These 'Lunchbox Influencers' Make the Cutest Snacks

Fruit cutouts and dinosaur nuggets are certainly appealing to kids, but do your kids need a special lunch at school?

Stocksy

Googly eyes, colorful sprinkles, and funny shapes? No, it’s not your kiddo’s art class, it’s time to pack another lunch box! In kitchens everywhere, parents have a new approach to crafting a mid-day meal that will actually get eaten, and not returned home in its original state. Though packing lunch may have once seemed a fairly straightforward task (I have countless memories of eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from a brown bag), for many families, it has become something more. From navigating picky eating, overstimulating lunch environments, school-mandated restrictions, and even lunchbox shaming, packing lunch has turned for many from a simple to-do to a Herculean task—and many are turning up the creativity to get the job done. A Creative Solution for Picky EatingJennifer Anderson, MSPH, RDN, and founder of Kids Eat in Color knows a thing or two about overcoming lunchtime struggles. When her firstborn was struggling to stay on the growth chart, she knew she would need to pull out all of the stops to ensure he was getting the nutrition he needed throughout the school day. “I knew it would take a lot of work for him to focus on his lunch,” she says. “I also knew that a bit of novelty could grab his attention and get him eating. ⁠So I did something I said I would never do (before I had kids!). I got some mini food cutters and cute lunch supplies and added a little novelty to his lunches most days. It worked!⁠” Anderson began sharing pictures of the lunch boxes she was packing for her son on Instagram and it struck a chord with other parents. Her Instagram account, Kids Eat in Color now has more than two million followers. Though many lunch boxes parents may see on social media can seem elaborate, Anderson notes that lunchtime decorating doesn’t have to take hours to be effective. “I’m all about ‘one cute thing,’” she says. “Something small can make a lunch look fancy. Food picks, toothpicks, and colorful silicone cups are great for that. Sprinkles or edible decorations can also be fun now and then. Also, if you like cutting food into shapes, you can cut one piece into a shape and leave the others plain.”Beau Coffron garnered his social media following publishing images of his lunchtime creations (like the Storm Trooper sandwich design he made for one special lunch) under the handle “The Lunchbox Dad,” and what started as a fun way to connect with his daughter has really caught on. For him, packing lunch is all about strengthening relationships with his children, and he encourages parents to keep things simple and find what feels manageable for them. “It has built so many memories for us over the years and is a way for your kids to know that you are thinking about them,” he says, noting that special lunches don’t have to be a daily or even a weekly occurrence. “It doesn't have to be every week, just every once in a while. I always tell parents to just start with a lunch note and even cookie cutters on sandwiches. It only takes an extra minute and it's really about doing something special for your kids, not about making it an elaborate piece of art.”Amy Palanjian, founder of Yummy Toddler Food, says there are plenty of ways to encourage children to eat their lunch at school if dusting off the cookie cutters doesn’t feel in line with their approach. “An easier option is to let the child choose a lunchbox they love (which will probably include some fun design!) and then pack simple foods,” Palanjian says. “You can add a note or stickers with a napkin as an easy option, too.” Focus on Actually Eating LunchWhile many of us were raised to believe that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day,” research shows that lunch may be equally important in meeting our nutritional needs. In a report from the USDA, findings showed that skipping either breakfast or lunch greatly affected the quality of an individual's diet––even more than skipping dinner. Other studies confirm this, while still other reports note that meal skipping can affect cognitive function.Anderson notes that for children in particular, not eating at lunchtime can affect the rest of their day.“If kids are hungry because they skipped lunch, they may feel tired, grumpy, less cooperative, be distracted more easily, [or be] more aggressive,” she says. The bottom line? Helping your child eat a filling meal at lunchtime, regardless of how it’s presented in their lunchbox, can help set them up for success throughout the school day. For parents who have goals beyond consumption, like introducing new foods to their children, Palanjian suggests testing the waters at home first and using lunchtime to pack some familiar favorites. “I find it easier to look for ways to introduce new foods at home when I have more control, and just [use] lunch as a time to pack reliable foods the kids know and usually eat,” she says. “My personal goal with lunch is making sure the kids have enough food to satisfy them until they get home, not to introduce new foods and variety. So at the other meals at home, we serve foods family style so the kids can see which foods are part of the meal, I let them serve themselves. I sometimes offer big salad forks or tiny baby spoons for them to eat with as an unexpectedly fun option.”Anderson agrees that sending already loved foods can often be the best approach, regardless of presentation. “Some kids have a hard time eating in the school environment. It may be loud, distracting, or rushed. Often pressuring these kids to eat will only backfire. Sending a lunch that they are very familiar with or having them help you choose what is in their lunch may be a good option.”Palanjian also says that whether or not you send a “new” food to lunch with your kiddo, there are other ways to use the lunchtime experience to encourage conversations around new foods and their peer interactions––like asking what their friends brought to school that day and whether or not they might like to try it too. This can open up the opportunity for a fun talk about different foods without the pressure to try something new. Even discussing school lunch options or looking at the school lunch menu together can be helpful in creating a positive environment around trying new foods, Palanjian says. “This idea of variety is much broader than we often think, and kids naturally eat more of a mix of foods when we look at their own context and food environment over the course of a whole week.Pack a Lunch That Will Be LovedCoffron wholeheartedly believes that the lunchtime routine has to work for everyone––kids and parents alike. “If your kids love it, and you like doing it, keep going,” he says. “If not, just keep packing your kid's lunch the normal way and find a different way to connect with them. Don't make it a pressure thing, make it enjoyable.”Ultimately, packing a lunch box should be as low-lift and stress-free a task as we can make it, whether you’re inspired to bring out all the stops for your sandwich artistry or forge ahead with something more tried and true that you know your kiddo will love––crusts removed or not. “No one should ever feel pressured to add a little something extra to a lunchbox,” says Anderson. “It’s not necessary. Shapes are just one tool in the toolbox for feeding kids. You may never need it, or you may find it’s the perfect tool for your situation (or you may just think it’s fun!).” For more Parents news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Parents.

Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!

Source link

What's your thought on the article, write a comment

0 Comments

These 'Lunchbox Influencers' Make the Cutest Snacks—But Does It Matter?

Ads

Sign In to perform this Activity

Account Frozen

Ads