If your child’s daycare center requires that you pack lunches each day that your child attends, you may have realized that coming up with healthy toddler lunch ideas to put into the lunch box is a bit overwhelming.
Easy toddler lunch ideas at home are one thing. Coming up with something for your toddler’s lunch that you can pack is another.
This article will give you lots of inspiration for yummy and healthy lunch ideas that you can incorporate into packing lunches for daycare.
Easy toddler lunch ideas for daycare
Toddler lunch ideas can be tricky to come up with. You can’t send a lot of packaged foods that your toddler can’t get open by themselves.
You also don’t over-pack and give too much food and many options.
Then, on the other end of the spectrum, you want to pack enough, so your toddler is well-fed and not hungry mere minutes later.
The following are some easy toddler daycare lunch ideas that you can start packing in the lunch boxes that are sure to be a hit with your kiddo.
1. Toddler quesadilla
Quesadilla is a great idea for daycare lunches because it requires no reheating.
It tastes even better if you can keep the food cold with ice packs in the lunch box.
Spread cream cheese on a tortilla, along with hummus and shredded cheese. Then cover with another quesadilla and cut into bite-sized pieces or strips.
You can also use meats, veggies, or mashed beans for this toddler lunch idea.
2. Meat and cheese
This lunch is recreating a Lunchable, but in a much healthier way that allows you to control the foods, your little one eats.
If you need lunch ideas for daycare, keep in mind that this is one that you can continue to change up and add to for more variety.
Using any deli meat, cut up slices and place them in a small container—cubed or shredded cheese in another, veggie straws, fresh fruit, and veggies in other containers.
This finger-friendly toddler lunch idea works well if your child has a bento box-style box for lunch.
3. Chicken nuggets
Nearly all kids eat chicken nuggets. Filling, tasty, and fine to send to school, pack these with some cubed cheese, veggie slices, sliced strawberries, or other fresh fruit.
4. Shredded chicken
Shredded chicken salad or barbeque chicken is a great and easy-to-eat toddler meal. It’s a delicious way to get the meat part of the food groups into their diet at daycare without using canned luncheon meat.
You can also pack sweet potato fries, cubed cheese, and sliced grapes or other fruits.
5. Waffle sandwich
This is a fun way to make lunch ideas more interesting.
It’s simply a regular sandwich, toasted lightly in a waffle iron to give it fun lines.
It can also warm up the cheese slices you include in the sandwich to help make the sandwich stick together for easy eating.
6. Grilled cheese sandwich
You can’t ever go wrong with grilled cheese. It makes the perfect daycare and at-home lunch and is delicious in all seasons.
Serve alongside steamed carrots, pasta salad, or fruit.
7. Cold pizza
Regarding meal ideas, you don’t have to make every school lunch a picture of health. And there’s nothing that says that pizza can’t be nutritious!
You can include veggie pizza, meats, and simple cheese pizza.
Ensure your child likes cold pizza, as there will likely be an option to warm it up at school.
8. Taco salad
A nut-free idea that you can include, and one of the lesser thought of toddler meals, you can use this lunchbox idea for the entire family, including school-age kids, as a work lunch.
Add all the components your family loves to a taco salad and pack it up! Think brown rice, meat, tomato, lettuce, and more.
9. Scrambled eggs
Who says you can’t have breakfast for lunch when it comes to toddler meals?
Scrambled eggs, pancakes, waffles, greek yogurt, and cut-up sausages are a great addition to a midday meal.
Meal planning can be a breeze when you let breakfast be served for lunch now and then.
You can even serve the eggs with whole-grain pita wedges for a spin on the classic egg dish.
10. Leftovers
It doesn’t get much easier than dinner leftovers from the night before.
You already know that your little one likes the food, so why not pack it so that it’s consumed faster and you don’t have to worry so much about spending extra money on lunch items?
Just be sure that if your toddler needs food cut up, smashed, or sliced, you do it the night before.
The daycare staff is far too busy to cut up lunches for toddlers. While they certainly try to accommodate everyone, you can just as quickly take a few minutes each night to make that your toddler is ready to go for lunch.
Easy kid lunches for summer
If you’re trying to beat the heat and keep your little one cool this summer, coming up with refreshing things for daycare lunches is a great idea.
The following are light, fresh, and yummy summer lunch ideas that you may want to start packing in the summer.
1. Cream cheese and strawberry sandwich
Spread some cream cheese onto the bread, and place sliced strawberries in the middle. This light meal is filling enough to give your toddler lots of energy but is also refreshing.
You can cut it into small bite-sized pieces or triangles.
2. Hummus sandwich
This tasty toddler lunch is light and different from a regular sandwich that kids tire of quickly.
Spread some hummus on whole wheat bread or an English muffin, and cut into strips or triangles.
You can include frozen peas, sweet potato, shredded carrots, or any other healthy sides you wish for this quick and tasty daycare lunch.
3. Cubed chicken
Cubed chicken is delicious cold, and it’s a light meat that you can send to daycare knowing that you’re providing protein for your little one, but not in a heavy way.
Pair with steamed carrots, diced string cheese, chopped snap peas, or other food group variations.
4. Avocado egg salad
A healthy and fun twist on egg salad, this is a beautiful addition to school lunches that are great for the summertime.
Serve on whole grain crackers or toast, and include veggie straws or other nutrients appropriate for your child’s age.
5. Snack tray
Beat the heat with a snack tray for your toddler. Add halved cherry tomatoes, mandarin orange slices, milk yogurt bites, deli lunch meat, cheese cubes, soft veggies, and soft bread for a delicious daycare center lunch that will give your toddler lots of energy.
6. Falafel
Pita bread, hummus, carrots, and cucumbers make a tasty light lunchbox idea for your little one.
You can mix it up by adding different things based on your toddler’s preferences.
7. Hard-boiled eggs
An easy-to-eat lunch and something light, egg salad, or hard-boiled eggs are yummy daycare lunch ideas that will provide lots of energy.
8. Roll-ups
Roll-ups are an excellent option for the summer because you can include all sorts of fillings for an easy and refreshing roll-up.
Meat, avocado, cream cheese, shredded cheese, bacon, fruits, and more can go on the tortilla to be rolled up and sent to school in small half-inch slices.
9. Pasta salad
A cold pasta salad is easy to eat and really yummy toddler food, you can also add lots of extras to it, and it’s very filling. Making a pasta salad is easy; you can make it and refrigerate it for days.
Sure to be a hit with your toddler, this is a great way to stay full at school.
10. Smoothies
A smoothie in a thermos is a great option to beat the heat, get lots of nutrients and energy, and get full fast.
Make a smoothie with whatever ingredients you like, and send it with sides like crunchy veggie straws, pepper strips, cucumber slices, or apples.
You can make a refreshing fruit smoothie or a tasty and savory veggie smoothie.
Non-refrigerated lunch ideas
If you don’t trust the ice pack you send to daycare, or if there is no refrigerator available, you may be looking for options that you don’t have to chill.
While your options become a bit more limited, some foods you can add to your child’s lunch can stay out of the fridge.
1. Dried fruits
Dried apples, raisins, strawberries, and other fruits don’t have to be refrigerated; they’re also tasty! You can get freeze-dried medleys at the store or dry the fruit yourself at home.
2. Peanut butter sandwich
If you are certain that your child doesn’t have a peanut or nut butter allergy and that you don’t have to keep lunches nut free, any nut butter sandwich or nut butter and fruit to be dipped are great additions to lunches don’t require refrigeration.
3. Rice cakes
Rice cakes are yummy and don’t need to be cooled. You can combine these with many other foods and treats that are also shelf stable to make an excellent lunch for your little one.
Things to consider for toddler lunch ideas for daycare
Your family may eat certain foods, allow certain things, or avoid certain things and have no issue remembering those restrictions.
When coming up with toddler lunch ideas for daycare, it’s essential to remember that places like daycare centers have similar guidelines for a packed lunch.
They may have restricted items, required items, and other rules regarding food that they expect you to learn or know per a handbook given out.
You should consider the following things before you send lunch to daycare with your child.
1. Food allergies
Small children may not have had a chance to be exposed to common foods that cause reactions and allergies. Due to this, there may be rules at daycare that prohibit including foods like eggs, peanut butter, dairy, and more.
Be sure to ask before packing lunches if there are any prohibited items due to allergies. Also, make sure that the center has records of any food allergies that your own child may have.
2. Drinks
Find out if you have to pack a drink or if the daycare will provide one. Some include juice or milk, while others require that you send a drink for your child yourself.
Be sure to ask about what your child will need to have packed and what will be provided.
3. Easy-to-open packaging and containers
The daycare teachers are busy and often don’t have time to open the packaging and tight containers that your small child cannot open alone.
And if they do get to it, it often leaves your little one with very little time to consume their lunch.
Pack your child’s daycare lunch in a way that makes it easy for them to open and eat themselves. Never expect your child’s daycare teacher to open, cut, prepare, or physically feed your child.
4. Include utensils when needed
If your child’s lunch requires utensils, be sure to pack them. Never expect the facility to provide your child with a fork or spoon. So if your child has a pudding cup or yogurt and will need a spoon for it, make sure that one gets packed.
Don’t feel overwhelmed when prepping lunch
Sending your child to daycare with a tasty lunch daily is daunting.
However, running outside takes a lot of energy to play, make crafts, and learn. Give your toddler the best chance at a good day by packing a good lunch.
With any luck, this article has given you some good ideas and starting points so that you won’t be so overwhelmed when planning out lunches to pack.
