Ideas for packing lunch for kids - daycare / school goers

Harini... yummy yum...ur lunch menu is too good .... ...
Even when we were young we used to hv a full meal b4 school, so my parents were ok with whatever we had for lunch. But my kid doesnt even want to hv b'fast ....so where full meal!!! :( ..tough gal to handle ............

Oh Joshila, thank you but you wont believe the trouble I go through to feed him lunch at breakfast time....

But consistently done over the past 2 years, he now finishes the food faster....

I finish cooking everything, tiffin, dal, 2 vegetables, 2 rice, soup, sprouts, pachadi, rasam/pulusu, salad all before 6:00 AM and even serve the tiffin in a closed plate for my Father in law, and clear the kitchen (my maid comes at that time), mix coffee/protein drinks for everyone (without the milk, so my husband will pour hot milk and it is ready!)

And when my son's lunch (actually breakfast) starts at 6:30 A.M, both my husband and I are totally free to react to whatever he wants during that time - story, onion rings toasted in microwave, games, questions etc.... sometimes he wants amma (me) to feed him, sometimes nana (his dad)... so the other one takes over to serve to father in law and setting uniform and tiffin box and his bag..... By the time he finishes his breakfast it is 7:30 am.... and then he gets ready for school.... if he finishes early he gets to play bubbles before going to school.... so he tries.... The main thing is absolutely no other distractions in that time for the parents .... the minute I get up for a second - say, to switch on hot water - he goes off, so I just stick myself to the chair, and he will remain in his till he eats.... Even my father in law will cooperate by not asking me to do any stuff during that time.... he will wait till my son finishes... I used to do all this even when I was working (I only stopped working last year because of sciatica)... I would even finish packing my tiffins/getting ready too.... so done consistently, he doesnt know the other option of not eating before going to school.....

Phew.......u must be a superwoman
Even I do my cooking for the day by 730am in the morning....but still cant spare a minute with my dotter to coax her hv her food .....

Wow i find so many moms here with the same kind of worries i have, My son who is 4 yr old .... is real pain in neck when it comes to Food.
But likes having Pasta,pizza and chocolates of course.

Latha Can u share how do u make butter &cheese sauce.... how do u make it for lunch box. I mean doesn't it dry out.

My son (4 years old) used to resist any leaves while eating dal rice, methi paratha, pudina rice, coriander in rasam etc... till we both bought a gamla (mud pot), dug out mud together from a neighbour's house, made a P with a long stick (my son's first letter) on the mud and scattered methi seeds ....

One should see his excitement for the next 3 days watering and waiting... while small methi leaves started growing in the shape of his first letter P.... Even I was quite thrilled....

We cut out the plants and had it for methi dal... after that, he eats all the greens in dal or rice or paratha or even dosas....

Hi

my daughter is 2. 4years and she seems to be fed up of eating chappatis and sabzi although i try to make variations daily . what to give her she doesnt take dal.night times i give her idlis she used to eat but now past few days she is not taking tat also. it is very difficult tomake her understands that she sud eat food . pls suggest me help me.asi get tensed when she doestn eat meals.

Hi Kajoo...
I think thats the age the kids are like that , I mean arnd 2-4, they become picky eaters. I think for one reason its the time they are experimenting with tastes & flavours. My personal experience has been like that. My dotter was a very good eater, used to hv all F & V, rice, chappatis...I mean anything which I used to give her till 2 1/2. But once she started to hv frm her own plate....then began the troublebonk. She slowly started saying " I dont want this & that"."I dont like the smell or color". That used to be a real testing period. No use shouting, threatening or rather any cajoling. Even I used to worry a lot, she started becoming lean.( I know all moms say the same). But the Dr said she was doing good , her wt & ht were appropriate for the age & asked me not to worry. Thou I cldnt stop worrying.bonk
Only thing that consoled me was I used to feed her foods that were nutrient rich. So even if she ate little, I ensured she got all the nutrients. . Foods like cheese, egg, poha, veg or fruit juice, some times snacks made with F& V like vada, spring rolls, bajji, pies, cakes, soups were the things i used to make.
But now shez 4, & eats quite ok. Thou not a very good eater but finishes whats given to her, never asks for more I think in due course she might pick up things.
So dont worry, look for recipes that are nutrient rich........

Hi IL

Thanks for the ideas given here.

cheers
arifa

Instead of using water to make chappati atta, use a nicely pureed cooked dal (maybe even cooked vegetables in it!!) The taste will be different and you'll be including dal in the chapati itself, so you can just roll the chapati with jam or cheese or chutney, it will still be nutritious and also new variety for her. In idlis too, just before steaming the idlis, add grated beetroot/carrot - the colour will be so pinkish, they would love it... or buy a mini idli plate, they would enjoy idlis in their size... or make dosas in star shape, in cat's head shape, in triangle, heart, etc... a nice hut with windows is a good idea for a dosa... they will enjoy eating the cat's ears and nose... do try being imaginative...

Originally Posted by kajoopista

Hi

my daughter is 2. 4years and she seems to be fed up of eating chappatis and sabzi although i try to make variations daily . what to give her she doesnt take dal.night times i give her idlis she used to eat but now past few days she is not taking tat also. it is very difficult tomake her understands that she sud eat food . pls suggest me help me.asi get tensed when she doestn eat meals.

Now my son goes to daycare and he takes milk in the evening along with snack in daycare, they warm the milk for him. but when he goes to school from this sept, i am worried how to send milk.
How do u send milk to school? i dont want to send flavoured milk packets or juice packets, he is used to drinking water and plain milk.

Priya