This article was written by Ella Rose West, author of the Selfish Mum parenting blog – Ella posts about all things travel and home related, and believes passionately in mums living life to the full!
Why Lunch Boxes?
I like to send my boys to school with a packed lunch because, unfortunately for them, I’m a control freak and like to know exactly what they’re eating. The trick with a packed lunch is to find a balance between what’s healthy and what they’ll enjoy. Here are a few of my recommendations.
Sandwiches
The staple of a child’s lunchbox! Chris hates brown bread, but that’s an easy battle to win now with ‘50/50’ or ‘Best of Both’ loaves available, and I use a low-fat spread as opposed to full-fat butter. I’ve experimented with salad, and discovered he hates lettuce (though I can’t blame him for that), but will accept cucumber with tuna or tomato with ham! Winner!
The 5-A-Day Rule
If a child’s hungry, and the only option is fruit, he’ll eat it. I would never force my child to eat something they truly didn’t like (flashback to sitting ALL DAY at the kitchen table when my mum tried to force me to eat porridge; it looks like sick to me and tastes even worse!), but I know Chris will often complain that he won’t eat an apple because he thinks he’ll get a biscuit or crisps instead. The power of the lunchbox lies in the fact it has a captive audience.
The small snack bags of fruit have proved a success with both my boys (and me actually, too!) – perhaps because it feels like you’re tucking into a bag of crisps? Perhaps not. Guess it’s just a mystery as to why they like them so much! 
One of the easiest ways to get vitamin C into any child I’ve found has been a carton of decent pure orange or apple juice.
I’ve found a fabulous snack that looks and tastes like sweets but, in actual fact, only contains fruit, is 100% natural, and is one of a person’s 5-a-day! Bear Nibbles! This has been my discovery of the year, as it’s largely replaced biscuits in my house now.
And Calcium…
Don’t all kids love a Babybel? I drop one in as a treat – sometimes a Cheestring instead – but sometimes use a nice little yoghurt as an alternative.
Fruit and Nut (But NOT the chocolate bar!)
The last thing in Chris’ lunch box that he truly loves is a small snack bag of dried fruit and nuts. I only discovered he liked these when he asked to try some from my packet one evening. A bag of fruit and nut mix contains loads of vitamins that traditional fruits don’t, as well as many types containing Omega 3. Great stuff!
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