In today's blog post we want to give you a few ideas and inspiration for the lunch box. For specific suggestions, please have a look at our recipes!
Your child's everyday snack plays a major role in day-to-day life at daycare or school and should also bring a certain amount of variety. Today we suggest simpler ideas if you don't have the time to make an elaborate snack in the morning.
We also want to answer a few questions with you. For example, what amount in the lunch box is the right amount for a kindergarten child? What should definitely go in? And what not?
Please also have a look at our blog post from last week.
Also interesting:
Pros and cons of a vegetarian lifestyle
The optimal KiTa breakfast
It works differently in every kindergarten. In one KiTa there is a kind of "breakfast buffet" and you don't have to worry about breakfast on site at all, in the next there are meals together with a lunch box you have brought with you and in the other every child enjoys the breakfast they have brought from home.
How much or what amount it should be for enough energy also depends on a few points: Does your child have something nutritious for breakfast at home beforehand or does the daycare center have a full meal program. You should inform yourself about this if the "kindergarten program" is still pending and your child is not yet going to daycare.
It is also best to be aware of when your child eats lunch and, more importantly, how much. This will help you estimate the amount of breakfast.
The morning calorie requirement
Here are a few facts about the theoretical calorie requirements of a kindergarten child. Theory, because the respective need also depends on gender and activity of the child. Plus minus one can say that the daily calorie requirement should be around 1,500 kcal.
Ideally, breakfast, including snacks, should cover a third of the calorie requirement just mentioned - i.e. around 500 kcal .
In addition to the carbohydrates, your child ideally gets additional fruit and vegetables for sufficient Vital substances. Depending on the diet, breakfast can also contain a portion of animal products, e.g. milk or cheese.
If you don't manage to have a balanced and nutritious breakfast in the morning, please make sure that the carbohydrate content in the lunch box is higher must be. Either you add half a banana or the bread is a bit bigger.
For comparison: rye bread (one slice) without topping corresponds approximately to 80 kcal , wholemeal toast 60-70 kcal, a slice of cheese about 80 kcal.
Don't worry if your child eats more or less. As long as he is of normal weight and growing healthy, all is well. Everyone eats differently!
Of course, you shouldn't count calories in healthy children. The information is for guidance only.
The bread
It is best to use rye , spelt , or wholemeal bread for the lunch box Thanks to dietary fiber and long-chain carbohydrates
Light toast or white bread is definitely not suitable for the lunch box. This does not fill you up and does not contain any vital substances. In addition, blood sugar fluctuations can occur, which then affect the mood of your child. So please keep your hands off it!
An uncomplicated variant for bread would be nut butter. This can be prepared easily and uncomplicatedly from the evening before and you don't have to worry that it will go bad.
If you want something sweet for breakfast, we recommend alternative nut nougat creams instead of the classic Nutella sugar bomb, the can be found in many supermarkets without palm oil and vegan.
Raw food
Well, the breads serve to fill you up. Raw food should also not be missing in the lunch box for school or kindergarten. Here, for example, you can have muesli with fruit in the morning at home, of which you can simply put the rest in the can if it is already cut anyway.
That saves time and nerves.
Please make sure that the pieces are bite-sized. apples and pears are actually a hit with most kids. grapes and blueberries are good for children from 3 years of age. These can practically be eaten.
However, because of the possible suffocation hazard these should be cut accordingly. Tangerines offer are also a great addition to the lunch box.
Fruits that are less well suitable are, for example, melons or strawberries, as they are very juicy and can make a lot of mess .
Some kindergartens may offer a so-called “communal raw food platter” that each child can help themselves to. Shy children here find it difficult to take what they want, so it's always good to have something in your own can. So you can be sure that the necessary vitamin requirements are covered.
healthy snacking
Every now and then it's ok to give something sweet or savory as a little "extra" to daycare or school. raisins, rice waffles, some cheese or finely chopped ones are suitable for this Fruit Bar. This is no problem in the morning and can be quickly packed into the lunch box.
Nuts such as cashews are also great. They provide nutrients and also fill you up.
Sweets, lots of biscuits, sweet yoghurt, sweetened drinks are not recommended.
The lunchtime snacks
If you need to take a lunchtime snack to daycare, here are a few more healthy and time-saving tips.
Here is a portion of natural yoghurt with some fruit, as well as a pair of wholemeal noodles from the day before,
drinks
Milk is not a drink and cocoa and Capri Sun definitely count as sweets. The need for liquids in the kindergarten should definitely be covered by water .
Here it is a good idea to bring your own drinking bottle. You also get an overview of how much your child drinks and, if necessary, you can take countermeasures in the afternoon when it is back home. Unfortunately, children sometimes forget in the facility that they are thirsty and then catch up. This results in nocturnal trips to the toilet.
Getting your child "dry" will also be a lot easier if they drink evenly throughout the day. Here's a little tip: It's best to bring a drinking bottle with you when you pick it up from the facility, so that your child can empty it on the way home.
The lunch box is coming back full
In this case, it definitely makes sense to look for the cause together with the educators. If your child is still full from breakfast at home and is in a good mood and focused until lunch at daycare, then the lunch was either too much or rather superfluous.
If your child belongs to the “bad eater” category and is easily distracted, it makes sense to take a look at our recipes. Here we show you a few tricks on how you can design the lunch in such a way that your child also finds it interesting, because - as is well known, the eye also eats.
Other reasons can be that either your child's company at the table is the "wrong" one, or that they first want to arrive at the facility in peace and meet their friends. There can be many reasons. Just keep in touch with the educators.
We hope we were able to help you in today's blog post and if you have any further questions, please use the contact form us. We are always there for you!
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