Kindergarten Lunches

I was definitely NOT a fan of sandwiches as an older kid. My mom allowed me to take cheese/pb crackers or whole wheat crackers with cheese as an alternative 2-3 days a week. It was a compromise for her, but it worked for us. There are lots of fruit options, but probably not nearly as many veggie options. Since you probably know which fruits she likes, try to vary them so that she doesn't get the same one 3 or 4 days in a row. ;) Your best bet may be to ask her what she'd like to have in her lunch box. Allow her to choose one somewhat unhealthy snack, but keep that one at home for AFTER school, IF she finishes her lunch. :) Juice boxes can be a good source of fruit, but you'll have to check the boxes, because they are NOT all created equal. (learned that one the hard way). Also, see if you can find a kid's cook book that might have lunch ideas that aren't necessarily cooked. I have two or three of these that I love. My kiddo enjoys "making his own" lunch at home, especially when it looks like it will be fun to eat.

I have eaten lunch with my kids at school and most of the kids don't eat their whole meals. They really get a lot of food, maybe she will not be as active at school and won't need all of the food she did before she started K. A good breakfast is wise to tide her over too, most Kindergarten classes get snacks as well. My kids go to Central York. Talk to the school....
I used to make my son, in preschool, crackers with PB and marshmallow, lunchables, fruit, jello, pudding, etc.

I don't really have suggestions for you about what to put in her lunch. I just wanted to let you know that kindergarten will also have at least one snack during the day in addition to lunch.

I'm in the same spot as you are. My 5 year old is starting Kindergaten Monday and the school won't have lunches avalable until the second week of school. I talked to my daughter about lunch and explained that she couldn't have anything that had to be heated.

We went to the deli counter and asked to sample lunch meat. My daughter tried chicken, turkey and ham. Ham was the favorite with turkey being second. The chicken is too dry. I prefer provolone cheese so I bought a pack of that and tried these potential lunch items out for a pre dinner snack. It was a success, well except for the fact that she does not share my preference for provolone cheese, she wants "orange cheese".

My daughter isn't much for sandwichs either, but loves butter bread so I think I'm just going to pack her a piece of butter bread and a ham & cheese roll-up. I also got baby carrots (veggie), natural berry apple sauce and some fruit cocktail in natural fruit juice that I'll have to get little cups for because it only seems to come in larger cans.

I'm still working on the lunch thing, but I'm just kind-of adapting to how my daughter eats (meat/cheese roll up and a piece of butter bread).

Good Luck!

K....when my daughter started kindergarten I was worried about how early in the day they eat lunch, but then I found out that the school provides them with an afternoon snack. In our district (Central York) the school lunches are good-sized and there is always at least one choice. Your district might list the lunch menu on their website - it's worth taking a look as they rarely serve sandwiches and my older son who is a VERY picky eater has had just a handful of days over the last several years where we found it necessary to pack his lunch because there was NOTHING offered that he would eat.

Good luck!