Create Your Own Healthy Lunchbox

Once you have decided that you want your child to have packed lunches, you then need to think about how they will carry their lunch to school, and how to keep their food fresh, especially in the summer months. Our top tips from other Net mums, should help you on the way to creating stress-free packed lunches!

Have a trial run at home, just to make sure your child can open everything.

Remember to label your child's lunchbox...half the class might have the same design!

Soft lunchboxes seem to be the most popular choice for young children, as they are light, and easy to carry.

Buy some small-lidded (watertight!) pots; the ones you can buy to freeze baby food in are an ideal size for a portion of fruit, salad or dip.

Remember to pack a teaspoon if you send a yogurt, fromage frais or jelly!

Put a sheet of kitchen roll in, to wipe sticky fingers and mop up any spills.

To keep food cold in summer either use a refreezable ice pack, or freeze a bottle of water (remember not to overfill). You can also freeze tubes of fromage frais, or cartons of fruit juice overnight and pop them in their lunchbox in the morning.

Make lunches the night before and keep them in the fridge. It saves that last minute panic in the morning.

Encourage older children to help make their own lunch.

If you put a pure fruit juice drink and another fruit or vegetable option in your child's lunchbox, your child will get two of their recommended 5-a-day.

Even fussy eaters should be given a variety of different foods in their lunchbox (plus a couple of favorites so you know they will not go hungry). They are more likely to eat new foods when mum's not watching and when they are surrounded by other children eating.