It’s time to talk all about toddler lunch box ideas! Today I’ll be sharing all sorts of tips, resources, recipes, and more. At the end of this article, I’ll also be answering some of your toddler lunch box questions. If you’d like to see more toddler meal ideas, be sure to check out my Top 9 Free Toddler eBook.

Packing lunches is a task some parents love, and some parents detest. If you’re in the second group, make sure you start teaching your little kids how to pack their lunch. This will allow them to take over the task when the time is right. Be sure to teach them with a smile though, to pass on some lunch packing joy. You can start by teaching your toddler how to wash produce, pick out a snack, and other basic/simple tasks.

If you’re looking to include a range of different foods in your toddler’s meals, know that it’s possible over time. It doesn’t matter what your child ate as a baby (many of us have seen those 1,00 days/foods articles). What matters is that you give them continued exposure and access to different foods. Model the behaviour and enjoy meals with them, and make sure meals are pressure free. Forcing kids to eat foods can backfire in the long run, and also isn’t good if your child has an undiagnosed food intolerance or non-anaphylaxis food allergy.

Great Ingredients to Keep on Hand

As my kids got older, I chose to demystify lunch packing by keeping it SO simple. I usually aimed for a main item (sandwich etc.), a packaged snack or homemade snack such as a muffin or granola bar, and fresh produce. That’s it. I’d sometimes include a little treat as well. With four kids, I didn’t have the mental energy to make picture perfect lunches everyday, and opted to rotate through practical, easy lunches. Now, here are some great items I think you should always have available to make lunch packing a breeze.

• Carbs Your Kid Enjoys (bread, tortillas, crackers, etc.)
• Deli Meat
• Easy Healthy Fats (my kids love individual containers of organic guacamole from Costco)
• Fresh Fruit
• Hard-boiled Eggs
• Packaged Snacks (granola bars, etc.)
• Muffins
• Spreads (Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Sunflower Seed Butter, etc.)

Easy Snacks to Include in Your Toddler’s Lunch

• Apple Slices (with or without dip)
• Bell Peppers (cut into long slices are great for little hands to grab, and you can rotate thru the colours)
• Carrot Sticks (if your child likes dips, be sure to include one)
• Cheddar Cheese (think Babybel style, or small cubes you cut at home)
• Dairy Free Cheese (for those who need it, you can purchase blocks to cut into cubes, and some brands have a string cheese style now, and even Babybel has a dairy free option)
• Granola Gars/Breakfast Bars (can be store bought or homemade)
• Pretzel Sticks (these come in a range of flavours you can rotate through)
• Whole-Grain Crackers (use gluten/wheat free crackers if needed, there are lots to choose from)

Friendly Reminder: foods such as cherry tomatoes are a choking hazard. Use something like the OXO grape cutter to quickly quarter them for your little one.

Cold Lunch Ideas for Young Children

If you’re needing some great options that taste good cold, here are lunches that my kids loved. You may also love this RAISE resource: 25 No-Cook Free-From Lunches

• Meat & Cheese Sandwich + Sliced Fruit + Homemade Granola Bars
• Chili + Millet Muffins (a faux corn free corn bread I made them since I have a severe corn allergy)
• Homemade Sushi + Homemade Muffin + Vegetable + Dip
• Cinnamon Dusted Crescent Rolls + Thinly Sliced Meat + Apple Slices
• Pancakes + Produce + Dip(s)
• Hummus + Graham Crackers + Produce

Toddler Muffins to Make for Snacks

Grab your muffin tin and fire up the oven. Here are a few recipes I think you’ll love making at home to include as a snack in your toddler’s lunch. The best part about these recipes is that they’re freezer friendly. You can make a couple of batches in advance and grab them as needed.

• Spinach Muffins
• Oat Free Protein Muffins

What makes a muffin toddler friendly? Usually it’s going to be low in added sugar, and possibly made with an unrefined sugar such as maple sugar. I’ve seen a lot of toddler muffins include ingredients such as yogurt or lentils to help increase the nutrition profile of the muffins.

Toddler Lunches That are Easy to Make

If you’re looking for an easy toddler lunch idea, I have quite a few to share with you.

First up, the easiest lunch will always be dinner leftovers. Now, not all foods will taste great the next day, especially when cold. Keep that in mind as you pack lunches. Some of my fave dinner leftovers to send include chili, shredded chicken, and waffles (technically a breakfast leftover).

Meatballs are another super easy lunch to send because you make lots of them in advance and store them in your freezer.

Waffles, pancakes, and english muffins are easy to use a main food in your toddler’s lunch. Build out the rest of the lunch with fresh produce and a packaged snack such as a fruit bar or granola bar.

Fried rice is another easy lunch to send with your toddler. You can use leftover rice, scrambled eggs, and oven baked peas as a super basic starting point. Add more ingredients, season to taste, and you have a basic yummy option for your kiddo.

Pizza bagels are easy, and can be baking in the oven whilst you get breakfast ready. To make this, top a bagel with pizza sauce (can even be a pasta sauce), cheese, and toppings your child enjoys. Heat in the oven to melt the cheese.

Homemade lunchables are a huge easy win if you ask me. You can use anything as your base (rice cakes, pita bread, etc.) and add cut meat and cheese to the lunch box. It’s a good idea to practice eating homemade lunchables at home before sending it to school with your child, as not all kids will take to the building experience.

Toddler Friendly Recipes for Lunches

Here are a few really great recipes to make at home for your toddler’s lunch box. Each recipe is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, and allergy friendly.

• Gluten & Dairy Free Broccoli Mac n Cheese
• Easy Turkey Smash Burger Patties
• Creamy Dairy Free Pasta Sauce
• Lamb Ragu (you can use any ground meat)

Lunch Boxes That are Great for Toddlers

When selecting a lunch box, especially if your child attends a care center, think about these features:

• How well does the food travel? Does everything inside get scrambled when shaken?
• Can your child open the latch/closure?
• Is the lunch box easy to clean?
• Is there a place for ice packs?

At the end of the day, the right lunch box will be one that can hold the right amount of items for your child, and one that they can open if needed. My top three lunch boxes for toddlers are:

• Austin Baby Co.
• Bentago
• Planet Box Rover

Each of these is toddler friendly, and most 3 and 4 year olds can manage the latches. In the case of the Austin Baby Co., there’s a removable lid rather than a latch.

Planet Box Lunch with Glass Insert	Austin Baby Co. Lunch

Tips for Selective/Picky Eaters

Have your toddler help with planning, shopping, and meal prep. You can use an app such as LaLa Lunchbox to get your kiddos involved in the planning process. If you shop online, have your child sit with you and click a few buttons. If you have the mental energy, take them to the grocery store with you. Where they can, little ones can help with prep. Kid safe knives will allow them to help cut produce, and they can also help wash said produce.

When packing your toddler’s lunch box, especially if they’re a selective/picky eater, it’s important to include foods you know they’ll be willing to eat. This isn’t the time to try a range of new foods, as we want to make sure they won’t go hungry.

When introducing new foods, don’t make it a focal point of your toddler’s lunch, especially if they’re not eating lunch at home. For example, if blueberries are a new fresh fruit you’re introducing, include 2 or 3 blueberries in the lunch. Everything else should be foods your toddler is familiar with and happy to eat. No matter your child’s age, this is generally a good practice to follow, as we want them to fuel up when they’re away from home.

If you’re concerned about serving a variety of foods, remember, you can introduce and rotate through other foods during breakfast and dinner time at home.

Mini cookie cutters can be a great way to transform foods into fun shapes your child will be excited to try (or at least touch, which counts as a food exposure). The photo below is a good example for you.

When introducing a new food at home, serve small pieces/small quantities of foods to help reduce food waste.

Use neutral language about food, and try to avoid words such as yuck and gross. Instead, try words such as different or interesting.

Keep in mind that fresh produce can be a world of uncertainty for a toddler. Think about how some berries can be sweet, tart, a little under ripe, or overly squishy. Some kids really want consistent/predictable foods.

Have FUN with food. Food play can go a long way in helping a little one try a new food. If you need more ideas on this topic, RAISE has a guide for members.

Remember, we all have food preferences, so it’s perfectly normal/understandable that your toddler does as well. In my opinion, selective/picky eating is a normal phase, however, if your child has less than 20 safe raw ingredients they’re willing to eat, it may be time to look for professional help. Additionally, if your child is refusing meals and falling off their growth curve, some type of feeding therapy could be helpful.

If picky eating is a growing concern in your home, my friend Jennifer over at Kids Eat in Color has a great picky eating quiz you can take to help gauge if this is a normal phase, or something else.

Your Toddler Lunch Box Questions Answered

Are bento boxes good for toddlers?

Absolutely! In fact, Austin Baby Co. sells a super cute, silicone, dishwasher safe toddler lunch box. The key in selecting a bento box for your toddler will be making sure their little hands can reach into the compartments to pull out food. Another popular brand for little kids is the brand Bentago. The size is great for the amount of food most toddlers eat, and the openings aren’t too tall. It’s easy for little hands to reach in and grab food.

I’m sure you’ll find other brands when searching. Make sure you purchase something that will be durable, as these lunch boxes can be pricey. Finally, make sure you prevent mold growth by storing the lunch box with the lid open (ensures there’s no trapped water).

Is there an easy way to send chicken nuggets in a lunch and have them stay hot?

Having food stay hot can be a challenge indeed. I had one child who was nugget obsessed and the best I was able to do was fresh/hot nuggets wrapped in foil. It’s not hot at lunch time, but not super cold either, and said child didn’t complain much.

If you have a child who absolutely needs the nuggets hot for sensory reasons, here are two options. First, ask the school to heat it up for them. Second, look into battery powered electric lunch boxes. They can keep food hot, however, aren’t ideal for an unsupervised toddler. If supervision/adult handling is an option, check out the brand Lunch Eaze.

Do you have ideas for healthy lunches for toddlers?

It’s important to remember that the term “healthy” is an unregulated term, and can mean something different to everyone. However, a healthy lunch doesn’t need to be complicated. Here are some combinations I’d personally consider healthy toddler lunch ideas:

• Sandwich + Carrot Sticks + Piece of Fruit
• Chicken Salad + Cheese Cubes + Fresh Veggies
• Ground Beef (or other ground meat) + Pita Bread or Whole Grain Cracker + Quartered Tomatoes + Dip
• Lunch Meat Rolls (Whole Wheat Tortilla + Spread + Lunch Meat/Thin Meat Slices) + Fresh Produce + Dip (the spread can be anything from ranch dressing to cream cheese to smashed fresh avocados)

My child will only eat foods served with ketchup or ranch dressing. How can I change that?

Let me ask you this: why do you want to change that? Let’s think about this differently. Let’s say you have a child that refuses to eat carrot sticks. When you serve the carrots with ketchup, your child eats them. That my friend is a food win.

Dips, in my humble opinion, are not the issue. If cost is a factor, you could make dips at home, or try a less expensive brand. If added sugar is the issue, look at natural/organic refined sugar free brands such as True Made Foods and Good Food For Good.

If dips are a problem because you think they’re a problem, I would challenge you to see them as an opportunity to have your child try new food groups. You can also try introducing your child to new dips to rotate through. Remember, there are no hard and fast rules when feeding toddlers (unless it’s a medical condition/rule), so use dips to your advantage. You can serve anything at any time, and as long as your kiddo is fed, all is well.

Do you have a toddler lunch box idea that includes cottage cheese? My kid is obsessed.

Cottage cheese isn’t something my kids ate since we managed a dairy allergy. However, I’d serve easy to grab finger foods alongside the cottage cheese. Here are a few examples:

• Mini pancakes + Cottage Cheese + Apple Slices
• Roasted Sweet Potatoes + Cottage Cheese + Shredded Rotisserie Chicken
• Steamed Rice + Cottage Cheese + Fresh Produce

If I were in your shoes, I would lean into your child’s obsession with cottage cheese as a good bento box idea. The box has compartments so you don’t need to think about a traditional meal, rather, items your kiddo loves to fill each opening.