OT: Daycare Lunch Ideas 18 Month Old

[moonpie85]

Okay moms and dads I need help. My little one (18 mos) starts at Mommy's Day Out next week so lots of changes ahead of us. One thing I need help with is she has to take her lunch and they have some rules.

1) It can't be refrigerated

2) They won't heat it

3) It has to be finger foods

4) It has to be precut to toddler friendly non-choking sizes

So there are a million "sides" I can think of but I'm really struggling with what to send as a main dish. She struggles with sandwiches still often choking on them even when cut up. So I want to avoid them if possible. What do I send? I'm so lost. There's a million fun lunch ideas on pinterest but mostly are for kids a bit older.

Help!

 

[MSSANDRA]

That is almost crazy. It is going to be VERY hard to find healthy/safe toddler friendly foods that do not need to be refrigerated. The fact that you have to pre-cut it means that no sealed package such as gerber meat sticks. Even cooked dried beans or chopped boiled egg will need to be kept cold. Just not sure about a protein at all. Peanut butter is not really a good idea at that age. If they would open in for you, the small jars of gerber graduates for veggies and either those or the single serve packs of fruit would be good. How many days a week will she go? Just one or two will be a lot less worry than 5 days a week.

Good luck!!!

 

[nicki.momof3]

You can buy a thermos (thermos brand works best in my opinion) to keep stuff cold and hot.

To keep it cold. Refridgerate and the food and the thermos over night. In the morning put some ice in the thermos (top on) for about 15 minutes to make it extra cold. Pour the ice out and dry it out. Put the food in and seal. It will stay cold till lunch.

To keep it hot (I do this daily with my kids soups they take in their lucnhes). Microwave it cup of water until it is very hot. Pour it in the thermos. Put the top on. Meanwhile cook the item until it is hot. After 5 minutes of heatig the thermos dump the water and dry it out. Pour the hot item in and seal.

Either hot or cold it will stay until lunch.

 

[moonpie85]

I know it's hard! And I'm really kinda unsure how long things stay fresh cut up and out of the fridge. Hopefully they at least open stuff for her. Surely...

EDIT: Sorry Nikki, I missed your comment! Thanks for the thermos idea. Still not sure what to put in it though. I guess cut up meat and cheese.

 

[camlace]

by "not refrigerated" I assume that means...they will not store in a fridge, that does not mean you cannot put an ice pack in the lunch box like every other person that packs a bag lunch. So really, whatever your toddler normally eats, cut it up and put it in the lunchbox. Also, one thing that both of my kids have grown accustomed to is eating food at whatever temp it is. My 6 yo had roast pork, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, corn and peas for lunch today. All pack in her lunch box in a take and toss container with an ice pack. She eats it cold and doesn't bother her in the least. Some days she eats it from a thermos, I let her decide. This has helped tremendously when out and about, it doesn't matter if I have a fridge, some place to heat something, etc. They just eat whatever is available at what ever temp it is at.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

My guess is they don't have a food service license(like the preschool I work at), so that means they can't heat or refridgerate kid meals. It doesn't mean you can't use a insulated lunch box and cold packs. Ham, turkey, etc can be sent as a roll up if a sandwich doesn't work for you kiddo. Some of my class like hotdogs, cut up into discs then quaters(DHS rules not ours). Cheese sticks are a favorite and as yet no cutting is required. Work with you dd at home so that she can spoon feed herself, then you can add yogurt(the tubes are messy for little hands). Most kids don't mind cold(but fully cooked) chicken nuggets, or pasta. The best advice I can give to make it easier on your dd is to practice eating a school lunch at home, also try to find a covered plate(ziplok makes a nice divided one) that you can put her meal on, that way the teacher can simply put the lid back on when your dd is done so you will know exactly what(if anything) she ate. Lunch is sometimes more about "socializing" than eating even at that age(this is my 6th year with 18-24 month olds)

 

[cornflake]

I'd just send cut up veggies, fruit, some crackers or bread cut into sticks, cheese cubes. I mean... does she really eat an entree and sides at home for lunch?

If that's what you want to send, agree with the 'divided little plate in an ice-pack insulated thingy' suggestion. She's 18 months old, she has no expectation that X food is supposed to be served hot or not.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

I'd just send cut up veggies, fruit, some crackers or bread cut into sticks, cheese cubes. I mean... does she really eat an entree and sides at home for lunch?
If that's what you want to send, agree with the 'divided little plate in an ice-pack insulated thingy' suggestion. She's 18 months old, she has no expectation that X food is supposed to be served hot or not.

 

[MSSANDRA]

Ok....I have no clue where my brain was Of course you can use a ice pack in any insulated bag. Just fix a toddler plate as you would for home and keep it cold with an ice pack. Easy now. You can send tiny pieces of chicken or whatever protein, small piece of veggies or fruit or whole gran pasta. Toddlers really do not care if its cold!

Sorry for the non helpful post