What Mums think about Back to school Lunchboxes
So 'back to school' is happening right now around Australia.
Some have already gone back, some are doing virtual learning, some are homeschooling and some are returning face-to face.
I'm not sure about you, but, I know myself and alot of others are still feeling quite nervous or uneasy with what the school year might look like For 2022.
I mean, our kids are very resilient - but how much more of this can we all handle?!
It's like we are all constantly holding our breath, awaiting the next piece of bad news because we have all become so conditioned to expect it.
So, small & simple pieces of 'normality' have become a little slice of peace amongst the anxiety for me.
Like lunchboxes and labelling highlighters and contacting books!
We did some polls on our @fromzion_ Instagram stories this week, asking all of you mamas about your household and lunchboxes.
It was super interesting for Me to see the differences in what works for all of you.
The most interesting poll results were about the age groups and whether the children pack their own lunchboxes or if it done by the mamas!
See the screenshots for yourself, but basically in the prep & Kindy age group 90% of Mums said they prepare the lunchbox and 10% said the child does it (with guidance).
The yr1-yr4 age group: 82% of Mums said they still prepare the lunch vs 18% saying their child makes their own.
The yr 5 and up age group: 57% of Mums said they still prepare the lunchboxes vs 43% saying the big kids are doing it themselves!
Now remember, there is no right and wrong! We don’t mama-shame here! Whatever works for you and your family, is the way to go!
For us in our household, We fit into the yr1-4 age group and our kids make their own lunchboxes with guidelines to follow (like a certain amount of fruit and veggies, certain amount of sweet items vs savoury.)
The next poll that we did was about the lunchbox containing homemade items, store bought items or a mixture of both! I know that I would love to fit into the homemade category, but I definitely don’t. Us mamas are time-poor humans!!
So if you have found a way to consistently fill your lunchboxes with only homemade goodies then I take my hat off to you! However, the poll showed that a lot of us struggle to achieve that.
So if you have found a way to consistently fill your lunchboxes with only homemade goodies then I take my hat off to you! However, the poll showed that a lot of us struggle to achieve that.
Only 2% said they ace the all-homemade lunchboxes, 7% said store bought items (and I get it! At least they didn’t go hungry!) and majority at 92% said their lunchboxes are a mixture of homemade and store bought items.
I think this would be mainly attributed to the homemade sandwiches, leftovers, wraps, muffins and the like with a couple of store-bought packet snacks or muesli bars and things.
When it comes to preparing lunchboxes the night before vs the morning of; it was a close one! 55% said they will prepare the night before so they are done and ready. But, 45% said they make the lunchboxes fresh each morning!
My Kids makes theirs in the morning after they have made & eaten their breakfast. I’m loving the independence that comes with their age!
The most mentioned brand of lunchbox that I saw was “Bbox” which is a type of bento/sectioned lunchbox but is deeper and has a squishy section designed for fruit to fit easily without bruising. I have personally tried the Bbox brand and did love it, although my children still managed to crack the corners off... *insert eyeroll*.... like, we’re they using it as a soccer ball or something!? I don’t understand.
Even so, I would still buy this brand again and I would highly recommend!
See the screen shot below of some other brands mentioned along with some items other mamas put in their lunchboxes:
The next question is a funny one! “What items ALWAYS seem to come home in the lunchbox at the end of the day” haha - mine is always a half eaten squishy piece of fruit!? Why couldn’t they just throw it out... Now the lunchbox is all sticky!
See some other responses below and look for any that are the same as you!
Lastly but most importantly I asked you mamas the question “do you feel pressure surrounding lunchboxes”?
I wanted to check in with you guys, because this mama-gig is pretty flippen hard and it’s difficult to not compare yourself with all the seemingly perfect lunchbox pics & posts online. I know that I have even had to check myself over the years.
I feel the guilt creeping in “ should I be making everything from scratch”, “should I be making it for them each day”, “maybe I should have a better lunchbox brand, prettier labels, or chop their sandwiches into star shapes too”. Comparison is exhausting and steals our joy. It takes precious time and energy away from the things that are far more important.
...and like I said at the start- whatever works for YOU!
Love Jas xoxo
