to ask you your "perfect" kids lunchbox food?

[WittiestUsernameEver]

Lots of conversations and discussions about lunchboxes etc, comments about UPF, too much sugar, too many carbs etc.

If you packed a "perfect" lunchbox for a 4 year old - what would you pack? (cold/ambient food)

DD4.5 lunchbox today was:

• Wholemeal roll - unsalted butter, leftover roast chicken, 2-3 spinach leaves
• 1 x slice of mature cheddar cheese - probably about 20g
• 1 x satsuma
• 1" cucumber
• 4 halved cherry plum tomatoes
• 4 sugar snap peas
• Bottle of water

I think that's a good balanced box?

What would you pack?

Haha I was just about to type the same thing, it was either a penguin, wagon wheel or a Mars bar 😆😆😆

Well I do all this, but obviously I humanely break the neck of the chicken and then roast it over lava first. Then, at lunch time I go to the school and chew the food before placing it in my child's mouth - birdlike.

I'd say you could do with one more filling item, maybe a yoghurt or a small pot of overnight oats or a bit of hummus for the veg.

It's not very fresh is it? By lunchtime that chicken has been dead for over an hour! I just send mine in with a chicken and an axe and let them get on with it. I don't believe in pandering to children, how will they ever learn to be independent?!

Sandwich Spread still exists. We've got some in the fridge. It's DH's. He's a big kid.😄

Mine has school lunches, but I do provide a snack for morning break: carrot, cucumber, peppers, and a small amount of raisins. Every time I pack it, I congratulate myself on my awesome parenting.

And I really need that boost because my other child won't touch fruit or veg and is basically fuelled by cheese 😭

useful for me thanks OP.

my eldest is at preschool and has lunch there twice a week which is a packed lunch so I'm always looking for ideas.

He usually has:

• wholewheat pasta and soft cheese
• grapes / blueberries/ strawberries
• cucumber, tomatoes, olives
• a the collective yoghurt pouch
• a few pretzel sticks and dark chocolate buttons

The above is what he reliably eats there so I usually send similar the same every time and change stuff up at home as I want to know he has eat properly (had issues with him coming home with migraines)

If it helps you, she had a mini Colin the caterpillar at breakfast? She doesn't go without!

It's not very fresh is it? By lunchtime that chicken has been dead for over an hour! I just send mine in with a chicken and an axe and let them get on with it. I don't believe in pandering to children, how will they ever learn to be independent?!

@NuffSaidSam

Why bother with the chicken at all? Let them eat another child, survival of the fittest and all that jazz 👐

Cannibalism isn't allowed at their school! Don't get me started on the lunchbox police. Absolutely ridiculous!

My kid's lunch tomorrow.

Meatballs and potato salat (we are out of bread and she loves it).
A homemade pancake with jam.

A box of vegetables:
Mini cucumbers 2
Carrots 1
Radish 5
Mini red pepper 1
Leaves (salat) 3
Small tomatoes 4

Fruit:
An apple
1/2 orange

And her water bottle.

She loves to bring noddles or soup (with brown bread) in a hot container. She likes to bring sandwiches and rolls. She always has different vegetables and fruits in her lunch box. Sometimes a small smothie.

They are not allowed yogurts, cakes, chips, juice, fizzy drinks or sweets.
I was prepared to skip the pancake but haven't been told off.

It just comes across as too controlled. What I meant was that you won't be able to use this control in years to come, hence the 'pointless' remark.

Well, parents are in control of what a 4 year old mostly eats surely? In that they provide the food on offer, and what other people provide is up to them.

I'm not sure why you think that I think I'd be able to control exactly what a 13yo would eat ?

Was the wholemeal roll homemade or shop bought? If shop bought it’s very likely UPF

id throw a bit more protein in there such as a plain Greek yoghurt or a boiled egg. The rest sounds great

Not allowed to send eggs in to nursery :(

It's shop bought. So, yes, UPF, but I'm okay with that I think, as she's generally not eating loads of stuff like pombears and potato smiles and turkey dinosaurs...

Oh yeah shop bought bread is fine in occasion but not recommended regularly

Could you swap it to sourdough? Lots of supermarkets do proper sourdough now

2 or even 3 spinach leaves?? In one meal? That would leave me full for a week, and my tall athletic children would not need dinner.

I don't think sweet treats necessarily fill up children any better. If your child is more hungry than OP's child surely better to send in eggs or yogurt or something l'actualité nutritious!

My kids had pasta pesto and a satsuma.

Sweet treats don’t fill up kids. Gives them a spike and then makes them hungrier

Mine has school lunches usually but when at sports camp last week my 5 year old took:

Cheese sandwich on seeded bread
Box of watermelon, grapes and strawberries.
Cucumber and carrot sticks.
Yogurt
Cocktail sausages
Wotsits
Gold bar

Not perfect but all got eaten!

Haha this!!

When someone said their 4 year old would be hungry on the op lunch box which i thought was lovely tbh. i thought back in the 80s i had a sandwhich paste/jam/cheap meat and a penguin even when older primary 😂 No fruit, crackers, veg sticks, home made bread … multi level UPF cos 80s we were poor!

Cheese sandwich
Pack of veggie straws
Cucumber
Pear
Soreen mini-loaf
Orange juice box