15 Healthy Food Ideas When Leaving Your Toddler in Daycare

Healthy eating is an important way to support your toddler’s healthy development (1). This holds true whether the toddler is at home or daycare (2). A great daycare facility helps establish healthy eating habits in toddlerhood into their preschool and school-age years (3). But many times choosing healthy food ideas for daycare is not easy.

15 Healthy Toddler Food Ideas When Leaving Your Toddler in Daycare

Packing foods for daycare can sometimes be stressful. Here we bring you some toddler lunch ideas for daycare to help make the process a little easier!

1. Fruits

Fruits are a nutritious option for toddlers as they are packed with essential vitamins and minerals needed for growth (4). You can make fruits more appealing by cutting them into fun shapes using cookie cutters or simply serve them whole to preserve freshness, such as bananas.

2. Cutlets/Patties

Cutlets or patties are a nutritious way to incorporate veggies into toddlers’ diets. They provide fiber (5), vitamin A (6), iron (7), and calcium (8), all of which are essential for toddlers’ growth. They can be prepared in advance and cooked the next day, making them a convenient and healthy option, especially when served with green chutney.

3. Pasta

Toddlers love pasta. Add your kid’s favorite veggies for extra taste and nutrition. When packing in the box, keep the sauce separate to maintain its texture. Homemade sauce is best, but if not, check store-bought sauce labels carefully (9). Although, it is better to opt for whole wheat, sooji, millets-based pasta, but sometimes they may also contain maida. Hence, be cautious of the maida percentage in pasta to avoid overconsumption (10).

4. Pancakes

Pancakes are a nutritious and fun option for toddlers! Made with whole grains, nuts, and yogurt or milk, toddlers enjoy them as sweet treats. Add mashed bananas or oatmeal for extra nutrition, and use molds to create fun shapes like stars (11). Although its best to make the batter using whole wheat flour, at home. But if you are buying pancake premixes for added convenience, always remember to look for preservative-free options.

5. Cheela

Cheela is a nutritious Indian pancake made from a variety of ingredients and flavored with spices. It’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, making it ideal for a daycare box. Cheela provides protein, fiber, iron, and calcium, essential for toddlers’ growth. Additionally, it aids in digestion and promotes bowel movement.

6. Noodles

Instant noodles are not recommended for toddlers due to their high sodium and preservative content. However, healthier alternatives such as noodles made from ragi, multigrain, or gluten-free recipes are available. Additionally, noodles can be prepared using shredded vegetables or chapati with tomato purée and finely cut vegetables.

7. Upma

Semolina/sooji-based upma combined with vegetables offers carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. It’s a filling meal that provides sustained energy for your toddler’s activities. Sometimes use Ragi or Vermicelli to make upma for change.

8. Sandwich

Sandwiches are a versatile meal option offering toddlers energy, fiber, protein and B-complex vitamins in a delicious way. Look for whole-grain or multigrain bread to prepare sandwiches and of course, check the labels before using.

9. Wraps And Rolls

Whole wheat or multigrain parathas stuffed with finely chopped vegetables offer complex carbohydrates for sustained energy, along with vitamins and minerals from the vegetables, aiding in growth and development.

10. Paniyaram

Traditional snacks are good to send to daycare too! Paniyarams are made from healthy ingredients like sorghum, Sathumaavu or Kerala Banana which are easily digestible. Being rich in protein, it keeps toddlers’ tummies satiated.

11. Sundal

Sundal made with peanuts (12) or chickpeas (13) is easy to make and a suitable recipe for toddlers. This dish has great nutritional value essential for growth and development of toddlers

12. Poha

Poha made with rice flakes is prepared differently in different states, but it is certainly considered a breakfast staple in most households as it is high in protein and carbohydrates (14). Adding vegetables to it turns it into a complete meal.

13. Idli

Idlis made from fermented rice and lentil batter are light on the stomach and easy to digest. Paired with coconut or green chutney, they provide essential fats, fiber, and essential micronutrients (15).

14. Paneer Tikka Bites

Paneer (cottage cheese) is rich in protein and calcium, essential for bone health and muscle development (16). The exotic marinade of yogurt and spices (17) adds flavor without any preservatives.

15. Vegetable Pulao Muffins

Vegetable pulao prepared with aromatic rice and different vegetables offers carbohydrates and fiber for well being. When prepared as muffins they provide portion control and convenience (18).

Tips For Packing Food For Your Toddler in Daycare

The ideas are endless based on your toddler’s choices you can experiment with. But keep in mind a few things while sending food for your little ones in a daycare:

Wash, clean, and sanitize the containers and utensils well
Make simple foods that are not messy or don’t spill. However, to send something liquid, choose a suitable container/bottle
Thermos is an excellent idea if you choose to send pasta or noodles. They prevent contamination and keep the food warm and fresh for longer. But be mindful of their age and ability
Prefer steel containers over plastic ones as plastic is harmful to toddlers in the long run
It is always a good idea to send foods that don’t require reheating
The foods you send must be healthy, tasty, easy to chew, and easily digestible
Provide some tissue cloth so that your toddler can wipe their face and hands in case of spills
Avoid packing leftovers for toddlers as they might spoil by the time they eat
Avoid foods that easily get spoiled from extreme heat, such as porridge, milkshakes, mayonnaise, and coconut-based gravies
If you are packing salads, avoid dressing them, as the water will start leaching out, and by the time your toddler eats it, it will be all limp and watery. Rather, introduce a variety of fruits and veggies, so that toddler can enjoy the original tastes

The first few days may make you a little anxious, but as you and your toddler fall into the routine, everything gets easier. So, don’t worry too much. It’s not too bad after all! Your toddler’s taste buds are constantly evolving and it is the right time to introduce new foods to them. Hope you find these tasty and healthy toddler food ideas when leaving your toddler in daycare helpful. What do you pack for your toddler in daycare? Do add to these ideas in the comments section below.

FAQ’s

1. How do I Get my Toddler to Eat at Daycare?

The best approach is to initiate to serve a different dish that your toddler enjoys and try to stay patient and continue to present new foods, even if they initially refuse it.

2. Do Toddlers Eat Better at Daycare?

It is quite possible because the structure of the childcare center facilitates kids to go through the socialization process and abide by collective rules. Hence, it isn’t always about the flavor or quality of the food itself, but a combination of other factors too.

References

Feeding the toddler: 12 months to 3 years–challenges and opportunities – [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/44645020_Feeding_the_toddler_12_months_to_3_years–challenges_and_opportunities]
Snack Portion Sizes for Preschool Children Are Predicted by Caregiver Portion Size, Caregiver Feeding Practices and Children′s Eating Traits – [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337883053_Snack_Portion_Sizes_for_Preschool_Children_Are_Predicted_by_Caregiver_Portion_Size_Caregiver_Feeding_Practices_and_Children’s_Eating_Traits]
Creating healthy eating and active environments in early learning settings: protocol of the CHEERS eHealth intervention study – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10932976/]
Fruit and Vegetable Intake During Infancy and Early Childhood – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4258845/]
Benefits of dietary fibre for children in health and disease – [https://shorturl.at/d69Tg]
Role of vitamin a in child health and nutrition – [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221339842030083X]
Iron needs of babies and children – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2528681/]
Calcium Intake and Metabolism in Infants and Young Children: A Systematic Review of Balance Studies for Supporting the Development of Calcium Requirements – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9526821/]
Exploring the influence of food labels and advertisements on eating habits of children: a cross-sectional study from Punjab, India – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9919747/]
Darkside Of The White Flour – Maida – [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341394368_Darkside_Of_The_White_Flour_-_Maida]
Oatmeal-Containing Breakfast is Associated with Better Diet Quality and Higher Intake of Key Food Groups and Nutrients Compared to Other Breakfasts in Children – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6567219/]
Nutritional and Health Benefits of Peanut (Arachis Hypogaea)-based Therapeutic Foods as Well as its Effects on Child Health Services Delivery in North-West Nigeria – [https://shorturl.at/OSdJh]
Chickpea: Its Origin, Distribution, Nutrition, Benefits, Breeding, and Symbiotic Relationship with Mesorhizobium Species – [https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/13/3/429]
THICK POHA – https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2265565/nutrients
The role of micronutrients in child health: A review of the literature – [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/255573739_The_role_of_micronutrients_in_child_health_A_review_of_the_literature]
Paneer – An Indian soft cheese variant: A review – [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257798133_Paneer_-_An_Indian_soft_cheese_variant_A_review]
Increasing flavor variety with herbs and spices improves relative vegetable intake in children who are propylthiouracil (PROP) tasters relative to nontasters – [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938418300283]
Environmental Strategies for Portion Control in Children – [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4355088/]

15 Healthy Food Ideas When Leaving Your Toddler in Daycare