Need lunch Ideas for a 5 year old

My kids are boring, they usually take the standard PB&J, goldfish or pretzels, some kind of fruit, maybe some yogurt and a dessert. But every so often they change it up, like this week they've taken turkey sandwiches and one asked for crackers and hummus.  Carrots & ranch make it in there sometimes, but the ranch gets a little messy even when it's in a tiny tupperware type thingy.

Oh, one fun thing they used to like and it was easy for little kids to eat were PB&J roll ups (can do with turkey,ham, etc. also.)  You take a slice of bread and cut off the crusts then smoosh the bread really slat (you can use a glass or the palm of your hand.)  Then add the fillings and roll it up like a cigar.

Edited by MomX3 2009-08-19 3:31 PM

I recently discovered a blog www.lunchinabox.net which has some really creative lunch ideas.  She has a preschooler that she packs a lunch for every day. 

I don't have a ton of suggestions, but I used to love ants on a log (celery with peanut butter spread in it and raisins for ants on top).  Any combination with peanut butter is good, but some schools are starting to prohibit peanut butter due to allergies, so you might want to check on that if you haven't already.

Cheese, lunch meat and crackers (like a lunchable) is a good idea too. 

Any kind of sandwich- turkey, ham, cheese and tomato, pb&j etc.

You can also fill celery with soft cheese (laughing cow or something like that) and then wrap it in a slice of lunch meat.  Those would probably have to be secured with toothpicks to make it in one piece, but they're tasty and fun to eat.

Love the website!  Thanks for posting.  I've been thinking about getting a bento box and I love all of her recipes and tips.

I would highly encourage you to pack a lunch because school lunches are horrible!  Even they supposedly meet nutrition guidelines...most kids on free lunch only eat the ice cream and throw everything else way bc it is BAD.

My daughter always likes one piece of fruit (apples with a little lemon to reduce browning, strawberries, grapes, banana etc.)  She loves sweet tea and since school is early...I let her drink it as a pick-me-up for lunches!  She went half the school year with a sandwich (turkey/cheese and put mayo or mustard between cheese and met-not on bread-so it does not get mushy or just pb)...Goldfish, cheese crackers, cubes of cheese, pretzels, a tiny piece of candy as a small treat, carrot sticks....can't get realy fancy..

Also-I would make sure he can open everythin on his own bc sometimes little ones don't eat lunch bc they can't open their food and are scared to ask. Sometimes I would open my daughter's stuff for her and put in a ziploc baggie-like granola bars.

Make sure to put a note saying how proud you are or some other surprise.  :-)

Just an FYI, please check with the school/teacher about any allergies other kids may have. Not all schools are terribly good about this, to the point of telling five-year-olds that they are responsible for making sure they don't come in contact with a substance that could KILL THEM. Makes me wonder what their gun policy is... Sorry, I digress. Anyway, if your little one has someone in the classroom with a nut allergy in particular, please don't pack PB. It's a great lesson on thinking outside of yourself and considering others and doing the right thing and eating more interesting foods!

Our kids' school lunch room has a "peanut free" table for kids with peanut allergies. Our kids sit at the same lunch table for 1 month, then switch to a new table for the next month, etc. If they are sitting at the peanut free table, no PBJ for lunch. If they're at another table, though, it's okay. So check with your school and see what the policy is (if your kid likes PB... if not, then don't worry about it!)

I agree about staying away from school lunches if he goes to public school - private schools may be healthier since they don't have the same cost constraints that public schools have.

My daughter is in 2nd grade and I try to pack her lunch everyday. Her staples include: turkey or ham and cheese on whole wheat OR p'nut butter and banana on wheat (every once in a while I'll pack pb&j, but that's her least favorite so I use that as a back-up), pretzels or crackers or occasionally chips, yogurt and fruit - apples, grapes, peaches, strawberries. Sometimes I'll make a sandwich roll-up with a wheat tortilla instead. Thankfully, my daughter isn't real picky so her lunch is fairly easy.

Last winter I got her a thermos so she could take soup, she loved it - I heated in the morning and put it in the thermos and it was usually still warm by lunch. (just make sure he can open it, mine had a hard time at first)

Also, depending on what time he eats lunch, you can freeze the yogurt so it's still cold at lunch. Last year my daughter said it was still sort of frozen but totally edible. This year she eats lunch almost an hour earlier so I don't freeze it anymore, she has a frozen tube thing in her insulated lunch bag to keep it cold.

I got my kids bento boxes last year and they LOVE them.  It's a great way to provide many different food groups in a fun way.  That website is great and has tons of fun ideas. 

As for what I pack my kids....cheese sticks, grapes, apples, strawberries, carrots, cherry or grape tomatoes, celery, cut up sandwiches, chicken nuggets, homemade pizza cut in strips, frozen yogurt.  Basically, a bunch of different stuff to keep them eating somewhat healthy.  They either buy milk or take a bottle of water too. 

My 4 1/2 year old is extremely picky!  She will eat chicken nuggets, meatballs, PB&J (loves Uncrustables from the freezer section), grapes, bananas, madarin oranges, yogurt (loves the Dannon Crush Cups, Go-gurt, etc.), string cheese, cheddar cheese, goldfish, pretzels, raisins and jello cups and jello pudding - that's pretty much it!  She loves those fruit snack thingys, fruit roll-ups and yo-gos, but the dentist told her they had sugar bugs that cause cavities, so now she steers clear of them!

Bacon Sandwich, Bacon bits, and for dessert...Chocolate-covered-bacon.

Oh, wrong thread... sorry.

Uh, PB&J always a staple.  Clif Bars, turkey sandwiches, if you freeze a bottle with chocolate milk, it melts by ~3 hours later so they could have a milkshake...

Since I discovered BT the one thing I desire most is to be able to provide a nuticious lunches for my kids. The bad thing is, my kids are the most picky eaters in the World. However when a child is truly hungry they'll eat things that normally they wouldn't touch even at gun point. so one day instead of giving them a sandwhich, chips, Capri Sun and Oatmeal Creme Pie, I gave them Turkey on Club lite crackers, Carrot sticks, Celery with peanut butter, home made Granola as a desert and lightly sweeted Green tea to drink. The next day they asked me to I make the same thing for lunch like they had Yesterday. The cool thing is that they don't seem as run down when they walk through the door since they're lunch meals have been changed!

I second this.  My boys are in high school and have always taken their lunch.  One morning we were running late and I suggested school lunch for the first time when my then 2nd grader told me "mom, it's gross, it's all simple carbs and no protein"  LOL

There are lots of ideas to be had out there and sometimes you have to get creative but my boys started packing their own around second grade.  They generally do sandwich, fruit, crackers or chips and something sweet like a granola bar.

Also find out the PB rules - our elementary schools do not allow PB at all.


Edited by KeriKadi 2009-08-20 9:19 AM

I was looking into a Bento box for this year - where did you guys get yours?

On the bento website I posted above she raves about her lock-lock tupperware from Korea.  I am terrible at buying things online, but I found a Sterilite copy of the lock-lock stuff at walmart for cheap.  That's what I've been using for my own lunches.  If you're good at shopping online there are lots of options on Amazon and EBay or there's a Japanese store finder on www.lunchinabox.net. 

The online store I ordered from has shut down.   Here is another link that has similar products.  But, I don't know about customer service since I haven't ordered from them. 

Also, I have noticed that a lot more places are carrying containers for lunches.  I think I've seen some recently at Target and I know the Disney Store used to carry them too.  Really, any plastic container will work.