What Should I Send My Son for Lunch at Daycare?

Hi A.! My daughter is now 9 years old, but when she was younger, I had the same problem you are having. I switched it up and packed her 5 to 7 healthy items in her lunch - but in very small portions. Her eating picked up in a snap. For example - yogert (half of container), banana (half - cut up), Ritz crackers, lunch meat (but cut in different shapes - use cookie cutters), broccoli (five florets) and Juicy Juice (no sugar is added). What I learned is that lunch doesn't have to be "big" food. Sometimes children get tired, as well as overwhelmed when they see a sandwich or a bowl of man & cheese in front of them. When they see things in very small portions and a variety to boot, they are more apt to dig in. Don't forget, you can also be creative with the food - Ritz cracker for an insect's body, pieces of string cheese for the legs and so on. I hope this helps! Good luck!

* Cut up freash fruit (lemon juice prevents browning), bananas, orange slices (check for seeds),unsweetened applesause
* Cut-up steamed veggies (like carrots, green beans) and soft veggies like peas and corn, sliced cucumber or sliced cherry tomatos, cut up baked potato or weet potato
* Plain whole milk yogurt and cottage cheese
* Whole wheat crackers and cheese
* Pasta with pesto or marinara (penne or macaroni are great finger foods)
* Cream cheese sandwiches (you can add thinly sliced or shredded cucumber or carrots )
* Hummas and pita for dipping
* Cousous or rice (mix in peas, corn, etc.)
* Stuff whole wheat tortillas with shredded chicken, cheese, beans, tomatos,lettuce as a burrito or make a cheese and chicken quesidilla (a twist on a grilled cheese)
* Low sodium chicken noodle soup (strain out some liquid if he can't handle the messiness yet)

Take some of dinner from the night before and put it aside for lunsh the next day (cut, shred, steam as needed).

Target sells Thermos brand thermoses which are greaat. That way you can send food and day care doesn't even need to heat stuff up.

You've gotten some good suggestions below. I just wanted to add that my doctor (and other things I've read) have suggested not giving children lunch meat until they are at least 2 years old. Perhaps if you got the kind with no nitrates or preservatives (like those sold at Whole Foods), you could give it a bit earlier.

Since my son likes to participate by picking up the finger foods himself, I send the food in two containers (one for the messy stuff that the provider needs to feed him with a spoon and then one for the finger foods that he can pick up himself without making TOO much a mess). For example, I send rice and lentils in one and then peas or other veggie separately.

Other ideas, tofu and rice, pasta, chicken, fish, veggie burgers. I love the Dr. Praeger's frozen foods: all natural ingredients and my son loves them. There are veggie burgers, spinach cakes, fish sticks, etc.

Good luck!

Little pieces of fruit or veggies are always a good, healthy choice...bananas, apple pieces, pears, broccoli, etc. I also switch up the sandwich - instead of just PB&J, I would do cream cheese and jelly, PB and honey, turkey and cheese, etc...and yogurt for kids - or GoGurt....they are really good and easy to eat.

Just pack small containers of dinner leftovers from the meals that he WILL eat for you. I'm sure the sitter can keep it in the fridge and just heat up. Simple and healthy too!

Here's a few things to fire up the imagination:

String Cheese (great protein and calcium)
sliced strawberries (unless your family is highly allergic in general)
fruit cups (peaches are always popular with the little ones)
pasta (cooked and lightly buttered so it won't stick together, my sons love buttered macaroni noodles)
veg-all (or similar vegetable medley, buy a can and send a little each day)
cubed hot dog (I always use Hebrew National since it's Kosher which means no nitrates)
yogurt
cottage cheese
cereal (most toddlers love eating dry cereal like cheerios, kix, etc.)
lunchables jr. (keep a few of these on hand since they're so easy on days when you're out of something or running late)
Ritz cracker sandwiches (make a few pb&j sandwich using crackers instead of bread, you can also use saltines, loved these when I was a kid)
chewey bars (always a favorite and a nice little treat from mom in the middle of the day)
canned peas and carrots (both are sweet, so kids'll usually eat them, again, just buy a big can and send a little every day)
graham cracker sticks
banana
scrambled eggs, lightly buttered so they don't get hard
etc..

Just make sure that you're sending a protein (meat or cheese), a grain (pasta, cereal, crackers, bread) and a vegetable or fruit with him every day. I'm sure he's very active at daycare and needs a good balance. Also try drawing him a little picture and sending it in his lunch every day, that way he'll be eager to open his lunch and see what you drew for him and he'll feel like he got a hug from mommy. Just draw the picture and then, without showing him what it is, show him that you are putting it in his lunch so he knows it's there and knows it's from you.

Best of luck, toddlers can get so finicky.

What does he like to eat at home? Send him leftovers from last nights dinner, if he liked it. HAve you asked him what he wants to eat. Even at this age, they can tell you what they want to eat, ask him. Also, kids go thru phases, he may be entering a time when he's just not that hungry. Kids will NOT starve themselves, he'll eat when he's hungry

Can't blame him. I get tired of the same stuff, too.
Have you ever tried ethnic? I'm talking Chinese, Korean, Thai, Indian, etc. I know it seems implausible, but sometimes I have an easier time trying to get my daughter to eat stuff like that than the same old stuff - even when she was the same age as your son (she's 2 now). It was easier for me to get her to down Kim Chee Fried Rice than mac and cheese sometimes, and it's on the spicy side.
Don't know if it's your cup of tea, but it's just a thought.