It’s back to school time and you know what that means (besides labeling 393593 different items and trying to get your kid out of the door in time); lunchboxes need to get packed. Let’s be honest, it’s no small feat, and the motivation and inspiration starts to wear thin at about the 3-week mark.

It might not be the same for all children, but I’ve found that if I keep the school lunchboxes relatively interesting and not the same thing every single day, my girls tend to gobble everything up.

I’ve had to learn how to switch things up without it costing the earth or too much effort because honestly, the last thing I feel like doing in the evening or early morning is packing school lunchboxes.

In this blog post, I’m going to chat through the lunchboxes that I packed this week and also some tips and tricks that work like a bomb in our home. I hope that this inspires you to get those lunchboxes prepped and packed, making the morning rush a lot less stressful.

Tips for school lunchboxes

First, let’s chat through some tips and tricks:

Pack school lunchboxes the evening before

It’s going to be the last thing you feel like but pack school lunchboxes in the evening and pop them into the fridge.

This has been a lifesaver for us this year so far, because we have to leave a solid 30mins earlier than we have been for the last 3 years. It’s one less thing I need to do in the morning, making the whole “get out of the door in time” process go a lot smoother.

Get your kids involved in lunchbox prepping and packing

In the evening when you are getting everything sorted, let your child help you, even with simple things like taking stuff out of the fridge or putting the prepped food into the lunchbox.

Not only does this start to foster a sense of responsibility and ownership, but I have also found that my girls are more keen and excited to eat food that they’ve had a part in preparing.

This is also a really great tip around meal times in general, especially when making a new dish.

Buy a lunchbox with at least one compartment

This just makes packing food easier and the chances of it sliding all over the place are a lot less likely.

My girls have cute Disney Princess ones from Tupperware (there are also great spiderman ones) but another good option is Sistema who have quite a wide range of options.

I know there are some really expensive ones out there, but I honestly don’t think they’re any better than the more reasonably priced ones, we’ve never had to replace a lunchbox during the year. But of course, this is completely a personal preference.

Make it fun

To encourage your child to get excited about the food inside of their school lunchboxes, try to make it a bit fun with things like lunchbox notes, sandwich cutters, and let them decorate the boxes with stickers.

Keep things “same, same but different” so that you know the food you’re packing is something that your child enjoys, but it’s presented in a different way which keeps lunch exciting!

I’ll share some examples of this when we get into what I packed for the girls this week.

Try to cover all the food groups

I try to prioritize protein as I know this will keep them fuller for longer. But I always try to ensure I also have healthy fats, dairy, fruits, and some good ol’ carbs.

A week of school Lunchbox Ideas

Now that we’ve covered some of the things that really help me, let’s get into what I made for the girls this week.

Their school lunchboxes don’t serve as their actual lunch (we have that at home when we get home), but more as a whole lotta of snacks to get them through the day.

Monday:

Yogi Choobe: these are just easier to pack and more “bite size” I find

Peanut butter and jam roll-ups: a nice little twist on a normal PB&J sarmie

Cheese dipper pack

Half a banana: I find that if I pack a full one, the girls don’t finish it

Nibbles from Oh My Goodness, essentially date bites

Tuesday:

Grapes: remember to cut these up if your child is still small

Raisins

Droewors

Ham and cheese roll-ups: another sarmie alternative that my girls love

Wednesday:

Yogi Choobe

Yogurt covered mini rice cakes

Yogurt covered pretzel sticks

Droewors

Grapes

Heart chocolate: Maia is only allowed sweets (including muffins, chips, etc) in her lunchbox on a Wednesday at her school so I just apply the same rule to Aria’s lunchbox as well

Thursday:

Kiddylicious Fruit Wiggles

Yogurt covered rice cakes

Blueberries

Sausage and cheese skewers: I just use toothpicks

Friday:

Oh My Goodness Apple and Cashew Bar

Grape and blueberry skewers: a twist on the regular fruit I put in

Yogi Choobe: these are a fave as you can tell

Salami

Toasted cheese squares

And that’s a wrap on what my girls had in their lunchboxes this week – anything specific that I listed inspire you?

I’ll try to do this every few months to keep both you and I inspired because let’s be honest, it can get a bit (a lot) monotonous after the first few weeks.

But now it’s your turn, let me know your top lunchbox tips and hacks in the comments!

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