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So DD1 is starting 4yo kinder tomorrow - it is a big day from 9-3.15.
We have 2 options for the actual lunchbox, lol but I am starting to obsess about what to pack for her, enough healthy stuff to be interesting and appealling but not over do it!
So the plan is a sandwich, container of grapes, yoghurt (sml tub frozen) and some popcorn. They have to take some fruit to share also. I was planning on freezing some water in her bottle so the rest remains cool.
So any tips, ideas and hints???
when i figure it out ill let you know lol
I think what you've got sounds fine.
I used to put sultanas, yoghurt, cheese, saladas, yoghurt, fruit (cut up), popcorn, sometimes I did a small salad for them and sometimes a LeSnack.
Thanks for the replies! One of the mums made an off the cuff comment about being shocked about the crap in the kids lunches which has made me think about things a bit too much.
Is it for just lunch or also morning afternoon tea?
At DD1 old kinder we had to supply morning/afternoon tea and lunch
I would put: water sandwich, cheese, yogurt, fruit and sultana's we were not allowed to give popcorn or anything else resembling non healthy (they classified popcorn as not healthy and juice too)
At DD1 new kinder we just supply lunch only, they get morning and afternoon tea of fruit plates and cheese, so I just supply a sandwich and yogurt and maybe sultana's if she wants. and water .
Gosh, what happens if you have a SUPER fussy child like mine, who doesn't do fruit??
Niadalla - it has been interesting to see how some of the super fussy kids just jump in with the rest of the crew when snack time has happened, although the sessions were only 2 x 2hrs so they could hang out until afterwards.
Belle - interesting about the popcorn, I guess it could be in regards to the packaged stuff, I was going to do it myself tho. Morning and afternoon teas are to be taken as well - I guess we'll work it out over the next few weeks!
I use one of those Tupperware lunch boxes that has the compartments in it. I put a sandwhich, fruit, sultana's and biscuits like rice wheels or rounds, sometimes cheese.
Dried apricots.
Popcorn is usually extremely salty, hence the unhealthy.
All the centres I've worked in have asked parents to provide 2 pieces of fruit for a fruit salad for morning tea. We always had HEAPS of apples lol. It was rare that a child didn't eat any, probably because thier friends were. After Fruit we'd give them a snack from thier lunchbox as well, So not a big deal if they didn't eat thier fruit. Afternoon tea was fruit and anything left from lunch was offered.
What you've planned sounds like plenty. It should be kept in the fridge so anything uneaten should be fine for the next day.
Hmm surely not the air-popped popcorn?? No salt or anything added here!
Lol at the apples - DD1 loves choosing her fruit so we try to take something 'different' which becomes a wee bit exxy at times! There are always too many apples!
I dont know then, maybe ask them. Different centres have different rules.
I usually do sandwiches and fruit with a snack (cheese, dried fruit, popcorn, museli bar etc).
When I tried to mix it up and get creative the boys were a bit resistant - it seems that when it comes to lunchboxes they prefer familiarity over creativity.
I pack the same thing for DS twice a week - he goes to a daycare centre that runs a pre-kinder program cos he just missed the cut off for kindy down here.
He gets sandwiches, yoghurt, cheese cut up and rice crackers to put it on, muesli bar and 3 pieces of fruit. Usually an apple, banana etc. Yesterday he took an apple, nectarine and cut up watermelon.
I have packed popcorn for him (air popped, no salt) and the carers were ok with it. But they usually don't like it cos it's z choking hazard to the younger kids.
My DD1 has a few variations of the following :D
Vegemite Sanwich, sultanas, celery/carrot sticks, sakatas, corn thins, vege chips, popcorn, yoghurt, cheese sticks, dried apple.
Good luck :D
interesting our centre wont allow musli bars of any sort due to nut free policy and yes any kina popcorn is considered unhealthy so are rice wheels only plain crackers allowed i even got in trouble for giving a milk arrowroot bickie and juice
The fruit museli bars in the purple packet are nut free (except for 'traces'). I think they're called Be Natural.
By rice wheels do you mean the puffed rice crackers because they are pretty much only rice and air if you buy the plain ones? I imagine the flavoured ones have got some crazy stuff in them.
I think it's kind of funny that the centers have rules because once they get to school it's pretty much open slather lol. Personally just so long as my children don't take food that is dangerous to other children (ie nuts, bees & shellfish) I don't see that their baby sitters have any right to tell me what to feed them.
Our kinder didn't allow muesli bars because they weren't healthy.
yet I'm sure they allow white bread sandwiches...:
DD1 was quite happy with a lunch that was the same. Ham and cheese sandwhich, or vegemite and cheese. Tub of yoghurt and fruit to share. I found she ate more fruit when they did the share platter, rather than when, in the last term, when they stopped sharing. She also liked zucchini slice, I cooked it in a muffin tin and froze them. Sometimes she would take left over dinner, she loved taking lasagne as the kinder would heat it up for her.
I found the kinder did crack down on parents who sent jam on white bread sandwiches, but mostly they tended to have an issue with prepackaged foods. This was due to health and the amount of rubbish that was created.
Interesting! Thanks for the ideas - it is funny how different things are deemed heathy or not isn't it? I have always taken the approach that moderation is the key for pretty much everything (although I do have some issues with white bread, soft drink and juice).
Definitely no plans to get super creative here either just concerned the options are more limited - but hey that may work to my advantage!!!!
some muesli bars are high in sugar and full of additives etc, but if you read the packet, there are actually healthy options out there....
my kids eat trail bars, and while they may not be suitable for kinder due to having nuts in them, (not sure if they are in all of the different flavours or not) the only ingredients in them are different types of grains and nuts... nothing extra added. pure health! i cannot stand them, lol, but give them to the kids alot... hehehehhe evil mother.
I think that would make an interesting discussion. Personally I am in two minds about it, overall I don't think that they should tell us what we can send, but I have found the restrictions helpful.:
Our kids (kindy and yr3) take water, whole grain sandwich, piece of fruit, veggie sticks (carrot, cucumber, capsicum or mushrooms) and an oat muesli bar.
Sometimes the 9yo (yr3) takes a small can of bake beans instead of a sandwich.
The reason that centre's regulate what you should send to care is because child care regulations and accreditation state that we need to provide parents with information about healthy food and ensure children are meeting their daily dietary requirements by restricting certain foods. I do agree that it can be counter productive because once they go to school they can eat whatever but you would be supprised how many children actually question what is in their lunch box when they have something unhealthy. The amount of times i've heard a child at arvo tea say öh no mum didn't pack me any fruit to have before my snack" is really encouraging. Hopefully healthy food messages will stay with children.
Back to OP lol. For daycare I pack my DD usually little containers with meat (ham or chopped chicken) or baked beans or a hard boiled egg, chopped up cucumber, capsicum, avocado, snowpeas and cherry tomatoes. For arvo tea it is fruit chopped up and plain crackers or plain corn chips with hommus, sometimes sultanas or dried banana, soy or goatmilk yogurt as she is dairy free. We take a peice of fruit for shared morning tea.
Know what you mean about the apples which is why the centre i work at decided that children should just bring their own piece of fruit for morning tea. There were also some parents who didn't contribute at all which was a bit rude.
DS goes to FDC (so no rules per se) 4 times a week, and takes the same thing - every day. The "lunch portion" will change though.
Snack cup of yoghurt
Snack cup of fruit salad (the tinned or tub kind)
Some pasta, quiche or a sandwich (ham and cheese and avocado as spread)
grapes or an apple
rice crackers or saltanas
I sounds like a lot, but he's there from 9-4. Sometimes it all gets eaten, sometimes not. Anything not eaten the daycare lady holds over for the next day.