It’s that time of year again, in case you couldn’t tell from your Facebook newsfeed.
It happened in our home this week, my daughter left for kindergarten. And although it was a little sad to see her leave (okay, who am I kidding- it was super sad and I cried the whole walk home from the bus stop), in a way it is also nice to be back in a routine.
3. Make a lunch-packing station. I have a small area in my cupboard that is designated just for lunch tools – lunch containers, plastic cutlery, cupcake liners (more on this), toothpicks, water bottles, sandwich-cutters and cookie-cutters, plastic bags, etc.
4. Make it pretty. I like to use fun shaped sandwich-cutters and cookie-cutters, sprinkles, toothpicks, mini skewers, disposable dip cups, party napkins, etc. Anything to make it pleasant-looking. I have also found that cupcake liners are convenient to separate foods, and to add some color.
5. Find a reusable lunchbox with individual compartments. I love the bento-box idea for kids lunches – incorporating a lot of different healthy foods that kids can choose from. I have used both Ziplock Divided Rectangle Containers and Rubbermaid Lunchblox, but this style of plastic containers can pretty much be found anywhere. PotteryBarnKids also has lots of cute, practical lunchbox containers too.
6. Pack water. After one nightmarish trip to the dentist, I stopped buying juice boxes for my kids. Instead, we invested in metal (BPA-free) water bottles (we went with Sigg). It saves money at the grocery store, and at the dentist. Why didn’t I consider this before? (please note, some pictures below were snapped BEFORE our trip to the dentist!)
7. Have fun! Pinterest is FULL of ideas for packing creative kids lunches. I love surprising the kids with holiday-themed lunches like an easter egg lunch (see picture below), everything green for st. patty’s day, or a “turkey” sandwich. The sky is the limit on how creative you can be. I don’t spend a ton of time on this, but if it’s quick, I say go for it!
8. Love, Mom. Don’t forget to add a note!
Here is my resource of kid-friendly foods. I hope you find it helpful! Most options are gluten-free. Obviosuly, it’s not exhaustive, but it should give you a place to start!
4 comments
Very cute!!!
Thanks mom!
My hubby has done lunches in the past and this makes me think I should take it over. Not that I can do it better, but I can do it healthier and with the right portions, he adds too much food and that adds up in $$.
Thanks for a beautiful post, Nealy!
I’m always afraid lunch will spoil and the kids will get sick if I pack perishables, even with the little cooler freezable packs. Any recommendations?
Also, my high schoolers have to pack clear water bottles, but that’s probably an upper classman thing
Thank you for your great ideas. I’m going to use your list of proteins, veg, fruit, etc. as we usually just pack too many carbs in fear of food spoilage.