Diane Hendon has made a mad dash to the grocery store many nights -- and even some mornings -- when she discovered she did not have her daughter's favorite foods to pack a lunch.
"She is a very finicky eater," said Hendon, a mother of four.
Hendon's daughter, Chardae Hendon, 8, has a short list of foods that she absolutely loves for lunch. It includes Swiss cheese, salami, fruit, carrots, smoked turkey, granola bars and Doritos.
"If we don't have any salami or turkey, she isn't eating," Hendon said.
Chardae doesn't like mayonnaise because "she says it tastes like grease," her mom says, but she loves honey mustard.
She also likes all kinds of fruit included in her lunch, under certain circumstances.
"I haven't seen a fruit yet that she has turned down," Hendon said. "But she wants her apple cut up. She used to want it peeled but now she will eat it with the peel on."
Hope For Parents
For parents like Hendon, Kit Bennett said there are ways to get a child to eat and make it fun at the same time.
Bennett, founder
AmazingMoms.com said themed lunches is a great way to make lunch time fun.
"It's football season, so cut sandwiches in shapes of footballs. Include stickers and a card," said Bennett, a mother of four.
Another idea for parents who need help is to include "dippables" - cream cheese for apples, honey mustard for fruit and veggies -- in a child's lunch to expand their diet.
"Kids love to dip their food," she said.
Bennett also suggested visiting local party supply stores and buying all the discounted items, such as stickers and napkins and throwing them in with the food.
For third-graders and younger, using cookie cutters to cut various foods into interesting shapes will also make a lunch more appealing.
"Take string cheese and make it into an octopus by giving it eight legs," she said.
Bennett said other ideas include a smiley face snack, which can be created by spreading peanut butter or cream cheese on a rice cake. Make a face using raisins or any dried fruit and with coconut flakes give it a full head of hair. Other ideas on Bennett's side include cheesy stars and bugs on log.
Get Kids To Help
For older children, Bennett said parents can make the lunch-building process more interesting by turning the cutting of a sandwich into a math problem that explains fractions.
There should also be a section of the kitchen designated for lunch items so that children can start packing their own lunches.
"Using a recipe will also develop their ability to follow directions, one of the most important skills a child needs for a successful school experience," Bennett said.
To put this practice in place, you can bake a batch of oatmeal cookies instead of buying them. This is a more healthful choice than some other desserts and gives children an example of cause and effect as ingredients are added.
"The more involved, the more they will be willing to eat it, because they have an investment," she said.
Bennett knows that parents face many obstacles getting their children interested in eating their lunches. But planning ahead, trying new foods at home and keeping an organized kitchen all help, she said.
Michelle Stern, a mother of two, also gets her kids to particpate in the process.
"Children involved with picking the food are more inclined to eat the food and try new food," said Stern, owner of
WhatsCooking, a San Francisco company that offers cooking classes and services.
Stern stressed the importance of children going to the grocery store or farmer's market with their parents because they will be open-minded to trying different foods. She added that children will be proud that they picked out a particular item.
"Pride is a major component of making this process a success," she said.
It's also important that parents do not ask open-ended questions. Stern said questions should be posed in a multiple-choice form, providing an A, B and C choices. The choices, of course, can meet the parent's approval.
"A child is usually happy because they got to make the final decision," Stern said.
Stern gets her 5-year-old daughter involved by making a big batch of her favorite food, pasta and pesto sauce.
Stern then puts it in a thermos for her daughter's lunch and believes that her daughter enjoys her lunch even more because it makes her feel special and she says to herself, "Mommy knows I love this."
Stern said it is important to include all of the food groups in school lunches and to avoid pre-packaged foods that are often packed with preservatives.
A great source for a complex carbohydrate is granola, which offers long-lasting energy.
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