Plain sandwiches are fine. Work around them.

If your kid only eats plain sandwiches, stop trying to make the sandwich exciting and start making everything else around it do the heavy lifting.

The sandwich is your safe zone. Don’t mess with it. Keep the filling exactly as they like it. Instead, swap the bread shape — use a circle cutter, make a roll-up, or try a different brand of the same white bread. That counts as variety to them even when it doesn’t to you.

Put your energy into the sides. That’s where you can sneak in nutrition and novelty without a fight. A container of berries, cucumber slices, a cheese stick, some crackers, a tiny tub of hummus or ranch. Small portions, separate compartments, zero pressure to eat them. Over time, they’ll pick at stuff they’re not scared of.

And let them help pack it, even just choosing the fruit. Picky eaters are more likely to eat food they picked themselves. Also, remember this is a phase for most kids. “Only plain sandwiches” usually means “I need control over something.” Giving them that control at lunch makes dinnertime less of a battleground.

You’re not a bad parent for packing the same sandwich every single day. You’re a smart one who picked their battles.