5 Tips to Packing Great Kids Lunches (and getting them to finish it!)

Being a mom, I have learned to devise some of the most ingenious ways to make my kid do a few things that I want him to, without stressing out or insisting. One of these many tasks is getting him to finish his lunch. Well, at home I know a bit of drama, story-telling and mild threats do the trick. But, in school, the only thing that works is making the lunch box the center of all my creativity. If you too have a toddler who brings back half-eaten tiffin from school, here are some of my favorite tips and tricks. They worked like magic for me. Hope you find them useful too -

• Separate the food - This keeps the child's mind sorted, offers separate portions that are easy to comprehend, helps make food interesting and nutritious, and also allows the child to prioritize as per choice. The best buys to help keep the tiffin sorted are stackable lunch box containers, silicon separator cups or even simple silicone cupcake liners. You can make a point-based system for each portion your child finishes for encouragement.

• Make all the food bite-sized - Honestly, the easier it is for the child to pick up and pop into his mouth, the more likely he is to gobble it all up. This is a great idea to even get little ones to start eating on their own. I like to use cookie cutters and food cutters to shape out fruits and veggies. I bought bear shaped sandwich molds to make delightful goodies that my little one can keep eating even when he is playing.

•  Mimic your kid’s favorite “junk” food - My little one simply loves packaged juice. So instead of packing that, I bought a set of some reusable food pouches. They are great to pack her homemade shakes and juices that she enjoys with her packed food every day.

• Colors and shapes do all the trick - If the child opens his lunch box to find several colors, you can be sure that he will associate the food with fun. I use a lot of mini fruit pins with cool animal shaped tops, colorful pouches, and fruit holders that lend an element of interest to my son's tiffin.

• Innovate with your food - The more you work on the presentation, the more impressed your little one is. I sometimes wonder if they eat because they know how much effort mommy has put into the food. Try using silicon popsicle sleeves to shape up sticky food like mashed potato and veggie mixes or use them to store some nuts and jelly beans as a surprise.

•  Use interesting cutlery - For instance, sporks that work as spoons and forks are a hit among the little ones. I am not entirely sure why this works. But, from what I guess, switching from spoons to forks and vice versa can be really boring for little ones. They might as well not do it.

• Make no mess – Even kids do not like to have a messy tiffin box. So help them stay clean by adding tiffin towels, a hand sanitizer, and a fold out mat for ease of use.

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