School Lunch Ideas for Children With Braces

Posted on January 5, 2023

If you have children with braces, you are probably dealing with some adjustments to their diet and all of the struggles that come along with that. Some of your children’s favorite foods and common school lunch options are now off-limits, and it may feel challenging to plan for. Luckily, there are still some fun options that you can pack for your children that they will most definitely enjoy.

Panini Sandwiches

More exciting than typical peanut butter sandwiches, panini sandwiches are a great option to feed your children, without having to worry about anything getting stuck in their teeth or braces. You will want to avoid condiments that will stain, such as mustard or ketchup. Mayo is a great alternative that you can use. When choosing lunch meat options, make sure you choose ones that are thinly sliced and aren’t too chewy, as they can easily get stuck in braces if they are too thick. Using a panini press allows you to add some crispness, without creating a texture that can damage your child’s braces.

Burrito Bowls

Wraps and burritos can be a challenge with braces. Even if all of the foods involved are safe to eat with braces, burritos make it difficult to take the smaller bites that you need to as part of taking care of your braces. This makes burrito bowls the perfect option. They contain all the goodness of a burrito while allowing your child to take smaller bites and not worry about putting a lot of force on your braces or jamming food into them. Burrito bowls also come with the advantage of being very versatile, which allows you to customize them to your child’s taste and swap things out if they are getting bored with the options.

Chicken Salad

Chicken salad has great flavor, and everything in it is safe to eat with braces. The best part of it comes from the versatility that you can use when preparing the lunches. You can put chicken salad on a croissant, pita bread, crackers, or as part of a lettuce wrap. If your child doesn’t like traditional chicken salad, you can substitute the mayo mixture with hummus to give them a different taste that is easier to prepare and can satisfy pickier eaters.

Rather than giving up and letting your child struggle with food and their braces, use these ideas to come up with fun lunches that they will enjoy. Make sure you also teach them to take care of their braces after eating to make sure that they stay in good condition. One of the most important things they can do is to drink plenty of water after eating to wash out any remaining food particles.

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