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Lunchbox tips

Packing a lunchbox

Things to consider when packing a lunchbox...

Having spent time preparing a healthy lunch for your child, it can be so frustrating when your child’s lunchbox is lost, the lunchbox comes home with the food uneaten, or there are spillages.

Here are some ideas, to give you some food for thought, to help with this.

Lunchbox tips

  • Prep Ahead: Chop vegetables and fruits the night before or on a Sunday to make assembly quicker during the week.
  • Use Leftovers: Don't always make something new; incorporate suitable leftovers into your child's lunch.
  • Stay Hydrated: Pack water or milk instead of sugary drinks or juice to keep your child hydrated.
  • Keep it Cool: Add an ice pack or freeze a drink or yoghurt to keep the lunch cool.
  • Involve Your Child: Let your child choose and help prepare their lunch to increase their likelihood of eating it.
  • Get Creative with Shapes: Use cookie cutters to make sandwiches into fun shapes like stars or hearts.
  • Offer Dips: Provide hummus or cream cheese for dipping vegetables or wholemeal cracker.
  • School lunchbox policy: Schools may have a lunchbox policy where some items are not allowed to be taken into school. These could be items such as chocolate bars, fizzy drinks, or nuts, for example. It is a good idea to check if your child’s school has a lunchbox policy and if so, to make sure your child’s lunch follows their guidelines.
  • Likes and dislikes: It is helpful if children have tried and liked the food at home before it is put into their lunchbox. This will make sure their tummies are full for the rest of the school day, but also that food waste is reduced.
  • DIY Lunches: Pack separate components for wraps, pitta bread, using lunchboxes with separate compartments, allowing your child to assemble their own lunch. 

Naming the lunchbox

Making sure your child’s lunchbox, additional containers and your child’s drinks bottle are named, to stop them getting lost.

Small containers

Having smaller containers inside your child’s lunchbox can be handy to keep parts of your child’s lunch separate. For example, it is good to use a smaller tub with a lid for a pasta salad or carrot sticks.

Will the food travel well?

Spillages in lunch boxes can be very common. Making sure that the lids on small containers and drinks are on tightly can help things inside the lunchbox not to leak.

Drink bottles

A drink bottle for a child should have a ‘free flow’ spout. This type of bottle will encourage children to sip and swallow rather than ‘suck’ their drink and will help them to have healthy teeth.

Food hygiene and safety first

  • Wash your hands before preparing any food
  • Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly before packing into the lunchbox
  • Lightly coat chopped up fruit in lemon juice to prevent browning
  • Wrap sandwiches and rolls in tin foil, cling film or food bags
  • If you prepare your child’s lunchbox the evening before, make sure it is stored in the fridge overnight
  • Although a lot of lunchboxes will be insulated which can help keep the food inside fresh, adding a small ice pack can help keep food cool before eating
  • Fresh food like sandwiches or pasta that are left over and not eaten in the packed lunch, should be thrown away at the end of the day
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