School Lunches for the Kids | Toddler Lunch Ideas

Let’s talk toddler lunches today…

I have now been packing school lunches to some extent for the last 3 years.  Brody started MDO two days a week when he turned one and now has been going ever since.  Brody has also been an incredibly picky eater this entire time!

Madelyn is starting her second year at MDO, so I am packing two lunch each school day.  Madelyn eats a lot more variety than Brody ever has which makes packing her lunch a little easier.

I wanted to share a few lunches that we have packed for these first few weeks of school.  I honestly just gave up with Brody last year and he was pretty much getting a frozen PBJ and some fruit every single day.  It was all he would eat and I just got lazy.  This year, I made an effort to do some lunch research and start packing a little more variety.   He may still love his frozen PBJ’s, but I’m going to try and mix it up and make him eat a little more.

I started by investing in some new Bento Boxes.  These are currently sold out, but run about $13.  They are half the price of these, so I would suggest waiting until they are available.  But I have loved them so far!

The five compartments are nice because it forces me to get creative.  I don’t always pack the healthiest of lunches, but I try to make them as balanced as I can based on what they eat.

Here you go:

Leftover Pizza | Strawberries | Sweet Potatoes & Peas | Mini Rice Cakes | Piece of Energy Ball

Turkey Roll Up with Babybel Soft Cheese | Pretzels | Watermelon Stars | Sweet Potatoes & Butter Beans | Chocolate Covered Raisins 

Cheese, Crackers & Ham or Pepperoni | Apple Slices | Fruit or Peas & Corn | Sweet Potatoes | Marshmellows

Peanut Butter & Honey Sandwich | Butternut Squash | Apple | Cheese | Marshmellows

ChickfilA Nuggets | Apple | Goldfish | Babybel Soft Cheese | Chocolate Raisins

Frozen PBJ + Cheese Crackers with Turkey | Sweet Potatoes | Goldfish | Grapes | Marshmellows

We were also sent these mini Vermont Pork sticks to try and the kids actually LOVE them.  They like all of them but the Spicy Italian, so I usually stick one of these in their lunch boxes too.  It cracks me up to watch Madelyn eat them.

So that’s a look at a week’s worth of lunches.  I’m sure I’ll be back to frozen PBJ’s in no time, but for now I’m enjoying trying to be a rockstar Mom for a bit.  I would love to hear some of your lunchtime ideas!!  I’m always looking for new things that I think they might actually eat!