Run! I have a weapon!
Well not THAT kind of weapon!
If you know me and my Allison personally, you know that I struggle with getting her to eat. She's been fluctuating a pound up or down around the same number for over 1.5 years. Our goal was 40 pounds. She got there but now she's back to 39.8. We just can't get her to stay at 40 or above. It drives me insane!
It's not that she's a picky eater. She just doesn't eat. She thinks it's boring. She thinks it's a waste of time. She would rather be doing something else. That's it plain and simple!
This is definitely NOT what I expected from a kid of mine!
She's in 3rd grade and most of the Kindergartners are bigger than she is. They have to give her a special desk/chair combination in school so she doesn't look like Goldy Locks in Pa Pa Bear's chair.
So. Anyway. In the September issue of Family Fun Magazine (my favorite magazine and if you are not getting it, you are missing out!), they showed a "Bento Box" on page 54 as one way of packing a healthier lunch for your child. I saw it and immediately thought it could be this Mom's secret weapon in getting Allison to eat more at lunch!
Here it is below. The thing I like most about it is that when she pops the lid, all of her food is there in front of her. Every item is on a level playing...er...I mean eating field. You see she tends to open one zipper bag and nibbles a bit and then doesn't bother to open anything else up. This, of course, frustrates this Mother when most of the food she packed comes home to her at the end of the day!
I'm hoping she'll consume more because it's all there and so cute in the bright pink compartments. It's just more fun! Right? Oh and the thing that really appealed to her was that it is earth friendly. No more plastic bags or plasticware filling up the landfills since it comes with it's own little fork and spoon! She loved this idea! Over the next couple of weeks, Allison and Grandma will be making fabric napkins so she will be even more earth friendly!
A little more about the box...two of the containers comes with lids so if you are packing something wet, it won't spill out. It also comes with a cute little dip container for sauces or salad dressings. They are not just for kids either. When I go back to work, I plan on purchasing one for myself. They are perfect for portion control and also makes you think if you've packed yourself all the food groups.If you are interested in getting one for yourself or your child go to Laptop Lunches, they explain everything on their website. They even have a very extensive photo gallery with suggestions and ideas. At first I thought it was a little pricey but then I thought of the cost of buying a new lunch box every year, all the baggies and wasted food, and decided it was worth it. I also did a search online and found a promo code to get 20% off. If you need help finding a code, let me know and I'll try to see what I come up with.
Have Fun!
Pin It
3 comments:
It sounds like she is tiny. Hopefully this lunchbox will help her to eat more.
Lexi is tall but small for her age. She weighs 66 pounds and is in the 5th grade. She is a somewhat picky eater but has gotten much better over the last year or so. She eats a lot of mini meals. Not much (at all) at any one setting but I know within an hour or two she will want to eat again. I have been trying to cook more also because Lexi seems to eat better. I always include something I know she loves.
My daughter is a teenager now and she has been struggling with her weight for about 2 years now. She was down to 87 pounds 2 years ago and was 5'5'' tall. She weighs a healthier 106 now but still needs to gain a few more pounds. When she was having a hard time getting in enough calories to gain weight I did a search for some high calorie recipes. I found one for a large muffin that has 800 to a 1000 calories per muffin. The recipe makes four large muffins. You could make them into mini muffins and put them into that cute lunch box. You could also freeze some of them for later. They have a lot of butter and ground up nuts. That is what makes them so high calorie. Our secret is to pack a lot of calories into small portions. If you use a pint of Hagendaz ice cream and milk to make a milkshake its around a thousand calories. I would probably cut that in half for your daughter. If you would like anymore suggestions please let me know.
Good luck, I know you must worry a lot for her. Tammy made some really great suggestions. Maybe if you got her more involved with helping you cook dinner, she would be more apt to participate in the eating part. (hey, at least you can sneak in a few extra bites- what cook doesn't taste as they are cookin?) Hope it's just a phase...
Post a Comment