Pack a snack you already trust
In the car, pack a food they have eaten many times. A moving child and a brand-new food is a hard combination.
Save new foods for a table
Keep pieces soft and small enough for their age. Save new foods for a table, where you can see them eat.
You cannot watch a chew well from the front seat. The car is for a food you already trust.
What to pack
A familiar soft fruit, bread if wheat is fine, or a food from breakfast. Pack more than one piece if the trip is long.
Skip whole grapes, nuts, popcorn, and hard raw carrot in a moving car. Those shapes are easy to choke on at this age.
If they are still hungry on arrival
The trusted snack can be the start of the meal at the other end. You do not owe the journey a new menu.
If an allergy makes the only available food unsafe, skip it. Use a safe food as soon as you can.
A sentence you can say
“Here is the banana you know.”