Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

I need your help! DD is your typical stubborn terrible 2 toddler. While usually a great eater, we've entered the "I don't like this, this is yucky" phase (even for foods she's previously adored and sustained on). I'm at a bit of a loss for things I can pack for her to eat for lunch in a cooler at the beach/spray park. We usually go 3-4x a week. She's never been into cold cuts so sandwiches are out - she also won't eat deli meat just rolled up without bread. I tried a fried chicken cutlet cut up -- she refused it because it was cold. She will always eat a yogurt and string cheese but I'd love more variety than dairy. I'm also trying to avoid paying $$ and buying food at the snack shack because it's overpriced and that quickly adds up. I would love your suggestions! Thanks in advance!

Re: Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

My kids are still like this at 6 and 3

doe she like PB&J? Or how about a bagel with cream cheese?

Re: Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

Does she like hummus? Could do cut up veggies and hummus (cucumbers, raw zucchini, carrots)? Or even hummus spread on a pita or something. Agreed that nut butter could be a good option also.

Re: Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

I don't have very complicated lunches... we tend to stick with healthy breakfast and dinners.

For beach... do watermelon, grapes, berries, popcorn, pretzels, cheeses, jelly sandwiches. I'd def let my kid OD on yogurt.

I'm pretty sure my kid ate jelly sandwiches for three weeks straight for lunch because I had to pack it and there was no fridge.

Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

My kids eat nothing. Dd1 loves the smuckers uncrustables tho. They're also very easy to throw in a bag, let it defrost and go.

Re: Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

We do cheese sandwiches
Pb&J
Macaroni salad (DS is obsessed)
Fruit
Carrot sticks
Chips and hummus
Pasta salad with chicken

My kids are obsessed with baked beans and eat them at room temperature. Haven't packed this but use it for dinner during BBQs.

Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

My kids are picky so if they want yogurt every day that's fine with me. I give them Greek yogurt so it's got lots of protein and less sugar than kids' stuff.

Lately they love mini bagels. I make them eat one or two with peanut butter and then let them have one with butter.

My 2yo will eat a cheese sandwich with sliced cheddar, my 5yo would eat a quesadilla cold which defeats the purpose but whatever. Messy but they like nut thin crackers dipped in peanut butter too.

Maybe cold pasta salad with small pieces of chicken or some beans for protein.

Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

Hard boiled eggs
Celery or apples with peanut butter
Cream cheese & jelly sandwich

Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

We keep it simple when packing lunch and snacks for the beach. Frozen yogurt tubes, melon or grapes, PB & J. Pirate's Booty or goldfish for a snack.

Re: Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

Sounds like my dd! She will eat "deconstructed" ham and muenster 'sandwich' (bread, ham, cheese, just not in sandwich form), hard boiled egg whites, pretzels dipped in peanut butter, hot thermos with chicken nuggets, tortilla rolled with sour cream and shredded cheese, a banana with some cinnamon raisin bread.

Re: Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

Pasta salad?

I just had tortellini salad at the beach the other day- I make it with some steamed broccoli red peppers and carrots red onions and some Italian dressing and obv serve it cold

Maybe some fruit?
Smoothies?

Re: Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

My kids will only snack while they are out. It can be very annoying. Today I packed strawberries, goldfish, graham crackers, fruit pouches, mini muffins, and fiber one bars.

Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

I pack nuggets and mac and cheese in a funtainer for my 5 year old when we go to the pool. It stays warm for awhile.

Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

Yogurt, cheese sticks, raw veggies (cherry tomato cucumber carrots celeray and PBJ is our go to.. if i have left overs of pasta or chicken cutlets i will do that as well..with the chicken i will heat it up in the toaster over and then wrap it in alum foil and that should last for a couple of hours without having to refrigerate it.

Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

Dd likes peanut butter sandwiches or turkey and cheese roll ups so I pack one or both depending how long we will be gone. Water, watermelon, grapes, strawberries, clementines, string cheese, 100 calorie cookie packs, goldfish, and chips for lunch.

Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

my daughter is 4 and newly diagnosed celiac's so finding stuff she likes is hard. I have been making a ton of muffins lol. I can add applesauce to some, corn muffins, pumpkin muffins. She's been loving those so that's what we take to the pool, everyday. I also pack a ton of fruit, and yogurt, cheese sticks and then some snacks. I bring what I know she will def eat there, then worry about more proteins when home

Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

Cheese sticks, fresh mozzarella balls, pasta salad, potato salad, quinoa, fruit, pita with hummus, PB&J, bagels, crackers, dry cereal, pretzels, chips and salsa or guac.

Re: Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

Toddler Friendly Cooler Foods?

I do the drinkable yogurts, fruit cut up, veggie straws, goldfish. He will eat salami and cheese but wants me to take it off the bread. He ate pb&j but no j lol. He would exist on cheese doodles if I let
Him.