New survey reveals moms would rather clean toilets than pack their kids’ lunches

The fresh and fun back-to-school days are over, and moms are IN it now…the grind. Particularly, they are really sick of packing lunches for their kids, according to a new survey from Juicy Juice. The company surveyed 1,000 parents in September 2023, and revealed to the world just how deep and true that hatred of lunch packing runs.

In fact, they’d rather do just about anything else that isn’t packing lunches, including:

• 1 in 3 would rather clean the bathroom (and we know kids miss that potty for years, so it’s not an easy job)
• 1 in 5 would rather get a cavity filled
• Nearly half would rather fold laundry
• 40% would rather unload the dishwasher

Even though it seems harmless, and takes just five minutes, it’s that “one more thing” at the end of the evening, or during the morning rush, that parents are just over. Packing a lunch is yet another task on our list. But it’s not just packing the lunch that seems to be the issue — it’s the whole process. It can seem like a lot of work for little reward, as 72% say their kids’ lunches come back uneaten anyway, and 57% of kids are complaining about what’s in their lunchbox. 

Time to Delegate

A company spokesperson has a suggestion: “Juicy Juice is outsourcing lunch box packing…to the kids. The JJFriYAY Lunch Challenge asks parents to let their kids call the shots on what goes in their lunchbox every Friday in October and post the *unique* results on social media. At the end of the month, one grand prize participant will receive $10,000 to go towards a year’s supply of groceries.”

But sometimes delegating to kids can be easier said than done. Is it a new fight worth fighting? Maybe! If your kids are solidly in the swing of the school year, you can try some of these tips for handing off the most annoying job to them. In the process, they just might ease up on complaining about the lunchbox contents, and might even finish eating it, if they are the ones that packed it in the first place.

• Involve them in the Sunday night prep, making a station where they can grab potential lunchtime foods, from premade PB&Js to easy-to-pack fruit and yogurt. They can participate in cutting up veggies, and wrapping them in a way so that they still taste fresh the next day (Hint: give that wet paper towel trick a try, wrapped in cut veggies like cucumbers)
• Then, the night before, have them throw the lunch contents together in their lunchbox.
• Involve them in remembering to bring their lunch, by setting an alarm on their iPad, household Alexa, etc.

Stock up on the right stuff

Jennifer Anderson, Registered Dietician of Kids Eat in Color has all the tips, tricks, and hacks for buying reusable and disposable items that make lunch packing a little more fun and a bit less stressful. For example, she features disposable bags with sharks and other designs, if you are ready to move away from a standard ziplock, that kids might find exciting. She also says to purchase foods that are safe for a few hours without refrigeration, to eliminate the whole freezer pack hassle, including:

• Frozen waffles with nut or seed butter
• Pasta with olive oil and veggies
• Yogurt and cheese
• Nutrient-dense muffins

With a bit of upfront planning, and a whole lot of delegating, you can hand back that job to the kids, with some age-appropriate involvement, and sip your coffee in peace.