It can be very worrying and incredibly frustrating as a parent when your young child refuses to eat well. But what happens when it’s time to send them off to school with a packed lunch and your ‘fussy little eater’ won’t eat anything but their favoured ‘buttered bread with sprinkles’?!

Thankfully, many parents all over the world experience similar situations and anxieties such as this and luckily there are some creative, genius suggestions and ideas out there from both thoughtful parents and expert nutritionists.

Packing a ‘Happy Hot’ lunch box!

Continuous advancements in lunch box technology and design and Tupperware heat proof materials means packing a hot lunch is becoming more popular. Try these hot little numbers: spaghetti bolognese, spaghetti carbonara, mild chicken curry, fried rice, pesto chicken, beef or pork noodles, mini pastry pies with beef or chicken or vegetables, organic tomato sauce over pasta with cheese.

Packing the ‘coolest of cool’ cold lunches!

Who said you couldn’t pack last night’s dinner? Try saving a portion of these for the next day: tuna pasta, chicken drumsticks, organic beef, pork or chicken sausages, couscous with pan fried fish strips and steamed green beans, Vietnamese rice paper rolls, your favourite sushi rolls, vegetable or beef lasagne.

Snack-packed nutritional treats!

Delicious and nutritious little goodies: a hard-boiled egg, Peppa Pig Raisins, Peppa Pig Apricots, small banana, cut up fingers of favourite fruit or vegetables, Ella’s Kitchen smoothies, crackers with cheese, a small Tupperware container with low fat/low sugar children’s cereal, low fat/low salt potato crisps, pita bread with humus or avocado, Mogji Sticks, muesli bar, home-made muffin, baby crackers or chips, snacks for babies!

Sassy sandwiches!

Tuna and cheese or tuna and mayonnaise or egg and mayonnaise on wholemeal or multigrain bread, toasted cheese croissant, deli ham and toasted cheese wraps, plain butter croissant, bagels, mozzarella and sliced tomatoes and pepperoni on any type of bread, organic fruity jam wraps.

Sweet tooth treats!

Home-made jelly with fruit pieces, custard, Greek yoghurt or natural organic yoghurt with homemade pureed fruit swirled through with a sweet drizzle of honey, cut up fruit sticks in a rainbow of colours, good quality supermarket bought individual organic yoghurt pots, home-made fruit juice icy poles that can be either fruit cordial mixed with water or real fruit mixed with water and frozen.

All good advice points to choosing nutrient dense foods containing protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy as well as limiting added sugars and saturated fats. Keep it interesting and diverse; variety is key. It’s a constant struggle for some, and a ‘no-brainer’ for others. Every child is different and whatever works for one child may not work for another. Good luck!