15 Toddler Lunch Ideas for Daycare (No Reheating Required) (2024)

Try these healthy toddler lunch ideas when your little one needs a meal for preschool, daycare, or the sitter. They’re toddler meals that are easy to pack and that don’t need to be reheated to make things super easy for you.

Easy Toddler Lunch Ideas

Coming up with toddlerlunch ideas is such a huge challenge for so many parents, myself included! These ideas will help you continue to come up with easy-to-pack toddler lunches that are also yummy and healthy. Each packed lunch can be enjoyed right out of a lunchbox, no reheating required, whether your toddler goes to daycare, preschool, or just needs a meal to take on the go.

TIP: Mix and match as you like for your little one, refer to my Master List of Healthy Snack Ideas for help rounding out meals, and you can include fresh veggies and fruit that your toddler usually likes as simple sides.

How to Pack Easy Toddler Lunches Step-by-Step

Here are a few reminders to keep these in mind when assembling your child’s food for the day. (Lunches and snacks above shown in Easy Lunchboxes.)

1. Try not to send something that your kiddo has never had before. Try new foods at home so you know how your child likes them and whether they have any difficulty chewing them.
2. Try to make lunch a mix of foods that are yummy, healthy, easy to chew, and familiar.
3. Check any allergy guidelines at your center or school to help keep everyone healthy.
4. Remember that you may or may not be able to send nuts.
5. Ask for specific feedback on how your child ate so you know what they are liking (and not liking…) so you know if you need to send more or less food.
6. Don’t worry too much if their appetite varies from one day to the next. This is totally normal!
7. Add water and milk as needed and as preferred to these toddler lunch ideas.
8. Always cut and serve specific foods in sizes that your toddler can handle.
9. Round out meals easily with the best finger foods for toddlers.
10. Don’t stress if the kiddo eats more or less or differently at daycare than they do at home. Different environments have different outcomes.

15 Toddler Lunch Ideas

Here are some of my go-to lunch ideas for toddlers. Adjust the serving sizes and what you pack alongside to both offer nutritional variety and to account for whether your child needs their snacks packed too.

Toddler Lunchbox Idea #1: Hummus Sandwich

Spread hummus between slices of soft bread and cut into squares or small cubes, or place into a container and serve with whole grain crackers or sliced soft veggies like cucumbers or steamed carrots. We like Carrot Hummus and Creamy (Nut-Free) Hummus.

Preschool Lunch Idea #2: Spinach and Cheese Pizza Rolls

Include some fruit, a simple dessert, and/or some cubed meat or beans to round out this easy pizza-inspired lunch. (You can pack it in a thermos—we LOVE this thermos—or cube it so it’s easy to eat chilled. These pizza rolls are soft on the inside, so they’re not too chewy even if chilled or at room temp. And change it up with pesto pizza rolls another week!

Toddler Lunch Idea #3: Egg Snack Box

Slice or cube hard-boiled eggs and serve along side whole grain pita wedges, leftover waffles, or crackers. I like to add some fruit and a simple fun food like fruit leather, a few pieces of a favorite dried fruit, or your kiddo’s favorite snack. (P.S. Some toddlers take a while to learn to like the texture of hard cooked yolks and that’s okay—just send the whites for now.)

Toddler Lunchbox Idea #4: Toddler Taco Salad

Make a container with brown rice, black or pinto beans, diced veggies, cubed cheese, and some salsa (if your kiddo likes it) for a tot take on a taco salad. We really like pureed mild salsa stirred together with plain whole milk yogurt as a yummy dipping sauce for this sort of a meal.

Preschool Lunch Idea #5: Pesto Pasta Salad

Either using store-bought or homemade pesto (like this Spinach Pesto), toss with pasta, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cheese or chicken, and an easy veggie. Pair with fruit to and a fun food to round out the meal.

Toddler Lunch Idea #6: Egg and Cheese Mini Muffins

These easy to makeegg muffins are good at room temperature or heated (and they work well to make-ahead). I love them since they have a veggie tucked right inside! Include whole grain crackers or pita bread, some fruit, and perhaps some beans or simple veggies along side.

Kids Lunchbox Idea #7: Veggie Muffins

These Sweet Spinach Banana Muffins, Carrot Cake Muffins, Savory Veggie Muffins, or Flourless Cocoa Muffins with protein and hidden veggies are a perfect lunch option. They’re a balanced meal all on their own and are easy to enhance with a side of yogurt or a cheese stick, a piece of fruit, and maybe a little cubed chicken, turkey, or ham.

Easy Lunch Idea #8:Tortilla Roll Ups

Spread Sunbutter or other favorite nut butter onto a soft flour or whole grain tortilla and top with a banana or whole-fruit jam. Roll up and slice. Add thawed edamame, puffs, clementine, or another favorite fruit and veggie alongside. Or, try spreading on cream cheese, add a piece of sliced turkey, and roll up into a simple wrap.

Kids Lunch Idea #9: Ham and Cheese Box

Pair diced ham with shredded cheese and a whole grain bread or muffin as a sort of toddler-friendly sandwich. Add simple produce options such as thinly sliced cucumber and clementine to round it out. (You can use a different lunch meat or shredded cooked chicken or turkey if you prefer.)

Toddler Lunchbox Idea #10: Sandwich Bread Spirals

Roll soft whole grain sandwich bread flat and thin with a rolling pin. Spread on cream cheese and jelly, nut butter and jam, mashed sweet potato and nut butter, hummus, mashed beans and salsa, or herbed goat cheese. Slice and serve as spirals with simple sides like fruit and yogurt to round things out.

Daycare Lunch Idea #11: Leftover Pancake or Waffle Sandwiches

The next time you have pancakes on the weekend, double the batch and place leftovers in the fridge or freezer. Spread nut butter (use Sunbutter if lunch needs to be allergy-free) or cream cheese and jam or honey between for a simple, but unexpected sandwich. Add halved cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, cheese, or berries on the side.

Toddler Lunchbox Idea #12: Yogurt and Granola

This is one of our favorite toddler lunch ideas, especially when it seems like we’re out of food! Layer granola (remove any big clumps or whole nuts) over yogurt. Add simple sides like fruit and tomatoes. The granola will soften a bit as it sits in the thermos to ensure it’s easy to chew.

Toddler Lunch Idea #13: Overnight Oats with Yogurt and Berries

There’s no reason you can’t do breakfast for lunch—and you could spoon this yogurt and oat mixture into a reusable pouch if it’s blended smooth if you think that will be easier for your toddler. Include sliced fresh veggies like halved cherry tomatoes, fresh snap peas, or shredded carrots or leftover roasted veggies, whole grain crackers, and/or some beans or shredded meat for added protein. (And this Applesauce Overnight Oats recipe can actually be stirred together in the morning and it will be soft enough by lunchtime—if you don’t think to do it the night before.)

Easy Lunch Idea #14: Snack Box

Add cheese (slices, cubes, or string cheese); meat (cut up deli meat, leftover shredded chicken or beef); thawed frozen peas or corn, cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots; cut grapes, berries, melon, or another favorite fruit, to a lunchbox. Put in a few crackers or a favorite dry cereal and call it good with a simple, and toddler-pleasing snack lunch!

Kids Lunchbox Idea #15: Soft-Roasted Cinnamon Chickpeas

Pair these flavorful beans with whole grain crackers, diced veggies, cheese, and a piece of fruit for a simple snack lunch. (Or pair with leftover rice, shredded chicken, and roasted veggies.) They’re a little salty, a little sweet, and are packed with easy-to-eat nutrition.

Best Toddler Lunchbox

I specifically love the Easy Lunchboxes and the OmieLife Bento Box with one insulated compartment for packing foods you want to stay warm or cold. The Lunchbots thermos is also a great option for packing hot foods. I’ve been trying out lunchboxes for the past 5 years and I have 5 distinct favorites based on price and how you’ll use them.

TIP: You can find my favorite toddler lunchboxes here.

My daycare won’t reheat or refrigerate lunches—any tips?

Yes, here are some ways to ensure you keep the food safe until lunch time and also have options for what to send.

1. First, get a thermos. This will help cold foods stay cold and hot foods stay hot and give you a lot more options for the types of foods you can send.
2. Second, use at least two thin ice packs on either side of the lunch (however you pack it—in a lunchbox or in a plastic bag).
3. Third, consider freezing an applesauce pouch, a yogurt tube, or a shelf stable milk container to add more coldness as they will thaw by lunchtime. I even heard of a mom who froze her son’s cheese sticks to help keep the food cold and they also thawed in time for lunch.
4. Keep meals simple. It’s okay to rely more on snack boxes or simple sunflower seed and jam sandwiches, especially if this is a temporary situation. (But even if it’s not!)
5. Do your best and remember that you have a lot of challenging constraints on packing lunches that are making this really hard—it’s not you!
6. If you need disposable lunch packaging, this post has disposable lunch box and containers.

TIP: Find 20 Cold Lunch Ideas (that work at room temp too!) here.

More Easy Toddler Lunch Ideas

You can find all of my best easy toddler lunch ideas, plus allergy-friendly and packable recipes, together in my ebook Yummy Toddler Lunches ebook. I hope you’ll check it out!

I’d love to know your challenges and successes with packing your toddler’s lunch. Please share in the comments below!