Healthy Eating

Think about what your child likes to eat at home and try to translate that into a lunchbox option.

Vegetables are often overlooked in the lunchbox. Try cutting up some carrot sticks or putting in a handful of cherry tomatoes.

While the humble apple is a great lunchbox filler (sturdy and hard to squash), consider cutting softer fruit up and putting it into a smaller container for protection. Berries and kiwi fruit survive very well this way.

Dairy can be hard to include, particularly in hot weather. If you can't safely get a yoghurt into the lunch box, make sure you offer dairy when she comes home from preschool.

Last night's leftovers in a container with a small spoon can make a welcome change to the parade of endless sandwiches.

Try putting together a small picnic in their lunchbox - slices of tomato, ham, grated carrot, grated cheese and some bread and butter - so she can build her own sandwich.

Stick to water in the drink bottle - most juices are full of sugar and make the drink-bottle smelly. They also don't do a very good job of quenching thirst.

Homemade pikelets are a great snack - easy to make ahead of time, they're filling and don't require any extra toppings.

This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot.
Sources include Nutrition Australia and Go For Your Life