What should I pack for a school lunch?

Question

Just found out I have to pack lunch every day for my 4 yr old daughter. I'm looking for any affordable, practicle, simple ideas for a pre-shoolers lunch? Stuff that will be easy to open, stay fresh and won't have to be heated up.

Thanks everyone!!

Answer 1

One of the best things my friend ever told me about is lunch in a thermos. You can reheat last night's leftovers, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, ravioli, you name it and it will still be hot at lunch time.

I have found that the best thing for my daughter is half a sandwich and a milk. Then when she comes home I give her a snack with some fruit or carrots, more milk, some crackers. The kids want to use their time to play, so they like to eat fast. You'll have a better idea of how much is enough after the first week or two--she'll either ask for more or you'll find stuff left in the lunchbox.

And if you want to give her a treat like fruit snacks or a rollup don't expect her to eat the sandwich first! That's another thing I save for after school!

Happy studies!

Answer 2

You can go with a sandwich -- PB&J, Cheese, meat, whatever. Add a juice box and a couple of cookies.
OR
You can also send her with a container of fresh cut veggies, carrots and celery sticks, boiled egg, cherry tomatoes with some homemade dip and some orange slices. You could even toss in a few crackers. You can get one of those container with separate food compartments.
The veggies and fruit is usually what my kids prefered, it's also less expensive and more healthy.
The container you can get at a dollar store. You can get enough carrot and celery sticks from one carrot and one stalk of celery, only need about 5 sticks of each, 6 cherry tomatoes, half to a full orance cut into slices (depending on how much the child eats. Boiled egg if the kids likes them just for the nutritional value -- It gives you the basic food groups in the whole lunch.

Answer 3

Try to give her something she likes, I think healthy sandwiches are the best way to go. Peanut butter is a good choice, without the jelly! Perhaps a peice of cheese, some fruit and plain biscuits. If she has a good breakfast in the morning, she won't need to take a big lunch with her. I think you could even ask her what she would like for lunch, perhaps give her the option of what she would like on her sandwich, encourage healthy eating

Answer 4

what frustrates me the most (as a mom) are parents that send in CRAP for their kids at lunch....like cakes and cookies and stuff. These kids still have a long time of school left after lunch and a sugar crash isn't conductive to learning.

Ask her what she wants....my oldest son could care less about variety...he wants a PB&J, apple, goldfish and water every day. My younger one won't eat the same thing two days in a row. For him I keep a freezeable gel pack in his lunch box and pack him cheese and whole wheat crackers, salads (with dressings in a small gladware on the side) and even small cups of peanut butter and little baggies of cut up apples (dipped in sprite so they won't turn brown), carrots, and crackers. He also likes fruit cups (cheap way is to buy a big can and seperate it into small 1/2cup containers for all week, you can even freeze them).

You can also pre-pop popcorn (couple days worth of snack in there), pretzels are cheap and healthier then chips. I prefer to use washable containers instead of baggies....they are cost and enviromently efficient. You can also freeze a small water bottle to use as an ice pack for her lunch and then she also has a cold drink.

Answer 5

Try a sandwich, ( Never use mayo or anything that can spoil). Also things like pretzel, carrots, celery, Fruit slices, ( NEVER USE BANANA) , Crackers, Cheese Sticks, Yougurt, ( Don't forget a spoon), gold fish etc.) And as a drink try juicy juice because it is easier to use than capri sun, try anything in a box. You might also want to put a ice pack in her lunch pal to keep it cold like at wal*mart they have Hello Kitty and Strawberry Short Cake. You can use these suggestions or take your daughter to the store with you and have her pick out what she wants for lunch. Good Luck!

Answer 6

PBJ is the biggest hit, even a simple cheese sandwich, or applebutter, I dont know how big your child is on fruit or vegtables but I have found that when my kids were younger it was hard to get them to eat at school. So even though you might not think fruit rollups, cookies, chips, and things like that arent as nutritious as you would like them to be, at least my child was eating something. Try yogurt snacks, or cheese and crackers, even a box of cereal, beef sticks or pepperoni. There are alot of those 100 calorie bags out now. Pudding and jello come in convenient sugar free pkgs now too. I try to pack my kids anything sugar free I can, (what they dont know wont hurt them)

Answer 7

Well if you have the lunch pail that keeps things cool you can do a lunchable however if not there is always PB&J sandwhich with some of the chesse and cracker packs or fruit snacks they have the kid pack pringles. Just little things like that. Normally her age though they have a fridge at where she will be.

Answer 8

A sandwich ,with a filling she likes, no point if she doesn't like it but make sure it is healthy as in this day of obesity it is our job as a parent to take responsibility for what our kids eat. My daughter has salad ,cheese, ham and occasionally honey or jam. sometimes I pack a tossed salad or a cheese and bacon roll. Also pack a piece of fruit something she can easily handle....ie: grapes, cut up orange,kiwi fruit or a plum, peach, manderine. Don't forget a bottle of water

Answer 9

PB&J sandwich
turkey sandwich
salami sandwich
tuna sandwich
sandwiches rolled up in tortillas instead of bread
carrots and celery with dip
fresh fruits - apples, bananas, grapes
Lunchables
cheese and crackers
peanut butter and crackers
bagels with cream cheese
bagels with peanut butter
cottage cheese (sometimes you can get little single serve containers)
Jello
pudding
yogurt - I freeze the Gogurt tubes and they thaw by lunch pretty well
pretzels, chips, crackers, popcorn
soups in a thermos (potato soup, tomato soup, noodle soup, cheese soup, etc.)
spaghetti in a thermos
thermos of mac and cheese
pepperoni slices with crackers
celery or apple slices with peanut butter

Answer 10

If she likes veggies, carrot sticks are good, also, fruit cups you can buy at store. I freeze a small bottle of water for my kids lunch box, put everything in water proof packages. Water bottle melts and they can drink it, and it keeps lunch box contents cool. Small pieces of meat/cheese/crackers like a "lunchable" but you can make "at home" much cheaper and put in a tupperware-like container. Most anything she likes at home can be modified for school lunch, since it is everyday try to keep health in mind!