So your little one is starting montessori or preschool or playschool or whatever route you have gone down. Your precious little darling might be leaving you for the first time or may indeed be going to creche for a few years and this is just another “new room” for them to transition into.
Either way, it’s a milestone, a big step and one where tears may be present, for you if not for them!!
Ruby started in September a few mornings to ease her into it, she’s had a childminder for a few years so this is new to her, she’s been the centre of their house and the centre of ours and my parents so being in a room with 10 other children was a big deal, she had a few shaky weeks but now it’s second nature. So in January I didn’t need to think too much about expanding this to a full week, she’s wrecked, it’s hard work she tells me, painting and dancing “all day”.
One of the things that I wasn’t prepared for though was the lunch or snack box she needs to bring with her, I’ve been sending food to her childminder for years but this is different, this has to be healthy and I felt a bit self conscious about the teacher looking over her shoulder and finding me wanting as a mother (which I know is totally my own paranoia and not happening) but anyway, I canvassed a few seasoned mum friends and here is what they told me – SHE WON’T EAT IT ANYWAY SO DON’T OVERTHINK IT… nevertheless here are 10 snack ideas, key things for me are that she can open them herself so they are packed in easy open tubs or in small snack bags. Ruby has one of these Sass and Belle lunchboxes (bought in Mr Price) which are an ideal size.
All take the approach of having some fruit, a carb and some dairy and funnily enough she has eaten some of every snack each day.
- Tuc crackers (yes I know salty bla bla bla but she loves them and there’s no harm in 2 every so often)
- Blueberries (a staple for us), grapes, chopped up apple, strawberries or a banana
- Those little yogurt drinks, they fit in the lunchbox and she loves that she can open it herself
- Yogurt and spoon or hummus and a spoon here (she loves the stuff)
- Raisins (yes I know raisins are the devil incarnate and full of sugar but she brushes her teeth after school)
- A flapjack or one of those Goodie bars (we favour the banana bars) – better again bake some oat bars or oat biscuits (although be prepared for some schools to not allow anything biscuity or cakey no matter how healthy)
- A small tub of hummus and breadsticks (Tesco do little bags of bread sticks which are a saviour)
- Brown bread and butter (big soda bread fans)
- Oat cakes and hummus or crackers and butter
- Cheese, you can get prepacked individual chunks of cheese in Aldi or Tesco, some in dinosaur shapes etc
These are just some ideas that we use ourselves – feel free to pop your suggestions into the comments.
