Need easy lunch box ideas for kids? Here’s exactly what a Registered Dietitian mom packed her son for the first month of elementary school, with real life photos.
*Originally published 10/2021*
Hi friends!
I’m often asked to share healthy lunch box ideas for kids so I put together a guide – A Month of Packed Lunches for Kids. It’s been a huge hit and given lots of parents quick and easy lunch box ideas for kids. The thing I’ve heard most frequently is that the pictures are SO helpful. A lot of you are visual people! In the packed lunch guide, there are 24 lunch ideas with photos. But I wanted to add more! So, when my oldest was in first grade, I photographed the lunches that I packed for the first month. I wanted to share some of the real life lunch boxes examples.
How To Pack Easy Lunch Box Ideas For Kids
At first, I was alternating between bentgo box lunch ideas in the Bentgo Fresh lunch box and a Lunch Bots lunch box (aff links) but I now use just the Bentgo. While I like that the Lunch Bots one is stainless steel, it’s not completely leakproof even with the silicone cup inserts and my son found it a little hard to get open.
I pack the Bentgo box every evening and store in the fridge. In the morning, I put it inside this Arctic Zone insulated lunch bag and add an ice pack. My son eats all of the foods I send cold/room temperature. Even things like quesadillas and tortellini that he’s used to eating warm at home. So far it hasn’t been an issue at all for him but some kids don’t like changes in temperature. In that case you could invest in a thermos or practice eating things at different temperatures at home so they get used to it.
Photos of Easy School Lunch Ideas For Kids
So here are some of the actual lunch boxes I packed. I snapped a photo every day and then just used Pixlr to remove the countertop in the background and make them prettier to look at. A few things to note-
Our school is not nut-free.
Reminder that even if you kids prefer a similar lunch every day, there are ways you can add variety – try prezel sticks one day and twists the next. Try a peanut butter and jelly on bread one day, then on a sandwich thin or pita the next, etc!
There’s nothing wrong with hard-boiled egg yolks, my kids just don’t like them.
Easy Kids Lunch Box Ideas
#1 Quick Kids Lunch Box Ideas – with hard-boiled eggs
Motts Applesauce
Carrots
Cheese stick
Hard-boiled eggs
Pretzels
#2 Simple Kids Lunch Box with turkey sandwich
Quaker Reduced Sugar Granola Bar
Grapes
Turkey & Cheese on Brownberry Sandwich Thin
Ants on a log
#3 Easy Lunch Box Idea for Kids – Homemade Lunchable
Wheat Thins
GF Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie
Applegate pepperoni
Dietz and Watson Originals Organic Turkey
Roasted sweet potatoes
Chobani less sugar yogurt
#4 Nutritious Kids Lunch Ideas – with Chicken Sausage
Zucchini Apple Muffin
Simple Mills Almond crackers
Buttered Corn
Al Fresco Chicken Sausage
Strawberries
Cottage Cheese
#5 Quick and easy lunch box idea for kids with Pepperoni Egg Wrap
Simple Mills Banana Bread
Grapes
Sun Chips
Pepperoni and Cheese Egg Wrap
Carrots with ranch
#6 Cold lunch ideas for kids with turkey roll-up
Crinkle carrot, carrot ribbon, mini pepper
Wheat Thins
Dried pears (i get them at Costco)
Bush’s Baked beans
Turkey wrapped mozzarella cheese stick
Trail Mix with pepitas, Cheerios, raisins and mini marshmallows
#7 Kiddies lunch box ideas with chicken nuggets
Cheese and Triscuit thins
Canned pineapple
Kidfresh Foods Chicken Nuggets with ketchup
Stonyfield yogurt tube
#8 Simple lunchbox ideas for kids – Quesadilla
Tortilla chips with Good Foods avocado mash
Cheese quesadilla
Hard-boiled egg
Reduced sugar fruit snacks
Clementine
#9 Good lunch box ideas for kids – PBJ Mini bagel
Peanut butter and jelly mini bagel
Cookie
Chomps beef stick + cheese stick + cherry tomatoes
Fruit salad
Banana bread
#10 Kids bento box ideas – turkey pickle wrap
Graham cracker
Turkey pepperoni pickle roll-up
Roasted broccoli
Dates with peanut butter
#11 – Healthy lunch box ideas for kids – egg waffle and mini pancakes
Kodiak Cakes mini pancakes
Strawberries
#12- Easy lunch box ideas for kids – mini pizza
Ants on a log
Golden kiwi
Wheat Thins
So there you go – There are 12 of the first 30 lunch boxes I packed for my son. Want to see the other 18? Check out my Month of Packed Lunches for Kids guide!
Cold Lunch Ideas for Kids
HERE’S WHAT’S IN YOUR PACKED LUNCH IDEAS FOR KIDS PDF:
Product recommendations – I share my favorite lunch boxes.
Prep ahead tips – A few tips for things you can prep ahead of time in the fridge and freezer to make lunch packing easier.
Lunch Packing Cheat Sheet – lunch ideas divided into protein, carbs, vegetables, fruits and snacks so you can mix and match from each category to pack a balanced lunch quickly.
24 lunch box photos – full-color photos of bento-style lunch boxes showcasing different lunch item ideas
Nut-free product recommendations – If your school is nut-free, here are some peanut/tree nut-free snacks you can pack for your kiddos.
BONUS REAL-LIFE LUNCH BOXES PDF! (Where I share the other 18 real-life lunch boxes!
–> GRAB YOUR COPY OF THE PACKED LUNCH IDEAS FOR KIDS PDF <–
Bento Box Lunch Ideas For Kids
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
