We know, we know – start as you mean to go on, etc. But this year we really do mean it! To help, we’ve come up with some nifty tips and tricks for packing your children’s lunchboxes that will make them quicker, but still totally delectable! All the while getting you and the gang out the door in good time in the mornings!
For those who love to organise
At the beginning of the week, it’s a great idea to gather your materials and have them to hand for the rest of the week. In the video below, this mom has sandwiches ready-made, snacks cut and bagged up, with yoghurts, crackers, cheese and fruit pots all easy to find and easier to pack up!
It really gives us some fridge envy (those American fridges, eh?) and we definitely spot a few tricks here that we want to steal!
For inside the lunchbox…
Write to them
Leave a little note or sticker in your kid’s lunchbox as a nice surprise for the middle of the day when they might be getting tired of this ‘school business’. It’ll cheer them right up, and put them in flying form for the rest of the day!
Stick it to them
Sometimes children get tired of the same old thing day in and day out. So when ham and cheese sandwiches won’t make the cut, why not try changing things up a bit and place all the components of the sandwich on a little popsicle stick or skewer instead? You might find this change encourages them to eat up a bit more! Include some crackers, cherry tomatoes and a few pieces of their favourite fruit (kebab style) to make it a fun feast.
Let them decide
Leave plenty of time for this. And we mean like, at least a week so you have time to do the right shopping and know exactly what they mean. That way there’s no shilly-shally around the ‘correct’ water bottle, the ‘right type’ of bread, etc. This is a great way to give your kids some independence and maybe introduce the idea of them packing up their lunchboxes themselves… What a time to be alive!
Tip: Keep it within reason though… if they ask for Nutella on chocolate digestives with a side of starburst and a coke to wash it down, you know what to do.
Read here for the parenting hacks you didn’t know you needed…
Animal fun
While this may require some time, it’s a fantastic way to make your kids lunchbox go from good to great! We love some of these animal-tastic sambos below. And with the right cookie cutter, we can’t see this taking a huge amount of time… but give yourself an extra twenty minutes just to be safe!
Go sushi
Instead of bread, and fillings why not try some sushi rice, moulded into an attractive shape along with some healthy veggies, sandwich meat, cheese and fruit to change things up for your child. The rice will be firm enough for them to bite into like an apple, and give them a bit of a change from bread or crackers.
maternity&infant