Bright Horizons Food From Home

Bright Horizons

Food From Home

Nutrition_Food From Home_US_Nut Safe page 1 of 3

Updated 9/2012

Packing a Safe Lunch for Your Child

Bright Horizons believes meal times should be a happy and enjoyable time for children. We offer

the following suggestions in the hope of developing healthy eating habits for the children in our

care. Lunch can be fun, nutritional, and easy for you to prepare.

Please note we are not able to heat or prepare meals for children as this not only keeps the

children waiting for their lunch but also takes the staff away from their time with the children.

Additionally, microwaves often heat food unevenly. Due to limited spaced, refrigerators are not

available to keep your child’s lunch cold. We suggest that you use insulated lunch bags and ice

packs to keep food cool and thermoses to keep food warm.

However, there is a wide variety of healthy, enjoyable lunches that can be made for your child.

To assist you in preparing your child’s lunch, we have prepared the following tips to help ensure

that your child has a safe and healthy lunch.

Additionally, we strongly recommend avoiding foods that are high in fat or sugar in your child’s

lunch and using the USDA’s MyPlate recommendations to assure your child’s meal is well-

balanced. Providing a healthy lunch will assure your child has the energy and stamina to get the

most out of their day and fully participate in all of the fun learning experiences.

 Always wash your hands in warm, soapy water before handling any food. If your child is

helping you, make sure that he/she has done the same.

 Use an insulated lunch box or bag.

 Refrigerate over night any perishable food items such as sandwiches prepared for the

next day. Add non-perishable food items the following morning.

 Use a gel-pack, frozen drink (such as a bottle of water), a commercial ice pack or fill a

plastic refrigerator container with water and freeze for a homemade freeze pack to keep

food cold. Place foods that must be kept cold, closest to the ice pack. If sending dairy

products, extra ice packs may be required to keep food at the proper temperature.

 Use a thermos to keep drinks cold until lunchtime. Also use a thermos to keep soups or

other hot liquids hot. Fill a thermos with hot water and let it stand for approximately 10

minutes before putting the hot food in. Do not pack soups with a cream or milk base.

 Plastic food containers or recyclable butter tubs work well for packing fruits and

vegetables, cheese, or pieces of meat or chicken and homemade leftovers from the night

before.

 Cut all food into bite-sized, easy-to-swallow pieces.

 Children often like finger foods as an alternative to the traditional lunch box meal

 Avoid using mayonnaise or eggs on sandwiches, especially if the sandwich or item isn't

refrigerated or properly cooled.

 Wrap sandwiches in separate plastic bags or aluminum foil.

 All lunch boxes/ bags should be labeled with the child’s full name.

 Wash out reusable lunchboxes every night, including the ice packs. Use a baking soda

and water solution once a week to eliminate odors.

 Use only new, clean brown bags. Don't reuse bags that have carried groceries. Never

use a bag that is wet or stained.

Nutrition_Food From Home_US_Nut Safe page 2 of 3

Updated 9/2012

Food Suggestions

Commercially prepared and ready-to-eat meats, such as ham and turkey are good lunchbox

choices because they last well. Leftovers from dinner the night before are always a good choice.

Many foods like baby-cut carrots, cheese and crackers, string cheese and other nutritious foods

now come packaged in child-sized portions. These are also good lunch options.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are not only nutritious; they also travel well, making them perfect for

lunch. Remember to wash fruits and vegetables before packing. The center may serve milk at

lunch and juice, milk or water at snack time depending on the snack and space availability.

Cold Sandwiches

Ham and Cheese

Turkey or Chicken

Tuna

Egg

Chicken Salad

Turkey Salad

Canned Fruit (in light

syrup)

Applesauce

Fruit Cocktail

Peaches

Pears

Pineapple

Mandarin Oranges

Fresh/Dried Fruit

Cantaloupe

Strawberries

Oranges

Apples

Bananas

Peaches

Honeydew

Plums

Pineapple

Pears

Fruit Salad

Blueberries

Raspberries

Raisins

Note: Grapes should

not be given to children

under four years old,

unless they are seedless

and cut in bite size

pieces lengthwise.

Vegetables

Carrot Sticks

Celery Sticks

Cucumber Sticks

Other Raw Veggies

Note: Do not give

children under four

years old celery or

carrot sticks.

Miscellaneous

Salad

Yogurt

Cottage Cheese

Hard Boiled Egg

Chicken Drumstick

Wheat Germ

Salsa

Hummus

Breads

Whole Wheat

Rye

Pita

Raisin

Banana

Oatmeal

Zucchini

Carrot

Additions

Cheese Sticks

Bread Sticks

Goldfish Crackers

Foods To Avoid

Sweets (Candy, Donuts,

Cakes, and Sugary

Cereal)

Soda

Nuts

Note: Honey should not be given to children under one year of age due to bacterial spores;

however, it is harmless for older children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that foods that are round, hard, small, thick,

sticky, smooth, or slippery, should not be given to children less than 4 years of age due to their

potential choking hazard. Examples of such foods are:

Nutrition_Food From Home_US_Nut Safe page 3 of 3

Updated 9/2012

 Banana rounds

 Celery

 Chips

 Chunks of meat larger than can be

swallowed whole

 Grape/Cherry tomatoes

 Green beans (whole)

 Gum

 Hard candy

 Hard pretzels

 Hotdogs (whole or sliced into

rounds)

 Lollipops

 Marshmallows

 Nuts

 Peanuts

 Popcorn

 Raw carrot rounds

 Raw peas

 Seeds

 Spoonfuls of peanut butter

 Whole grapes

If feeding hotdogs or grapes, they should be cut into bite-sized lengthwise pieces. Bananas

should be cut lengthwise into small pieces and raw carrots chopped or cut into thin strips will be

safe for your child. Carefully remove bones from any fish or meat and cut into small pieces.

Peanut butter (if allowed in the center) spread thinly on crackers is appropriate to send in your

child’s lunch.

Our center is a peanut and nut safe facility. Please carefully review labels of any foods you

send in with your child to the center to ensure they are “nut safe” and have no warning labels of

potential peanut or tree nut traces or manufactured on equipment that processes peanuts or tree

nuts to help eliminate any potential risk to children with severe nut allergies. Any food that is

brought in for

sharing

among the children must be either whole fruits or commercially prepared

packaged foods in pre-sealed containers. Only sealed products with ingredient labels verifying

there are no peanuts, no peanut products and no potential traces of nuts from the equipment

used for processing will be served to the children.

Food Temperatures

When packing your child’s lunch, you want to make certain that you pack the foods safely,

keeping foods at the correct temperature. Below is a list of foods and what temperature they

should be kept at to ensure the lunch you pack will be safe for your child. Please keep in mind

that these foods should be free of peanuts, other nuts and nut products.

Foods to be kept Cold

Room Temperature Foods

Hot or Cold

Foods

Meats, Fish, Poultry

Processed Meats

Breads, Crackers, Cereal

, Cookies,

Fruit Pies

Soups

Eggs

Jelly

Chili

Milk, Soft Cheese, Yogurt

Custards and Puddings

Whole Uncut Fruit, Dried F

ruit,

Unopened Canned Fruit

Casseroles

(lasagna)

Peeled and Cut Vegetables

Unopened Juice Boxes

Refried or Baked

Beans

Opened Fruit Juice

Hard Cheese

Pasta Salad, Chicken and Tuna

Salad, Salad

Unopened cans of Tuna, Meats,

Poultry

Cooked Pasta, Ric

e and other

Cooked Grains Raw Vegetables

Ketchup, Mustard, Margarine