Planetbox and Bento Supplies Arrive

I received my Planetbox Rover system a couple of days ago. I have to say it was smaller than I thought it would be but after many examinations I have decided it is the perfect size for my daughter. Okay, saying "my daughter" over and over is going to get old. I will call her K from now on.  So our order included the lunch bag, the little and big dippers and the utensils.  I didn't buy the cold pak they have for sale.  After much research I decided on another vendor for the cold paks.  Here are pictures of K's new Planetbox.

 K chose the Groovy magnets which surprised me. If I had ordered while she was sleeping (as a usually do), I would have picked the Retro Kitty magnets.

 Here is the Planetbox in the lunch bag with the utensils. The lunch bag seems a little deformed but I am hoping with use it will straighten out.  I did not take pictures of the little and big dippers just for the fact that I forgot. Sorry!

Here is the pink lunch bag in the closed position.  I have not ordered a drink container yet but I think K wants me to order her the Victorious Funtainer.

I also bought a bunch of supplies to make K's food more inviting to her.  All of these items were suggested purchases from another blog.  However, I don't recall which one as I have been reading many.  If it was your blog let me know and I will revise my post and give credit where it is due.  These were purchases from Bento USA.  They have everything you need to make fun lunches for your children.  Here is what I purchased.

 I bought 2 packages of Food Picks for K's fruits and veggies.

 1 package of candy eyes. I thought of this because I had previous bought a Princess Sandwich Cutter Set and thought the candy eyes could be added to the frog sandwiches.

 1 package of sauce containers for soy sauce or maybe A-1 sauce if it is not too thick.

 2 packages of ham and cheese cutters but really you could use them for fruits and veggies too.

 2 packages of sandwich punches. I have previous purchased other sandwich cutters and a press but I thought these would be cute to have small pieces.

 2 packages of Baran sheets.  I am pretty sure you just use these to decorate and pretty up the lunch.

 1 package of silcone cups.  These were just too cute to pass up.

1 package of Edible markers. I never knew such a thing existed.

Well, this is the beginning of K's new lunch adventure.  School starts September 5th, so I am going to be posting pictures of the lunches I make her and what she brings back to me. She told me today she can't wait for the 1st day of school so she can see what is in the Planetbox. I don't want to shock her too much in the beginning so I will fill it with foods I know she will eat.  Then slowly I will be introducing new foods. I pray this works.  I know some of you might be saying just make her eat just like your parents made you eat it. But you know what my parents did that to me and it didn't help matters it made it worse.  I was such a picky eater up until I got married.  My husband did most of the cooking (lucky for me) and it was just my time to start trying new foods.  I hope 3rd grade will be K's time.

What is Food Neophobia?

According to Wikipedia, Food Neophobia is an eating disorder also known as a "fussy eater" disorder.  Wikipedia goes on to inform us this disorder can occur in toddlers and young children. It also states, that a traumatic incident in the "terrible two's" phase can bring this on.

I believe this is what happened to my daughter. No, she has not been diagnosed by a doctor.  However, at 18 months her primary caregiver, my mother, had heart failure and was hospitalized. From birth to 18 months my daughter and mother were inseparable.  My husband and I both worked full-time and my mother was the chosen one.  While my mother was in the hospital I placed my daughter in a daycare. Oh and just before this all happened we had moved into a new much bigger home.

As a baby, my daughter always ate well.  It wasn't until she was just about 2 years old that she started pushing food away.  At 7 years of age (almost 8), my daughter now has a very limited menu.  Macaroni and Cheese, Ramen noodles (which she calls Orange Noodles due to the color of the bag), Cup o' Noodles, pasta with butter and salt and potato chips (preferably the spicy ones).  These are her main staples.  She does eat other foods but not many.

I have talked to her pediatrician about her eating habits but she says it is normal and she will grow out of it.  The pediatrician also says she is very healthy so no foul.  However, my husband and I want so desperately for her to eat more healthy foods and have a variety of meals to choose from.

As my daughter will be entering the 3rd grade on September 5th (yes, she starts late...actually she starts on time, remember we always started school after Labor Day), I have decided to Start with Lunch Time! Against my husband's checkbook wishes I bought a Planetbox Rover lunch system.  I am hoping it arrives before the first day school.  The first day of school hopefully will be the start of a new adventure in more ways than one.  More to come...