What do you put in a lunchbox for nursery? Help!

[FinallyMummy]

My 3yo is in nursery for 3 'long days' (this is what we call them as they include both a private nursery and half day school) and I'm struggling for lunch and snack ideas.

Hot meals aren't an option as they're not offered.
Lunch boxes are obviously not put in a fridge or anything which has made this harder the last week or so due to the heatwave.
All food must also be nut free due to a a child with allergies.

DS eats breakfast at home so I send him with snacks (variety of carrot sticks, cucumber, apple, banana, watermelon, grapes, corn on the cob, raisins) and lunch (a cheese, ham or jam sandwich or pasta in a tomato sauce).
He will eat all of this at home but at nursery it's very hit and miss.

What I send is generally fine I think, but it is repetitive and boring.
He's not a picky eater and not sure why my mind is so blank - if anyone could provide any suggestions or ideas I'd be very grateful!

Cheese and tomato pizza wheels.....puff pastry sheet, bit of tomato purée and herbs. Top with cheese, roll and cook. Delicious hot oe cold. Does he like eggs?? Could make vegetable omelette and cut into little shapes? Fruit kebabs?

does your child find it repetitive and boring??? If not don’t worry about it! Don’t most people who make their own lunch have a similar lunch daily??

a sandwich ,fruit ,yoghurt will be fine

Mine have either Bagel, crackers or occasionally left over pasta for their carb, usually some hummus, either carrot & Cucumber, a little salad, or peas & some other veg. Then some fruit.

That's tea every day. Lunch is provided by nursery

I used to give hot food in a flask on some days and the nursery would decant into a bowl. My DD generally ate more that way.

Put an ice pack in his lunch bag?

my 2yo has:

pesto pasta
mini pizzas using pittas or breakfast muffins
slices of carrot, cucumber, pepper, peas
cheese cubes
a couple of cocktail sausages
variety of fruit
raisins
make a batch of either sweet or savoury muffins (if sweet, using mashed banana to reduce sugar), freeze them and defrost as needed.
I bought some little metal yoghurt pots and mix up Greek yoghurt with some purée
hard boiled egg sliced up
cheese and tomato pastry pinwheels or similar- so easy with pre-bought puff pastry. Again, freeze and use when needed.

I put some little freezer packs in my nursery child’s lunchbox every day.

We have one of those bento boxes which she loves as the little compartments keep it interesting! Ours has 5 compartments and every day it is:

• sandwich (tuna/chicken/cream cheese/ham/egg)
• yoghurt with some frozen fruit (also helps keep it cold) and honey
• breadsticks/cucumber/cherry toms
• Fruit (satsuma/kiwi/chopped apple/berries)
• and the tiny pot in the middle has either dried fruit or chocolate (only allowed on Fridays)

So it’s broadly repetitive but she rarely has the same lunch twice in a week. Our box is from yum box - recommend. Also my DD is fairly picky at home but eats every last scrap of her nursery lunch, no idea why.

pancakes, sweet or savoury
a wrap with cheese
and Organix oaty bar
a kid’s smoothie

Thank you to those of you who posted and sorry I didn’t come back yesterday.

I feel like an idiot - ice packs literally didn’t cross my mind at all That would make life so much easier as he loves pesto, yogurt, coleslaw etc.

I’m not a great baker (this is a huge understatement) but I’d like to try some savoury muffins if anyone has any fail safe recipes please?

I’ll dig out the ice packs and start working my way through the suggestions here.

And I have no idea if DS is bored with his options. He is adopted and is still finding his voice so will sometimes eat what is provided whether he likes it or not. We’re working on it but I hate the idea of him forcing his lunch down when he doesn’t want it, especially if it’s as easy as working through these suggestions and changing it up for him.

When mine needed a packed lunch at nursery I just sent a cheese sandwich or little pot of tuna pasta in every day with a yoghurt, plenty of fruit, and some breadsticks and humous. In winter I would send a flask of soup too and the staff put it in a bowl for him and made sure it wasn’t too hot.

Ice pack in lunch box

working in a nursery most children have…
sandwich/ crossiant/wrap/ filled pitta/ cocktail sausages
fruit or veg (most have different everyday eg. Banana, mixed berries, carrot & cucumber, orange, melon, pickled onions, cherry tomatoes)
cheesestring/ babybel
yogurt (usually a frube)
treat (mini party rings/ animal biscuits/ barney bear cake bar)

some even just have slices of ham/ chorizo, fridge raiders, pepperami if they don’t eat bread products