Joanna Marie O. Santos
August 10, 2023

It’s almost back to school again. Summer vacation is officially over, and the start of classes is creeping closer. As a mother, that means it’s time to take your kids to the bookstore to buy them school supplies and prepare yourself for another 10 months of waking up early for the prepping of your kids’ packed snacks and meals. 

It can be quite a daunting task to come up with food ideas for your kids to bring to school every day. There’s a variety of options on the table, and you need to consider the healthy choices to make sure they are getting the correct nutrition, but you might also want to include fun and enjoyable snacks that your kid prefers to avoid finding leftovers in his lunch box when he gets home.

When it comes to baby prepping, how do you provide your kids with healthy and affordable meals? From budget planning and grocery shopping to cooking food, here are some tips you can consider for preparing your kids’ baon.

Baon Planning: Tips & Tricks

No one else at the house starts their day as early as mothers do. You wake up at the crack of dawn to cook your family breakfast and make sure your kids have their baon for school prepared on time. Today, we are going to give out tips to help you with this task.

1. First, prep your kids for healthy meals

You want to make sure your kid is eating healthy so he can get the correct nutrition he needs to fuel him through school activities. Make sure to pack a balanced meal, which would typically include grains, fruit, vegetable, meat, and dairy. 

It might sound like a lot to pack into a lunch box, but you can consider some easy-to-pack dishes like fried fish or chicken along with rice. Don’t forget to include boiled or buttered vegetables and fruit as a side dish. This can be a good start to expose your kid to a habit of eating healthy as he grows older. 

2. Home-cooked meals are healthier

The easier option is buying prepackaged meals and frozen goods. We know kids love hotdogs, nuggets, bacon, etc, but they tend to be high in trans fat and do not provide the necessary nutrients. Home-cooked meals are healthier and would give you a variety of options. Besides, you can say that you put love in your kid’s food. 

3. You can’t go wrong with sandwiches for snacks

Sandwiches are simple and easy to make. It doesn’t take a lot of time, and you can switch out different fillings every day. You can do a tuna sandwich for today, and a chicken sandwich the next. You can even add chopped vegetables like lettuce or tomatoes. Or you can simply do palaman of your kid’s liking, whether it’s cheese spread or peanut butter. It’s healthy, affordable, and surely enjoyable. 

4. Pick healthy drink alternatives

For your kid’s beverage, give him nutritious drinks like milk or fruit juices. Put it in his own tumbler bottle to avoid the use of plastic bottles. Make sure he brings water too. You don’t want your kid to buy soft drinks at school or a couple of bottled water. 

5. Be wais: plan a budget and grocery list

How do we provide our kids with a variety of healthy packed meals while sticking to our budget? Especially now that the prices of vegetables and other products are increasing, what you can do is create a grocery list. Stock up on nutritious options such as fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy milk, cheese, and bread. Choose items that have enough vitamins and minerals by checking the label. It can also be cheaper to buy in bulk at the grocery store. 

6. Make food fun and enjoyable for your kid

Kids would look forward to eating their baon more if it’s not the same thing every day. They don’t want the same plain sandwich over and over. As a mother, you can switch out the options and try other fun and innovative recipes. Most kids don’t like eating fruits and vegetables, so you might need to come up with creative ways to incorporate them into their packed meals. You can chop veggies into smaller portions, and you can put the fruits inside a colorful food container to appeal to your kid’s appetite. 

7. A planned menu can save you time

Cooking can be time and energy-consuming, especially if your kid starts school early in the morning and you’re doing a home-cooked meal. You can prepare the meal the night before by cutting up the ingredients and taking out frozen meat. It’s also a good idea to make a weekly or monthly menu so you can have a planned rotation of baon options. 

Give Your Kids the Food They Deserve

Prepping your kids’ baon is another way of showing your love and care as a mother. Keep the meals safely packed in a tight container and insulated lunch box. Every food you put inside is a way of saying you want your child to eat well and be healthy. 

Most important of all is to make sure your little one is involved in this process. Ask him what kind of baon he enjoys, and what he doesn’t like. Teach him the value of nutritious food and why he needs to eat certain fruits and vegetables. With these tips, baon prepping doesn’t have to be stressful.