Lunchbox 101
Whether you're stumped for fresh inspiration, trying to effectively balance nutrition with taste, or simply trying to avoid the guilt of wasting perfectly good food, making lunch for kids is no simple undertaking.
Let’s explore five simple, yet effective, strategies to make packing school lunches easier, more enjoyable, and (hopefully) a lot less wasteful, ensuring your kids look forward to mealtime each day.
#1 - Get the kids involved! Although we want to follow the division of responsibility, which means you are in charge of WHAT your child is offered to eat, it is great to involve them in the decision making! One way to do this is to offer them choices. “Would you like carrots or broccoli with your ranch dip?” “Do you want a chicken sandwich or a chicken wrap?” This gives your child a sense of control and independence and they are more likely to try a lunch that they helped prepare.
#2 - Offer both well-accepted and “new” foods. Make sure there is at least 1-2 items that you know your child enjoys included in each lunch. This might be the thing that they eat first as they warm up to the rest of the options, and if all else fails you know they will eat something! Try not to fall into the trap of sending only “favourite” or “safe” foods, we want to continue to offer exposure to a variety of foods, even if that means sending one piece of cucumber that you know will come back home. One day your child might surprise you!
#3 - Ensure your child can open containers and packages. This is a very common issue among younger kids. Your child might not eat their pasta if they cannot open their thermos, or might not try their granola bar if they cannot open the package. Often there are teachers or helpers to assist but it is common for kids to simply put the food away and not ask for help, or run out of time waiting for assistance that they cannot finish their meal.
#4 - Talk to your child, ask questions. Was the pasta too cold in the thermos? Was the sandwich soggy? How can I help make the chicken more appealing to eat? Does it need to be cut differently? Did you have enough time to eat it?
Get to the bottom of why food is coming home rather than caving and packing only “safe” foods. Work on a solution together to make lunch more accessible and enjoyable.
For younger children, you could also consider speaking to their teacher about the routine for breaks & lunchtimes. Are kids limited to opening one container or package at snack time? Do they need to pick it ahead of time or in the moment? Are they expected to eat quickly, get ready, and get outside to play? Is there enough time for slower eaters or social butterflies? Are they pressured to hurry, to eat in a certain order, or comments made on their meal? “Hurry, we need to get outside!” “You need to eat X before you can eat Y!” “Why did Mom give you so many treats?”
Kids may be naturally choosing other activities at meal times, feel pressured to eat faster than they are comfortable with, or feeling uncomfortable with attention from supervisors. We may not always be able to adjust for all situations during school hours but can help us understand what’s happening so we can work on solutions within our control.
#5 - Focus on what you can control. If your child is not eating lunch, and you have tried everything, it is okay to focus on optimizing nutrition at home. Ensure that they are eating a well balanced breakfast, do your best with lunch, and then offer a nutritious after school snack and balanced dinner. This will ensure that your child is still well-nourished, even if lunch isn’t the most successful meal of the day!
Stay tuned for a future post with ideas and examples!
Need more support or still have questions? Book a discovery call to learn more about how we can help support your family.
