5 Delicious Toddler Daycare Lunch Ideas| TLC Daycare Plano

TLC Schools, Plano, TX

As a mom of a toddler, your days are filled with running around after them, keeping them from hitting into or dropping things, and telling them to take random items out of their mouths. Your life is a little chaotic, so make sure their daycare lunches aren’t! Meal prepping isn’t only for busy people or bodybuilders; use this popular tip for your toddler’s daycare meals! 

How to Prep Toddler Daycare Lunch

Your toddler’s food interests are always changing. One week they like peas, the next week they don’t because they are round. Whatever the case, trying to figure out their daycare lunches can be quite a challenge. Here are a few tips on prepping for toddler daycare! 

1. Buy a lunch box that is highly rated for toddlers and get enough for the days they are at daycare. If your toddler goes to toddler daycare 3 days a week, buy 3 of the same container. It will help you pack and store their meals neatly.  
2. Block out time to prep the lunches the night before their first daycare day of the week. Yes, trying to find time seems impossible, but this will save you time and stress if you get it all done at once! You will be cutting, chopping, and creating bite-sized portions of food, which can be time-consuming if done every night.
3. Understand that hot food isn’t always the best idea. Some daycares will not or cannot (due to requirements) heat food, so make sure you make a lunch that can be served at room temperature or cold. 
4. Two words: Finger Foods. Not only is this helpful for the staff- who will be having a hard enough time getting them to sit still enough to eat, let alone eat with silverware, but it is also great for finger dexterity! Grabbing up items and putting them in their mouths is an excellent range of motion exercise for a toddler. 
5. Pack comfort foods, but add something new and different each day. If you know your child isn’t allergic to certain things, try adding a food they aren’t used to eating along with their regular comfort foods.

5 Lunch Ideas

Since a toddler is always growing, running, and playing, giving them proper nutrition is essential. These lunch ideas incorporate fruits, veggies, proteins, and dairy. This will ensure that your toddler is getting a well-rounded meal during their busy day at toddler daycare. 

TLC Schools, Plano, TX

Turkey, Pepper, and Cream Cheese Roll-Ups

Take a regular soft tortilla wrap, spread the cream cheese, and add bite-size turkey pieces and diced peppers. Roll up the tortilla and then cut it into small roll-ups. Add some fruit, baby carrots, and a sweet treat to complete the meal. 

Cheese Quesadilla AKA Taco Tuesday

This might be the easiest meal to make because it’s just a cheese tortilla cut up into small triangles. Pack some pasta salad and cut up grilled chicken for this meal. You can use the grilled chicken you have for your meal prep and save some time! 

Chicken Salad with Fruit and Yogurt

Take some of your meal prep chicken salad and put a few scoops into your toddler’s container along with kid-friendly yogurt, apples, grapes.

Breakfast for Lunch

Pack some mini waffles or pancakes with syrup. Add yogurt with strawberries and granola along with a hardboiled egg to complete the meal. 

Pizza Friday Special

Make the end of the week lunch fun and exciting by packing a personal pizza. Pop some popcorn and add mini m&ms for a special surprise. Add in their favorite fruits and vegetables to make this an extra special lunch. 

Snacks

If you didn’t get all of the essential nutrients in their lunchtime meals, turn what you didn’t add into a snack. If you didn’t put a vegetable in their lunches, give them carrot sticks or cucumbers for a snack. This will keep their food intake balanced and ensure that you don’t bore them with the same snack every day. 

For more ideas for toddler daycare lunches click here.

Ask Your Daycare Provider

If you are having trouble figuring out what to make for your toddler’s lunch, ask your daycare provider. As a daycare provider, TLC Daycare in Plano, TX always welcomes parents’ questions and advice. There is no silly question, and most likely, they have been asked that question before. They are professionals and there to make your life easier, not more complicated. Like TLC Schools, your daycare might already provide breakfast, lunch and snacks so you don’t have to worry! If you are a first-time daycare parent, read our article about 8 items to take to infant daycare to help you pack for your child’s first day! If you live in the Plano, TX area and are interested in daycare for your toddler, set up an appointment with TLC Schools to give your child an educational, safe, and fun daycare experience.