We’re a few weeks into the new preschool year. For me and the boys, it’s the third year at the same place. All the same rules and several familiar faces make it easier for us to get back in the swing of things. With the exception of drop-offs that seem to last for an hour, regressive tantrums for no apparent reason, and the intense demands of a waste-free lunch program, things are peachy keen.
Until we start kindergarten next year and reach for the holy grail of the “Healthy School-provided Lunch” I’m still packing a lunchbox. Every Day. Two of ‘em.
There are gobs of clever websites and resources to provide inspiration. We love Wendolonia’s bento project for starters. She seems to have boundless ideas and creative energy to apply toward her son’s lunch (pictured below).
Preschool Bento photo by Wendy Copley
For those of you packing lunchboxes and snacks for the first time, allow me to offer some tips learned on the front lines:
Easier lunchbox planning/shopping:
- Involve your kids in the planning. If you can get your kid to suggest a healthy lunch, odds are, she will actually eat it. In our house, Holden is boycotting jelly so I give him a PB sandwich with no J. He will also eat a hard-boiled egg as long as I provide a little salt to go with it (and promise not to draw on the shell – I thought it was cute but he didn’t want to break the drawing).
- Shop for foods that will last all week and prioritize to use the freshest ones first (blueberries and baby carrots should last but raspberries might need to be used right away).
- Stock up on healthy non-perishables. I keep these foods on hand for when the fresh foods are starting to turn: almonds, raisins, rice cakes, wheat crackers, canned pumpkin (sprinkle cinnamon, include a spoon!), and granola.
- Make ahead what you can so you can streamline the packing process (savory muffins, hard-boiled eggs, half-sandwich for tomorrow?)
Easier lunchbox packing:
- Pack lunchboxes the night before to save time in the morning.
- Choose a variety of protein, carbohydrate, fruit, and fat.
- Balance a variety of colors.
- Avoid cookies and sugary treats. I’m sure I sound crazy, but if you don’t offer them, the kids won’t expect them.
And then just don’t worry about it. Sometimes these beautiful lunchboxes come home empty and I feel like a supermom. Other times, I see almost everything come back untouched.
I have come to realize that whether or not the food is eaten has more to do with the whims/hungers of the boys than my care and attention to lunch assembly. They tend to eat voraciously well about Every Other Meal regardless of what’s on the menu.
Here’s one of my less artful (than Wendy) masterpieces:
Two lunchboxes ready to go
I was proud of this array of lunch options because it was a rare occasion when they did not get exactly the same thing. Holden got a little seaweed salad and Milo got some veggie booty. Holden was tired of the sandwich so he got a tortilla with cheese and avocado. Both boys got watermelon.
Whether you’re proud or hanging your head, what do you put in your child’s lunchbox?
See also, what to feed a picky toddler!
You’re too kind! Those lunches you showed were full of things I’d like to try on my kids but never have. Seaweed salad? Awesome. I also love the pumpkin idea! I absolutely need to give that one a go. W loves pumpkin pie, so maybe if I spin it that way he’ll be willing to try it.
Thanks for the links!
Your post titles crack me up. I don’t know where else you can find “kickass” and “preschool lunchbox” in the same sentence.
Canned pumpkin with cinnamon… genius!
[...] @wcopley, you saw this, right? http://www.rookiemoms.com/lunchbox-packing-ideas/ [...]
I love the pumpkin idea as well. Little kids love to dip and I refuse to get my tot hooked on ranch dressing (there’s plenty of time for him to figure that one out on his own). Pumpkin is great for dipping crackers and even apple slices. I also love putting it in my french toast batter to shake things up a bit.
I want to know where you find the cute tupperware containers!
what is a waste-free lunch requirement? that sounds intimidating. my son goes to preschool but only for three hours so I don’t have to pack him a lunch, we eat here at home (thank goodness).
do you really think school lunches will be better than all that good stuff you packed from home? I ate school lunches growing up (so much easier!!), but these days I hear conflicting reports about the quality of the food under constantly-strained school budgets.
I’m with you on the dropoff thing. why does it need to take so long?
Leslie, The lunch container I use is called “Laptop Lunchbox” and its great. You can find it at Whole Foods and online. When you buy it, it comes with a terrific booklet with more lunch ideas.
Erin, “waste-free” means that there are no little wrappers and packages to throw away. Individual packages of yogurt, cheese sticks, or even the sandwich bags we all grew up with are ruled out.
Yep, our preschool has the same waste-free policy. They take it one step further, no plastic containers. It takes some creativity to organize a well-balanced meal, but you get used to it. Organizing the little meal is part of the fun. We use a stainless steel oval container similar to the “LapTop Lunchbox” style ( ours are from GoLunchAround.com http://tinyurl.com/yal59a8) The school’s no plastic rule, made it a little challenging to find a way to pack along a yougart. Go figure? It’s the one thing my son eats without fail. We started buying larger containers of yougart and pouring his serving in a small container, rather than buying the individual yougart serving cups. I’m not sure why that was such a stretch for my brain, but for some reason it took a lot of thought
What do we put in our kiddo’s lunchbox besides yougart? Typically, it’s leftovers from the previous night’s main course. Luckily, he doesn’t seem to mind too much. And thankfully, school is willing to reheat the meal. On the days when there are no left overs to leverage, I slip back to the days of my own childhood and send him with a PB&J on wheat.
thanks again for sharing your lunch box experience. It’s so great to hear that I’m not the only one getting half eaten lunches back at the end of the day.
I also just discovered Sunbutter, a peanut butter alternative made from sunflower seeds. It’s perfect for kids with nut allergies, but also good for school lunches where nuts aren’t allowed. I made some sammies from whole wheat bread and homemade jam and my son devoured two, he loved it so much. Being a peanut butter fanatic, I enjoyed it quite a lot too.
Your SunButter discovery may come in handy when kids get to elementary school, since many of them don’t allow peanut butter because of the prevalence of allergies. As a designated blogger for SunButter, I have been trying some of the recipes on their site. Summer might be a fun time to try some with the kids. Feel free to post those attempts on the blog.
Mimi the Sardine, LunchBots, and Fabkins have teamed up to make a waste-free lunchkit as well, with an organic acrylic-coated cotton lunchbug (machine washable, made in the USA), 2 stainless steel containers, and 2 organic cotton napkins. They work great for those requirements and because they’re adorable, durable, and safe!
Lisa, that’s good news. Do you know if the Lunchbots are dishwasher-safe?
[...] Basics for Back-to-School hip2save.com: How Do YOU Pack a “Hip” Lunch? rookiemoms.com: How to pack a kickass preschool lunchbox empoweringmommy.com: What to pack in your child’s lunchbox? Possibly related posts: [...]
Loooove the pumpkin idea… for myself!
Sounds great!
I give my preschooler “lunch pancakes” — balanced (protein/carb/veg), easy, and fun for a kid who loves pancakes. They’re made with eggs and leftovers, basically. I just posted the recipe.
[...] made a fruit salad of apples, peaches, strawberries (half of which went into their lunchboxes for the next day). I discovered that Milo avoided the apples and Holden avoided the peaches. [...]
Okay, my 3-yr old is not eating what he is being offered at school (not that it’s the best of options anyway). So I am going to start packing a lunch. Found this looking for inspiration. Love the ideas, but am wondering…what do you do for the drink? I’d love to find a thermos or something that I know will keep milk cold until lunchtime, but am skeptical. Suggestions?
Beverage? How about water in a stainless jug?
I’m in NZ and the preschool my toddler attends encourages waste free packaging, but are happy to deal with throw-away as well. I use sistema containers and clip seal plastics bags which they are happy with. This child is number four, so you’d think I would be an old hand at this, but I struggle with ideas. My daughter isn’t so keen on bread unless it’s daddy’s sandwhich, then she’s a hoover!! So I pften cook her a peice of fish, or pack baked beans, which the staff are happy to heat up (they will heat anything up for you). Avacado, cottage cheese, steamed broccoli, sliced green beans, cold cuts of meat, hummus, sliced soft cheeses, (all with side of crackers), any leftovers from the night before dinners that can be re-heated like lasagne, shepard’s pie, etc and also things like rice and pasta. I try different fruits that I know she loves at home, but the only fruit she will eat at preschool is banana. I do take milk along sometimes which the staff put in the fridge, but generally all the kiddies have water. They do a “grazing” system from 9:30 am on, which is so good for preschoolers, so she can go and eat whenever she peckish. Hope these ideas help any strugglers.
[...] summer preschool. If you’re still itching for more, visit these great links I found through The Rookie Moms: Wendolonia’s bento project and Laptop [...]