My preschooler doesn’t like sauce but loves dip. She loves cheese but not in her sandwiches. She likes oranges but not if there’s skin. She likes apples, but only green ones. You get where I’m going with this! Here are a few tips on how to prepare school lunches for picky eaters.
Create Routine. Build Consistency.
You may have heard that the more often a child sees something, the more familiar they become with it and the more inclined they are to try it. This rings true with my cautious, creative but curious 4 year old.
Every time we pack her lunch, we talk about it and it’s usually pretty similar foods each day that week. We talk with excitement about healthy foods and how yummy it’s gonna be at school. We talk about why we like certain foods and talk about the taste, smell or texture.
Shop Together
This one can be tough, because online grocery shopping is a LIFE SAVER for busy parents. But when we put the groceries away, Mikayla can help me. Sometimes we talk about how tasty fruit is and how you know it’s going to be a good one. This usually ends with her asking to eat or try something.
At the grocery store, we talk about what’s on the grocery list and she’ll help me find those items, especially if they’re in the produce section. We talk about how we know which bananas are the good ones and what kind of apples she likes. She tends to favour and eat all the stuff she picked out. She loves smoothies, so we’ll often talk about what she’d like to put in it.
Read my Sunshine Smoothie Recipe Post
Eat together
I am a big fan of eating together. It’s a chance we can talk about our days, even if the 4-year old says “I forget what I did”, every single time. But it builds routine… we ask the same question every time, “what did you do today?” my 1 year old is into it. He doesn’t speak yet, but he yells with enthusiasm and claps his hands about his day.
It’s also a chance for the kids to eat and see us eating. They see we’re eating the same stuff. They’ve become accustomed to eating what we eat. If they don’t like it, then they eat what they like and are familiar with (usually the rice and veg) and we’ll try again tomorrow.
Thank you to FreeYumm for encouraging me to write this post. We had the opportunity to try their new crackers and they’re delish! As expected, the 4-year old wasn’t too keen on trying them. But after seeing us eat them and we were excited about them she tried it and liked it! They’ve become a school snack staple so healthy eating and good habits starts early, even for picky eaters!
Why We Like FreeYumm
I like choosing FreeYumm foods because they’re don’t contain a trace of the top 9 allergens. My kids don’t have any allergies, but my Brother does and growing up we read every single food label before giving it to him. He’s allergic to seafood and peanuts. It changed our meals quite a bit, as we didn’t have any desserts with peanuts or traces of peanuts. My parents did their best to not make a big deal of it so he wouldn’t feel left out.
Since food is such a social thing, FreeYumm gives kids with allergies to nuts, eggs, wheat… the opportunity to NOT miss out on food that other kids love like cookies, granola bars and crackers. I love how unique this product is and how it helps so many with allergies!
Amanda is a writer, photographer, videographer and a content creator with a passion for sharing stories. With her family of 5, they share experiences, tips and ideas that empower Moms to make memories with their families right here in British Columbia.
