You’re heading to bed, ready to relax and catch up on some sleep, when you suddenly remember you forgot to pack tomorrow’s lunch for the kids. You head back to the kitchen and search the pantry for foods that won’t bring your kids home filled with complaints tomorrow. And as you’re placing pretzels and an apple in your son’s lunchbox, you remember his new braces. Yikes! Can he eat any of the food you’ve packed for him?
As if packing lunches isn’t complicated enough, now you have additional factors to consider – pesky braces and sore jaws. We understand your dilemma, so we’re going to give you enough braces-safe food ideas to get your creative juices flowing in the right direction and hopefully send you to bed on time tonight. Get ready to start a braces-approved grocery list!
1. Dips
Dips can be a tasty lunchbox item when paired with fruits and crackers or bread. The variety of dips is endless, so your kids won’t get bored by having the same flavor over and over! Here’s three some yummy dips to start with.
- Yogurt comes in so many flavors! Serve it plain or mix it up with some nut butter to create a yummy Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip. Pair with banana pieces, graham crackers, and apple chunks. (Kids with braces can still eat fruit, as long as it’s sliced into bite-sized pieces.)
- Protein-filled bean dip can function as a dinner dish one night and a reheatable snack for school the next day. If you’re looking for a softer dipping tool than chips, try pita bread.
- If your children haven’t tried hummus yet, now’s the time to introduce them to Hummus dip with crackers or pita bread.
2. Cheese
Lucky for you, there are many ways to serve cheese and many kinds of cheese to try. Plus, cheese has lots of calcium, which makes it a great snack for teeth! Here’s some cheesy options for you to experiment with.
- Kids love peeling string cheese, and it’s easy to eat with braces.
- This one’s for those kids who love to play with their food. Bite-size cheese cubes can be stacked on top of crackers for a fun snack, one that’s especially yummy with a handful of grapes.
- Pack a container of their favorite cheese, melted. They’ll enjoy pouring melted cheese over a bowl of steamed broccoli or rice.
3. Breads
If you’re looking for a more filling snack, bread’s the way to go. Make a big batch of bread for your whole family to enjoy and pack one slice a day into everyone’s lunchbox. Just slice the bread into manageable chunks for anyone with braces.
- Cornbread will fill a kid’s tummy, especially if dipped into reheated soup.
- Remember how we just talked about the many ways to serve cheese? Well, here’s another tasty one – Stuffed Cheese Bread.
- These Mini Corndog Muffins are sure to get a smile and eager taste test out of your kids.
Hopefully, you’re feeling a little less worried about what to pack for your child’s lunch this week. And hopefully you realized you have more options than you thought you did!
The main food preparation tip to remember for kids with braces is to think soft and small, especially for those whose braces have only recently been applied.
If you have any questions about what foods are safe for braces, please let us know. And if you have any other good ideas for braces-safe snacks, we’d love to hear that too! Just leave your tasty idea in a comment below.
Here’s to all the happy kids who will find yummy, easy-to-eat snacks in their lunchboxes in the near future. . . and to all the loving parents who packed them.