In just a few short weeks my daughter will put on some new clothes and new shoes, she’s going to hoist a new backpack filled with fun school supplies on her little back, and she’s going to head off to Kindergarten for the first time.
Most parents agonize about the first day of “real” school. They worry about the teachers, the other kids, the school work, and everything else that might happen at school. I’m worried about something else entirely.
Packing her lunch.
Back when she was a 3-year-old in preschool I had to pack her lunch every day and I hated it. I never knew what to put in. She’s not a fan of sandwiches, won’t eat most typical lunch box foods and to make matters worse the school was religious and followed strict dietary rules as well as all the usual allergy prevention guidelines. It was challenging to say the least and it’s not impossible that she ate the exact same thing every day.
I’d love to vary things up a bit more this year. It’s not that she doesn’t still love edamame, yogurt, and cheese, but I think she might get bored faster now than she did as a toddler. Luckily the schools food policies are a bit more relaxed so I should be able to switch things up a bit. I just hope that if I get stuck in a lunchbox packing rut again she’ll forgive me. Maybe a cute note each day will help distract her.
My daughter is gluten intolerant so I have the same issues. No sandwiches or anything with wheat in it. It can be hard not to get stuck in a rut and give them the same thing everyday.
I hear you- my daughter starts kindergarten on Thursday and I am sooo nervous. I don’t like the school lunch menu ( plus it’s overpirced) so packing her lunches will be a challenge
I’d love to hear what other Moms pack that are “winners”. I think everyone feels like they’re in a rut. Our Publix now how lunches for kids that you can pick up, and they’re really great!
I have a thermos that works well. I put in a rotation of:
taco meat with beans and cheese (and tortilla chips in a ziploc!)
mac and cheese and meatballs
gnocchi and meatballs
pizza
dino nuggets
(So i didn’t say this was that healthy….)
I add yogurt and fruit.
Individually packed apple sauces are a huge hit with our rising 1st grader. I also always slip him a “mystery sweet.” It’s either a cookie, a mini-candy bar or something like that. He loves the anticipation.