Packing Lunch for School

Yep, I'm officially a mom....not that I didn't feel like it before.....but packing William's lunch everyday sure does make me feel "mom like".  :) 
Although it's easier to pack a lunch than make all William's baby food from scratch (don't get me wrong....it was easy but started to take up more time as his appetite increased)...I do find myself wondering what to pack.  I'm sure eating the same thing everyday would be no fun!  So, I thought I'd do a little post on what I've found to be easy and nutritious at the same time. 
I started off sending little, individual, reusable containers for fruit etc.  As William started eating more and drinking less milk I was sending several containers everyday.  That meant we had to wash them several times throughout the week and I'm sure his teacher was getting sick of keeping up with everything.  :)  So, I found some fabulous new multi-section containers from EasyLunchBoxes.com!  We got four containers for $14.  They have been worth every penny!  They are easy to clean and fit lots of food.

We give William some cheerios and milk before heading to school....while he's there he has breakfast, 2 snacks and lunch.  We also keep some cheerios and puffs in his cubby at school for snacks. 

We send a Yo-Baby yogurt everyday for breakfast.  Chicken strips (cut up), mozzarella cheese, blueberries, strawberries, and goldfish.  The paper cupcake wrapper is great for keeping things separate.

Ham, Colby cheese stick, baby goldfish, banana (his favorite) and black beans.

Chicken, American cheese, pirate's booty (cut in half), green beans, banana, strawberries and blueberries.

Noodles with butter!

Garlic chicken from the deli, squash, cut up pieces of pear and kiwi, baby goldfish and cheese.

William is obsessed with bananas but likes any fruit.  For dinner he'll eat spaghetti or meat from whatever we are having so I usually send turkey or ham from the deli for lunch.  Once a week I make homemade chicken strips.  They make great leftovers for his lunch.  We buy the Horizon Organic Cheese and I alternate between the colby string cheese, mozzarella string cheese, and American slices.  He'd eat cheese all day if we let him!  I don't send avocado to school with him since it gets yucky so quick but it's something great for dinner time.  He really likes to feed himself....and I know that helps his teacher out so I also save stuff like sweet potato for dinner since it gets messy. 

I'm not a dietician or a toddler feeding expert but I do try to follow these toddler feeding guidelines that I've read about:

Fruits & Veggies        4 servings per day
Protein                        2 servings per day (meat, egg, beans)
Dairy                          16-24 ounces per day (cheese, milk, yogurt)
Grains                        4 servings per day (bread, cereal, rice)

A serving size for a toddler is about 1 tablespoon per year of age or (1/4 of an adult serving).  As of now we don't give William juice.  I'm sure we will in the future but for now he's happy with water and milk (and he eats plenty of fresh fruit that doesn't have any added sugar).  My motto is everything in moderation. 

As of now, this is the only sippy cup William will use.  The NUBY!!  He also likes the Pottery Barn sippy cup but this one is much more practical since we have to have several of them.  I've also heard great things about the Nuby cup with a straw. 
William's name labels are from Name Bubbles.  They have been fabulous!  We had them on all of his bottles and they held up wonderfully (scrubbing, boiling, washing in dishwasher).  They are a must have since everything has to be labeled at daycare.  Even if your little one isn't in daycare they probably go to a mother's day out, gym daycare, church nursery or some type of play group where there are multiple children around.  They are also great on pacifiers, clothes (washing machine safe), feeding utensils and any other products you put in your diaper bag (sunscreen/toys).  I just ordered a new batch of stickers for the new school year.  :)

Do you moms out there have any lunch suggestions?  I'm always looking for new ideas since baby boy is allergic to egg and we haven't tried peanuts yet!