A LUNCH HE'LL ACTUALLY EAT

As kids head back to school, parents brace for the challenge of packing a meal that won't just return home untouched

- BY KATE SEQUEIRA

REBECCA ZEITLIN has put a lot of thought into the lunches she'll pack for her 5-year-old son, Will, as he enters kindergarten.

Photographs by MYUNG J. CHUN Los Angeles Times

For Rebecca Zeitlin, packing her 5-year-old son's school lunch is always full of surprises. Offer him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at home and he won't touch it. But pack it in his lunch with fruits, vegetables and a small treat and he'll dive in.

He will “chow down” on applesauce at preschool parties. But if she served him applesauce at home, “he’d look at me like I was crazy,” Zeitlin said.

Like many parents, Zeitlin has been thinking about school lunch ahead of her son’s first day of kindergarten. Lunchtime will be different than it was at his small private preschool, where teachers could more closely monitor whether he was eating. She’s already been eyeing school lunch conversations in mom groups on Facebook, and she’s has new lunch boxes ready to pack.

She plans to start off with some of her usual go-tos. Perhaps she'll pack him chicken nuggets or pasta alongside strawberries, oranges or watermelon.

“I think it’s going to be real interesting to see what next month is going to be like,” Zeitlin said. “I've got my plans for now, but when reality hits, his lunches might look different.”

Pro tip: Don’t provide too many options

For parents of children 5 and under, navigating school lunch can be challenging. Colorful videos fill TikTok and Instagram showing off creatively shaped sandwiches and neatly cut vegetables laid in bento boxlike containers. Lunch box styles can make a difference, influencers advise, as they share school-friendly recipes.