For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

DS has food allergies... He's very allergic to milk and eggs and has a +/- with wheat and soy. Most of the time we give him wheat and soy and it doesn't affect him at all, but we can't do the milk and eggs because it irritates his eczema and he gets itchy.

In the toddler room at daycare, they do not heat up food, so everything i send must be 'ready-to-eat'. He's a pretty good eater, loves almost everything, is a huge fruit lover, etc.... but I don't know what to send him for lunch other than the same 3-4 things every week. His favorite is cookie butter and Jelly, hummus on rice cakes with a coconut milk yogurt pouch, cold cut sandwich... I just ordered a thermos so i can start sending soup because he loves it. But I'm just at a loss.

For example, today he went to school with:
A kashi breakfast bar and applesauce for breakfast
Ham and mustard on wheat bread with a few oat bran pretzels
a peach for snack

What do you send your LO's with?

TIA for your help!

For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

This is why I am glad my daycare provides food. I never have to worry.

But I wouldn't worry about the same things all the time. If he likes them and will eat them I say just keep rotating.

Re: For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

Our daycare is the same way, won't heat up anything. She eats breakfast usually at home. I pretty much send her with a variation of: pb&j sandwich, Nutella & banana sandwich, strawberry cream cheese with strawberry slices sandwich. Sometimes DH will drop off grilled cheese, since he works close by.
Snacks are: cheese stick, dried fruit, fresh fruit, yogurt, pretzels, apple sauce, vegg sticks, goldfish, muffin or cookie. We tried using thermos, and she hated anything I put in there. She's just high maintenance I guess.

Eta: Friday is pizza day, which we pay for and she always eats that for lunch

Message edited 9/9/2013 11:13:02 AM.

Re: For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

Posted by NervousNell

Posted by alli3131

This is why I am glad my daycare provides food. I never have to worry.

But I wouldn't worry about the same things all the time. If he likes them and will eat them I say just keep rotating.

Ditto. I pay a fortune but they provide 2 meals and a snack each day.
However I agree with the quoted poster- kids are creatures of habit- so they really don't need a ton of variety.
DD would eat pancakes every.single.day if I let her- and I ususally do!

Re: For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

DD has celiac, even though she's home with me at lunch time, she pretty much eats the same things all the time. If I find something she likes I stick with it. She also seems to not mind eating things cold that are maybe meant to be heated.

Re: For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

thanks everyone. Even if daycare provided food, I'd be a nervous wreck everyday because of his allergies.

I guess if he doesn't mind the same old, same old I can stick with it... I was jsut hoping to offer him some variety.

Thanks for the weelicious site. A friend told me about it and I couldn't remember the name of it!

For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

I have no idea if any of these ideas would work with his food allergies, but I send DD in with:

Spinach pancakes (Dr. Praegers brand)
Broccoli bites (by the tofu at Stop & Shop, or I make my own when I have time)
Chicken nuggets
Mac n' Cheese
Pasta with butter and cheese
Pasta with sauce (or sometimes ravioli)
Turkey and cheese roll-ups
Veggie burger

And then I always give her some sort of fruit and a crunchy snack (pretzels, goldfish, etc).

Re: For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

Between my 1.5 and 3.5 years old DS's I give:

Dr. Praegers Broccoli Patie or Bites
Dr. Praegers Spinach Patie or Bites
Amy's Pizza Bites/Spinach Bites
Hillshire Farm - Turkey Balls
Homemade Meatballs
Pasta with Butter
Sweet Pototoe Fries or Waffles Fries
French Fries
Bell & Evan Chicken Nuggets or Grilled Chicken
Grill Cheese Wrap


Most of the food is frozen and I cook it in my toaster over ( we don't have a microwave). Some foods can take up to 30 minutes to cook. I put it hot in a Thermos for lunch.

Re: For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

Re: For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

Re: For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

new book: weelicious lunches

Also I use 100daysofrealfood.com

My day care provides lunch on Monday and Friday: Monday is pasta (pasta with marinana or mac and cheese) and Friday is pizza.

my dd usually eats breakfast at home.

This is what she usually gets:

Yogurt
banana
pouch
any kind of fruit for snack:
raspberries
blueberries
grapes
pears
apple

I make waffles on a weekend and freeze them and then take one out in the evening.

Muffins

She gets a lot of soups in the thermos.

Re: For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

Re: For those with a toddler in daycare - lunch ideas?

My lo has a milk allergy. I make her a lot of thick soups/ stews that taste decent cold too. I basically boil mini carrots, onions, chicken thighs (boneless skinless) in a pot with water and seasoning, and then throw in small macaroni. I then shred the chicken and mush the veggies. She loves it warm or cold. You can also do beef stew, black bean soup, etc.