Benefits and tips for using a lunch bag for kids
Nickelle Neavin
Jun 04, 2024
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As kids start to eat outside or go back to school for a new year, lunch bags are usually up on the ‘to buy list’. It’s important, that kids lunches are kept fresh and not crushed. Kids usually won’t be happy with bringing a carrier bag with them. It’s essential that any foods that need to be refrigerated until lunchtime are kept nice and cool to prevent kids from getting sick.
Healthy lunches and snacks are crucial for active kids. It is important to include a healthy food inside lunch bags. Favorably, eating healthy food helps kids learn better and improves concentration (smiles all round). However, changing your eating habits are not always so simple!
Encourage kids to prepare their own lunch bags, and you can use your own lunches, as an example. Win-win as this means you’ll have to lead by example with healthy balanced lunches. Praise your kid when they choose healthy foods for their lunch bag – every kid loves a good praise.
A list of things you should try to include in your child’s lunch bag:
- Fresh fruit,
- Crunchy vegetables
- Protein
- Dairy
- Carbohydrate foods
- Healthy fat
- Water or other non-sugary drinks
- Napkins or wet wipe
Why choose an eco-friendly lunch bag for kids?
Eco-friendly lunch bags are better for the planet. Gone are the days we send our children to school, with another chemical filled plastic lunch box, with no ethics in mind. Eco friendly lunch bags are typically made out of materials such as; cloth, bamboo. These materials generally last longer than a conventional lunch bag.
Encouraging your child to use an eco-friendly lunch bag, will encourage them to take responsibility for their actions and maintain a healthier planet. Thankfully, this usually has a domino effect. Kids subconsciously, encourage others to dine more mindfully, invest into eco-friendly lunch bags and other sustainable products.
Benefits of lunch bags
- Lunch bags are generally at least slightly insulated
- Most lunch bags can go in the wash machine
- Lunch bags are less breakable that any alternatives such as a lunch box or carrier bag
- Easier and softer to carry for kids
How do you pack a school lunch bag?
1. Communicate with your child
Communicate with your kids about what foods they enjoy. As a result, this prevents food from being wasted, or your child being unhappy because of the content of their lunch bag.
2. Pack more than enough
It's better over-packing your child’s lunch bag, and wasting a little food, rather than your child not having enough food. Keep a note, if your child comes home with their lunch bag empty or if they’re are generally quite active. This can usually mean you need to start filling their lunch bags more.
3. Take note of your child school restrictions
take all restrictions that the school may have seriously. If your child attends a nut-free school for example, avoid packing any foods containing nuts, as nut allergies can be extremely severe.
4. Pack a mixture of options
make sure your child has choices, as well as things that they will definitely eat. Variety helps make lunches more fun, as well as having things in different shapes and sizes. Remember though, your child lunch should be a wild experiment and isn’t the place to try out stilton cheese.
5. Try not to worry to much
Ultimately, all you can do is your best when creating your child’s lunch and making sure its balanced. Making sure they have a good breakfast before going to school to keep them topped up before they go for lunch.
Overall, you should include nutritious foods in your Childs lunch bag that will fuel them energy. Fill their lunch bag with a variety of foods that they like. Don't forget to mix it up so they don’t get bored of eating the same lunches.
It’s perfectly fine to go beyond the sandwich, and also perfectly fine keeping it simple. To make things creative for your child, you can always use cutters to make fun shapes out of food e.g heart shaped apple slices.
Meal prep tips for your kids lunch bag
1. Batch cook food
Making sandwiches or the main lunch meal in bulk, means you can reduce daily prepping time. Fortunately, there are many sandwiches that you can make that can be kept in the freezer and be fine such as ham and cheese.
2. Make your child’s lunch while you prep dinner
Save your time in the kitchen by making extra vegetables with your dinner prep or making a batch dinner meal. This reduce being sometime overwhelmed with making lots of different meals in one day - can't complain!
3. Use mason jar lunches
These may make packing lunches are lot easier! Mason jars are great for pre-portioning what you’ll eat for the week. As well as these they can be easily stored in lunch bags.
What additions can I add to my kids lunch bag?
Lunch bag notes! Writing your child sweet or funny lunch box notes can be a great addition. As well as this, its a good way to boost your childs self esteem, in particular, notes that have an authentic and supportive undertone. Just a simple note placed in their lunch bag will for sure brighten up your child’s day at school.
