The ultimate book bag snack

[Redsharks]

My eldest starts reception class in September. We've got the uniform/ shoes/ p.e kit etc and now we are getting last bits ready. I'm currently doing my shopping list for next weeks food shop as my daughter isn't going to have hot dinners (she has an allergy to nuts that we discovered when she was 18 months at nursery from a hot meal, and has a barrier up towards hot dinners!). My question is: what's the ultimate book bag snack?

A piece of fruit?
A cereal bar?
Tub of raisins or popcorn?

This is my current overthink and if anyone has anything to share, much appreciated; I don't want it to be too fiddly that she can't access it independently. What do other parents go for?

(P.s. I know schools give fruit to key stage one, but RedSharks no.1s school recommend a book bag snack....)

Ks1 get free fruit at schools they won't need a snack

Yes fruit is provided by the school up to year 3, after that they have to bring fruit in.

Her school recommend a book bag snack? It does state that there's fruit for them but that they recommend something additional. They don't elaborate on why though; I wonder if it's for fussy eaters/ to keep them topped up whilst they get used to the full days at Primary.

Those lunch box sized malt loafs.

We have been explicitly told not to provide a snack as they get free fruit.

I really wouldn't worry. They get fruit. And there's only a couple of hours between end of lunch and home time.

Fruit gets bashed abiut
Cereal bars will just get broken into pieces
Rasins go all sticky and nasty

Nothing survives a book bag all day

Just make sure lunch is half decent

Malt loaf bar is a great shout- she'd love those!

I know I'm overthinking the whole charade.. thanks for replies!xx

• filling
• unsquashable
• disposable
• easy access

Those are my top tips.

Our school gives free fruit to infants but they get it towards the end of the day - not at morning break time - so they definitely need a morning snack.

Here’s why my top tips are my top tips:

• filling - in infants most of the brain work is done pre-lunch so while a good lunch is important, it’s actually more important to give them something to give them a wee boost mid-morning. I actually know a few schools that suggest a sandwich/brioche roll/croissant or something similar for break time.

• unsquashable & disposable - these 2 go together. In our school the kids aren’t allowed Tupperware boxes for break time - everything has to be disposable. This is because the kids eat their snack outside and the school don’t want tubs left lying around in the playground. Sandwich bags are fine, but they aren’t too good at protecting soft things! For instance: I would put grapes in them but not berries! Book bags get thrown around a lot - they will be sat on, stood on and lost! Your school may well allow little tubs for snack (there is a lot of pressure on our school to stop their ban due to the environmental impact of so much unnecessary waste) but whatever it is you choose - think about how it will survive the rough and tumble of life in an infant book bag!

• easy access - I never sent oranges for my DC for instance because by the time they had them peeled and eaten, break time was over and there was no time to play. (And if I pre-peeled them they got squished!) So something they can just grab and go quickly is good.

We have 5 different boxes for snack in our house and the DC can choose from each box once per week.

• savoury snacks (mini packs of crackers/oatcakes/breadsticks etc)
• popcorn
• crisps
• cereal/granola bars
• sweet treats (chocolate biscuits like clubs/penguins, snack packs of cookies/Jaffa cakes etc)

Our school isn’t strict however on food, so things like crisps and chocolate biscuits aren’t forbidden foods!

Babybel or other mini cheese portion?

My kids usually get little tubes with snacks for morning break. They get their 'school fruit' at afternoon break and need something for the morning.

They all love hard mini pretzels or breadsticks, precut cheese, little tomatos, grapes, a peeled egg, a small sandwitch, granola bars.
Sweets are not allowed before lunch (school police).

My school will only allow fruit or veg, we recommend a book bag snack because we don't get to choose the snacks and there is only one type of fruit on offer a day, maybe 2 if there's some left over from the day before, so we can't guarantee children will be provided with a fruit they actually like.

DD's school have no such rule, although I got told off for popcorn, she chooses from:
Vegetable sticks (carrot, cucumber, peppers)
Cherry tomatoes
Fruit
tub of raisins (never the little boxes as if they get slightly squished they leak raisins all over her bag)
Cubes of cheese.

We don't send a school snack but for holiday club we've sent flapjacks (really easy to make at the weekend), savoury muffins (these live in the freezer and I get them out the night before, usually cheese and herb), banana loaf (baked as muffins as they hold up better) or cinnamon and Apple mini muffins. All of these can cope with being wrapped in foil and bashed round a bit. In case this all sounds a bit domestic goddess we sometimes send two biscuits or mini pretzels and raisins.