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Here are some simple and nutritious lunch ideas for toddlers that are easy to eat and packed with healthy ingredients! They’re great for daycare, preschool, or enjoying at home.
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Food Ideas for 1 to 3 Year Olds
This is a fun time for food adventuring. Your toddler is becoming a more proficient eater and is able to handle a wide variety of foods and textures.
However, you may be concerned that your child isn’t eating as much as they once did when they were a baby. But don’t be alarmed. Their growth rate drops significantly during this time and so a decrease in food intake is normal.
On the other hand, it’s possible your child may be hungrier than before. This too, is normal. Remember every child is different.
If your baby is growing, following their unique growth curve, and happy, then they are eating the amount of food that’s RIGHT for them, even if it’s less or more than the recommendations or what you think they need to be eating.
All this to say, use the meal ideas I’m providing to gain inspiration and have fun making them your own by taking into consideration your child’s appetite, chewing abilities, food preferences, and allergies.
I highly encourage you to continue focusing on offering a variety of flavors and textures, even if your toddler is starting to display fussy eating behaviors.
Is your toddler becoming picky?
Arm yourself with these strategies that will transform your mealtimes!
Daycare or Preschool Lunches
I remember when I first started packing lunches for my one year old, I felt really confused and overwhelmed. I hope these tips are helpful!
- Give yourself grace! Don’t put so much pressure to pack pack the most nutritious, delicious, and adorable lunch boxes right from the start. You don’t have to have all your ducks in a row. Just start right where you are. As you feel more confident and ready, continue making SMALL tweaks along the way.
- Choose a lunch box that is suitable for your child’s age, appetite, and food preferences. Here are my tried-and-true, reliable lunch boxes for toddlers and beyond!
- Don’t pack new foods as they can be really intimidating for your child. Not to mention, you want to see if your toddler is able to eat them without any trouble.
- All of these ideas are easy to pack and don’t require reheating. You can add a lot of variety to these by switching up fruits, vegetables, protein, etc.
- Freeze foods like sandwiches, muffins, fruit, squeezable yogurt tubes, applesauce containers, etc. to keep the food cold. Test at home first to make sure they thaw by lunchtime.
- Make sure there’s always some type of protein and or fat along with colorful fruits/veggies for lasting energy. I’m hopeless when it comes to food art, but using cookie cutters to make veggies fun and exciting as you see here? That I can do!
- Toddlers are notorious for their erratic appetites. Therefore, consider your child’s intake over the course of a week, not a single day. You are more likely to see balance and this will make feeding a lot less stressful for you.
How much to pack Toddler Lunches
It depends on your child! Notice eating trends. If you’re finding that more food returns home than is actually eaten, then try packing less.
While my son seems to prefer seeing abundance, your child might get really overwhelmed by seeing a lot of food. In that case, seeing smaller portions may actually encourage them to eat more.
Also, consider their eating habits. If they normally eat 1/2 of a sandwich at home, don’t pack a full-size one. If they don’t like to see too many choices, then keep things simple.
Ask the teacher if they could repack what your child doesn’t eat. This will allow you to see what foods are a no most of the time so you can plan accordingly. Now this doesn’t mean you should stop serving these foods but you can serve smaller portions or serve them in different ways.
Healthy Toddler Lunch Ideas
#1 – Pinwheel Sandwiches
These pinwheel sandwiches are fun, bite-sized, and perfect for little hands. You can pack them with all kinds of nutritious ingredients, such as hummus, chicken, veggies, and cheese, creating a balanced meal that’s both delicious and healthy!
Here are more sandwich ideas for toddlers
#2 – Banana Sushi
How adorable is this concept – banana sushi! Simply spread some peanut butter or sunflower seed butter if it’s a nut-free school, add a banana, roll it up, and slice. That’s it!
Include veggies such as cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, or cucumber, along with fruits, for a balanced lunch.
#3 – Mini Pizza
Mini-sized foods work like magic with little kids, and these mini pizzas are incredibly easy to make and can be customized to your liking. They can be packed either warm or cold!
#4 – Pancakes and Waffles
The beauty of this iconic breakfast staple is that these pancakes freeze really well! Simply thaw in the fridge overnight and serve as is or spread yogurt, cream cheese, nut/seed butter, etc. and turn into sandwiches even!
You can also cut into small pieces as shown to make it easier to eat.
Here are some top toddler-friendly pancakes!
And waffles
#5- Broccoli Bites
You can make these broccoli bites with just 5 ingredients. They’re tasty, satisfying, and perfect for little ones to hold.
Pictured: broccoli bites, cucumber, strawberries, hummus, crackers
#6 – Vegetable Omelette
This veggie omelette became my go-to because it took less than 5 minutes to make, using whatever veggies I had. It’s forgiving, so you can’t go wrong, and it’s flavorful with the perfect texture for toddlers.
Pictured: Orange and purple sweet potatoes and freeze dried strawberries
#7 – Pizza Eggs
I know I’m sharing many egg recipes. It’s because they’re versatile, budget-friendly, and a simple way to add protein. My kids love these pizza eggs, whether served on their own or added to sandwiches.
Simply prepare the pizza eggs as usual and then use them as a flavorful filling between two slices of bread or inside a wrap.
#8 – Pesto or Hummus Pasta
Toss cooked pasta with pesto or hummus. Feel free to add whatever vegetable(s) and/or protein of choice, like chicken, beans, tofu, etc.
Or you can try these vegetarian pasta sauces that can be enjoyed without reheating.
#9 – Muffins
Muffins are the perfect finger food for toddlers and are well-loved. Try any of these baby and toddler muffins!
Serve alongside fruit/vegetable and protein, such as shredded or cubed chicken, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, beans, tofu, cheese, etc.
#10 – Quesadillas
You seriously can’t go wrong with a classic cheese quesadillas. But don’t stop there!
Here’s a veggie-forward version of the kid-favorite! Spread pizza sauce and filling made with broccoli, spinach, and white beans onto a soft tortilla.
Then using kitchen shears, cut into bite-sized pieces to make it easier for your child to eat.
You can make this ahead of time and reheat briefly in the toaster oven or enjoy cold. If you like cold pizza, you’ll find it delicious!
#11 – Chicken Nuggets
These baked veggie chicken nuggets are delicious on their own. But since most kids love to dip, you can serve with their favorite condiment.
If you want to boost nutrition, try some of these veggie-loaded dips!
And don’t forget to continue offering foods your toddler doesn’t like (yet!). Currently, my toddler has been refusing carrots (which she loved just a week ago), so I included a small piece for exposure.
Also try these veggie nuggets!
#12 – Sweet potato Tots
These sweet potato tots, made with just 4 simple ingredients, pack a lot of flavor. They go great with your favorite dip or alongside some fresh veggies, fruits, and protein to round out the meal.
#13- Baked Patties
These baked patties are a great addition to a toddler’s lunchbox, packed with nutritious veggies and easy for little hands to enjoy. They’re versatile, perfect for enjoying warm or cold, making them ideal for busy days.
#14 – Snack Tray Lunch
If you haven’t tried this, it’s a game changer, especially if your child has been struggling during mealtimes. Any muffin tin or freezer tray will work.
Simply fill with finger foods and dips and let the magic unfold! The beauty of this meal is that you can assemble with whatever foods you have in your pantry or fridge.
This freezer tray comes with a lid so you can easily pack it up or this snack tray.
Pictured: Spinach muffins, tomatoes, cheerios, cheese, steak, bell peppers, bread, yogurt, pears.
May be interested in: The Ultimate Snack Tray Ideas French Toast
#15 – French Toast
If you’ve never had savory French toast before, now is the time!
The beauty of this recipe is that you can use whatever leftover vegetables you have on hand, and in 5 minutes, you now have the perfect finger food for your child.
Pictured: served with watermelon + ground beef + broccoli (serve a very small portion of foods your toddler is learning to enjoy. Here are more picky eating tips)
And this banana French toast is super easy and delicious. You can enjoy it as is, or try spreading a little jam and cream cheese between the slices for an extra tasty twist!
#16 – Chickpea Cookie Dough
This chickpea cookie dough tastes just like the real thing, but without any added sugar. It’s made with wholesome ingredients like sweet potatoes and, of course, chickpeas. It makes for a delicious, fun dip for lunch box!
#17 – Zucchini Fritters
These zucchini corn fritters pack really well for school lunch. I actually add them straight from the fridge without reheating. They won’t be crispy, but your child may enjoy the softer texture, like my toddler.
#18 – Dinner Leftovers
If you aren’t already doing so, start serving dinner leftovers or other foods, that are normally eaten warm, cold or at room temperature. You may be surprised to find that they taste just fine without being reheated.
With repeated exposure at home, your child won’t have trouble eating them at school. Yay to more options!
Pictured:
- Homemade hamburger helper
- Instant Pot Korean Chicken and Potatoes
- Vegan cauliflower chickpea soup – it’s pretty thick in consistency so you can even toss in some pasta or cooked grains.
- Vegetarian sweet potato quinoa lasagna
And here’s a master list of EASY toddler dinner ideas!
Where can I find the unicorn bowl??
Hi! I didn’t include any unicorn bowl. Could you let me know which one you’re referring to?
I love your divided containers! How do I get my hands on those!
hi! to be certain, which one are you asking about?
Hi Min, if packing hot food using an insulated container, is it still safe to eat hours later given that it as been sitting out? Reading through your food safety post and just wondering if bacteria will grow and cause sickness? Thank you.
love this post! already bookmarked for ideas for my son (5 yo).
i was wondering if you might have some creative advice… my 1 year old is going to a new classroom soon and they don’t allow tupperwares or reuseable containers. everything has to be disposable. this limits me to what kind of foods i can bring, not to mention she’s only partially self-feeding now. she can’t quite handle pouches yet either.
good thing is that i only have to bring breakfasts (because she doesn’t like cereals and muffins, which is what the school provides; she eats the school lunches fine). do you have any suggestions? (the only things i can think of are like muffins or energy balls type of finger foods, but 1) she already doesn’t eat the muffins at school… and 2) energy balls may be too hard for her still since she’s only got 6 teeth) just trying to see if someone else can see outside the box =P
thank you so much!!!
That’s a tough one! Hmm..Does she like sandwiches or pancakes? Check out my egg veggie pancakes – recipe is here on my blog. Not sure if you have my first ecookbook, but it’s filled with nutritious finger-friendly foods, like beet pancakes, veggie sticks, pumpkin bread, oat bars, strawberry chickpea cookies, etc. But yea..perhaps mashed avocado chickpea sandwich, baked oatmeal bars, fruits with some type of protein like eggs, tofu, etc. Hope this helps!