I often hear mums moaning about the tedious task of making packed lunch boxes or fed up with their children not eating all their lunch. Its easy to get stuck in a rut and stick to the same old sandwiches, snack, fruit or whatever your child will eat but there are so many healthy lunchbox ideas for toddlers.
In this blog I will share with you what makes up a healthy lunchbox, what to include to make sure it is a healthy lunchbox. I will also give you some tips on making it easy for a toddler to eat their lunch and some recipe ideas that are savoury, sweet and vegetarian.
What makes a healthy lunchbox?
Only 1 in 100 of children’s lunch boxes are actually healthy and meet nutritional standards according to study carried out by the University of Leeds (1)
So what actually makes up a healthy lunchbox? Healthy lunchbox ideas for toddlers of 2 – 5 yrs need to include the 5 food groups (2). This makes sure they will be getting all the nutrients they need.
The five food groups listed below include oils and fats which won’t stand on their own as a food in the lunchbox but form part of one of the recipes for example a olive oil salad dressing or some low fat spread in a sandwich.
- Starchy carbohydrates: potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, fortified breakfast cereals and other starchy carbohydrates and grains.
- Fruits & vegetables: fresh, or canned in juice all count.
- Protein: beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat, tofu
- Dairy & alternatives: milk & dairy foods
- Oils and healthy fats.
In addition – a drink such as water or diluted sugar free squash.
You need to include one food from each of these food groups. For fruit and vegetables 1 -2 of these ideally, so one fruit and one vegetable.
What should I put in my child’s lunchbox?
For each of the food groups here are some suggestions of the types of foods to include.
- Carbohydrate – choose different breads, wraps, bagels, flatbreads, filo, pastry, cold pasta, grains, other cereals (breakfast), crackers, rice cakes, breadsticks, croissant, couscous, cold potatoes
- Protein – cheese cubes, chicken pieces, tuna flakes, egg pieces, strips of ham, beef strips, grated cheese, pot of hummus, cottage cheese & vegan alternatives
- Fruit – chopped blueberries, grapes, kiwi, melon strips or balls, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, whole apple, pear, banana, fresh clementine or satsuma in pieces, tinned fruit in fruit juice like pineapple, peaches etc. dried fruit like apricots or raisins are fine after 18mths.
- Vegetables- strips of peppers, cucumbers, celery, chopped tomatoes, radishes, carrot sticks, cooked cold vegetables like green beans, edamame beans, broccoli, peas and mange tout.
- Dairy – pot of plain yogurt, yoghurt drink, cheese, rice pudding,
- Drink – water or diluted sugar free squash
Not essential but you may like to include a low sugar option too from the following;
- Small scone
- Slice of malt loaf
- Plain popcorn
- Mini muffin
What foods should I avoid for toddlers’ lunches?
If your child is under 5 yrs of age then there are certain foods that could make them sick and are best avoided. These include, honey, unpasteurised cheeses, lightly cooked egg, rice drinks, raw fish (3)
- Allergens
It is likely that the preschool or nursery will have a nut free policy and other maybe other potential allergens. So it is best to not bring any nuts into the nursery or any nut products.
- Foods high in salt, fat and sugar.
Some nurseries may have a policy or request that you don’t include foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar. This would include foods such as chocolate, crisps, sweets. Toffee popcorn, other salty snacks.
You could swap these high fat, salt and sugar foods (chocolate, sweets, crisps) for things like plain popcorn, malt loves, tea cakes, scones or low sugar biscuits, buns etc.
- Foods that could make them choke
Whole nuts, large grapes, tomatoes, blueberries, raw jelly cubes
If you want to include these fruits then just make sure to chop them small enough (quarters) for toddlers.
How do I make it easy for my child to eat their lunch?
Toddlers or children often don’t have very long to eat their lunch at a nursery or school, or they want to eat quickly so they can go and play. Here are some ways to make it easy for your child to eat their lunch at speed and make it appealing too.
- Make most of the lunch available as bite sized pieces. For example, serve veg or fruit that won’t go brown in slices or small pieces such as chopped apple slices, halved grapes, cucumber sticks.
- Use little snack pots or silicone bun cases to put chopped food in. This makes it more colourful and they can easily eat with their fingers or a fork.
- Try making fun shapes with bread – mix with wraps, bread, rolls etc. This doesn’t have to be complicated, so it could be sandwiches cut into triangles or wraps chopped into log shapes.
- Use lots of attractive colours by putting in a variety of fruits and vegetables. This will make it more nutritious and more appealing to eat too.
- Get kids involved in making the lunchbox if they are old enough – it might make them more likely to eat it!
What are some healthy lunchbox ideas for toddlers?
Savoury healthy lunchbox ideas for toddlers
- Cheese and chive scones
- Breads, wraps, pinwheels or rolls with sandwich filling ideas such as hummus, cooked chicken, egg, tuna mayo or chopped egg.
- Tuna filo parcels
- Lunchbox pasta
- Chicken, carrot & avocado rolls
- Tuna and sweetcorn slice
- Pitta pizza
Sweet lunchbox ideas for toddlers
Vegetarian healthy lunchbox ideas for toddlers
- Avocado dip
- Veggie dippers
- Sweet potato crisps
- Salad jars/layers such as couscous with chopped veggies, lettuce, feta cheese or other cheeses.
References given on request
Now you know what makes a up a healthy lunchbox as well as some recipe ideas. I hope your inspired to mix things up and give a fun variety of different foods for your child’s lunch.
If you also struggle with healthy snacks I have the perfect mini guide that can help with recipe inspiration and portion sizes.
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