My son will be going to first grade in a few weeks and I am clueless about what to pack for his lunch! I am hoping that someone out there has some great ideas (besides peanut butter and jelly)and will share them with me. Thanks for the help!

By Mommyathome on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 - 06:33 pm:

I'm interested in ideas as well.
My DD is excited to eat school lunch, but I know there will be days that she won't like what's on the menu. So...we'll be packing her lunch on those days.

By Annie2 on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 - 07:04 pm:

Besides the usual sandwich, chips, baby carrots, granola bar....

I think the key for great lunches is to buy very good, wide-mouthed, insulated thermoses which do not leak.

This way they can take their favorite leftovers, fav. pasta dishes, salads, fruits, nacho cheese, hotdogs, soups, chili, sloppy joes. Of course, pack the taco chips, crackers, bun, bread separately...

When at fast food restaurants keep the extra mayo, ketchup, mustard, dipping sauces, napkin/utensils, you would normally leave behind of throw out for the lunchboxes.

I have also found, while eating with my kids throughout the week, over years, at their schools, that the kids use this break as "social time" and quickly lose track of time. I sometimes send in a tupperware-similar plate which is divided with a lid and put in simple finger foods ie: crackers, cheese chunks, apple slices, carrots, small salad, etc.

For instance, I will boil a hotdog in the am. Place it into the thermos with some of the water. In the divided plate, I pack a bun, ketchup packet, baby carrots and a few cookies.

Before I did this, I had a "lunchbox night" and let me little ones practice opening the packet, putting the hotdog on the bun, etc. My son couldn't open the packets, so I would open them at home and stick them in his box.

I hope this helps, some.

By Tink on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 - 07:57 pm:

Great ideas, Annie. My dks like go-gurts (I freeze them so they are still cold at lunchtime), lots of leftovers, wraps with normal sandwich fillings (for some reason, they are so much cooler when they are in a tortilla), and snack mixes, like cheerios, raisins, mini M&Ms, pretzels. I don't use the thermos very much so that must just be a personal preference.

By Katherine on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 - 08:08 pm:

My kids had to have sack lunches every day at their day camps over the summer. I went to the sporting goods section at Walmart and bought insulated "six pack" sized bags and the blue "ice" that fits in the bottom. It kept everything cold so that I could put things in there that would normally melt or spoil.

I sometimes made their sandwiches with tortillas and cut them pinwheel style just to keep them interesting. Things like gogurt are great because they don't need utensils. I sliced apples and got the little containers of caramel dip as a special treat sometimes.

I also bought the small Glad containers for ranch dip for their carrots, etc. Cheese cubes, pickles. They really loved having "finger foods".

By Momaroze on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 - 10:06 pm:

Graham crackers with peanut butter, animal crackers, pudding cups. I like to bake so banana bread and pumpkin loaf are usually a hit. Homemade granola bars for a change from the pre-packaged are great. Pizza pockets, heated and wrapped in tin foil is good on occasion. My ds's' like 3cheese pizza pockets and they say the pizza is still warm by lunch. Fruit salad, crackers and cheese.....

By Dawnk777 on Tuesday, August 3, 2004 - 10:10 pm:

My kids like ham/provolone cheese sandwiches on wholewheat bread, some kind of granola bar, sometimes fruit snacks and a fruit bowl. They get drinks at school.

By Marcia on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 - 12:42 am:

Our schools are all peanut free, so no PB&J sandwiches for us.
I send meat/cheese/lettuce sandwiches, bagels with butter or cream cheese, salads, fresh fruits and veggies, crackers, pretzels, rice cakes, cheese, pickles, yogurt, or any other sugar free type of snack. I really avoid sending anything with empty calories.

I normally use rubbermaid drink boxes with water and juice, but occasionally use juice boxes and water bottles.

I always put ice packs in the bags.

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 - 08:06 am:

I used to put ice packs in their lunchboxes, but now that they have gotten older, they only want to take brown bags, so I don't. They survived, as did I when I was their age.

By Dana on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 - 09:18 am:

During summer camp this year, I started with your typical lunch stuff but found the food coming back home not eaten or barely eaten. Then I switched to all snacks. I would pack a small container of peanut butter or onion dip or salad dressing. Then I would fill the box w/ dippable items. A few crakers, a few apple slices, a few carrots, a slice of bread sometimes, grahm crackers, granola bar, cheese sticks, celery sticks. Just a mix and match kind of thing and usuallly never the same thing on a given day. After I started doing that, the lunch box came home empty. Made making lunch simple too.

By Kaye on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 - 10:06 am:

I always help out in our lunch room the first week. Here is what not to send! Don't send single serving sizes of raviolis, spagetti, etc. If it is too messy, they eventually just don't eat it, because they are responsible for cleaning it up. Don't send in sodas, lots of sweets etc. Your child will eat the dessert first, most of them do, so if you send in more than 2 cookies, they are usually full or run out of time and that is it for their lunch. We mostly send in sandwiches, cut in squares, a bag of fruit or carrots and a bag of something crunchy, popcorn or teddy grahams. Some kids brought in those lunchables, I have found my kids just don't eat enough of it it warrent buying them. I have sent in slices of pizza, I warm it in the am and wrap with foil and it is okay by time they get eat it. Also I ask my kids, we assemble lunch boxes the night before if we can, I will heat what ever needs heated, but that isn't the norm for us.

By Amyj on Wednesday, August 4, 2004 - 06:46 pm:

Thank you everyone for such great ideas! I love the finger foods idea! I can't believe my son is old enough to be eating lunch at school!