Pre school packed lunch, no lunchbox allowed.

[ImFree2doasiwant]

Dc2 is 3, goes to pre school while im.at work. No lunch is provided so the children have to take packed lunches, which is fine.

But, since the pre school reopened, there has been a rule that no lunchboxes are allowed. Everything has to go in a Ziploc freezer bag. Dc1 doesn't like bread , so usually takes a yumbox, with crackers/breadsticks, cheese/ham/pepperami, cucumber carrot houmous, grapes/berries, flapjack. This all fits into the little compartments. He can open and close it himself so no help required from staff.

Putting all this stuff into seperate little cling film parcels is a bit of a nightmare, fruit gets squashed, he struggles to unwrap the cling film and needs help from staff.

Also, his yumbox could be sprayed and wiped, whereas all the little cling film wrapped bits can't. I feel like I'm missing something!

Any ideas for an easier way to send his lunch? That complies with the rules.

Don't wrap it up separately in cling film. Bigger parcels of dry stuff, fruit/veg, cheese/meat. Use foil. Put the cheese and ham between the crackers like a sandwich. Why would you spray and wipe used cling film? Surely the idea is to bin it straight after use.

Plastic waste. Lots of plastic waste. Do they chuck the bag away or send it home?

It sounds like many nurseries and childminders who have taken the very vague advice too far. There is no more or less risk of catching corovnovirus from cling film (wrapped by you) than there is a lunchbox (packed by you) so I would ask them to explain and justify this policy as it's total nonsense IMO.

I know childminders who ask children to leave coats and shoes outside, change clothes on arrival etc and one nursery near us is taking temperatures on arrival and every hour thereafter - all totally out and unnecessary not to mention potentially unnerving for the littles ones.

Not at all environmentally friendly but in situations like this I use plastic snack bags. You can usually get them in places like Tiger, they're just big enough for a sandwich with the press down seal. Often have patterns like flowers or monsters.

Like these www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/istad-resealable-bag-patterned-pink-00465438/

Also plastic ice pop bags are great for berries, or dried fruit. Just big enough for a portion.

Put smaller containers into a ziplock bag

Why can't you use lunch boxes?

I would ask the question of the Nursery staff, tbh, as - like you say - it doesn't seem very logical. Ask nicely... staff are feeling under a LOT of pressure at the moment. Some staff are scared (for their own health), many staff are upset that they can't "do Nursery" properly. They've all taken on so much responsibility for decisions that really ought to be way out of their remit - The last thing they need is to feel criticised, but it doesn't seem tat practical nor that there is a logical reason so do ask.

Our nursery has the same rules. If it makes them feel safer and happier around my dc I am happy to go without using a lunchbox.
I’ve bought some paper bags to put everything in. I wrap sandwiches (which I realise you don’t have) in baking paper. I’m not sure if you can recycle baking paper, I never have, but I don’t use a lot of it.

I can wrap a peeled hard boiled egg or carrot sticks like a cracker in baking paper.
Still using single use plastic bags for soft fruit though. I can’t think of another less plasticy way to transport them.

@fodderbeet I don't want to spray the cling film, my point was the lunchbox could be wiped and cleaned if need be (after I've made it) but the cling film and plastic bags can't be really. I've touched them both, so not sure why they can't just take the lunchbox.

They throw the bags away each day, nothing comes home.