![]() Substitute cucumber, pepper or zucchini sticks. Note: Children under 4 years should not be given celery or raw carrot sticks. Cream cheese bagel, celery and carrot sticks and dip, orange wedges, plums.Soup in a thermos, crackers and cheese, box of raisins.Cream cheese on banana bread or pita, yogurt, peaches.Mini-rice cakes with cream cheese, broccoli, cheese chunks.Turkey cubes, crackers and cheese, apple slices. ![]() Cheese and apple slices on cinnamon raisin bread, yogurt.Hummus on pita bread with sprouts, carrot sticks, blueberries.Tortilla wrapped around cheese sticks, cucumber sticks and dip.Bran muffins, small yogurt, strawberries.Mild salsa and chips, red and green pepper sticks, cheese sticks, cut grapes.Mini bagels with pizza sauce and cheese or peanut butter (soy nut butter or sunflower seed butter are good substitutes if your childs school is nut-free), melon pieces.Many daycare centers, preschools and schools are nut-free, so be sure to keep that in mind when packing school lunches. When making food choices for children, or guiding them to make their own healthy choices, be aware of food allergies and choking hazards for younger children. You can pack the usual sandwich and add vegetables and dip instead of chips, or put in half of the child’s usual sandwich and add half of something new. Try making gradual changes towards a healthier lunch. Although its often more expensive, many individual serving foods like pretzel sticks, applesauce, cheese sticks or cubes, vegetable dips and yogurt are healthy, easy to pack, and attractive to children. Most of us pack too much food in our child’s lunch box and children tend to eat the "sweet stuff" first. Let your child make choices about soup, bread, sandwich spreads and fillings, fruit, and vegetables. The best way to encourage our children to eat healthy is to make them part of menu planning and food shopping. Sure, it looks simple and easy, but how do we get our children to actually eat the healthy lunch we pack? Putting the lunch box, ice packs, and water thermos back in the bag is easy enough for a 5-year-old.Healthy packing doesnt always mean healthy eating. Time to pack up! I’ve told my girls numerous times to put that lid back on securely in case a little bit of yogurt is left in there. I told her the cucumbers’ and carrots’ feelings were hurt because she wasn’t picking them, and it worked. All Done! I am pretty sure she only ate all of the veggies because I was there encouraging her. Full disclosure-apparently this is what happens to the lid when there is yogurt on it! LOL 7. ![]() ![]() :) One thing I love about this lunch box is that it doesn’t take her long to open only one lid during an already short lunch period. Mixing her granola into her yogurt and starting to chow down. The jumbo (yellow) muffin cup is tall enough to touch the lid so dry items stay in that spot. The lid is leak-proof so each food stays securely in its own compartment (if the lid is shut properly). Time to dig in-as you can see I pack these lunches with 4 small ice packs in an insulated lunch bag. The lunch bag sits upright when it’s clipped to her backpack and when she carries it to the lunchroom. How my kindergartner’s lunch looked like right after I packed it. So when I was having lunch with my daughter at school (and risking looking like a lunatic), I took a bunch of pictures for you! :) 1. Let’s face it, no child keeps their lunch bag or box in one perfect position all day, and that is certainly something I would never expect of my own children. I’ve gotten quite a few questions asking what these carefully prepared lunches actually look like come lunchtime-especially after they’ve been tossed all around while in my kids’ backpacks and since “liquidy” foods like yogurt or applesauce are involved. What Do Packed Lunches Look Like by Lunchtime? ![]()
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