Packing Kids' Lunches
Berkeley Parents Network >
Advice >
Eating >
Packing Kids' Lunches
Feb 2006
What do your high schoolers do for lunch?
My son is a freshman at AHS. I feel he is old enough to
make his own lunch and bring it to school (I supply plenty
of sandwich making food and good snacks. Choice is not a
problem. He could make his lunch at night before bed.
He has done this on occasion.
Mostly he wants to go out and buy lunch with his friends.
He uses his allowance for some of this but at $5-$10 per
day, maybe 3 or 4 days per week his allowance doesn't
cover, especially if he's spent money on other things.
I'm wondering how other families deal with this issue.
If I made his lunches, he'd be happy to take lunch. I make
his lunch sometimes, but I really think he should.
Any input on this would be appreciated.
In past years he either got great hot lunches at school or
brought his own that mostly I made. Thanks,
made my own lunches in HS
I, too, made my own lunch, from age 10 on. But my husband
thinks our sons (both seniors in HS) will eat better if he
makes their lunches - so he does, and they do. I remind
him that they are certainly old enough to make their own,
but he has the time and enjoys doing it. According to our
sons, their friends who buy their lunches, are envious of
the homemade lunches. Ours have never bought school
lunches. Too expensive! But, they are pretty lazy; I'm
not sure they'd make their own!
Another mom
My youngest just left for college, so I am writing in the
past tense. The deal we had in high school was I made his
lunch every day. If I didn't feel like making it, I gave
him money to buy lunch. If he wanted to eat out with his
friends, he paid for it out of his money. Because I did the
food shopping and made most of the meals, I knew what we had
on hand and could assemble interesting lunches quickly. I
also know he could have made his own lunch but it gave me
pleasure to know, that no matter what else was happening in
the world, my son had a healthy and good tasting lunch
which I had prepared for him.
Janet
It got to be a bit of a family joke (especially when my
daughter announced in church that she was thankful for her
mother who made her lunch everyday) but I made lunches until
my kids graduated from high school. If it's any
reassurance, both kids (now 22 and 20) are able to cook and
do make their own lunches. :-) (well, it's reassuring to me
anyway)
I think it's up to you. Do you resent making lunches? Then
definitely don't do it. Have the supplies and don't give
extra allowance money for lunches. I've had lunch many a
time in Berkeley where I've seen BHS kids out with friends,
some with bag lunches from home, some buying. If you don't
mind, look at it as one way you can show your son how much
you love him!
Sally
When my older daughter (now a college sophomore) was in 10th
grade at Berkeley High, I decided to stop feeling guilty
about making her lunch, and instead to think of making the
week-day lunch as a lovingkindness practice, and also a way
to get her to eat healthy, not buy junk food, and save
money. I am still making lunches for my high school junior.
I think to myself - i would be happy if someone made my
lunch, and in less than 2 years there won't be anyone to
make lunch for! It may not work for you, but it worked for me.
signed -- lunch-making mom
My daughter is a freshman at Alameda High School, and I
have the exact same problem. She gets $10 a week allowance
and manages to eat lunch for under $3 a day at a japanese
fast food place. I have a feeling she is going to get
tired of sushi very soon. I also made lunch myself in high
school and feel she should also, but she only takes it if
I make it. I made a deal with her. If she wakes up early
enough to have a decent breakfast (that she prepares and
cleans up) then I will make her lunch the following night.
If she doesn't have breakfast and ran out of allowance
money, she has no choice but to make her own lunch.
Hope that helps. Now, if I just had a system for piano
practice, feeding the dog, cleaning her room etc...
AHS mom
In regards to high schoolers buying or bringing lunch.
Here is the solution we came to with our three children.
You have the opportunity to help your son learn two
valuable lessons here. One is how to budget money and the
other one is a lesson in taking care of himself.
We established an allowance for our daughters, and then let
them spend it as they wished. The often bought lunch, but
learned that when the money ran out, they either had to
take lunch from home, not ear or hope to mooch off
someone. We agreed on minimum lunch requirements (one
protein, one fruit or vegetable and then whatever else they
wanted). We discussed this with them so they understood our
thoughts, and then made sure that the cabinet had choices
they wanted.
It worked well. They learned quickly to budget their
allowance, plan ahead and to eat lunch. In the long run it
saved a lot of hassles and they felt independent and mature.
Carolyn
I sympathize with you. My son is a senior in high school
and hasn't brought a lunch from home since elementary.
He'd just rather buy whatever's there, usually for $3.00 or
less. My daughter is a freshman at another high school and
she bought lunch the first week of school and then asked if
we'd make her lunch. We do it. Maybe that is spoiling
her, but her schedule is so packed with
school/homework/soccer etc that she's already staying up
until 10:00ish to get things done, and getting up at 5:30
just to get out the door on time. I don't have the heart
to make her get up earlier or stay up later to make lunch.
So I make it for her before I go to work. I guess I also
feel like it's a small expression of love/support for
her ... she gets to have a little something from mom in the
middle of the day ... I can surprise her with a favorite
candy or whatever. Too sentimental? Perhaps, but she'll
probably be off to college and adult life in a few years,
so I'm willing to keep the little links we have as long as
I can! Usually I'm more insistent on self-reliance but
this feels like a little ''connection''. If you feel that
you're too busy for it, or your child has more time than
you do, you can certainly make the decision that feels best
to you.
Lunch Mom
Sept 2005
My daughter started long-day kindergarten (8:15-2:25) this
month, and brings her lunchbox with 2 snacks and lunch to
school. Problem is, she eats next to none of it at school. I
pack things that she would dependably eat at home and at her
preschool, but she brings almost all of it home. When I've
asked her why she hasn't eaten, she shrugs and says she doesn't
know. According to the teacher, a lot of the kids are not
eating much at lunchtime (they are not allowed to play for the
first part of the break, so it's not as if they are playing
instead of eating). When she gets home she is completely fried
and wants to eat her lunch. She really needs to start eating
if her attention span is going to be worth anything. I've
tried smoothies spiked with protein powder, booty, even fruit
mini muffins we made together, and it still comes home.
Someone please reassure me that this will pass soon!
Concerned
1. Make sure your daughter can open her lunch box and all the
containers by herself.
2. Let her make her own lunch (under your supervision, give her two or
three choices from each food group, and she does the assembly and
packing).
3. If available, let her buy a school lunch a couple days per week.
--good luck
It's a matter of starting a routine, but you are not there to reinforce
it nor to remind her. So I would use a combination of internal and
external reinforcements. First of all, I would ask her the night before
what meal she wants for the next day (commitment). Second, ask her if
there is any reason why she wouldn't eat it anyay. Fish around for
possibilities - do you feel shy/are you embarrassed about the food or
eating it in front of others? Do you hate the feeling of sticky hands?
Your daughter might finally think about it - at least she'll know that
you really care. Third, and most importantly, tell her that she will
earn a point for every day she eats her school lunch herself and ask her
to bring leftovers home - to never throw anything in the trash. If she
follows this truly, this will give you a clue about the portions she
needs and also she shouldn't be hungry when she gets home. After 10
points, she'll get a little prize/toy.
This should work. If it doesn't, which I doubt, tell her (after
3 failures) that from now on each time she doesn't eat the food she
committed to, she'll lose a point and after losing 3 points, she'll
temporarily have a favorite toy or movie on time out which she can earn
back with 10 points along with the little prize. Sounds a bit rigid, but
it works well for any ''change in desired behavior'' issue. We
established a good morning routine with that.
Anonymous
Yes, at this stage it is reasonable to expect that this phase of not
eating at school will pass. It is, however, important for you to keep
paying attention just to make sure that it is only a phase. It is
generally helpful to document these kinds of situations for future
reference.
Generally, asking a young child why he or she is behaving a certain way
yields a response such as ''I don't know.'' It may be helpful to (in a
very matter of fact way) find time to play 'school' with your daughter
and see what happens when you get around to snack/lunch time. Then, if
possible, some time when she has a friend over, start a little game of
'school' and see if anything different happens at snack/lunch with the
friend around.
Kindergarten is a significantly more sophisticated social environment
than is preschool. An educated guess might be that your daughter is
seriously focused on sorting out social/peer dynamics. Because
snack/lunch times are the times when the children's separateness from
each other is most emphasized (unlike with toys, each child brings
her/his own food from home and sharing is not encouraged), each child's
sense of identity as it is seen by the group is most vulnerable at those
times.
There are many possible thought processes in which your daughter may be
engaged around her snack/lunch time experience. As long as you continue
to pay attention with a relaxed and open attitude, your daughter will
know that she can come to you if she ever feels overwhelmed by the
social demands of school.
Nechama
I wonder if your child goes to the same school as mine? We also have a
long kindegarten day (8:20 to 2:35). My daughter, while not a big eater
anyway, has barely touched her lunch since starting kindegarten. At
preschool she did eat lunch. She says she just is not hungry. Then I
reasized why. The kindegartner's schedule at our school is such that the
kids eat lunch at 10:45!
So she eats two bowls of oatmeal at 8:00 and then she is expected to eat
lunch a little more than two hours later. It makes no sence to me. Then
they have ''snack'' at 1:30. It seems that if they switched the lunch
and snack times (i.e. a later
lunch) that more kids would be eating. The only thing I can think to do
other than talking with the powers that be at the shcool, is to pack her
more substantial snacks. But now, the teacher is recruiting each parent
to bring snaks for all kids for 2 weeks out of the school year, which
means she will get whatever snack said parent brings AND not eat her
lunch. At this point for me, the best thing to do is to talk with the
teacher, and go from there. Check you child's schedule and you may find
she is not eating b/c of the early lunch schedule. At least you will
know why. Good luck!
Angie
August 2005
My two-year-old will be starting preschool next month and we'll
have to start packing her brown bag lunches. Unfortunately, she
doesn't like sandwiches. We usually feed her hot food like pasta
and soups, but this won't work at preschool. Any suggestions for
easy-to-pack lunches? She likes variety.
Janice
Your daughter just hasn't had the right sandwich for HER.
Keep offering various sandwiches.
*Give sandwich ingredients in the form of finger foods with
dipping sauce
*Maybe the bread tastes yucky (change brands or lightly toast
the bread)
*Maybe her sandwiches are too wet or dry
*Maybe she doesn't like the typical ingredients selected (hates
mayo or mustard?)
*Try mini-sandwiches that fit in her hand
*Use cookie cutters for interesting shapes. Airplane shape works
well because the wings/tail fit so nicely in their small mouths.
She may be intrigued simply by the unusual shape (just include
other stuff too in case she rejects it).
*Eat sandwiches around her so she wants to do as you do.
Good luck.
At home and out, my daughter, now 9, has always enjoyed a huge
variety of foods. But packed lunches are a different matter.
No matter what variety we provided or what spin we put on
different foods, most lunches came home uneaten UNTIL...we
discovered the hot lunch thermos! We bought one of those small
thermoses for soup and casseroles--and pack pasta in it every
day. We cook up a package of pasta on Sunday evening and
reheat it, in the microwave, in the morning to pack it in the
thermos. Helps to prewarm the thermos with some hot water.
Works like a charm and she eats it up daily. Worked for 5
years now! Good luck!
Kim
Things we often put in my almost 2 yr olds lunch:
Cheese sticks (like string cheese), cut up fruit, mac n cheese
with veggies and tofu added, all sorts of leftovers, almond
butter and jam on soft wheat bread, yogurt or applesauce, veggies.
You could try to start packing leftovers now and eating out at
the park so that she can get used to eating her food cold.
J
March 2005
Up until now, my son has been attending a preschool where they
serve delicious and nutritious lunches at an unbelievably low
price - so I haven't had to make him lunch every day. Well,
soon he'll be starting at a summer camp and then kindergarten
in the fall and I'm looking down the barrel at having to make
him a lunch every day. Anyone out there have some great, easy
and nutritious ideas for lunches? And when I say easy, I don't
mean, ''well, when you have some leftover salmon from the night
before, just mix it with some of this and some of that and
presto, a delicious salmon salad''. I am ''food-challenged'' and
am capable of not much more than a PB&J! Any helpful tips
would be appreciated as well. Do you usually pack it the night
before (if so, does it still taste fresh the next day?)? We're
usually running out the door in the morning, so this would be a
great time-saver. Also, where's the best place to buy a lunch
box (I haven't just seen them in my normal shopping around).
My son has one now, but it doesn't have a thermos, which I
imagine is essential for soups, etc. By the way, is it
possible to put milk in a thermos and expect that it stay cold
until lunch (so I don't have to send him with a juice box every
day)? Thanks for your help!
mom suffering from lunch anxiety
we pack a lunch for my son for his nanny share. we pack his
favorite fruit - a banana, some orange or apple. small
containers or baggies with cheese, ham, crackers, raisins, (I'll
also pack nuts when he's older), a bit of pasta or mac and
cheese (this might require warming though), juice and water.
what we lack in fancy preparation we try to make up for with
variety. by the way - theres nothing wrong with PB&J
also food challenged
I pack lunches the night before, to save rushing in the
morning. Target has an extensive line of lunchboxes. I've
found thermoses to be rather hit or miss because they don't seem
to conserve temperature, hot or cold, terribly well until
lunchtime. I always pack fruit with my daughter's lunch.
Simplest lunches: beans and rice (low sodium canned beans
provide protein and fiber), bread and cheese and fruit. She
will always eat anything fried but it is not terribly
healthful.
Simplest lunches
mh
Definitely do it the night before (or even earlier). My kids
liked an assortment of little things in little cups (or baggies
if you don't want the clean-up) - raisins, cut-up fruits and
vegies and cheese, canned chick peas, etc. And PB&J is fine too
(if it's not out-lawed due to allergic students).
In a steel vacume bottle, with a small lunch-box size ice-pack, a
drink (and other foods) should keep cool for several hours.
However, I never put milk in packed lunches, since I worry aobut
getting the thermos clean enough. If you don't want to do juice
(we dilute it a lot), how about an herbal iced tea? I use Trader
Joe's Mint-Melange tea bags (it's mint and lemon grass) to make a
pitcher full to keep on hand. It's also good combined with
orange juice. If you really want to send milk, you can find it
in juice-box type containers. (Expensive, though). Freeze it
overnight, and it should be fine by lunch-time.
And I really believe that leftovers don't have to be warm! My
daughter has been eating leftover (cold) mac and cheese for years
with no complaints.
R.K.
re milk; I have found that I can freeze about 4 oz milk or juice
or water in my son's travel cup overnight; then in the morning I
add another 2-4 oz of the same liquid. It usually stays cold til
lunch.
iris
One thing to add that I did not see in the archives or in the
responses: A kindergartener is capable of making his/her own
lunch and learning from good or bad lunch choices. My daughter
is 4.5 and has been making her own lunch for the past few months
(with less and less supervision needed). She knows to make a
fruit choice, a vegetable choice, a dairy choice (yogurt,
cheese, or a squirt bottle of milk), a sandwich, bagel or wrap
(pbj, hummus, cream cheese, turkey), and a snack (nuts, egg, dry
cereal or crackers). She feels a great sense of accomplishment
and I know she is eating a lunch that she likes and is made with
ingredients I approve of.
--stress free lunch
Sept 2004
My daughter is starting kindergaten this fall and needs to have
a snack and lunch available everday. I know to give her fruits
and vegtables but is there any suggestions on other foods that
may fill her up. She is a VERY picky eater. The only kind of
sandwich she likes is Peanut butter and Jelly. Can any one
please recommend any other HEALTHY snack/lunch I can try. Maybe
a store? Most foods she likes have to be warmed up and I don't
think they can microwave the childrens lunches. Please any
advice/suggestions will be helpful.
mom of a picky eater
You're in luck - I just found myself in the same predicament
with my pre-schooler and forced myself to sit down and make a
good, solid list of ideas so he doesn't end up eating PB&J
everyday - like last year!!
Main courses...
Bread w/butter (cin/raisin, cranberry, zuchini?)
Bagel w/?
Ham or turkey w/string cheese (in tupperware - no bread)
Mac-n-cheese - heated at home in the AM and placed in a thermos,
it stays warm enough.
Bean/cheese burritos - same heating instruction
Snacks...
Any fruit
Small yogurt
Pretzels
Crackers
Fig bars - or other breakfast bars
Tortilla chips w/guacamole
Pop corn
Smoothie - loaded w/good stuff
Raisins, cranberries, trail mix
Happy Lunching!
Since you say your child is ''picky'', these suggestions might not
work (you don't give examples of what you've already tried), but
here are a few main-course (protien) ideas: hard-boiled egg;
cheese stick or cheese ''shapes''; rolled up turkey and/or cheese
slices (Trader Joes has a large variety of pre-sliced real
cheeses); an assortment of cut-up things with (fancy?) toothpicks
for fun eating; chick-peas straight from the can (optional -
sprinkle with seasoning); cold tofu cubes (optional - soy sauce
for dipping); almost anything that you usually warm up can really
be eaten cold, too. And there's really no requirement to have a
different lunch every day. I know I often have the exact same
breakfast on most days, and don't mind a bit! You can plan more
variety at dinner.
R.K.
Boy, I know what you mean. How about PB and banana sandwich? I
give my daughter hummus and TLC crackers, or hummus sandwiches,
which she really likes. There are lots of hummus flavors. I
recently started giving my daughter shredded carrots with a
little cole slaw salad dressing, which she'll eat. I do much of
my shopping at EC or Berkeley Natural, which has interesting
healthy snack foods.
Been there
I have this same issue with my daughter who has just started 1st
grade -- what to pack for lunch and snack! I did tons of
research and have continued to do it. I want healthy and
nutritious food for my daughter as often as possible (every
day!!), but it wouldn't be good if she doesn't ! eat it. I'm no
expert, but I'll summarize below what I know (from my own
experience, from friends, from research, etc.) Hopefully you
will find some of it helpful. :)
1. Get a Thermos food jar. You can find the basic black/silver
Thermos food jar at Target (sometimes they can be all out
though). Thermos has come up with ''Funtainers'' which are the
Thermos food jars with fun designs for kids. I was able to get
a nice pink one with stars for my daughter during the summer.
There appears to be a new pink flower design out, but I don't
know where to find it yet. You can fill the Thermos food jar in
the morning with Mac & Cheese, noodles, chili, pasta salad,
fried rice, soup (if she can handle it). All with some kinds of
veggies, of course.
2. Other non-sandwich, non-Thermos lunches that I've made:
parmesan chicken (basically home made chicken nuggets), mini
pizza (made with English muffin and home made turkey sausages),
cheese and sausage on Tortilla, BBQ chicken drumstick, whole
wheat pita bread with hummus (hummus in a separate container),
chicken salad in pita bread (Whole Food makes ''Sonoma Chicken
Salad'' that is really good). I would have done tuna salad in
pita bread too but I'm worried about the mercury level in tuna
and so I don't use it.
3. You can easily make your own Turkey sausages with ground
turkey and spices -- less fat and lower salt that way. If you
don't want to, you can get the healthy turkey sausages from most
stores. I like the Diesel apple/cranberry turkey from El
Cerrito Natural Food for my daughter. You can also get the no
nitrate/nitrite ham/turkey/chicken from Whole Food or El Cerrito
Natural Food.
4. I have been told that roll-ups can be good with kids
(turkey/ham/chicken/cheese roll up in tortilla or regular
bread). You might want to try it. I have not tried it with my
daughter yet.
5. Snacks -- fruits and veggies (have you tried soy beans?
Just boil them in the morning and pack them -- very easy).
Other good stuff -- yogurt, stick cheese, rice bars (my daughter
likes Envirokidz), granola bars (if your daughter can eat them;
mine has loose teeth and can't chew them well), pretzel,
crackers (Whole Food has a variety of low fat kinds), nuts and
dried fruits, and all kinds of dip. You can do cereal --
the ''Barbara'' brand has nut-o's, multigrain, wheat puff (quite
good, nutrition-fortified too), etc. I pack cereal as snack all
the time. Just put it in a little plastic Rubbermaid
container. You can also mix them and put in a few animal
crackers. There are also those bars with fruit in them. You can
find the healthy (or should I say healthier) ones at Whole
Food. My daughter does not like them much. There is a new Clif
bar for kids that just ca! me out. I found it at El Cerrito
Natural Food. My daughter eats some but it is not her
favorite. (One mom told me that her kid loves it.)
6. I started baking muffins this past month to use as afternoon
snacks. So far, this has been working out. I gather recipes
for healthy muffins (whole wheat, with fruits or veggies, low in
fat, low in salt, use honey instead of sugar, etc.). I bake
them over the weekend and freeze them. I take one out of the
freezer the night before, let it thaw in the frig and reheat it
in the morning. Once it cools, I pack it in a little plastic
container for the afternoon snack (can also be breakfast). One
time, I put in a few chocolate chips in each muffin. That makes
my daughter like the muffin more. (These healthy muffins are
really not bad. Really!)
7. Oh, almost forgot -- hard-boiled egg! This works for some
people. It hasn't worked on my daughter yet. Maybe I'll try
again this year.
I buy fruits and veggies from the local farmer market (and use
the vegetable wash if the produce is not organic). I go to
Whole Food once a week or every other week and I go to El
Cerrito Natural Food all the time. These two stores are more
health conscious in my opinion. Trader Joe now carries a lot of
organic items as well.
So far, that's what I did for Kindergarten and summer camp. I
need to expand the list for 1st grade and am looking forward to
reading the responses to your question. Thank you for asking it!
Anonymous
Your daughter sounds like a cross between my two picky children. I
have struggled to find something for my son's lunches as he only likes
PB&J or fresh, warm food. We finally found a thermos that works--is
small enough to carry just one serving of pasta. I got it at the
Walgreen's
store in Berkeley at Gilman and San Pablo. My other child only likes
things plain, though she is willing to eat them cold or at room temp.
For
her, I often send just plain noodles--if you used the thermos you could
send the noodles warm with some butter or any other topping your
daughter likes. I've also sent bagels with butter and nuts.&nb! sp; Whole
Foods
carries a lot of ''healthy'' crunchy snacks that mimic the ones in the
grocery store. One of our favorites is the cheese puffs. Popcorn is
another option for a healthy snack. Andronico's and Whole Foods both
carry small individual containers of chocolate milk, which add some
protein if you are sending noodles. Hope this helps!
Two Picky Eaters
my daughter also greatly prefers warm foods. 1-2 times a week I
bake in toaster oven(or microwave but crust is better baked) an
Amy's pot pie (broc & cheese or veg) to be ready when we have to
leave then wrap the whole thing in foil and put back in its box-
it's moderately warm by lunchtime and she usually eats it.
also,
edamame/ soybeans (come frozen, just boil or seam, can add a bit
of salt, they are good at room temp and filling)
pasta (can warm before too so it's not freezing)
rice with pesto
almond butter instead of pb sometimes
bagel w/ cream cheese or hummus
pizza
tortilla rolled up with cheese, rice slice, hummus or turkey if
eat meat, etc.
wildwood baked tofu- pineapple terriyaki flavor
tamales or burritos
yogurt, go-gurt tubed yogurt, yogurt drinks (though even organic
can add lots of sugar,)
applesauce
We shop primarily at health food stores and Monterey Market
__ROSS had special thermoses last month that are ''Vacuum Sealed''
this has kept my tea very HOT for 8 hours! if you can't find a
discounted one though you might not want to put it in the
lunchbox because they're normally $20-$30 which would be pretty
hard if it didn't make it home.
Chris
Feb 2004
Hi,
How do I pack cold things (cold milk, cold juice, blue ice) and
hot things (hot food in a thermos) for a kindergartener's lunch
at the same time? Can they go in the same (soft, insulated)
lunch box? If not, how best should I do this? If yes, do you
know where I can get such a lunch box? My daughter is bored
with sandwiches and I want to do hot food (which I have not
done.) However, I don't want her to have to carry too many
things. Help!
Anonymous
I send my child off to school regularly with a cold drink and a
hot meal. It took a while for me to figure this one out.
Here's what I do. First of all, I bought a thermos at the Crate
and Barrel outlet on 4th street. They are a good size for a
lunch box, and are stainless steel rather than glass. (when I
bought him a glass one it came home the first day shattered
inside). They cost about $11. If you find one somewhere else,
great...I just recommend it over a plastic one (doesn't keep
things hot) or a glass one (breakable). I leave the lunch box
with cold foods in the fridge overnight. In the morning I heat
up wha! tever is going in the thermos and put it in then. His
lunch box is insulated, so the juice stays pretty cool, and he
says the hot stuff is plenty hot. Good luck!
Awhile back I bought lunchboxes that have two compartments: one
for hot and one for cold. The top has a compartment insulated
fr cold drinks. This unzips to expose the lunchbox where one
could put in warm food. They were at Costco but I have also
seen them at Target. They are not big and bulky and would work
well for a younger child.
ara
See also: Lunch box to hold hot and cold foods
Sept 2003
Hello,
I've read all postings regarding how to pack a school lunchbox.
They were very helpful but I still need help. Could someone
please share with me about how to pack milk in a school
lunchbox? My kindergarten daughter does not like soy milk or
the ''Fresh'' milk (in a box just like the juice box; we found it
at Andronico's). We don't want to get her started on the
chocolate or strawberry flavored milk because of the sugar
content. We can't find the little box of milk that used to be
available in the frig at Safeway. We thought about packing the
milk in a container, but have not been able to find a good
container. We tried a plastic bottle (the kind new moms can use
to store breast milk), but our daughter cannot open the bottle
if we screw it tightly (to prevent the milk from spilling).
Does anyone have any idea? Please help. Thank you very much.
Amy
Can she buy milk at school in the little cartons? It usually
costs the same as if you were buying it at the super market.
anon
My son is also very particular about his milk, so I completely
sympathize. I found a 20 oz bottle at Walgreens with a screw-top
lid and a fold-down straw. It also has a freezer insert - a
detachable cylinder that attaches to the inside of the lid when
the bottle is in use, then goes in the freezer the rest of the
time. In the morning, the frozen cylinder is removed from the
freezer and attached to the lid. I fill the bottle with 20 oz of
milk, screw on the lid, and voila! It stays cold in an insulated
lunchbox for hours that way, without spilling, and always
accessible because of the fold-down straw.
Kathleen
My older child takes milk (has since preschool) to school every
day in a thermos, with a cold/ice pack next to the milk. We have
been doing this now for six years and it seems to work (she says
that the milk remains cold and she has never been sick from it).
My other child (toddler)gets milk in a special container (her
lunchbox, it turns out, is too small for a full thermos) that we
bought at Target. It is like a small sports bottle (with a pull
up top) that has an insert that is frozen (can be removed and
kept in the freezer until used). This also seems to be working
well.
Good luck
I have two suggestions for lunchtime milk storage:
If you want 100% leak proof, the containers that come with
the Lansinoh Milk Mate breast milk storage system are
amazing. They have a little plastic piece that fits in the lid
creating a perfect seal. The lid only needs to be screwed on
to normal tightness. The whole set comes with 10 bottles
and a storage rack for $28, Im not sure if its possible to buy
individual bottles.
I have also had pretty good success with Rubbermaid's
plastic Crocodile Juice Box with pop up straw. However, on
more than one occasion it has leaked substantially (in
these cases it was found upside down and most likely sat
upon). They're available in the Tupperware section of Target
and cost around $4 for two. (They really look more like
elephants than crocodiles).
Hope this helps
I have been using an insulated sippy cup with valve and putting
it in a soft lunch box with a zipper that has a sleeve for an
ice pack. Her milk is still cold when i pick her up from
preschool at 4:30 in the afternoon.
dawn
I never found a solution to this problem --even with
refridgerated bags and ice packs, the milk didn't stay
'refridgerator cold' and neither of my kids would drink it.
They even complained about the milk in the cafeteria being
warm (since the food workers set out flats of cartons before
the lunch hour starts). What worked for us was the substitution
of alternative calcium-rich foods: mozzarella cheese sticks,
Baby Belle wedges, leftover cheese pizza, yoghurt, even pudding
(the cooked kind, not instant). Yes, some of these have sugar,
but my kids eat pretty healthy overall and as long as there
aren't multiple sweets in a lunch box I haven't seen it as a
problem. They're in middle school now, and one is skinny, the
other completely average in weight (though I am overweight)
And if they want a drink, they get a frozen water bottle
(sometimes 50% juice) to drink. When they were little, these
were refillable sippy juice boxes, now they are sports bottles!
Chris
I have bought a refillable plastic container from safeway or
longs, that is kind of squarish, like a juice box, and has a flip
top that my children can easily open and close. The night before
I pour in about 2-3 inches of milk and place the container in the
freezer. The next morning I fill the rest of the container with
milk and it generally is still cold at lunchtime.
eve
Hi Amy. At Longs Drugs near Safeway on Pleasant Valley and
Broadway (and probably at Target, K-Mart, etc.) they have these
plastic bottles with built-in straws. They seal for a no-leak
lunch, and your child does NOT have to unscrew anything, just
pop up the straw and then push it back down to seal it. They
come in two sizes, 8oz and 14oz approx. I just wash them in my
dishwasher after rinsing or soaking them a bit.
To keep your milk cold, they also sell at Longs little blue ice
freezer packs that are just sized for a lunch box.
Take care!
Tiffany
Rubbermaid sells these beverage containers that have this hard
plastic built-in straw that you fold up to drink. They don't
leak, and would be easy for your child to use instead of
something that screws on and off. I think I've seen them at
Target as well as at Albertsons.
anon
We use a First Years sippy cup with a flip-up spout cover that
effectively prevents lunchbag leaks but is easy enough for our
son to open himself. If your daughter thinks she is too old for
a sippy cup, try the ''sport bottle'' version:
http://www.thefirstyears.com/products/product.asp?pValue=1804
I bought ours at Target.
Holly
How old is your daughter? Would a sippy cup be okay? If not,
Rubbermaid makes a vairety of packable drink containers. I use
Gerber sports bottles for my boys (3 1/2) and freeze their
drinks overnight so that they are still cold by lunch- which
would be particularly important with milk.
Good luck
anon
We usually send our (pre-school) daughter's milk in an insulated
cup with a top that has a built-in plastic straw that folds down
into a cover so it can be completely sealed. It's hard to
describe, but if you search on the web for ''Playtex Insulator
Sport,'' you can see it. I bought a four-pack of the cups at
Costco about three weeks ago for about $12.
robin
I know this because I wanted to serve milk at my kids' birthday
parties...Andronico's sells the little milk cartons!
Christina
July 2003
My 4 1/2 year old daughter started with a new day care facility
this week. Since they do not provide lunch, we are required to
pack her a lunch each day. It is only Wednesday, and I am
running low on ideas. So far I have done cheese, crackers and
turkey breast, a turkey wrap using tortillas, and will be fixing
a salmon patty sandwich for tomorrow. I've included fruit, jello
and carrot sticks.
In addition to PB&J sandwiches, I would love some nutritious
ideas that don't require reheating? My daughter is not a fussy
eater, so we are open to many things. I can add an ice pack to
keep foods cold and have a thermos for liquid hot foods.
I look forward to receiving your ideas.
Carol
I'm sure you will get lots of good suggestions from other
people, I just wanted to make one point about kids' meals they
often are quite happy eating the same few items multiple times
in a week. I tried for years to think of interesting things to
send for my kids' lunches -- trying to think of something
different every day, because *I* would want to eat something
different every day. But they really didn't care, they liked
PB&J two or three times a week, bagel & cream cheese the other
days, some fruit, some crackers & a juicebox. So don't stress
about it, they'll get a variety of foods at the meals they eat
at home.
Melinda
June 2003
My little girl, who is 14 months old, has just moved next door
at her daycare to the Toddler side and I've heard that some
parents pack fresh lunches every day. My girl is still getting
those baby foods and lunchables in plastic cups and/or jars.
Please give me your best suggestions and recommendations on
good, easy and healthy lunches to pack-up for a little girl? Of
course the easier and healthier it is; the better it is.
Thank you.
Oh, you've got to stop wasting your money on that jar food! Plus,
your little one will enjoy the variety that ''real'' food offers.
We pack for our 15 month old the following: Yo-Baby or Soy-baby
yogurt, soft veggies (cooked), pasta, hot dogs (soy dogs)--cut
them up into tiny, bite-sized pieces--cut up fruit, apple sauce,
rice cakes, cheese, leftovers from last night's dinner, and
anything else we can think of.
Mama of a Fat Baby
I would first get several small Tupperware containers and fill
them with things like:
* cut up fruit or berries (it's so easy to feed tots in the
summer)
* sliced cucumbers
* little sandwiches of the sort she likes
* Mac and Cheese
* Cheerios
* Yogurt or sliced hard-boiled egg (kept in the fridge)
She could eat some of these as snacks throughout the day and
others as lunch.
My kids still enjoy this ''tapas'' style dining. Plus they liked
all the little containers.
Bon Appetite!
Julie T.
For my 14-month-old, I usually pack a vegetable or fruit, a
prepackaged applesauce or yogurt, and a ''main course.'' I find
it easiest to use frozen veggies (Trader Joe's has organic ones)
and just microwave and chop up (same with frozen berries) or
fresh fruit. Trader Joe's and Whole Foods also have lunch-size
applesauces and I use Yo-Baby yogurt. For the main course I
usually just chop up whatever we've eaten for dinner. My son
especially likes burritos, pot pies, pancakes, scrambled eggs,
and pasta with cheese. Sometimes I make mac and cheese or I buy
the organic pasta rings with soyballs. Hope this helps!
Jamie
My daughter is 15 months, and I transitioned her off baby foods
around 14 months old. Some healthful (and easy) foods you can
pack in your daughter's lunch are yogurt (yo baby yogurt is
excellent), whole milk pudding cups, cut up fruit, whole wheat
bread, diced leftovers from dinner, graham crackers, and mashed
up bananas. Of course, you would want to make sure at home that
your daughter can tolerate\likes the foods before sending her
off to daycare with them. Good luck feeding your toddler. It
is a fun age because the toddlers are developing their palates
and appreciating food tastes more.
jan
I also stressed about packing lunch for my now 17 month old.
Some of the lunches the other parents pack always look so
exciting and nutritious! After doing it for several months, I
have gotten into kind of a routine of what works, and though it
is not that exciting, it is nutritious, and low stress. Here is
what I include every day:
(1) either pasta or rice. I change the pasta shapes so it seems
like ''variety''
(2) vegetable: either broccoli, peas, or sometimes asparagus.
Right now, these are the only fresh vegetables my child will
eat. Sometimes I have tried to pack other fresh vegetables,
thinking I should add variety, but they don't get eaten, so the
bottom line is it seems I'm more concerned about variety than my
child is! Sometimes I don't bother with the fresh vegetable,
and just send a jar of babyfood (like squash, spinach, or
whatever) to mix with the pasta or rice.
(3) 1/2 slice of bread with one slice of tofu cheese (the kind
that looks like american cheese).
(4) cut up pieces of pears or apple or other fruit
Then I also include some or all of the following:
* avocado
* applesauce, sometimes mixed with rice cereal or oatmeal (this
is like a little vitamin pill, especially if you get the kind of
applesauce that has Vitamin C added).
* plain whole milk yogurt, sometimes mixed with silken tofu
and/or a teaspoon of jelly or jam
One thing that really helps me is that the caregivers tell me
approximately how much of everything gets eaten (e.g. all, some,
or none!). This way I know if my quantities are close! I
should say some of the ''exciting'' things I see the other kids
having include: waffle, french toast, scrambled eggs, fresh
strawberries, meat, potatoes.... it doesn't seem like it would
be that much trouble to get organized to do this, but the bottom
line is that what I send gets eaten and seems pretty balanced to
me.
June W.
At 14 months my son still sometimes ate infant cereal for lunch -
- what can I say, he liked it. But he also ate pretty much all
the same things that anyone would have for lunch, although we
didn't give him peanut butter yet, by then or shortly
afterwards -- including all kinds of salads and sandwiches.
Some ideas for you:
- Dinner leftovers make a great lunch, especially if the daycare
can warm it in the microwave for her. A bowl of pasta or rice
and veggies, or even pizza, is healthier than lunchables.
- An easy alternative to assembling a sandwich is a whole grain
dinner roll or a muffin, yogurt or cheese, and cut-up fruit and
veggies.
- Bananas don't need to be cut up.
- Neither do blueberries, although they can be messy!
- You can buy carrots pre-grated and use those until she can
handle baby carrots without choking. Mix in a few raisins and
call it salad.
- Those little single-serve cups of applesauce or diced fruit are
fine (just make sure there's no sugar added), and work better
for a small child than a whole apple.
- Cheese can be bought in sticks (like string cheese) or deli
slices, or cut up into small pieces ahead of time and stored in
baggies to be added to her lunch.
- Many toddlers love uncooked (in fact, still frozen) peas --
again, no cutting required.
- Think outside the box for spreads that could be turned into
a ''sandwich''; perhaps your daughter would like hummus, canned
pumpkin, apple butter, or yogurt on bread.
Holly
Lunches - My daughter hates sandwiches - We do yogurt or she likes a
container of marinara sauce to dip string cheese into or I wrap a high
grade of bologna from the butcher around a piece of string cheese and a
pickle sliver with some mustard and toothpick it. Sometimes I send
crackers or baguette sliced thin and a small container of spreadable
cheese.
Barbara
One thing that my 7-year-old likes for lunch is "roll-ups," which consist of
pieces of thinly sliced ham or turkey (or salami if he can nag me into it)
rolled around a small stick of cheese and held together with a toothpick. I
pack 2 or 3 "roll-ups" in a little plastic container and then give him some
carbs in the form of crackers or a granola bar. I trust him not to goof off
with the toothpicks, but that might be an issue for some.
Tamra
Another member asked for ideas on bag lunches that don't involve
sandwiches. I've found that do-it-yourself "lunchables" are a big hit with
my 11-year-old. This usually invoves 1 or two kinds of crackers, 1 or two
kinds of pre-sliced cheese, and 1 or two kinds of pre-sliced and cut
luncheon meats. You can make up a bunch of these in advance, and put them
in lots of plastic baggies, or you can also get special tupperware-type
containers with little compartments that work well for this. I've found
Japanese ones to be especially good (ours are actually from Japan, but you
can probably get them in Japantown; ask for Bento boxes). To this main
dish I usually add a piece of fruit, some small desert-type item (like a
fruit roll-up), and a box juice or small plastic container of juice.
Another lunch idea if your child is old enough to handle it, and has access
to very hot water: Cup-a-Noodles or similar items. Sometimes you can get
a cup of hot or "boiling" water from the school lunch counter to make this
a possibility.
Dawn
One of my kids doesn't like sandwiches in his lunch either. I give him:
- pizza: order extra next time and freeze leftover slices in baggies
- a baggie full of dry cereal
- packaged sushi from the grocery store
- bread sticks and string cheese
- try different kinds of bread too like hamburger & hotdog buns, baguettes,
cinnamon bread, cheese bread, etc.
Ginger
April 2002
Hi,
my daughter (2 years old) just started to go to a preschool
where they do not heat the lunches. I think she is getting
tired of cheese/cracker and pasta salad lunches and we are
not very creative with other cold lunches (she does not
like cold veggies). Any ideas for somewhat wholesome
recipies?
Thank you, Catharina
You didn't mention any food restrictions so I hope that
these ideas help...tortilla roll-ups are great. I use
cream cheese, turkey, avocado, cheese, tomato, shredded
zucchini etc... (anything that I have in the fridge works
well) Other ideas would be cold chicken breast, three bean
salad (buy pre-made for time saving), tuna, chicken or egg
salad (assuming there is refrigetation available).
Amy
I am always inspired when I look at what the other kids are
eating at school. You might ask the teachers or check out
the selection yourself if you are ever around at luch time.
Other ideas for protein include: tuna fish salad, tuna
sandwich, cold chiken, peanut butter on apples, cottage
cheese, baked tofu slices with dip, yogurt, cheese sticks,
sliced hard-boiled egg and the old PB&J.
Suzanne
August 2000
I'm looking for suggestions for quick and easy
vegetarian lunches for my two year old to take to childcare.
We do eat fish and eggs and a bit of cheese. She has a great
appetite and loves many different kinds of foods BUT I've
grown tired of making the same old thing each week which
includes tofu and veggies, pasta and veggies, sometimes
polenta and veggies and tuna fish sandwiches. (lunch is
always supplemented with fruit, crackers etc) Any new ideas
or variations on a theme would be much appreciated. Thanks!
I cut up pieces of baked tofu for my 5 year old son. They come
in flavors like Teriyaki, Savory, 5 Spice, etc. He's a fussy
eater, though not vegetarian. He likes tofu. Cheese and crackers
with slices of apple works for us, or crackers and peanut butter.
Yogurt too. Good luck...it's tough finding food for kids
sometimes. They'll like something for a while and then suddenly
they don't like it anymore. Go figure.!!!
June
Here are some vegetarian lunch ideas. For a sandwich, you can
make a bean/cream cheese/tofu spread. I usually use garbanzos.
The ratios are 2-1-1. Also, good old pb&j. You can always do
baked beans with tofu dogs (I use canned baked beans from Eden
to save time), rice balls or "cold pizza" (tomato focaccia bread
with something on top like a pizza). Those are just a few ideas.
There are some great books out there for vegetarian toddlers; two
I have are "Super Baby Food" (has a lot about baby food but also
lots of toddler recipes) and "Feeding the Whole Family". Hope
these were helpful suggestions.
Hilary
I've been thinking about the lunch issue myself, with a
4 year old and a 2 1/2 year old just starting pre-school.
(And I've recently learned that children lose 50% of their
sense of taste by the time they are 6!) I'm sharing some of
the foods we've tried (some vegetarian, some not, but almost
all organic). I'd love to hear other ideas to add to the list.
Thanks!
Cold food
Cheese sandwich (in cookie cutter shapes)
Cheese sandwich (on whole grain hamburger bun)
Crackers with cream cheese
Confetti tabouli (with finely minced vegetables)
Mini bagel with cream cheese
Tuna fish sandwich
Almond butter and jelly
Yogurt with real fruit mixed in
Hot food (more like warm; in a thermos)
Cream of tomato soup with brown rice
Macaroni and cheese
Spagetti
Pasta primavera
Fried rice
Chicken noodle soup
Chow mein
Teriyaki chicken wings
Aidell's mini hot dogs
Taquitos with sour cream
Quesadillas
Sweet and sour chicken
Nasi Goreng
Fruits,nuts and veggies
Mini carrots with ranch dressing
Oranges cut in star shapes
Watermelon
Cherries
Peaches
Apples
Pears
Plums
Mandarin orange slices
Pineapple
Three bean salad
Almonds
Walnuts
Soybeans
Apple/apricot sauce
Carol T.
I make my 3 year olds lunch every morning, I feed her meat
but probably like once a week or so. These are some of the
things I feed her, I will be interested in seeing others ideas
to add variety
1. Vegetarian corn dogs (available Berk. Bowl or Whole Foods)
2. Cheese and tomato sandwich
3. P B & J sandwich
4. PB and honey sandwich
5. Corn on the cob
6. hard boiled eggs
7. cut up vegie "hot dogs"
8. yogurt, yogurt, yogurt
9. cut up microwaved sweet potatoes.
10. quesadillas
11. quick cooking rice, Mahatma or Rice a Roni
12. whatever you had for dinner the night before
Elizabeth
Home |
Reviews |
Advice |
Members |
Post a Message
Join BPN |
Help |
What's New |
Search |
Contact Us
Last updated: May 26, 2008
Copyright © 1996-2008 Berkeley Parents Network
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network. Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.