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As the summer holidays are drawing to a close my thoughts turn to get organised for the new school year ahead, Daisy will be eligible for a free school meal as she begins foundation stage 2 but I still want her to experience having a packed lunch so I’ve decided that on a Friday she can take her own lunch from home.

Britmums and Hartleys are challenging bloggers to share their tips and inspiration for filling our children’s lunchboxes with quick, easy and nutritious food.

Hartleys is celebrating back to school by offering you the chance to claim your own exclusive lunchbox which comes with two sticker sheets one with the alphabet on so your child can personalise their lunchbox. You will need to collect 12 special edition green lids from across the No Added Sugar Jelly Pots (115g) range to claim, you can find out more about the promotion at www.hartleysfruit.co.uk.

I personally like to keep my lunchbox ideas simple, affordable and realistic here are some of my top tips.

• Stick to what you know your child will eat but don’t be afraid to slowly introduce new foods just like you would at meal times at home, to keep this affordable buy loose fruits and vegetables and trial-sized packs of products until you know your child will eat it.
• Use sandwich squares or wraps if your child struggles with full-sized sandwiches, I find these are great for both savoury and sweet fillings.

• Invest in some small lid containers and try experimenting with some chopped mixed fresh fruit (add a drop of lemon juice to avoid discolouration).
• Add a sweet but healthy treat like a Hartley’s No Added Sugar Jelly Pot or a handful of homemade popcorn.
• Having a fun and colourful lunchbox can help, bright colours and stickers appeal to children and make lunchtime more enjoyable.

• If you want to avoid sending juice with their lunchbox you could add a slice of lemon, lime or orange to their water bottle for a healthier alternative.
• Mini rice cakes or pretzels are a great alternative to crisps, you could also try mini breadsticks with a little pot of hummus.
• Use Pinterest (search lunchbox ideas) and Instagram (use #lunchboxideas) to find inspiration, there are so many ideas for simple, fast and healthy packed lunches.

I hope my tips have given you some ideas and inspiration if you have any of your own please leave me a comment I love hearing from you.

This post is an entry for Britmums #HartleysYourLunchbox Linky Challenge, sponsored by Hartley’s Jelly www.hartleysfruit.co.uk .