How to Pack a School Lunch Box that Kids Will Eat

No matter how great your intentions are, you can’t make your child eat your well-packed lunch when he’s out of your sight. Instead of using bribes or threats, you can make the foods and their packaging so tantalizing that your child will want to dig right in. With some planning, creativity and involvement from your child, you may start seeing an empty lunch box that your child dug into of his own free will.

Get in shape. Use cookie cutters to make sandwiches more appetizing. A car, dinosaur or star cookie cutter works well for this. Small cookie cutters can be used for vegetables or cheese slices, like little triangle or flower cookie cutters. If you’re working with a food that won’t work with a cookie cutter, like grapes or meat, cut the foods into smaller, easy-to-eat portions, such as cubes or small slices.

Consider your packaging. Just as you make some of your food selections in the store based on the packaging, your child may do the same. Ask your kiddo to pick out a lunch box that he likes. Use reusable plastic containers in the lunch box and try to get ones that match your child’s personality, like a container with cars or a princess on it. You can also step it up a notch. For instance, a sandwich bag filled with grapes or fish crackers can be pinched in the middle with a clothespin to make a lunchtime butterfly.

Choose your portions wisely. A little kid doesn’t need large portions because she has a small stomach capacity. Stick to smaller servings to cut down on waste. For example, a baseball-sized portion of cut up veggies or fruit is sufficient, as is a ping pong-sized portion of peanut butter or cheese.

Add some dip or sauce. If you want your child to eat his veggies, but he refuses to do so plain, offer him some hummus, low-fat ranch or peanut butter dip. Fruits can be dipped in some regular or Greek yogurt.

Mix it up. Your child is more likely to swap his food with another kid or ditch it altogether if his lunch box always holds the same old foods. Throw in different colors of the rainbow to make it more visually stimulating, like red bell pepper slices, baby carrots and blueberries. Make his sandwiches with a whole grain pita or tortilla instead of bread.

Ask your child to help you pack her lunch. If she helps make the selections, she is more likely to eat her lunch. Stock the fridge and cupboards with healthy foods and encourage her to choose items from each food group to fill her lunch box.