• Pack a Healthy LunchToddler at the Beach image by DanielDupuis from Fotolia.com
  
  Getting your toddler to eat a healthy lunch is difficult, but it's especially challenging to prepare a lunch box of healthy, satisfying options your child will love. Whether you are making a box lunch for your toddler to enjoy at preschool or on a family road trip, you need to have options that you are certain she will eat. Not only is it healthy to consume a good midday meal, but for a toddler, an empty stomach can ruin the afternoon.
  
  

Reinvent...Chips and Dips

• Rethink the standard potato chips and onion dip and, instead, pack a variety of cut-up vegetables and different dips. Pair cucumbers, carrots, peppers and grape tomatoes with small containers of various dips, such as hummus or your toddler's favorite salad dressing. Let your toddler do his or her own dipping. If the toddler isn't a vegetable fan, pack some wholegrain crackers or toasted pita bread for additional dipping options. Another surefire option is apple slices that can be dipped in creamy or crunchy peanut butter. If this lunch is for preschool, confirm that peanuts and peanut products are allowed on the premises. For a drink, pack juice box with 100 percent juice, or a milk box. If you pack a dessert, fruit or a cookie are both nice ways to complete a meal.
  
  

Reinvent...Sandwiches

• Fancy little sandwiches aren't just for high tea anymore. Prepare a peanut butter and jelly sandwich using wholegrain bread, and use cookie cutters to cut the sandwiches into various shapes. A sandwich cut into a star or circle shape is sure to put smile on your toddler's face. This will work with a variety of sandwiches, from turkey and cheese to tuna fish. Round out the lunch with crunchy crackers and a banana for dessert.
  
  

Reinvent...Lunch

• If you have a picky toddler on your hands, there's a good chance that he won't eat sandwiches or veggies with various dips. Throw in breakfast options, such as cereal bars made with real fruit, or dry cereal in a reusable cup along with a milk box. He can either add the milk to the cereal cup or not.
  
  

Promoting Good Eating Habits

• Sadly, toddlers aren't the most adventurous eaters and are reluctant to try something new. This doesn't mean that there aren't healthy options. Choose whole grain whenever possible and make sure that his juices are 100% juice. Also, offer water whenever possible. Get him involved in making the lunch box, and give him a say in what he will eat. Remember to have healthy options on hand for snacks and meals, and make healthy meals a priority for the whole family. If your child sees you making nutritious choices, chances are that he will want to as well.