Daycare Moms

fastcarsandfreedom3319 · November 2013

Do you have to pack a lunch for LO? At our old daycare, meals were provided and it was awesome. But the new daycare he will be attending since our move does not provide food, except for a morning and afternoon snack. So I have to buck up and start making his lunch as well as my own.

How do you do it? Pack the whole week at once? Just pack leftovers? Do you have any kind of lunchbox gadgets you can't live without? And what are some of your best lunches for LO?

ccam · November 2013

I have to pack DS's breakfast and lunch for daycare. I do it every night while DH makes lunch for the 2 of us. I use small snap and lock type containers with compartments. I found them at Marshalls, I think. I try and pack a protein, veggie, fruit, grain and dairy each day.

Sometimes I'll pack leftovers. If I don't have leftovers that he will eat, I make a piece of grilled chicken, a turkey burger, a bunch of tortellini, etc., which will last me a few days for his lunch. I always have frozen organic veggies that I can pop in the microwave if we don't have leftover veggies. He also would eat yogurt and cheese sticks every meal, if I let him, so we always have those.

Our daycare will reheat in the microwave though, some don't. That could limit what you can pack.

vvvvvfee · November 2013

our in-home daycare does provide meals, but i think she serves kinda junky stuff (think chicken nuggets) so i've always just sent my own food. :S for a long time i was just packing BM and 1 meal of leftovers, and he would get a snack from her. lately i've been alternating between leftovers and finger foods he can eat on his own without making a huge mess-- like peanut butter and banana on whole grain bread, pita with hummus, dumplings, etc. no great gadgets, really. we have a couple of different lunchboxes. i usually use small (like 1 or 2 cup size) pyrex with the the leakproof snapware lids. DCP has cups, spoons, etc. there are lots of great books on lunchbox ideas for kids. i also like this site that has a lot of healthy lunchbox ideas and tips: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/

WhtRssnGrl · November 2013

I send food with DD. Daycare starts feeding her when she gets a little older. I pack food on Sunday night for Mon/Tues, Tuesday night for Wed/Thurs, and then on Thurs I pack Friday's food.

TechieGirl1 · November 2013

I send food with him everyday. Usually its a mix of leftovers (I can't eat anything spicy, so generally he can eat whatever I do), fruit, and snacks. They provide all snacks, but our lo loves snack foods for meals too.

jessalynn521 · November 2013

now, my answer doesn't pertain to daycare, just what I did in HS and college (as a disclaimer):

On Sunday I would make some sort of pasta casserole dish and take five servings of that into plastic containers and keep in the fridge. My mom (and later I) kept little fruit cups in the fridge as well. To pack a lunch in the morning all I had to do was throw in a plastic container of casserole, a fruit cup, and then anything else I might want and I could go. It was super fast in the mornings, but was still pretty good for me. If you want they make single serve things of veggies now too (If you want to pack a vegetable).

fastcarsandfreedom3319 · November 2013

Thanks ladies!

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