Q: Who should pack the lunchbox?
A: Your child, if they are able, along with your supervision! This will take a little more time and planning initially, until it becomes the new routine. If they are involved in the packing process, they are more likely to eat the food. The more empowered they feel in the kitchen and the more exposure they have to various foods, the better! This can have lifelong benefits. Involving them in packing their own lunch is also helping them to practice important life skills and build their independence. Grade (adjust) their involvement to their skill level.
Q: What goes into the lunch box?
A: Help your kids pack a good lunch by creating a menu of choices for each food category. Melanie Potock, speech language pathologist and author of Adventures in Veggieland: Help Your Kids Learn to Love Vegetables with 100 Easy Activities and Recipes, calls it a “packing map”: print a photo of your child’s lunch box or bento box and write in four options for each food group. If possible, help them to avoid packing the same food items every single day. Eating the same items everyday will lead to what’s called a “food jag” where they will get tired of that food and not want to eat it anymore.
Remember the “Rule of Three’s”: Protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Also, there should be at least 3 items in their lunch. Three is a good number for not being overly taxing in terms of assembly but also provides variety without with overstimulating for your child.
Q: Do I include a new food in their lunch?
A: Some kids actually do well with positive peer pressure and you may find that eating around their peers leads to some positive growth with eating new foods. For other selective or picky eaters, kids become more anxious or feel rushed/pressured when they have new food in their school lunches. If your child does not fall into this latter category, then worst-case scenario the food remains in their lunchbox and doesn’t get eaten. Bottom line: This is completely up to you. You definitely want to make sure that you are including some “safe” options for them and you may decide that school lunches are not the best time to introduce them to new foods.
Q: When is the smartest time to prep lunches?
A: The night before. This will help avoid the morning scramble and also allows you to more easily utilize dinner leftovers for lunchbox additions. Things that need to be heated can be taken care of quickly in the morning. Anything else can go in the lunchbox the night before.
Q: What if my child doesn’t like eating sandwiches?
A: That’s ok. Sandwiches aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.
A fun cooking activity to do with your child on a weekend is to have a “sandwich making/tasting” session with them. Offer a variety of ingredients and allow them to put together some sandwich options that sound appetizing to them. They can give each one a taste (if they are willing) and rate their favorites.
Consider a “deconstructed sandwich”: many kids like the ingredients of sandwiches separately and just not together. Pack the ingredients into their lunchbox separately.
Consider cutting their sandwich up into little “sandwich bites” for easier eating
Condiments are optional. Your child isn’t a fan of ketchup, mustard, mayo, ranch, etc. That’s ok. No condiment is needed. Or get creative. Butter or a little olive oil is a nice mild option.
Consider warm food options in a thermos if colder food like a sandwich is a no go!
Q: Where do a I organize lunch box fillers?
A: Keep a designated stock of lunch items in the pantry, fridge, and freezer. The idea is just to always have a stash of stuff on hand that requires minimal preparation and can either supplement a fresh lunch or become a perfectly great ‘emergency’ lunch option for days when your family doesn’t have the prep time.
Q: Is it necessary that I go out and get a fancy bento box, cookie cutters, etc?
A: Bento boxes are a great way to help with offering a variety of food, in small quantities, and keep it fun. Using cookie cutters are a great way to make things more interesting and interactive for your child but avoid putting too much pressure on yourself. Your goal is to make this process doable for you and your family.
Q: What happens if I try all of these tips, and they STILL come home with a mostly full lunch box?
A: This is more common than you would think. Even for neurotypical children with no eating difficulties, often lunchtime is rushed and kids are more interested in interacting with their peers or get distracted by the busy sensory environment of school and they don’t end of consuming much of the lunch that you worked so hard to help them pack. This can get frustrating. If this happens, try and get more information (from your child or from their school) about what lunchtime looks like for your child. If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, you may be able to work on adding in some additional supports or accommodations. Other options include being flexible with allowing them to finish their lunch when they get home.
If you would like any additional support from your child’s therapist, to increase success in implementation of the above recommendation, please let them know!
For picky/selective eaters, there are endless benefits to involving them in the lunch making process, with supervision and guidelines provided by you. Yes, it might take a little more time, but it’s worth it! If you have significant concerns regarding your child’s feeding skills, and they are not currently receiving feeding therapy, don’t hesitate to ask us about feeding therapy.
