We are down to the wire with back to school shopping! Jacob starts on Monday and I’m STILL not ready! I finally have all the basics: pencils, folders, backpack, shoes. Now, though, it’s time to start thinking lunch! Since I have the pickiest eater on the planet, this is the hardest part of all. Jake eats lunch at about half the time. The other half, I pack for him. I also have to pack him a snack every day.
Since Jacob isn’t a big sandwich person- he only like PB&F(luff), and peanuts are off limits because of kids with allergies- I have to get more creative. I’ll share a few of my ideas with you next week. Today, though, I want to talk to you about back to school lunchbox supplies for picky kids. Believe it or not, it’s a bit more complicated than just picking up a cool character lunch box because all the odds and ends don’t really fit right in those. Jacob doesn’t really want certain things touching (he gets that from me), and some things need to stay cool while others stay room-temp. Let’s check out what’s on my list of must-have school lunch supplies for picky kids!
School Lunch Supplies for Picky Kids!
Collapsible Insulated Tote Bag: Rather than a ridged lunch box with solid sides, look for a collapsible insulated lunch bag with more give. That way you can fit different shapes into it. Bonus, when kids are done, they can squish it down into their book bag, so they’re less likely to forget it in their lockers or cubbies.
Reusable snack bags: Target has a ton of these, and they’re super handy. They’re basically cotton fabric on the outside, but lined with a wipeable, washable material on the inside. Use them for everything from fruits to crackers (or both!). They take up less space that hard containers.
Salad dressing containers: Jacob doesn’t eat dressing of any kind, but these are just the right size for a snack-size serving of olives, a stack of turkey pepperoni, a bit of shredded cheese or baby carrots. If your child will only eat veggies with dressing, these also solve that problem!
Small Thermos: I don’t really need the giant Thermos’, but those small 10-oz deals are perfect for things like mac and cheese, tomato soup and the other few hot foods my son will actually pack for lunch. They’re also a good shape and size for keeping small pizza crusts from getting crushed. Then I can pack the cheese, sauce and turkey pepperoni in those salad dressing containers.
WetOnes Wipes: Most of what Jacob eats is pretty messy, from personal pizzas to nachos with cheese. He’s a lot like me, he can’t stand to have sticky fingers. When he eats certain foods at home, he’ll actually request one wet and one dry paper towel. At school, I can send WetOnes along in his lunch container and know he’ll be covered.
I already grabbed WetOnes Singles at Target on a shopping trip the other night. I was out by myself picking up other basic school supplies. I like to let Jake pick out things like his actual lunch box and what not, but it’s easier for me to grab all the other stuff. I love the WetOnes Singles because they’re individually wrapped, so I can just throw on into his lunch box and not worry about him going through an entire package in one day.
Visit Target for all those times for when you say I Wish I Had a Wet Ones and for all your back to school lunch supplies for picky eaters! One more trip and I’m finally ready! Now if I could just get myself used to getting up early again! Guess I’ll have to keep some WetOnes on hand for myself for the gallons of coffee I’ll be drinking. My son gets his messy gene from me!
How do you pack for your picky eater? Tell me your ideas in the comments! Plus come back next week for ideas on what to pack for kids who aren’t fond of the typical sandwich!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wet Ones®. The opinions and text are all mine.
Definitely making lunch fun for them by picking out cute supplies is an awesome idea. Thanks for sharing these tips.
We would love to try the Salad dressing containers. I find this tips very helpful for our kids. it’s a super pickey eaters.