Toddler Lunches

So I found out the other day that it is going to be impossible for Aria to be able to get lunches at daycare. They just don’t have the ability to accommodate for her allergies and intolerances. I asked about packing her a lunch and got the go-ahead from the director. So I am now kind of forced into being the Pinterest mom I am and making lunches 😆. Can you hear the sarcasm?

I do enjoy being creative, I am also intimidated by the thought of HAVING to make a lunch for her every day and not having any other choice (feels like that). When I have never had to do that for C and have no experience of making myself lunch.

A is a child that I know I will grow from though, and I know that she will make me grow in this area as well as she has the other areas I have had to grow for her special needs. Which by the way are ever-changing and increasingly difficult when it comes to allergies and her health.

So I have resolved to the fact that I will probably be making her lunches for the time that she has her milk, soy, and orange allergies. Although I was anticipating that starting with her being in kindergarten it doesn’t make much of a difference if it starts now or later.

So I first had to try to figure out what to pack my little girl’s lunch in. I love the Easy Lunch Boxes which are made by another mom! They just came out with these “snack” ones which I thought was a perfect size for A since she is only 13 months old at this point. Unfortunately, they will take up to a month to come. So I will just be using the full-sized containers or other ones I can find for now. You can get both kinds from Amazon like I did.

I also had to have a lunchbox. At first, I was using a lunchbox we originally got for C which matched her Skiphop kitty backpack. It was very small though, and I couldn’t fit a lot of containers in it, and the easy lunchbox was too big for it. I was stuck using a smaller container I had on hand at first. Then I got the lunchbox that is made for the Easy Lunch Boxes. It is cheaper than most lunchboxes but it is pretty plain. So I decided to put her name on it. For the purposes of this post, I will make an exception to my usual rule of not having my girl’s full names so that I can show you what I did.

I also have been taking pictures of what I have been packing her, to inspire others (or pat myself on the back😂). I will continue to do that after publishing this post, so check that out on my Instagram account at the bottom of this blog. Once again these are all orange, milk, and soy allergen free.

Gerber lil crunchies, peas, blueberries, Natures Bakery fig bar, and Daiya yogurt.

Blueberries, Happy Tot creamies, Natures Bakery Graham Sticks, basmati rice, chicken, and Daiya yogurt.

Sunbutter sandwich, Gerber lil crunchies, blueberries, and a banana.

After one week I finally got her new lunchbox!

Blueberries, chicken, tomatoes, Annies Vegan mac n “cheese”, and Nature’s Bakery fig bar.

So after the first couple of weeks of packing her lunch, I have found it is not so bad. Especially if you do it the night before so you don’t have to think about doing anything in the morning. I currently work the night shift. So, when I come home we go right out the door and don’t have much time for anything else. I will be switching to dayshift and full time in a couple weeks time. So, I am not sure about how much writing I will be doing. It’s an exciting next chapter in my career. I will still be packing her lunch *fingers crossed* I keep up with the pictures. Until next time.