Back to School- Lunchboxes & Afterschool snack ideas

What follows may provide you with some insights into what a dietitian's back-to-school lunchboxes might look like.

As a busy working mom, I aim to keep things simple. I don't bake or stock the freezer (except for bread). I've found that if I include baked items in my eldest child's lunchbox, the fruits and vegetables often come home uneaten. I focus on including:

• Carbohydrates: bread, rolls, croissants, focaccia, pita bread, crackers

• Protein: ham, cheese, eggs, tuna, chicken, edamame, yogurt, milk (usually flavoured)

• Fruits: fresh, dried, canned, pureed, frozen

• Vegetables: cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, lettuce

After school snacks:

We often enjoy 'baked items' after school, such as

• hot cross buns, raisin bread, muffins, and toast

I admire those who manage to serve homemade options. In our household, healthy convenience is necessary, as I usually have work to finish while my kids need a quick snack before (or on route to) their after-school activities. They might also snack on:

• leftovers from their lunchboxes

• dried fruits (mango and blueberries are favourites)

• nut clusters

• cheese with dip and crackers

• a glass of milk with Milo

• smoothies

• yogurt or

• muesli bars

We even keep a list of after-school snack ideas on the fridge, as we often forget or get busy that time of day. I just checked the list to ensure I hadn't missed anything! ;)

After-School Snack Ideas:

I occasionally aspire to find time to bake, and my current 'to-try' recipes include:

• Chia Jam Almond Meal cookies

• Weet Bix Slice

• Peanut Butter Greek Yogurt Bites

• Air Fryer Custard Recipe

• Slow Cooker Peach Crumble

• Chocolate Zucchini Bread (a regular in our clinics and at home)

  And these are just the ideas I've saved or sent myself this week!

Lunchboxes for 'Picky' Eaters*

(*NB: I hate the term 'picky' eater as it oversimplifies a surprisingly difficult task, making it sound behavioural an doesn't acknowledge our children's ability to coordinate the multiple the sensory inputs to eat, or their often over looked oro-motor skills.)

If your child's lunch boxes don't look anything like this, there's no judgment here! The back-to-school transition can be overwhelming for many children (and parents!). They have new classrooms to get used to, new teachers, new rules & expectations, a new combination of classmates, new class dynamics, new sounds, new smells (and probably more)—it's a lot to handle! This can result in increased stress & a reduced feeling of safety, which can result in a retraction in eating habits. When our sensory systems are overwhelmed, the challenges (textures, tastes, colours) we have capacity to deal with can retract. Ensuring there are plenty of 'safe' options in their lunchboxes can reduce the likelihood of food being another cause of stress to their already overwhelmed sensory systems! Striking a balance between providing enough fuel throughout the day and not overwhelming them with too much choice can be tricky.

When my children started school, I packed two separate boxes/bags (one for recess and one for lunch) and showed them what was in each and which was meant for each break. This limited overwhelming choices at each break and gave them some guidance as to how split up the food available over the course of the day. (It also reduced the likelihood of my youngest eating every single thing at recess and not having anything left at lunch :D ) However I have always stressed, they can eat whatever they want/however much or little they choose (from what's available), in whatever order they choose. This hasn't always been easy with school limitations: break times/brain break/no brain break.....and most challenging of all, the occasional well-intentioned teacher who thinks it's appropriate to tell them which foods should be eaten at which break. I have had to reiterate to my youngest, that if he's hungriest at recess (2.5hrs after b'fast), eating his sandwich is absolutely fine, there's plenty of other options for him to have at lunch (2hrs later.) I have also had meetings with school & kinder, as well intentioned authority can prevent appropriate division of responsibility of feeding.

For many, lunchboxes may rely more heavily on:

• Crackers

• Chips, veggie chips, pretzels, popcorn

• Sweet biscuits

• Crunchy cereals: Nutrigrain, Fruity Bites, Cheerios, Milo cereal

• Freeze-dried apples, mangoes, or strawberries

• Chocolate milk

Tips:

• Consider your child's preferred textures (crunchy, chewy, soft, smooth). In our clinics, we often experiment with freeze-dried fruits, veggie chips, crunchy proteins (like lentil chips or roasted fava bean crisps), yogurt or custard pouches, and flavoured milks.

• There are no strict rules about what constitutes breakfast, lunch, snack, or dinner foods; for example, dry cereal makes a great lunchbox snack—it's high in iron!

• Breads like Tip Top The One, Wonder White, Viva (Aldi), and The Best (Aldi) offer options with added iron that many kids enjoy (available in both white and wholemeal varieties).

  
  

If you're finding it challenging to expand your child's food options, our dietitians are here to help! We offer virtual initial assessments (often a lengthy discussion with parents-which is of no interest to children) as well as face-to-face and virtual feeding therapy to support families in navigating these challenges. Feel free to give us a call on 03 7015 1441 or book an appointment

Jemma Watkins APD

Accredited Practising Dietitian

Paediatric Dietitian

Feeding Therapist