PB & J: The Less Mess Toddler Way

We eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in our house. As in, we eat PB&J almost everyday. Cheap, quick, and easy to pack - it's my go to lunchtime staple.

The only problem is, my child somehow manages (unintentionally) to get peanut butter everywhere. And I mean everywhere: face, neck, hair, bib, shorts, and even the socks!?! Does this happen to anyone else? 


To combat this dilemma, a few months ago I began serving her PB&J sandwiches like this:

PB& J strips

It's not a perfect solution, but it has significantly cut down on the number of body parts that need to be washed after lunch. Now our post lunch face wipe can be done with a single swipe. (and yes I also serve fruits and vegetables at lunchtime)


This trick has worked on other foods as well. When serving soft tacos or burritos, we fold hers flat like a quesadilla and then cut into strips. Pizza also gets cut into strips at our house.

As a bonus, this strip cutting trick also seems to encourage our sometimes picky child to eat foods she doesn't usually like, such as baked chicken or raw carrots!

Until next time,
Mischele