Organic/whole Foods for Preschooler's Packed Lunch?

My offer of advice is to get him involved. Have him go to the store with you and look at the different whole foods and let him choose what he wants for lunch. Getting the children involved in the decision making will make it easier for him to recognize his lunch and know that he had a part in preparing it. It also could eliminate any "dislikes" since he chose what he wanted. Good luck. I pack my children's lunches every day, I try and stick with whole grain bread (they've never really had white bread), fruit, dairy, vegetables and something to drink. It is a chore, but I know they are getting nutritious food.
T.

Hi L., the first thing is to congratulate you on this venture - it truly is a dedication to your sons health. I pack my sons lunches and the second thing I would like to tell you is to watch out for lead in the lunch bag. You can get a two pack of lead paint testers ($4.oo) at the local home store. swipe the inside of the bag to see if the swipe test turns pink. If it does, get rid of the bag - do not give it away, just throw it away. Next get a thermos vacuum insulated food container (make sure it is stainless steel.) Jahshua uses his everyday, as he likes warm food for lunch - items like soup, chili, rice and beans, Chinese fried rice, noodles, etc. Also look for a good reusable sandwich/burger container, as well as a good small sized stainless steel drink container. If you use plastic, look for a number 5 for the recycle code, this is least likely to leach harmful chemicals into the food. And be ready to wash his/her lunch kit by hand. It doesn't take much time at all once you get into the habit...I give us an extra 30 minutes a morning to make lunch and for them to eat breakfast while I do it. good luck and have fun with it - but let your child tell you what they want and give them healthy options - they are more likely to eat whats in there! ;-)

As for some ideas for snacks - use granola bars, cheese crackers (without MSG), pretzels, fruit, cheese cubes, ritz crackers (whole grain), Kashi whole grain crackers, etc, etc, there are so many good snacks out there on the market, you just need to find the ones that your child likes! Oh, and sometimes I find organic fruit snacks and roll ups at the discount grocery stores for a fraction of the high supermarket prices.

My 4 year old really wanted some "lunchables" like his friends, so I broke down and bought a couple, which just confirmed how processed and disgusting they are. Now I make him lunchables out of healthier meat, cheese & crackers. Just get little cookie cutters, or cut them into squares or triangles, and layer them in a little container. He also likes very small cherry/plum tomatoes and cheese chunks on a tooth pick. Some other ideas - veggie hot dogs or boca burgers, bean burrito, oatmeal, dry cereal, go-gurts, breakfast bars (I break them in half to go with their fruit or yogurt for morning snack). Costco had some little snack sized packages of Annie's bunny crackers (graham, cheese, chocolate) for that "cool" packaged food factor. You have a lot of other good ideas here too, thanks for posting this question!

I liked some of the recipes & snack ideas on www.wholesometoddlerfood.com.

My daughter loves smoked salmon, and that can keep well. Also, I pack her sweet red peppers, cucumbers, and OG cheeze sticks. If you are packing it for a whole week would the care provider be willing to thaw out something in the microwave? I was thinking of green beans, homemade soups like split pea soup (a favorite of my daughter's). Also, for dessert something like frozen blue berries, on plain yogurt, sprinkled with coconut shavings...yummy! Nice work in providing excellent food for your child!

Baked Tofu (flavored with soy or other marinade)
Yogurt
Soy Nut Butter and Jelly sandwiches
Sushi (avocado roll, cucumber roll...)
Hummus and carrots, pita, bagel...
bagel with cream cheese or other spread
fruit slices, veggie slices
soup in a thermos
couscous

most things that he eats at home for dinner would probably work for lunch too...

I try to feed my kids mostly organic, natural and whole foods as well, and it can be a challenge but is very worthwile for their health and well-being. My 4 year old daughter attends preschool as well, and I pack her lunches. Cheese is always easy and a good source of protein and calcium. You can find organic cheese sticks which would probably be the easiest. I like to pack organic cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced kiwi, bananas, sliced apples with peanut butter, carrot sticks, homemade guacamole (just smashing an avocado is all it takes) to dip things in, like crackers or cucumbers, or carrot sticks. Hummus is also good for dipping. If you can find organic satsuma oranges or clementines, that would be a fun and easy thing for him to peel himself. If you eat meat, you can buy organic chicken, marinate it in teriyaki or something kid-friendly, bake it and chopped it up. My daughter really likes that in her lunches. Also, my daughter comments on the fact that other kids bring fruit snacks, so I sometimes will throw in an organic bag of fruit snacks so that she doesn't always feel like she is eating so differently from her peers (because I know she really is by what she tells me-the majority of her classmates bring an assortment of packaged foods for their lunches.) Hope some of these ideas help you!

What are they feeding him now? Go with the natural version of that! You might even be able to ask what the snacks for a week will be and then send a similar with him. If they're having cupcakes, send a muffin for example. Have you talked to them about possibly changing what snacks they're offering so that all the kids are getting healthier option?

Here's some other ideas:

chips and salsa or smashed beans
apples with peanut butter or cheese slices
celery with peanut butter (or cream cheese)
pita (or pita chips) and hummus
string cheese
fresh fruit (instead of fruit cups in syrup)
baby carrots (with or without ranch)
quesadilla (cheese, tortilla, corn, salsa)
quinoa with feta, tomato, olives
breakfast burrito (scrambled eggs with veggies in a tortilla)
hard boiled egg (we make 3 at a time and have 1 each day)
dried fruits (you can make in the oven if you don't have a dehydrator)

We love the Revolution Organic Mashups. They are in caprisun-type packages, but are basically organic fruit "mashed up" into slurpees.

They are sold at Babies R Us and even drugstore.com.

Good luck!

I have worked in a few daycares and have worked with parents whose children could not eat what was being served by the daycare (allergies, gluten intolerence, etc). What a couple moms did was check the menu and provide similar meals so their child wouldn't feel left out or different from the rest of the class. Daycare menu - mac and cheese, fruit and carrots, Mom would bring - whole grain or gluten free noodles with cheese, fresh/organic fruit and carrots.

I'm sure you have already discussed this with the provider but if not, you may want to make sure that they are able to accomodate you bringing that amount of food in on Mondays and that they are willing to serve separate lunch from everyone else.

About a dozen years ago I called the agency that supervises food for the children at daycare. I nearly fainted. That horrible stuff is legally all that is required. Sugar fat, pickles on the min-burger as the vegetable.

I was horrified. We came up with solution after solution. The best was left overs from the night before's dinners.

Fresh is the best. You have no idea what is going on in their refrigerator.

I always put the food money into organic food and it shows in the health of my family. A doctor could make much money on us.