Lunch Suggestions

[lovinmaryland]

I recently switched daycares and the current daycare does not provide breakfast or lunch. Does anyone have any healthy, nutritious, yet tasty suggestions for my picky 18 month old who will not eat bologna, hot dogs, lunch meat, anything w/ cheese (mac & cheese, grilled cheese, cheese sammich etc) I have been doing peanut butter & jelly but I am not so sure that is healthy for a 18 month old to have daily.

 

[Geek]

I recently switched daycares and the current daycare does not provide breakfast or lunch. Does anyone have any healthy, nutritious, yet tasty suggestions for my picky 18 month old who will not eat bologna, hot dogs, lunch meat, anything w/ cheese (mac & cheese, grilled cheese, cheese sammich etc) I have been doing peanut butter & jelly but I am not so sure that is healthy for a 18 month old to have daily.

Cereal ? Ask if you can bring a half gallon of milk and leave it in the fridge.

What was he eating at the other daycare?

 

[KWAK]

I ran into this with my daughter a while back, and was packing a variety of things. The daycare actually said something to me about it and said that it doesn't matter if you pack the same thing every day, they would rather them eat! Turns out, there are plenty of kids who eat the same thing every day! I rotate hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and ramen noodles!

 

[lovinmaryland]

IMO, 18 months is the perfect age for you to pack his lunch with what you want him to eat and that's what he gets. You have the perfect opportunity to make a big deal out of it because he gets to "pack" and "bring" a bagged lunch each day. :shrug:

I dont mind packing it, infact I kinda like knowing for sure what he is eating... just need a few new suggestions

Cereal ? Ask if you can bring a half gallon of milk and leave it in the fridge.

What was he eating at the other daycare?

That is a good idea.

At the other day care she would cook chicken nuggets, spagetti, for the main item, green beans corn or peas for sides & some type of fruit (sliced bananas, grapes, apples, etc) At least that is what I was told I was never there during lunch to actually confirm that is what he ate.

 

[Gigi22]

I do daycare and here are some suggestions for you...

If you child liked what you cooked for dinner the night before pack that in his lunch the next day...

Spagetti ( I know it is messy but they love it) we do it at least once every other week here..

Alot of daycares are not doing the breakfast and lunch thing anymore. I guess the price of food has finally caught up to providers along with everyone else. I hope I can keep on providing meals at my daycare as I find it easier to do. But, who knows how long I will be able to do it as my food bill goes up and my client list has dropped in the last months...

 

[barncat]

I actually buy most of the lunch food for my daycare. I feel like I buy the same stuff every week, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, pizza roll bites, corn dogs, hot dogs, tator tots....but it's what they like. They also like those White Castle Cheeseburgers. Daycare provider's daughter provides the stuff WIC covers since she has WIC, so they also have cheese quesadillas(sp?) and PB&J. I buy her supplies to make homemade mac-n-cheese and they all love that. I had never thought about spegetti, I normally send a few cans of spegetti o's and they eat that, but she does cook spegetti pretty often for them also.

 

[Toxick]

I have been doing peanut butter & jelly but I am not so sure that is healthy for a 18 month old to have daily.

Keep giving him peanut butter.


At the very least you can record him on video while he's eating the peanut butter and then dub words in later, and it will look like he's talking.

 

[workin hard]

I recently switched daycares and the current daycare does not provide breakfast or lunch. Does anyone have any healthy, nutritious, yet tasty suggestions for my picky 18 month old who will not eat bologna, hot dogs, lunch meat, anything w/ cheese (mac & cheese, grilled cheese, cheese sammich etc) I have been doing peanut butter & jelly but I am not so sure that is healthy for a 18 month old to have daily.

It must be something with that age. My 18 month old won't eat any of that stuff either. No lunch meat, no hamburger, no steak. He only likes chicken.

I keep offering it to him and he wants nothing to do with it.

 

[lil_daisy]

Mine have loved tuna fish w/ aspoon ful of mayo from an early age, served with ritz crackers and a handful of grapes. yummy
goodluck! send small servings. then again none mine hardly ate anything.

 

[poster]

I do daycare and here are some suggestions for you...

If you child liked what you cooked for dinner the night before pack that in his lunch the next day...
Spagetti ( I know it is messy but they love it) we do it at least once every other week here..

Alot of daycares are not doing the breakfast and lunch thing anymore. I guess the price of food has finally caught up to providers along with everyone else. I hope I can keep on providing meals at my daycare as I find it easier to do. But, who knows how long I will be able to do it as my food bill goes up and my client list has dropped in the last months...

That is what I always did for my daughter and still do during the summer.
Get a pack of the sandwich size gladware (disposable), it's worth it and that's about all they need. I would make her lunch then serve dinner. After I'd make how ever many more lunches I could with the leftovers. It's cheaper and better for them, if they don't regularly get junk then they won't miss it.

She remembers this and tells me she likes her "summer" lunches better than school lunches.

 

[kris31280]

It must be something with that age. My 18 month old won't eat any of that stuff either. No lunch meat, no hamburger, no steak. He only likes chicken.

I keep offering it to him and he wants nothing to do with it.

What about a rotissere chicken? When I was working 10 hour days with hour long commutes, I'd keep one of those in the fridge so I could make sure baby was getting decent food for dinner and I didn't have to cook.

 

[lovinmaryland]

What about a rotissere chicken? When I was working 10 hour days with hour long commutes, I'd keep one of those in the fridge so I could make sure baby was getting decent food for dinner and I didn't have to cook.

Good Idea!!!

I went to quality street in Leonardtown the other day and they carry The Barefoot Contessa food product line, I bought the Sesame Peanut Sauce. I cooked up some fettucini and tossed it w/ that sauce added some grilled chicken, yellow & red sliced peppers, & some bok choy... it was so good and the baby loved it!!! He ate it up like crazy, so I packed that in a container for his lunch today. The kid wont eat bologna but he'll eat that stuff go figure