https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:42:36 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778935 Wed, 11 Oct 2017 11:42:22 +0000 gingerbebe 2778935@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsADS: My 16 month old does not like veggies on their own, but I can get him to eat them when cooked in things (hence a lot of those all in one thermos meals) OR I forgot to add, I do rolled Japanese style omelets. I can put minced steamed veggies like broccoli or baby spinach or nori flakes into the egg mixture and end up with bricks of omelet (just roll it up, wrap it quickly in a sushi bamboo mat or just even plastic wrap until cool) and then slice into cubes. I usually cook them at night and refrigerate them overnight and then pack in the morning. They taste fine cold/room temp. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778931 Wed, 11 Oct 2017 11:38:07 +0000 MrsADS 2778931@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks all for your excellent ideas!! I feel better now about packing him the same thing (or variation on the same thing) most days, lol. He won't eat a lot of veggies (broccoli, peas, etc). </p> <p>@anagram I wonder if he would eat those cauliflower tater tots, I've seen those but haven't tried them. He won't eat sweet potato. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778910 Wed, 11 Oct 2017 11:19:17 +0000 snowjewelz 2778910@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We've always sent in lunch as well; our daycare doesn't serve food. And now in preschool they don't heat up food so we got a thermos. We do leftovers, and otherwise rotate between the same few things too. I don't think it's bad! As long as it's healthy, she eats it, I have no problem rotating between the same few things! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778905 Wed, 11 Oct 2017 11:13:53 +0000 Rocker2014 2778905@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We do many of the options above, LO prefers to eat all food cold so leftovers of almost any kind are a hit. </p> <p>In addition to everything noted above, we do lots of omlettes: sometimes just cheese and other times with veggies or meat added. I usually just cut them into bite sized pieces, but sometimes will roll them into a wrap. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778727 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 19:05:28 +0000 Pollywog 2778727@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>my kid gets leftovers. His lunch today was grapes, cheese, peas, a veggie muffin, and a halo. Tomorrow it'll be rice with veggie/bean curry, pears, cheese, and an orange. Thursday will be baked ziti, crackers, squash, berries, and yogurt. </p> <p>Peanut butter crackers are a huge hit, but his favorites are the Veggie Delights Carrot Berry muffins and trader Joe's pb&amp;j bars </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778726 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 18:55:41 +0000 Ms. RV 2778726@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Will he eat dinner leftovers cold? That is usually what I pack DD. She is less picky at daycare so even if she didn't want to eat dinner she will at lunch the next day. I think she rather eat cold leftovers than new food sometimes...</p> <p>$6 a day for hot lunch is crazy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778717 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 16:42:26 +0000 Kemma 2778717@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've got two kids at daycare / preschool and they pretty much get the same stuff everyday!</p> <p>- some sort of bread item (sandwich, roll, wrap etc with ham, cheese, honey, jam, marmite)<br /> - a snack box with crackers / popcorn / seeds, and one sweet item (usually a biscuit or piece of home made slice)<br /> - a container of homemade yoghurt or a fruit pouch<br /> - a piece of fruit (usually a banana).</p> <p>I occasionally throw in leftovers but my kids are pretty happy to eat what they're given and the lack of variety doesn't seem to bother them!</p> <p> I sometimes think we're doing kids a disservice by constantly giving them "fancy" food, not every meal needs to be a performance or look amazing and the majority of kids will eat if they're hungry enough. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778714 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 16:19:32 +0000 gingerbebe 2778714@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use a Foogo thermos for warmer meals and I send taco rice (taco rice, beans, corn, taco meat, and shredded cheese) with a bag of tortilla chips and fruit. We also do jambalaya with chicken and sausage, spaghetti with spinach and meatballs, and Mac n cheese with weenies. With fruit and carrots or cukes.</p> <p>For cold lunches we rotate:</p> <p>Homemade lunchable with pepperoni, wheat crackers, string cheese.</p> <p>PBJ with string cheese.</p> <p>Grilled ham and cheese.</p> <p>Mini bagel with strawberry cream cheese and turkey breakast sausage.</p> <p>Meatballs or chicken nuggets with veggie straws or wheat crackers.</p> <p>Pizzadilla (quesadilla with mozz and pep) with pizza sauce to dip.</p> <p>Meatballs with sticky rice balls.</p> <p>Hot dog sushi </p> <p>Leftover pizza.</p> <p>Chicken nuggets and crackers.</p> <p>With cucumbers or carrots. Sometimes hummus. And whatever fruit we have on hand.</p> <p>Drink every day is milk. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778712 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 16:16:58 +0000 Anagram 2778712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kids have food thermoses too, so o pack leftovers from dinner 95% of the time. Today they both had butternut squash penne. Tonight I'm making salmon and broccoli-rice, so that's what they'll be having.</p> <p>My go to meals for them that are quick/no prep are the Earth's Best mini meatballs or Aidells meatballs, rotisserie chicken, cut up sausages, salmon, or quesadillas and then I do sides of broccoli, various kinds of rice, cooked carrots, peas, potatoes, sweet potato fries, those cauliflower tater tots. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778707 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 16:00:34 +0000 SweetiePie 2778707@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>One of our go-tos is a sort of homemade lunchable. </p> <p>Turkey pepperoni (I like applegate farms but there are plenty)<br /> Cheese stick when he was younger I cut it up (cheddar or mozzarella)<br /> Whole grain or seed crackers<br /> A raw veggie of some sort like sliced bell pepper or cukes or carrots<br /> A fruit </p> <p>He will still eat that a couple times a week now, and it sounds like your son likes other deli meat so you could do variety. My son has only really liked the pepperoni.<br /> And the bentgo boxes are absolutely perfect for it. </p> <p>And unless you’re not allowed to do warm lunches, you could still do warm and put it in a foogo thermos container (they make small jars). You just preheat it by letting some hot water sit in it for a few mins and then dry it out and add warm food (meatballs, pasta, sausage, rice, etc...my son LOVES soup). It will def stay warm for the few hours till lunch. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778702 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 15:49:34 +0000 lilyofthewest 2778702@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrsbells:' mention of raisin bread reminded me that my kid is desperately in love with banana bread and zucchini bread </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778623 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 12:26:51 +0000 Mrsbells 2778623@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsADS: </p> <p>somethings my son likes to eat now</p> <p>ground turkey macaroni elbows with pasta sauce shredded cheese &amp; mixed veggies </p> <p>rice &amp; lentils (many variations)</p> <p>Raisin bread</p> <p>cheerios &amp; Raisin snack</p> <p>diced fruit (mango/ melon/peach)</p> <p>yogurt</p> <p>goldfish crackers</p> <p>raisins </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778601 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 11:04:20 +0000 lilyofthewest 2778601@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We pack school breakfast and lunch for my kiddo every day. LO is 2.5 now, we've been sending meals since he started reliably eating solids at ~8mos. Some consistent lunch winners:<br /> -mac &amp; cheese with broccoli (he doesn't care that it is cold)<br /> - quiche (usually with spinach in it, sometimes with bacon or broccoli)<br /> - Dr. Praeger's veggie bites (they have kale, spinach, broccoli, and sweet potato). Aldi has their own label of them.<br /> - Tortellini or ravioli with pesto<br /> - Fish sticks<br /> - Chicken nuggets<br /> - Curried lentils<br /> - tortilla roll-up sandwiches<br /> - veggie shumai<br /> - udon noodles with sesame seeds<br /> - pasta salad (usually shells mixed with tinned salmon or tuna or shredded chicken, black beans, peas, mayo, parsley, salt, pepper)<br /> - peanut noodles with broccoli or bok choi<br /> - roast winter root veg slices (sweet potato, beets, turnip, rutabaga)<br /> - yogurt and granola<br /> - cheese sticks</p> <p>For fruit we send a lot of berries and grapes just because LO will reliably eat them -- but I do worry about pesticide load so we try to buy organic and/or wash well. We also send cut up peaches/pears/plums/nectarines/melon or send half a banana. </p> <p>We send a pouch as a backup if he totally rejects everything else or completely devours everything else and still seems hungry. Daycare probably uses 2 pouches a week (sends them back the rest of the time). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778594 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 10:43:16 +0000 raspberries 2778594@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Aside from what you listed, we do cut up meatballs, sausages, ground meat, and chicken breast - also, greek/regular yogurt, cheese sticks, berries, sliced up melon, whole apples/bananas, muffins, oatmeal (he doesn't seem to mind it at room temp, even though it's kind of repulsive to me, haha), pretzels, wheat thins, granola bars... I feel like I'm forgetting more, but we usually send some combination of above. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/daycare-lunch-ideas-for-2yo#post-2778587 Tue, 10 Oct 2017 10:21:52 +0000 MrsADS 2778587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have to pack lunch for my 2yo (just turned 2 in August) at daycare every day and I am totally blanking on ideas. I feel like I send the same stuff every day. He is really picky and the lunch is cold so that makes it tougher. I would love to hear your ideas.</p> <p>Today I packed him brown rice, deli low sodium turkey, Daiya shredded mozzarella, leftover green beans, and cut up grapes and clementines. The school asks us to send dairy + protein + grain + fruit + veg. Sometimes I do a half sandwich cut up into strips, or protein pasta w/butter melted on it. Or rice with 2 cut up chicken nuggets.</p> <p>Would love to hear your ideas!</p> <p>Edit: the daycare does have a hot lunch option you can order, but it's pretty pricey ($6/day) and I don't even know if my son would eat it. </p>