Toddler Lunch Ideas: If you’re on a mission to find an easy toddler lunch idea, you’ll not only find a list of ideas but a list of great recipes, too!
What you see in the photo above, in the ice cube tray:
- Avocado
- Chicken
- Nuts
- Carrots
- Raisins
- Animal Crackers
- Apple Slices, or favorite fruit
More Ideas that Would Fit in the Tray: - Pita Bread
- Bell Peppers
- Black Beans
- Sweet Potatoes
- Whole Grain Crackers
- Carrot Sticks
- Tortilla Chips
- Snap Peas
- Cheese slices or cubes
I have had a picky eater in the world! Trust me, I could TOTALLY put him in a contest for the pickiest eater, and win… hands down. His favorite diet consisted of pb&j’s, grilled cheeses, green beans, and carrots. Repeat.
After a recent medical scare with him, it was time to change my son’s eating habits.
So I’m sharing quick lunch ideas that rotate through our house, for normal toddler lunches, in hopes it helps you get through the toddler lunch “funk,” that you may be in.
I’m also going to share some of the best recipes from of my blogging friends in case you’re looking to add more ideas to your rotation!
Tips for Toddler Lunches
- Ice Cube Trays: It’s kind of like a more organized way to create a small charcuterie board. I don’t know about you but when I arrange small amounts of different varieties of food on a platter, my kids seem to eat more of it! But with little ice cube trays, it’s easier to keep things separated for little hands, and we really think it’s a good idea.
- Fun Shapes: Use fun-shaped cookie cutters to cut out fun shapes of foods to make eating veggies fun! For instance, cut a cucumber in half, long ways, and use a narrow cookie cutter (for example, a “train”) and the cucumber may be eaten more than normal!
- Hidden Veggies: Using a blender, food processor, or juicer to mash up or minimize the vegetables or new foods that your toddler may not like, is a great way to sneak them in to their favorite foods!
- Dips for vegetables or crackers: Sometimes adding a simple dip can encourage young toddlers to try more; such as ranch dressing, almond butter or seed butter, cottage cheese, cheese dip, and greek yogurt.
Toddler Meal Idea List
I’ve also provided a free printable of toddler lunch ideas, in case you’d like to print this. Keep it handy for those days when your brain is fried and you don’t feel like getting creative in the kitchen. Plus… take a look at it, before you make your grocery shopping list, and add the items you need to get.
DISCLAIMER: Keep in mind that some of the food items that I mention, may not tickle your fancy. I get that. Before my son was diagnosed with epilepsy, and we took him to a nutritionist, I would have turned my nose up at some of these items as well. For instance… “hot dogs,” “lunch meat,” “chicken nuggets,” etc. But my little 4 year old, chosen vegetarian, was really lacking in the protein department, so I’ve since then, tried incorporating some meats in to his lunches. I just try to only buy the hot dogs and lunch meat without nitrates, artificial flavorings, etc., to do the best that I can with healthy toddler lunch ideas.
Eeeek! Look how sweet he is! This is the first time he used the new plate. He ate every bit of his goodies, without a fight. (But he couldn’t take his eyes off of his favorite show on tv, long enough for me to get a photo.) 🙂
Toddler Lunch Recipes
See some of our favorite lunch ideas for toddlers, from some of my favorite blogging friends that are a great option for lunches:
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