Parents - do you pack your kids lunches?

[D&T]

specifically regarding elementary school age, do you pack their lunches or do they eat at school? if you pack lunches - do you just put it in a brown paper bag or do you have a "special" bag for them? I''m going to send my 4 year old to pre preschool and DH wants me to pack lunches for my DD, I know this sounds silly, but do I just throw it in a brown paper bag or should I be getting her some fancy lunch box type deal? and what''s good on the menu that is still healthy and not go bad? I feel bad just packing the same lunch everyday?

 

[asscherisme]

I pack lunch about 1/2 the time for my elementary kids. I use a insulated lunch bag. Target has some cute ones. Also, get an icepack thingy that way you can pack things like turkey or cheese sandwhiches.

I have packed homemade parfaits in tupperware. Small tupperware/rubbermaid containers are your friend! Yogurt, fruit, and granola. my son loves the parfaits.

Check with the school regarding peanuts. Some schools ban any peanut products and some don't due to life threating allergies of some kids.

If you want to break out of the sandwich rut- the best thing ever is a lunch size thermos with a wide opening. I pack all sorts of stuff and they get a hot lunch. Stews, pasta, anything that can be stuffed into a thermos I have stuffed in there. I even put left over chinese food, rice and cut up chicken on top. I get the food for the thermos ready at night and store it in a microwave safe container. Then in the morning, I just pop it in the thermos and heat it more than I would if they were eating it then so its still hot at lunch.

I always pack fruit too. And I will sometimes put a small treat in their lunch like a hershey kiss. Something small and unexpected and not everytime so when I do it, its a real treat.

Its hard the first year or so to figure it out but over time, you will be creative. I am in my 8th year of packing elementary school lunches and have 6 more years of it (no I have not had a child in elementary school for 8 years I just have a lot of kids.

edited to add, write your daughters name in sharpee on the icepack and lunch box in case they end up in the lost and found!

edited again to add, this is what I have. Its expensive but so worth it. I actually own 3 of these and also 2 in the next larger size because my 13 year old son (jr high) eats like there is no tommorow and is growing like a weed.

http://www.amazon.com/Foogo-Thermos-Leak-Proof-Food-Blue/dp/B000O3LFRK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1256830453&sr=8-4

 

[D&T]

Date: 10/29/2009 11:31:49 AM
Author: asscherisme

Thank you so much! asscherisme!- what great ideas... all I had in my mind was PB&J and fruits...lol and thought my goodness, that's not how we eat at home, as I always prepare hot meals. I didn't know how to take care of leftover for the kiddos . Whew! I'm so glad I asked this question, as I really needed someone else's input. DH's input was PB&J

and that was it.

ETA: just saw the link to the thermos! and I love it!

 

[iluvcarats]

I pack my kids lunches. The Gap always has cute backpacks and lunch boxes that clip together. Also try LL Bean and the Pottery Barn. Once in a while DD will buy, but DS always brings his lunch. I try to make them as healthy as possible, but they eat what they want, YKWIM? For instace, sometimes the same apple rolls around in there all week until it is completely bruised and retired on friday.

 

[D&T]

Date: 10/29/2009 11:43:16 AM
Author: iluvcarats
I pack my kids lunches. The Gap always has cute backpacks and lunch boxes that clip together. Also try LL Bean and the Pottery Barn. Once in a while DD will buy, but DS always brings his lunch. I try to make them as healthy as possible, but they eat what they want, YKWIM? For instace, sometimes the same apple rolls around in there all week until it is completely bruised and retired on friday.

Tthank you Iluv! I''m in the process of hunting down backpacks and lunch boxes. yep, I KWYM, Luckily DD loves apples for now anyways

....

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Both my kids bring lunches that I pack. They each have lunch boxes. Some of the food on elementary school menu is healthy and the kids have a buffet style selection AND a salad bar, but I''m not sure what foods my kids would pick (once my son ate a giant pretzel for "hot" lunch). Things like chocolate milk are beverages I don''t want them drinking daily, so that''s another reason they bring lunches (and they are given water). So. . .the deal is they buy lunch one day a week. Our school has a "debit card" for lunches. Parents pay an amount up front to the school and then the school deducts $2.25 for each lunch the child purchases.

For preschool, after I discovered what the teachers were feeding my kids, I began packing their lunches. There was no way my son would eat mushy canned green beans, so I packed him things he liked at the time - crackers and apples.

 

[TooPatient]

Muffins are always a great addition. If you make them at home you can reduce the sugar to a very small amount and even cut out some of the fat (use applesauce).
Lots of great things you can do with muffins so it doesn''t have to get boring. It is also something that kids can "help" make.

Fruit is healthy and something that kids can help with. When you go to the store, let them pick out the fruit they want for lunch the next day. (plums and other small fruits can be packed in a small tupperware container with a few grapes to keep it from rolling -- prevents bruising and gives the kid more fruit to enjoy)

Dehydrated fruit (unsweetened) is great too. It doesn''t bruise, keeps longer, less messy to eat, and gets kids to eat fruit they might not otherwise. (mango, apples, oranges, blueberries, pineapple, papaya)

A fun twist on the basic sandwich:
pack a plain sandwich roll or a couple of pieces of bread, roll up thin sliced meats and/or cheese, include whatever else your kid likes on a sandwich and let them build their own.

Cookies make great desserts for lunch. Oatmeal cookies especially can be made to be quite healthy. (can reduce sugar and fat again by using applesauce, add some raisins or other dried fruit and toasted nuts -- check with school for nut policy)


Special treats I''ve done:
pumpkin pie (reduced sugar)
apple pie (almost no sugar)
applesauce (almost no sugar)
brownie (high quality dark chocolate, little sugar)
graham cracker sandwich (peanut butter & chocolate chips)

 

[packrat]

London''s preschool was only 2 1/2 hours a day, so they got a light snack is all. I don''t know what the food is like at school here in town. Our school had *awesome* food, but we don''t live in that town. I got London a backpack from..dangit..it was either LLBean or Lands End. I''m pretty sure it was LE tho..anyway, it''s purple w/horses and I got the matching insulated lunch bag with it. There''s a clip that it attaches right to the outside of the backpack. She''s only used it once, for a field trip, and didn''t eat anything I sent except she drank the bottle of Ensure. Makes me wonder how well she eats in school.

I like the thermos link Asscherisme provided..might have to snag a couple!

 

[TooPatient]

I almost forgot:

Pasta salad, potato salad, hard boiled eggs (peeled), cous cous salad, & fruit salad.

Lots of variations on each one. Pasta salad and cous cous salad are great ways to get more fruits & veggies into their diet. These are also things the kids can help with. Stirring, picking out fruit (fresh or dried), peeling eggs, etc.

 

[D&T]

Thanks MC and TooPatient- Man, you guys have great ideas... and if only I had parents like you guys back then...lol I've always had school lunch from the time I could remember. I definitely will be taking up all these ideas and implementing them

Packrat! thanks sweetie as well, for the ideas,

DD's preschool is an all day/daycare so we'll need snacks and lunches for her, which I'm fine with but man, tuition is kind of pricey

oh well, just for one year I hope and maybe she will be able to start early in Kindergarten as her birthday is passed the cutoff date.

 

[TooPatient]

Cinnamon rolls are another fun thing to add. Homemade can be pretty healthy. Very little sugar in the bread part itself. Keep the center sugar to a minimum. Add raisins or other dried fruit (cranberries & blueberries go great too) if your kid will eat it. Small bit of frosting if you want.

You can even use mashed potatoes in the dough and they''ll turn out nice and fluffy. I''ve seen people use sweet potatoes in the dough, but I''ve never tried it myself.

You can even sneak in a bit of whole wheat flour without anyone noticing.



Yes, I love to cook. Tastes better. Much healthier. Did I mention much healthier?
And you can make things whatever size and shape you want.

 

[D&T]

Date: 10/29/2009 12:39:07 PM
Author: TooPatient
Cinnamon rolls are another fun thing to add. Homemade can be pretty healthy. Very little sugar in the bread part itself. Keep the center sugar to a minimum. Add raisins or other dried fruit (cranberries & blueberries go great too) if your kid will eat it. Small bit of frosting if you want.

You can even use mashed potatoes in the dough and they''ll turn out nice and fluffy. I''ve seen people use sweet potatoes in the dough, but I''ve never tried it myself.

You can even sneak in a bit of whole wheat flour without anyone noticing.



Yes, I love to cook. Tastes better. Much healthier. Did I mention much healthier?
And you can make things whatever size and shape you want.

I''m drooling over your menus

I would love to pack my kids all these delicious items. I pack my Hubby''s lunch usually leftover for work, and he loves it so I hope my DD will also.

 

[packrat]

Dang you guys...all we ever got was a bologna sandwich, a cut up apple, baggie of chips and thermos of juice. Hmph. No pasta salad or muffins for me!

 

[Aloros]

If you need some fun ideas, check out lunchinabox.net. I LOVE this website!

 

[D&T]

Date: 10/29/2009 1:21:52 PM
Author: Aloros
If you need some fun ideas, check out lunchinabox.net. I LOVE this website!

thanks Aloros for the site! I just checked out the site, and they talk about Bento Buddies kit, do you have any of these? or anyone?

Packrat- I know what you mean, I didn't get any of these goodies either- yummy

 

[soocool]

I am a on-call worker for our school district and am frequently in the elementary schools. Almost all the classrooms have a mini-refrigerator and micro wave so that kids can keep their lunches cold and heat them up if needed. From what I could see at the elementary schools, a lot of kids would eat the treats first and throw out the lunches. The kids who brought in "Lunchables" would eat them and the kids who actually made their own lunches would eat what they brought to school.

 

[Camille]

My kids eat at school on mondays only.
One gets brown paper bag because she loves my drawings, special codes messages etc. usually a multi grain sandwich and applesauce or a bar.
The other ''must'' have his ''metal'' box

he eats lots of fruit and the only one in the family who eats leftovers packed in microwavable thermos from Target, really keeps his pasta/pizza piping hot.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 10/29/2009 2:04:55 PM
Author: soocool
I am a on-call worker for our school district and am frequently in the elementary schools. Almost all the classrooms have a mini-refrigerator and micro wave

All the classes in my kids'' school have microwaves, but that doesn''t mean the teachers want the kids to use them. A friend in my son''s class last year would bring and microwave his own popcorn and the teacher was fine with that (that was in 2nd grade). This year, for my first grader, he was given food that needed to be heated up and his teacher asked that he not do that specifically because my son does NOT know how to use a microwave and his teacher cannot run around heating up food for everyone.

For cold foods (like cheeses) I add an ice pack into my sons'' lunches. Even with resources like fridges, etc., I think it''s not fair to add the additional time it take the teachers to organize all that.

Almost all the teachers I''ve talked to have had unfair demands placed upon them. It''s best to keep things as simple as possible because just dealing with peanut allergies, celiac, etc., are tough enough as it is.

 

[TooPatient]

Date: 10/29/2009 2:04:55 PM
Author: soocool
I am a on-call worker for our school district and am frequently in the elementary schools. Almost all the classrooms have a mini-refrigerator and micro wave so that kids can keep their lunches cold and heat them up if needed. From what I could see at the elementary schools, a lot of kids would eat the treats first and throw out the lunches. The kids who brought in ''Lunchables'' would eat them and the kids who actually made their own lunches would eat what they brought to school.

My mother works in food service for the school district. The classrooms where she is (an elementary school) do not have any kind of refrigerators or microwaves.

I''ve seen it in some schools but not all have this.

Check with the teacher before sending anything that may need one of these.


Kids like to eat what they make. My grandmother did that with us and it was great. I also found that with A when I was packing her lunches. If I just picked it out and sent it, she''d eat a little and toss it. She loved getting to help pick out what she wanted to eat and also help make it. (stirring muffins, frosting cinnamon rolls, rolling her own cinnamon roll, picking out the fruit to go in a salad, etc.) She especially liked getting to make her own sandwich at school.

 

[TooPatient]

Fruit juice is a nice alternative to water for a drink.

There are a bunch of 100% juice (no sugar or preservatives etc. added) options out there. Taste great and good for them.

 

[Aloros]

I have the laptop bento box and really like it, but that''s too big for a preschooler. My 12-year-old stepson wouldn''t be caught dead with a bento box

, so I don''t really have experience with anything smaller. The site I pointed you to has some reviews for different boxes.

Really, though, tupperware can work. We got some tupperware for my stepson that has different compartments in it. You can throw that into an insulated lunch bag. Not as compact or pretty as the bento boxes, but this works too!

Things my DH and I put in our lunches (and try to put in the kid''s!)
-home-made hummus with veggies to dip
-cottage cheese with fruit
-yogurt with honey and/or fruit
-lunch meat, cheese, and crackers (like our own lunchables)
-hardboiled or fried quail eggs - they are wonderfully bite-sized! We keep some quails in a hutch in the backyard.
-leftovers from dinner

It''s nice to start ''em young on some variety. My stepson has wonderfully diverse taste at home, but try to get him to take anything off the beaten track to lunch...well, let''s just say it doesn''t work!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

http://www.beckyandlolo.co.uk/product/laptop_lunch_boxes/

We use a kid''s laptop lunchbox for DD''s lunches on the days she goes to the office creche with her Daddy. She loves carrying her little packed lunch into the office.

D&T, do you want to make packed lunches, or is it your DH''s plan? If the latter, I''d personally let him get on with it... Just a thought!

Jen

 

[D&T]

Date: 10/29/2009 3:47:01 PM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
http://www.beckyandlolo.co.uk/product/laptop_lunch_boxes/

We use a kid's laptop lunchbox for DD's lunches on the days she goes to the office creche with her Daddy. She loves carrying her little packed lunch into the office.

D&T, do you want to make packed lunches, or is it your DH's plan? If the latter, I'd personally let him get on with it... Just a thought!

Jen

well I jsut bought a little tinkerbell lunch box/bag from target, along with a pink backpack It'll do until maybe my DD turns 6 or seven when she might think she's too cool for tinkerbell

or something. I also got one of those Foogo thermos too,,, yay! excited to test it all out

Haha Jen, hmmm if I try to let DH make lunch, it'll only be PB&J

I do want my kids to eat healthy and sometimes hot lunches as well so I'll be the one packing lunch

.
Thank you all for your ideas, I'm not quite sure about tuperware, need something easy for DD to open, but still leak free (might be a tall order) I can just see it now with DD trying to open the lids, and all her food flying about

 

[TooPatient]

Date: 10/29/2009 4:09:29 PM
Author: D&T

Date: 10/29/2009 3:47:01 PM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
http://www.beckyandlolo.co.uk/product/laptop_lunch_boxes/

We use a kid''s laptop lunchbox for DD''s lunches on the days she goes to the office creche with her Daddy. She loves carrying her little packed lunch into the office.

D&T, do you want to make packed lunches, or is it your DH''s plan? If the latter, I''d personally let him get on with it... Just a thought!

Jen

well I jsut bought a little tinkerbell lunch box/bag from target, along with a pink backpack It''ll do until maybe my DD turns 6 or seven when she might think she''s too cool for tinkerbell

or something. I also got one of those Foogo thermos too,,, yay! excited to test it all out

Haha Jen, hmmm if I try to let DH make lunch, it''ll only be PB&J

I do want my kids to eat healthy and sometimes hot lunches as well so I''ll be the one packing lunch

.
Thank you all for your ideas, I''m not quite sure about tuperware, need something easy for DD to open, but still leak free (might be a tall order) I can just see it now with DD trying to open the lids, and all her food flying about

Use plain old Ziploc where you can.

Things like dried fruit don''t need any fancy plastic holders.


This also has the advantage of being a bit more flexible. You can tuck it into a corner or spread it out on top of stuff.

 

[swingirl]

Date: 10/29/2009 2:48:49 PM
Author: TooPatient
Fruit juice is a nice alternative to water for a drink.

There are a bunch of 100% juice (no sugar or preservatives etc. added) options out there. Taste great and good for them.

Fruit juice is not a good alternative for water. It''s high is natural sugar and empty calories. The AAP recommends kids from 1 to 6 have only 4 to 6 oz of juice a day and would be better off eating fresh fruit instead. The favorites, apple and grape, have little to zero vitamin C.

But most people today think kids and fruit juice go hand-in-hand. So just watch how much you give your child and think of juice like a fruit not a beverage to quench one''s thirst.

 

[TooPatient]

Date: 10/29/2009 8:10:46 PM
Author: swingirl

Date: 10/29/2009 2:48:49 PM
Author: TooPatient
Fruit juice is a nice alternative to water for a drink.

There are a bunch of 100% juice (no sugar or preservatives etc. added) options out there. Taste great and good for them.

Fruit juice is not a good alternative for water. It''s high is natural sugar and empty calories. The AAP recommends kids from 1 to 6 have only 4 to 6 oz of juice a day and would be better off eating fresh fruit instead. The favorites, apple and grape, have little to zero vitamin C.

But most people today think kids and fruit juice go hand-in-hand. So just watch how much you give your child and think of juice like a fruit not a beverage to quench one''s thirst.

I found with A that she didn''t drink her water if that is all I gave her. Instead, she got a small juice box and a bottle of water. She drank the juice (usually) and some of the water.


This seems to be a hard one to balance. Keeping the sugar level low but the amount of liquid they drink up.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 10/29/2009 8:27:06 PM
Author: TooPatient

Date: 10/29/2009 8:10:46 PM
Author: swingirl

Date: 10/29/2009 2:48:49 PM
Author: TooPatient
Fruit juice is a nice alternative to water for a drink.

There are a bunch of 100% juice (no sugar or preservatives etc. added) options out there. Taste great and good for them.

Fruit juice is not a good alternative for water. It's high is natural sugar and empty calories. The AAP recommends kids from 1 to 6 have only 4 to 6 oz of juice a day and would be better off eating fresh fruit instead. The favorites, apple and grape, have little to zero vitamin C.

But most people today think kids and fruit juice go hand-in-hand. So just watch how much you give your child and think of juice like a fruit not a beverage to quench one's thirst.

I found with A that she didn't drink her water if that is all I gave her. Instead, she got a small juice box and a bottle of water. She drank the juice (usually) and some of the water.


This seems to be a hard one to balance. Keeping the sugar level low but the amount of liquid they drink up.

Sorry but after your thread in Family Home and Health. People took time to answer you, and you ignored them for the most part. I feel for that little girl.

You posting here about what to pack in a lunch?? IDK seems so laughable to me, knowing that poor girl is going through heck and back.

.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 10/29/2009 8:10:46 PM
Author: swingirl

Date: 10/29/2009 2:48:49 PM
Author: TooPatient
Fruit juice is a nice alternative to water for a drink.

There are a bunch of 100% juice (no sugar or preservatives etc. added) options out there. Taste great and good for them.

Fruit juice is not a good alternative for water. It''s high is natural sugar and empty calories. The AAP recommends kids from 1 to 6 have only 4 to 6 oz of juice a day and would be better off eating fresh fruit instead. The favorites, apple and grape, have little to zero vitamin C.

But most people today think kids and fruit juice go hand-in-hand. So just watch how much you give your child and think of juice like a fruit not a beverage to quench one''s thirst.

Yep, fruit juice isn''t the best for kids. It can cause a sugar spike and crash in many kids.

In my household juice is considered a treat. My kids, if they''re lucky, get juice 2X *per month*.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

D&T, you''re completely right about the PBJ lol! I was thinking back to what went in my own lunches when I was a kid - my mother packed lovely salads, fresh fruit, wholegrain rolls with homecooked chicken, maybe some dried fruit and occasionally delightful home made mini cupcakes. Three times a week.

On the other two days, my father packed PBJ and chips. With a chocolate bar.

Nowadays, I''d kill for one of my mother''s packed lunches, but in those days, I liked Mondays and Fridays best...

Slightly off topic, but I discovered that my father makes the best sandwiches in the world now. Huge baguettes, buttered and stuffed with meats, salami, cheeses, pickles, olives, salad, tomatoes, mustard and mayo. We had a day out recently and he made the picnic for us all. It was the best packed lunch ever. He filled small bottles with water and froze them overnight, then packed them with the lunch to keep it cold. They''d defrosted by lunchtime, but were still chilled. Might be a useful tip.

Jen

 

[LadyBlue]

I''m not a mom, but my nice does not like water at all, so I gave her 80% water and 20% natural apple juice.

Do you guys think that mixing a tiny portion of juice will be a damage in the kid?