OK So Packing Summer Camp Lunch _Rookie

Updated on May 15, 2013
E.C. asks from Brentwood, NY
15 answers

So I need help on Idea on Lunch packing for my son he is 4 going to YMCA summer camp.
My family not the snacking or sandwich type so my son was never raised eating sandwiched, we eat breakfast cook dinner. We eat what for dinner twice. For lunch n then dinner.
This year he was at pre-k /daycare he was given lunch/breakfast so I never had to send him anything. (I think that spoiled me) But now both his summer camp n his new school (come September) require him to bring lunch.
I need packing lunch ideas, because sending him PB&J sandwiches more than once a week make me feel lazy. I feel like that should be emergency I have no money no time to make him a real lunch.
I asked what he would like. He just says BACON. Lol
Am currently practicing him eating his dinner from his Tupperware he will be eating lunch from just to get him used to opening and closing.

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So What Happened?

So i sat down with my son And talked about school and camp and what to eat.
We made a list of thing he DIDNT Like and a thankfully a bigger one on things he wants.
I still have to re check with them if there only a peanut free area or a NUT free area
Cus the brazil nuts he likes are out too
Thank you guys very much for the meal ideas

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J.C.

answers from New York on

I'd start him practicing eating sandwiches. You can make bacon and lettuce and tomato, Nutella, ham, bologna. Use a little butter rather than Mayo as it won't spoil as quickly. Toss in some carrots with dip or apples and caramel packets. Grapes, strawberries.

Cut up ham chunks with peas and pineapple is nice in a tupperware.

Anything will stay cold/hot in a thermos. So you can give him cut up chicken, pasta and veggies that will stay warm or tuna that will be cold.

You'll get used to it!

1 mom found this helpful

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K.P.

answers from Miami on

Just send in the leftovers for lunch. We do it all the time for my son (5). Find out ahead of time if there is a microwave. If so, great. If not, that's OK too!

You could also do:
- pastas in a thermos
- rolled deli meats and cheeses (like a pinwheel)
- sliced veggies
- sliced fruits
- yogurt
- quesadilla with chicken and cheese
- smoothies (the ones you buy)
- cheese and crackers

My son doesn't really like sandwiches either.

2 moms found this helpful
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H.M.

answers from Dallas on

I would have him start trying to get used to sandwiches. But ask the camp and school if there are things they don't allow. The daycare my boys went to did not allow anything with nuts in it. cold bacon is good. Make a bacon sandwich. Does he eat cold hotdogs? It all depends on stuff he will eat. I am sure it will have to be stuff that does not need heated. My kids for years ate PB&J sandwiches everyday at school. Not because I made them mind you cause that's what they wanted. You can send canned fruit.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.R.

answers from Seattle on

BLT? Bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich
Bacon roll up
Bacon and rice
Bacon and potatoes

He'll be rethinking his bacon fancy after the week is up I imagine with those options.

1 mom found this helpful

B.S.

answers from Lansing on

My kids aren't big sandwich eaters either so I sometimes just pack the shaved turkey in a sandwich baggy. They prefer to eat it that way than on a sandwich.

For lunch ideas though...I'd search on here. I'm sure you'll find many past questions on here to get ideas. Some will likely have links to some blog sites to check out.

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❤.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Salami, cheese & crackers
Wraps. Turkey slice, cheese slice, wrapped, put in foil.
Sandwiches (Hawaiian rolls are good because they are soft & most kids
like them)

Add:
Mini carrots w/Ranch
juice box
water bottle

Find out what they served him his daycare & send him w/that.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Before you plan to make PBJ sandwiches, you have to check with the YMCA if they have a "no nuts" policy.
And if so, then you cannot make anything with peanuts in it. Or nuts.

Just Google Search "lunch box ideas."

And make sure you get him a good insulated lunch bag, and with a "blue ice" ice pack in it. To keep things, from spoiling.
Don't just put his lunch box stuff in a plastic bag without an ice pack.
Unless the foods are not perishable.
So many times, at my kids' school, I see kids sent to school with their home lunch, and the foods are just in a plastic grocery bag, with NO ice pack, and then, the foods in it are not good anymore. And they can't eat it.

And he'll also need a water bottle.
And label EVERYTHING with a Sharpie pen.

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A.J.

answers from Indianapolis on

You should get a look at this website! It has some great ideas with pictures.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mslil65/sets/72157601755804789/

I have found those containers that she uses at, the container store, and marshalls or tjmaxx.

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J.T.

answers from New York on

I've never liked sandwiches much... But wraps I do for some reason. They seem a bit neater and easier for kids to eat too if you cut them up pretty small. Unfortunatley with peanut butter these days, it's not allowed so often bc of other kids' allergies. So you might need to check ahead on that! Or get him used to almond butter. If peanut butter is allowed, seems like there's nothing wrong with is 2-3 days a week. If he likes it, it's protein... My friend's nutritionist also recommends lean bacon for kids. She says the fat is impt for brain development. So maybe he can have his bacon!

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S.T.

answers from New York on

What will happen is that he'll tell you he wants a certain something and then when he sees what other kids have he'll want that instead. My kids have had every imaginable thing for lunch.
1- Most camps will refrigerate the lunches during the day. They have a "milke crate" for each group. Ask to confirm.
2 - As much as kids think they want a lunch box, it will get lost, and they won't want to have to be responsible for it, or the plastic container for the afternoon after lunch and before you pick themup. Use paper bags (buy they by 50 or 100 at the grocery store - I know it doesn't feel right to buy the bags - but it works best) and use platic sandwich bags for food, snack bags for snacks.
3 - try different things. There was a time when my son didn't want bread but only rolled up cold cuts - ham, turkey, etc. Another era when he wanted cubed cheese, or string cheese. My daughter wanted apple and peanut butter. that was a challenge, but we found little containers of peanut butter and we include a plastic spoon. She spooned the peanut butter on the apple as she ate it. EVntually as their friends ate sandwichs my kids transitioned to them as well. We tried all different things, baloney, cheese, salami, ham, turkey, peanut butter and jelly, etc. You live in NY so you can get Boars Head brand coldcuts which are good quality. He's little so he won't eat all that much - so don't go crazy. Consider odd choices too like peanut butter sandwiches with slices of fresh apples, banana, or even strawberries.
4 - Gogurt (yogurt in tubes) and juiceboxes both freeze well so those are treats that are good for them. You can even get chocolate milk in boxes (like the jucie boxes) - and freeze them the night before.
5 - Fruit doesn't generally travel well in little-kid situations. It gets very bruised. So apples are OK, oranges cut in wedges in a plastic snadwich bag are a good option too. But bananas and berries will be a problem as they'll get smushed - the same with chips. Cookies are a better option. Dried fruit like apples, apricots, raisins, plums, berries are a good option since they are sweet but also good for them.

As for the bacon comment - he sounds like my son! Everything tastes better with bacon. Unfortuatnley it doesn't store well and it's kinda gross when it's cold.

Note - Make sure when you buy the sandwich bags that they're zipzloc style (reclosable) I once bought 100 sandwich bags that were the "fold over" style and they didn't help much.

He'll have fun and may end up ditching most of his lunch - so constantly ask him what lunch is his favorite. Once at athe grocery store one of the teacher-aids told me my son was throwing away almost his entire lunch every day! When I asked him he said he didn't like the sandwich (he had told me what to make, exactly). After that I became much more proactive about asking him what he wanted instead of assuming he'd tell me! (boys are little men after all...)

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D.H.

answers from Louisville on

You can make tuna salad sandwiches - freeze them - then just pop them in a bag/box - they'll thaw by lunch while helping keep other things cool.

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

You can definitely work in a lot of variety with peanut butter sandwiches!
You can vary they type of jelly/preserves (Strawberry is my favorite but my son likes grape).
You can also do a peanut butter banana honey sandwich - a little messy if you're not careful with the honey but very good.
I knew someone in elementary school who loved peanut butter and chocolate chips on a sandwich.
(I'm sure it was good but it sounds too candy like for my taste.)
You can do all of the above while switching out the peanut butter for cream cheese.

M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

My boys will either pack ham and pickles in a bag (because they are also not big on sandwiches) or tuna fish salad and crackers. My daughter often makes a salad. They also like to heat up leftover dinner and put it in a thermos to keep it warm.

Sometimes we take them to Subway before school for a treat lunch. My boys often get BLT's then! So that's fine too.

Fruits and veggies always go in, chips/prezels/popcorn/crackers, some kind of protein (peanut butter, ham, turkey, tuna), and sometimes a dessert.

They prefer to pack 2-3 fruits and vegetables, which I love!

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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

I would skip the fancy left overs for lunch deal at summer camp. lunch is a pretty much unpack eat and go affair. if the other kids are eating sandwiches and your kid is still messing with noodles its a pain. but pbj are not the only options out there. here are some things my kids liked

tortilla's rolled up with cheese and meat
yogurt
cold rice and or pasta salad w/meat
cold bacon and scrambeled egg on a bun or in a tortilla
rolls of ham or turkey and crackers
bagel w/ cream cheese spread on it (my middle sons favorite)
my grandson loves his ham and cheese on that kings Hawaiian bread
cheese sticks
cereal in a container that he can dump his milk on
you can keep all of these things cold by freezing a package of capri suns on sunday and pulling one out each night for the next days lunch. jsut put it from freezer to fridge and it will be half frozen. will stay cold till lunch but he will be able to drink it by lunch.

O.H.

answers from Phoenix on

You want him to take a lunch that is disposable, which means he can throw everything away after he eats and it doesn't have to be heated in the micro. Don't pack it in Tupperware so he has to keep track of it. My kids don't like sandwiches either. I would buy a bunch of different things like chicken nuggets, lunch meats and cheeses (just put in a baggie, no bread), pudding cups, fruit cups, apple sauce cups, go-gurts, fruits and veggies, crackers, chips, cookies, trail mix, juice boxes, etc. I would put 4-5 different things in their lunches every day so it was always different, but it was always something I knew they liked. Don't stress about it being too "healthy", you want to make sure they EAT it and not throw it away. Good luck.

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