Mum shares clever idea to get her child to eat everything in their school lunchbox each day

A clever mum has come up with a genius solution for making sure her fickle five-year-old eats and enjoys her school lunch instead of returning home with a full box.

The Tasmanian mum-of-two said her daughter now brings home an empty lunchbox after creating a ‘menu’ so she can tick off what she would like to eat that day. 

‘If, like me, you have a child that wants sandwiches with simple fillings but decides on a daily basis that they no longer like what they had yesterday then maybe a ‘menu’ might help,’ the woman wrote in a post to popular Facebook group Lunchbox Ideas Australia. 

‘My 5 year old has really taken to ticking off what she wants in her sandwich and the shape she wants it cut which in turn has lead to her eating more of it…hooray!’

On the menu her daughter can chose to have her sandwich with peanut butter, honey, jam, Nutella, ham or cheese and cut into either triangle, rectangle, circle, square or dinosaur shapes as well as what fruit she wants. 

‘This saves the endless battle of questions in the morning. Perhaps it might save someone else’s sanity too, ‘ the mum added. 

Hundreds of parents in the comments were impressed with the ‘genius’ idea and were keen to try it or themselves. 

‘I love this! As an educator, this is also a great way to be prompting ‘child’s voice’ while still having boundaries and structure,’ one person said. 

‘Great idea, thank you. These are the exact same choices my 5 year old likes. Except I need to do a tick chart as its like talking to a brick wall first thing in the morning,’ a mum joked. 

How to pack the perfect healthy lunchbox 

Choose the right lunchbox 

Your child should always be involved in the choosing of their lunchbox as this will make them more likely to want to eat from it later.

Picking something with separate pockets or ‘sections’ will avoid cross-contamination and ensure wet and dry foods are kept separate. 

Make sure it’s colourful

A nutritionally-balanced lunchbox should contain an array of food from various food groups. 

Four ways to pack the perfect lunchbox

Use different types of fruits and vegetables, seeds, coconut flakes, full fat calcium rich dairy foods, protein rich foods such as meats, eggs, seed butters, pulses and tuna and oily fish. 

They will need some form of carbohydrates and healthy fats to ensure they stay full through the long day. 

Make smart food swaps

Remember to try and choose wholefoods, which are as close to their natural state as possible. 

In order to save valuable cash, you could also opt for seasonal fruits and veggies, which are guaranteed to cost a little less.

Pick real butter over margarine and full fat dairy instead of low fat and make your chocolate yoghurt with cacao powder and a touch of natural sweetener

Ensure it’s not going to go soggy

Separate dry and wet ingredients such as dressings, sauces, spreads and slices of tomato for crackers and sandwiches in mini containers, and let your child engage in some of the construction of the food. 

You should also try to make sure there are a variety of textures in your child’s lunchbox, so that they don’t get bored. 

Source: superchargedfood.com

‘Wow, great idea! It’s almost like a home canteen. Well done, I might just steal your idea,’ said a third.

Many suggested laminating the menu to reuse it each day with a whiteboard marker while others shared their own lunchbox tips and tricks.  

‘I ask my kids what they want the night before and write it next to their names on my lunch white board,’ one parent replied. 

‘If your child gets overwhelmed at choices, you could always have them in a jar and do a lucky dip,’ another suggested.

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