If brown bagging it make sure your child's lunch has proper refrigeration. Check out this study by the AAP http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2011/08/04/peds.2010-2885

With my oldest child, I bought a pre-paid cafeteria card, which proved to be a big mistake. He ended up eating exclusively pizza and bosco sticks and he often shared it with friends who forgot their lunch or wanted to supplement their lunch. When that card ran out, I started just making lunches again. I do that for my other three kids as well. At least I know they are getting a higher-quality lunch meat, and some fruits and veggies (which they eat at least SOME of!). If there is something particularly yummy in the cafeteria line on a certain day of the week, I send them with a couple extra dollars.

Well, Dr. Renner, that is one depressing little study you linked to. Even with multiple ice packs the lunches weren't at the right temperature? I put one (1!) in my son's brown bag today and hoped for the best. As the mother of one the world's leading picky eaters (you should see that trophy!) lunch is a snoozefest at my house; turkey sandwich on "wheat" (the illusion of wheat anyway) bread and some packaged snacks and a cheese stick. In our only true nod to healthy eating, he began bringing a re-usable bottle and drinking water this year! And is not complaining about it! He occasionally buys lunch at the jr. high, (with cash) if we are out of his faves, but prefers lunch from home. A full lunch is fairly affordable, but I wouldn't do it everyday. My older son would supplement his brown bag at LT with the caf card because he ate a lot! That system worked well for us. My problem is keeping everything cool when it ain't cool to bring a nylon lunch bag or box. At the high school and jr high level, safe & cute doesn't cut it! And getting them to remember to bring their ice packs homes is no easy task. But! So far, in all these years, no mysterious stomach issues!

I've always packed my kids' lunches which they prefer. They have their own Laptop Lunches bento boxes, so they enjoy their fun lunch presentations and I know that they're eating healthy food. their site has a full online library of meal ideas and their products really do make packing lunch much easier: www.laptoplunches.com.

When my kids were at Ogden Elementary School, they came home for lunch. It was a nice break in the day, I was home and we just sat and talked for a few minutes. When the got into the upper grades, they preferred to stay and they brown-bagged it. When they got to high school, I gave them a set amount of money each week to cover lunches and incidentals. If they ate 'from the fridge' and packed their lunch, they had all the money to spend on themselves. They learned well...my son cooks all of his lunches on Sunday (chicken breasts) and packs them in individual zipped bags and he is set for the week, for lunch that is. If my phone rings at around 5:00 it is inevitably my son asking if I am 'cooking tonight.' Though neither lives here, my kids still 'eat from the fridge.'

I know Cindy. Glad to hear all is well.