Little Reminders for Packing the Best Lunchbox

Curious about what to pack for the first day of school and beyond? Read on for our top school lunch tips.

1. Give kids 2-3 snacks in addition to their lunch to keep them fueled and energized. Great snacks are nuts, grapes, and anything else they can eat on the go.
2. Include a variety of fruits, veggies, grains, protein, and dairy or dairy alternatives. These cover the main food groups, ensuring your child gets all the nutrients they need throughout the day. Find some helpful suggestions for the food groups here.
3. Add an ice pack or 2 to your school supplies list to keep things cold! A frozen water bottle works too and will be ready just in time for lunch! The USDA says 2 cold sources are best in a lunchbox.
4. If you’re heating up those back to school lunches, remember to keep things warm with an insulated container. Tell kids not to open until lunch so the heat doesn’t slip out!
5. Since lunchtime isn’t long and kids are busy catching up with friends, make their food easy to eat to ensure they do, like peeling fruit ahead of time and even cutting it into chunks.
6. Kids may also be too busy to stop and wash their hands, so make sure to grab sanitizer or hand wipes with your other school supplies and pack those in your child’s lunchbox too!
7. As fruit juice can contain a lot of sugar and milk can be heavy, make sure to pack water in your child’s lunchbox to wash down their food. Water is the best source of hydration and goes with anything!
8. Bring kids to the grocery store to pick out snack and lunch options before the first day of school and once a month after that. This ensures they mix up what they eat so they don’t get tired of their lunch and stop eating it. They also get to try new things and feel empowered making their own decisions for their health and well-being.
9. Use containers to your advantage. You can pack full meals for kids by sectioning off different parts in containers. Tacos is a perfect example where the different toppings can be separated in small glass jars while the taco shells are placed in one large container—yum!
10. While it’s not the top of our list, presentation can make a difference in whether or not kids eat up! For a playful lunch presentation, try colorful containers or shaping food with cookie cutters so kids can look forward to something. So much of life is about perception, so opening their lunchbox with a smile may help kids’ food taste even better.

Now, you’re ready to pack up for back to school and fuel kids for success all year long!

Make learning extra sweet with our

Back-to-School Cupcakes Kit!

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