E starts all day preschool, and we're expected to provide a packed lunch.
Is there a way to keep foods properly chilled? I'm thinking cheese sticks, and such.
At home it's just so easy. Everything is right there, so if he drops his spoon, we have another one. Or if he refuses 1 food, we have several different options. And, of course, I don't mind cutting up his fruit, but I don't know if fruit will last 3 hours until lunch without going bad - ie apples start to brown.
Any tips for packing a lunch for school?
Also, he's finicky, and doesn't always eat the same amount of food. So it might be hard to plan ahead. Ugh.
Post by madringal on Sept 20, 2014 16:34:27 GMT -5
Get ice packs to throw in his lunch bag. If you make lunch the night before and then store the whole lunch bag in the fridge, and then toss in an ice pack, it helps keep it all colder longer. To prevent fruit from browning dip them in a tiny bit of lemon juice.
Post by usuallylurking on Sept 20, 2014 16:38:54 GMT -5
I think the apple will be ok in a baggie in a chilled lunch pail. It might brown but it won't be much. I'd look for some reusable ice packs to be able to toss in. I know my dad stores his entire fabric, insulated lunch pail in the freezer until he is ready to use it.
Post by margotmacomber on Sept 20, 2014 16:39:43 GMT -5
I keep DD's insulated lunch box in the fridge or freezer and then throw an ice pack in. I assume it's fine because her teachers have never said otherwise and she hasn't puked or anything.
Post by bluetopaz on Sept 20, 2014 16:43:50 GMT -5
I was worried about the same things when W started preschool full time. Ice packs have worked fine so far to keep everything cold. He's a fairly picky eater too, so every day he gets a PB&J (I make 5 homemade uncrustables at a time on Sunday, freeze them, then put one in his lunch box every morning). He's actually a MUCH better eater at school, because he's around other kids that are eating. Plus, they keep him so busy all morning, so by lunch he's really hungry and ready to eat something. I rub his apple slices with a little lemon juice to keep them from browning, like mentioned above. I have a set of animal shaped cutters to cut his cheese or carrots into the shapes of penguins or pigs or whatever, just to make stuff more fun. I worry about him eating during the day too, so I figure it's worth it.
I hope he has fun, overall preschool has been great for our son.
I was worried about the same things when W started preschool full time. Ice packs have worked fine so far to keep everything cold. He's a fairly picky eater too, so every day he gets a PB&J (I make 5 homemade uncrustables at a time on Sunday, freeze them, then put one in his lunch box every morning). He's actually a MUCH better eater at school, because he's around other kids that are eating. Plus, they keep him so busy all morning, so by lunch he's really hungry and ready to eat something. I rub his apple slices with a little lemon juice to keep them from browning, like mentioned above. I have a set of animal shaped cutters to cut his cheese or carrots into the shapes of penguins or pigs or whatever, just to make stuff more fun. I worry about him eating during the day too, so I figure it's worth it.
I hope he has fun, overall preschool has been great for our son.
which ones?
I worry I won't pack enough, or that I will pack too much. My son can eat quite a bit when he's hungry, and he will also refuse foods he has eaten on other days.
Post by dragonfly08 on Sept 20, 2014 17:30:04 GMT -5
An insulated bag with an ice pack is plenty. I've been packing lunches that way for 8 years and haven't given a kid food poisoning yet. :-) And there's more than our fair share of cheese sticks and yogurt in those lunches!
Cut fruit does fine. We eat a lot of strawberries, grapes, blueberries, sliced melon, and apples (tip...dip the slices in lemon juice or OJ and the acidity helps keep them from browning) with no problems. The only things I don't love sending are bananas (they brown too much in the lunch bag, IMO, and then my picky kids won't eat them) and raspberries (which always seem to squish no matter what container I use, but #1 loves them and doesn't care, and since she packs her own lunch these days if she wants them, in they go).
My kids appetites can change day to day. So I err on the side of over packing, but always make sure there's some non-perishable stuff in their lunch that way if they don't eat it or start but don't finish, it doesn't get wasted. Now that my kids are older and not at a nut-free school, almonds work great for #1. #2 likes baggies of cereal or trail mix or pretzels as an add-on. You do get a sense, over time of what is an appropriate amount. There will always be the chance it's not quite enough or is a little too much but in general I don't find much food gets wasted with my kids and if they're hungry after lunch it's usually b/c they ran out of time and didn't finish what they had, rather than that there wasn't enough packed to begin with.
I keep sliced apples in a small airtight container or a baggie with all the air pressed out and that keeps the browning to a minimum.
Honestly I don't think very much can happen in the 2.5-3 hrs from drop off to lunch time that will be harmful. Maybe I'm being too breezy. Put an icepack in there and you should be good.
I have these icepacks and LOVE them. They're flat so it reduces the amount of space they take up in the lunch box.
I've had such good luck with the ice packs! I got a bunch for $.88 at Kroger. We also use an insulated lunch box but I think most are insulated now. We do cheese sticks and yogurt every day and David will not eat either unless they are very cold, so it's been really successful.
I just pack David things that are healthy and things I know he likes (he won't even eat a sandwich)- cheese sticks, yogurt, turkey slices, turkey pepperoni, popcorn, goldfish crackers, multi grain crackers. And I throw in a Fiber One brownie for a "treat". My preschool wouldn't allow them, though. I tell him to eat the cold stuff first so it's not wasted. It's been working great but not sure how that would go with a 3 y/o, lol.
We have a divided tray and do a half sandwich, side of veggies (carrots, celery, peppers, cherry tomatoes) and a side of fruit, goldfish, or yogurt. We started with a full sandwich, but he just wasn't eating it most days. Typically a turkey and cheese sandwich with a bit of mustard. I've also done a hotdog and cheese on bread or crackers, and squares of ham and cheese.
My toddler's daycare stores the lunches in a fridge, but if they didn't, I'd either get her the bag I linked above or pack ice packs in them. I like the ice packs that look like individual cubes. They're good to cut in half to save space as needed.
Post by nolasteph on Sept 20, 2014 17:57:57 GMT -5
My older daughter, when she was in pre-k3, used an insulated lunchbox with an ice-pack. Usually I made her a lunch of lunch meat and cheese cut into shapes (or just as they come - salami or pepperoni as it, applegate bologna just rolled up), some sort of cracker or bread, some sort of vegetable (baby carrots, sugar snap peas, broccoli), a fruit, and one of those organic milk boxes. I used silicone baking cups inside of a shallow rubbermaid container to keep each thing separate. This way it was just a homemade lunchable. She wasn't big on sandwiches and rarely ate them when I packed them. I had better luck with finger foods. Some days when I hadn't made it to grocery she got a deviled egg or two, a cheese stick, a granola bar, veggie straws and milk. As long as she ate something I was happy. My younger daughter is in pre-k3 now and eats sandwiches or leftovers from dinner (her school is different than my older's and they will actually warm up a meal for the kids). I still often make her lunches similar to above because I know she will eat it.
Kids eat pretty well in school teachers make sure of that. Even if they don't eat all their lunch, by law (at least in MD), it is required to feed children every few hours so they get a morning snack (like crackers and juice), lunch, and afternoon snack.
I took extra snacks to E's classroom (pack of cheese sticks) since he won't always eat what is provided. Each day, a student is assigned to bring in snacks, and E won't always eat what the other kids bring.
Post by stealthmom on Sept 21, 2014 3:21:07 GMT -5
Ice packs plus you can freeze a bottle of water too.
I most often sent leftovers so stuff he had already eaten. I wouldn't worry about whether he eats or how much. Let his teachers do their jobs. They will help him and will keep you informed if there is a problem.
I worry I won't pack enough, or that I will pack too much. My son can eat quite a bit when he's hungry, and he will also refuse foods he has eaten on other days.
We have these, or at least an older set. Amazon says this is what I purchased, but our set doesn't have an elephant.
W's teacher in the 3 year old room would send home any uneaten food (unless it'd be messy, like an opened yogurt cup) so we could see what and how much he was eating. I liked that, maybe your teacher can do the same.
I also know they keep several boxes of plastic utensils around, so if someone drops their spoon (or their parent forgets to pack one) there are plenty of extras. I might send in an extra box, just in case.