Packing lunch for your kids can be a challenge. You want them to eat healthily and enjoy what you’ve packed, but sometimes you run out of ideas or get stuck in a rut. This blog is going to take you through some mistakes to avoid when packing your child’s lunchbox:
Too much sugar
Sugary drinks are the biggest source of added sugars in our diet. The average teenager gets about 13% of his or her calories from sugary beverages, and adults aren’t far behind; we get about 9% of our calories from them.
Sugary drinks can lead to weight gain and obesity, which may increase your risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. They also cause tooth decay if you don’t brush after drinking them.
You can replace sugary drinks with water or milk instead–it’s better for your health and budget. If you do want something sweet but want to avoid sugar altogether, try a small piece of fruit instead (like an apple).
Food choking hazards
- Don’t give them hard candy.
- Don’t give them popcorn, even if it’s microwave popcorn in a plastic bag and not the kind you pop on the stovetop (which can become dangerously hot).
- You should never pack nuts or seeds in your child’s lunchbox because they are a choking hazard for young kids.
- Grapes are another item that parents often forget about when packing their children’s lunches; however, grapes can get stuck in the throat and cause serious damage–even death–if swallowed whole by a small child. If you must include fruit in your child’s lunchbox, make sure it is cut up into bite-sized pieces first. The same goes for carrots, celery sticks…anything else that might present itself as an easy target for little mouths looking for something fun to munch on during recess.
Not enough fluids
It’s a good idea to drink water before and after school. If you’re active, like playing sports or going for long walks, then you should drink even more water. If you are sick, or if it’s hot out, or if it’s cold outside (or vice versa), then make sure to keep sipping on that H2O. And if your body just tells you that it needs some liquid refreshment–drink up.
Water is essential for staying healthy and feeling good throughout the day. It helps maintain proper hydration levels in our bodies which helps us function properly throughout our waking hours. Showgrounds child care centre Sparkways says that kids usually forget to drink their water and end up dehydrated. Therefore, making healthy drinks (that your kids enjoy) can help them stay hydrated and energised. Let’s face it: kids have a lot going on between schoolwork and extracurricular activities.
Same old, same old
One of the biggest mistakes parents make is packing the same old thing every day. Kids get bored with the same food, so variety is key to keeping them interested in what they’re eating. It’s also important to keep in mind that some foods don’t travel well and need to be made fresh each day (like yogurt), while others can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge until lunchtime (think cut-up fruit).
Cold foods
Cold foods should be kept cool. Don’t pack foods that need to be kept cold in a lunchbox that will make other food cold and/or wet.
- Don’t pack anything that needs to stay hot, like soup or stew, unless you have an insulated bag or container.
- Don’t pack anything that needs to stay at room temperature (such as yogurt), unless you have an insulated bag or container.
Not age-appropriate
A mistake many parents make is packing food that is too messy for the age of their child. For example, if your young child has trouble using a spoon and fork, don’t pack something with sauce or cheese on it. It’s better to choose something that can be eaten with fingers or just plain bread.
Another mistake parents make is packing food that is too spicy for their kids’ tastes. If you aren’t sure how spicy your child likes their food, ask them before giving them anything spicy at lunchtime. You don’t want them crying because they accidentally ate an extra hot pepper while trying to eat their sandwich–and neither do we.
Last but not least: don’t pack any sweets in your kid’s lunchbox unless it’s absolutely necessary (for example, if they have a birthday party after school). While some children might enjoy having something sweet every once in a while, others might not like it at all.
Infrequent cleaning
Use a disinfectant to clean the inside of the lunchbox, as well as its bag. If you don’t have time to wash each piece of your child’s lunch box and bag separately, using a disinfectant spray will keep them clean until they can be washed properly. In these cases, using easy-to-clean containers like Vero Juniors lunchboxes for kids would be your best bet. Don’t forget that even if you use separate bags for each child’s food, they may still share some utensils or other items like straws; these need to be cleaned thoroughly before being used again.
Don’t use one lunchbox for more than one child–or at least make sure you wash it thoroughly between uses. In addition to keeping germs away from kids’ food (and vice versa), this will help prevent cross-contamination if another family member gets sick while sharing their own personal items with someone who has been exposed to germs from an infected person’s saliva or other bodily fluids (like mucus).
Snickers and Twinkies for lunch? Think again
Snickers and Twinkies are great, but they’re not the best things to pack in your kid’s lunchbox.
The sugar content in these treats is high enough to cause tooth decay. What’s more, if your child eats too much of it at once (which is easy to do), their blood sugar levels can spike, leading to an increase in hunger later on and making them feel irritable or grumpy. This can be a problem when they’re trying to concentrate on schoolwork.
High-sugar foods can also contribute significantly toward obesity–and we all know how that ends up ruining your kid’s life by making them miserable at home and socially ostracized at school because nobody wants anything to do with someone who looks like they might break out into an episode of Rick James: The Musical at any moment.
Healthy lunches help keep kids happy and healthy at school
Healthy lunches help kids learn and make friends. It also teaches them about new foods and how to eat them. They can ask questions about what’s in their lunchboxes, which could lead to a conversation about healthy eating habits or even cooking with the child. It also helps kids feel good about themselves by providing them with nutritious food that supports their growing bodies.
