. It allows a child to eat the apple sauce without a spoon and with very little mess. This makes it the perfect snack for the car ride home. The pouch is designed for quick and easy consumption, and it is usually gone in a flash.
6. Juice Boxes
A juice box is the classic, kid-friendly beverage. It is the perfect, single-serving size, and the straw makes it easy to drink in the car without spilling. A juice box is the go-to way to rehydrate a thirsty child after a long shopping trip. It is often the first thing to be consumed from the grocery bags.
7. A Sleeve of Crackers
For a slightly older child, a sleeve of a classic cracker, like a Ritz or a Club cracker, is a great car snack. The parent can just open the sleeve and hand it to the back seat. The salty, buttery flavor of the crackers makes them very easy to eat. The entire sleeve is gone by the end of the ride home.
8. A Single Banana
For a healthier but still very effective car-ride snack, a single banana is a great choice. It comes in its own, natural packaging. Another plus is it is easy for a child to peel and eat on their own. Additionally, it is a quick and mess-free way to give a hungry child a healthy and satisfying treat.
The Parking Lot Picnic
The “parking lot snack” is a small but very important part of the modern parenting experience. It is a tool for survival. It is a way to reward a child’s patience and to prevent a post-shopping meltdown. The rapid disappearance of these snacks is a testament to their power. They are the small, delicious bribe that gets a family through the final, most difficult leg of the grocery store journey.
What is your go-to “car ride home” snack for your kids? What is the one treat you know will always be gone before you pull into the driveway? Let us know!
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The post 8 Snacks That Disappear Before Kids Leave the Parking Lot appeared first on Grocery Coupon Guide.
