Early Educators Montessori Nursery

Healthy eating at Early Educators

At Early Educators Montessori Nursery, we are committed to promoting a healthy lifestyle.


This includes encouraging good nutrition, mental wellbeing and physical exercise.


It’s common for toddlers to be fussy eaters, and given that the average school year is around 39 weeks, that’s 195 lunches to think about and pack!


Do not panic! Children’s lunchboxes do not need to be expensive or finely crafted!



Here are a few ideas to get started:

Be inspired by these super healthy recipes

Top tips for luscious lunch boxes

Offer choice

Change what you offer day to day, but also involve your child by giving them options that they can choose from. This allows them to feel like the food offered was their choice, rather than simply what they were given. 

Get them involved in preparing the lunch box 

Children often enjoy lunch more when they know they contributed to its making.

Add in some little extras

Including a note, funny picture, mini toys, some ribbon or a joke. This can make the lunch box a little more special and can be a good way to get your children excited about lunch time. 

 Include practical tools

Plastic knives, forks, spoons and napkins along with ice packs to ensure your child’s lunchbox stays fresh and practical. 

Try not to overfill lunch boxes

 Children can have small appetites. It’s better to offer smaller amounts of ready to eat foods and encourage them to eat as much as they can.

Don’t forget a drink

Check whether the nursery provides drinking water. If not, pack a labelled bottle or beaker of water.

Did you know?

 

Lunchbox: What Do We Pack?


Proteins

Lean beef, turkey, ham, an egg, flakes of tuna/salmon, beans or lentils, peanut butter or hummus

Carbohydrates

Add in some slow release energy for your child. So wholemeal bread, wraps, crackers, rice, whole wheat pasta, cous cous, noodles or potatoes can be great.

Dairy

Cheddar or red Leicester shapes (you can use a cutter on cheese slices), cottage cheese, fromage frais, natural yogurt.

Vegetables

Baby sweetcorn, cucumbers and tomatoes, mini peppers and shredded carrots can all add to the mix

Fruit

Easy peel oranges, bananas, raspberries, blueberries, small apples, kiwi berries are all winners

Drinks

Water, skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, sugar-free or no-added sugar drinks are some good choices.


Discretionary

Sweet foods should be kept to a minimum but plain popcorn, rice cakes, tea cakes, fruit-bread, natural yogurt and sugar-free jelly can be good to include.

Add Extra

Stickers on fruits, smiley faces drawn on bananas, sandwiches cut into shapes using cutters and a fun napkin can also add a bit of life to packed lunches.

 
Thinking outside the (lunch) box

Sandwich
Wrap, pitta, toast,bagel
Crisps
Dried apples
Vegetable fingers
Vegetable mush
Cake slice
Malt Loaf

What can you do next?

It’s time to add some extra spice and love to our children’s lunchboxes. These needn’t be expensive or finely crafted food sculptures but colour, texture and something more exciting than the usual sandwich can go a really long way. Adding in some leftover pasta or quiche from the night before is also super quick in a morning. It also saves thinking about what sandwich you need to make!