Picture this: you’re scrolling through Instagram, Pinterest, or TikTok looking for inspiration for your kiddo’s lunchbox and you’re met with images of the most beautiful arrangement of fruits and vegetables carved into flowers, homemade dips, sushi, and sugar-free, gluten-free, preservative-free baked goods, and falafel wraps, and you’re suddenly feeling anxious about the Vegemite sandwich you’ve packed for your child every day for the last 2 months, wondering if you’re doing it right.

Social media will make you think you need to pack a lunchbox that is healthy, waste-free, colourful, preservative-free, and a million other things, but the best lunchbox isn’t one that looks perfect, it’s the one that will fill your kid’s tummy and come home empty.

Here’s our tips as dietitians (and parents ourselves) to pack a balanced lunchbox that your child will actually eat.

Start with your child

Think about what your child already enjoys for lunch at home; if they happily rotate between Vegemite sandwiches, ham and cheese wraps, and pizza scrolls on weekends, they’ll probably enjoy them just as much at school!

Switch between 2-3 trusted favourite lunch options and change up the fruit and snack options throughout the week to add some variety without creating more work for yourself.

Test run the lunchbox

Pack a lunchbox for your child at home to make sure everything in the lunchbox is accessible for little hands; can they open every container? Zip-lock bags? Their water bottle? Do they finish the amount you’ve packed, or do you need to change the portion sizes to be more realistic with what they’ll eat?

Explore fruit options

If your child is still learning to like fruit and veggies, here are some alternatives for fruit break:

• Dried fruit – sultanas, dried apricot, dried apple
• Diced fruit cups in juice
• Fruit puree pouches
• Date & coconut balls

If fruit is a challenge, try serving a small amount of cut up fruit in a small container alongside containers with other snacks like cubed cheese, mini rice wheels, or yoghurt. This will continue your child’s exposure to fruit and their educators can see that fruit is being offered even if they’re not eating it yet.

Keep lunch simple

There is nothing wrong with going back to basics for lunch; sandwiches, wraps and bread rolls are great options!

Fillings should include a source of protein to help keep tummies full:

• Chicken
• Turkey
• Ham
• Tuna
• boiled eggs
• Vegemite and cheese
• Falafel, or hummus

Other simple lunch ideas include:

• Rice cakes/corn thins with cheese and ham
• Crackers with tuna
• French toast sticks
• Pasta salad
• Sushi
• Homemade savoury muffins

If you’re looking for hot lunch ideas, these ideas are great for packing in insulated food containers:

• Reduced-salt tinned baked beans or spaghetti (or homemade!)
• Noodles with veggies or chicken/tuna to improve the nutritional value
• Pasta dishes like tuna bake or mac & cheese

Snacks for lunchboxes

Homemade snacks are a great option to keep ingredients simple and add extra wholegrains and fruit to a lunchbox:

• Pikelets – mash a ripe banana, combine with an egg, self-raising flour and some milk to make a super simple pikelet batter (these are also great for batch cooking and freezing).
• Muffins – sweet muffins with berries or grated apple and cinnamon, or savoury muffins with ham, cheese and leftover veggies like broccoli or grated zucchini are great lunchbox snacks that freeze well.
• Homemade muesli bars – combine rolled oats, Rice Bubbles, desiccated coconut, sultanas, and chopped dried apricots with honey and melted butter, bake in the oven to make yummy, simple muesli bars for lunchbox snacks.

What to know about packaged snacks

Packaged snacks are a convenient option that can definitely be a part of a healthy, balanced lunchbox. Aim for no more than 2 packaged snacks, choosing dairy and wholegrain snacks most often, keeping ultra-processed snacks (e.g. chips, lollies, biscuits) that are high in added sugar and salt as occasional foods for home.

Key take-home messages

• Focus on foods your child already enjoys.
• Continue offering fruit and veggies without pressure.
• A balanced lunchbox includes a main meal (sandwich, wrap, hot meal), a combination of pre-packaged and homemade snacks (2-3 or more depending on how much your child eats after their main meal for lunch), fruit, and water.
• The goal is to include foods from the five food groups (grains, vegetables, fruit, dairy, and meat/plant-based protein foods) that suit your child’s appetite, preferences, and routine.

Remember: an eaten lunch is way healthier than a “perfect” lunch that they don’t eat

If your child is a particularly picky eater, has food allergies, or you’re concerned about their growth or nutrition, our Accredited Practising Dietitians can help develop realistic strategies that work for your family.