Ways to Pack Yummy Food for Your Kids’ Teeny Tummy

A Friendly Chat Can Sort your Kid's Lunch Problems

Don’t be shocked to see the food intact in your kids’ lunchbox after he/she is back from school. There are four common reasons for children to skip their lunch. Have a chat with your little one to find the reason for this behavior during lunch.

Reason#1: Your Kid Finds the Dishes in the Lunchbox to be Simply Boring

Being a health-conscious parent makes you think about packing a lunchbox filled with nutrients and energy. But your child may feel some of the items to be soggy, bland, colorless or simply boring.

Solution
Insist on feedback from your kids: How can the food be better? Why are they not interested in eating certain dishes? Ask your kids for their suggestions on making yummy dishes with nutritional ingredients. Take your kid to the supermarket and allow him/her to pick up some nutritional items that fancy him/her.

Reason #2: Limited Time or Other Attractive Activities Available

A 20-minute lunch break is the standard norm in many schools. Though this may seem to be enough for the small lunch packed, there are many things which may distract your kid’s attention resulting in very few minutes left for lunch. Unfinished homework, funny friendly chatter or missing lunch bags are quite a few distractions namely. Plus, very few foods can compete with the lure of getting outside to monkey bars, basketball or a game of cricket.

Solution

Pack bite-sized foods that are quick to eat. A chapatti roll with veg stuffing is easier to eat than chapatti and a veg curry; sandwich is attractive than veg dosa. Smart schools have a play period before lunch to ensure that kids don’t gobble up their food to get outside to play. Also, we know that physical activity makes one hungrier resulting in an empty lunchbox. But when this option is not available, keep a small meal in your kid’s box to ensure that the right nutrients get added to your kid’s body to energize him/her to sail through the day.

Reason #3: Getting the Lunchbox Opened is a Strenuous Task

For toddlers and very young kids, special care should be taken to send food in containers easily accessible by them. Difficult lids, containers or covers may demotivate your kids to eat their food when the lunch monitor is not around to help them with their problem.

Solution
Make your kids open the new lunch containers at home before sending them to school. If they are comfortable with the task, there would be no problem. Otherwise you can always switch over to a more kid-friendly container or seek the help of the monitor in aiding the kid with the difficult box.

Reason #4: Your Kid has a Teeny Tiny Appetite

You may find your kid’s lunchbox to be untouched, but maybe your kid has eaten very few portions of what had been packed. Overfull boxes or a filling snack may be the reason for this.

Solution

Don’t try to stuff children with portions that are too much for their age. Pack the lunchbox with the right quantity of food suitable for your kid. This is easy to guess from the portion of food consumed by your kid at home. Find age-appropriate portion sizes clearly delineated at www.firsteatright.com. It is also your responsibility to ensure a healthy snack break. Send a banana or some sprouts instead of chips or butter cookies.

Don’t panic if the above ideas don’t work. Compensate for the lost nutrients during their breakfast, evening snacks or dinner. This way, your child is fed with a well-balanced nutritional diet even if they skip their lunch or eat morsels from them.