To ask what you put in a 5 yr olds packed lunch

[Mehfruittea]

DS class have all had a talk and been told not to bring too much food or any fizzy drinks in their packed lunch. That's ok.

DS now really unhappy with the packed lunch I've made, saying it's too much and he's not allowed.

I've done him:
1 ham sandwich, cut in to 4
1 sugar free jelly pot
5 strawberries, cut in quarters as quite large
1 kids mini cheese stick thing (cheddar, not a cheese string!)
1 small fairy cake home baked, no icing
1 bottle of water

He wants to leave the cheese at home, which is ok, but also 3 out of 4 of the ham sandwich. 3/4 of it!!

God knows what school have said but they've scared him half to death and I'm worried he won't have enough if he doesn't take the full sandwich. He doesn't eat crusts so will only have enough for 1 bite!

What do you think? Is this too much? What do you send for a full school day + after school club so pick up at 4pm.

[ChocolateButton15]

My 4 year old has a jam sandwich, aldi groovy bar and aldi pombears. She does eat fruit and veg for breakfast and dinner but anything I put in the lunchbox except the above comes home uneaten. This probably isn't helpful as it's a terrible lunch haha

[Yika]

Absolutely not too much for my DD but I'd forget the fairy cake and put something more nutritious in like carrot or cucumber sticks, or a handful of nuts. You've got three sweet items and even if one is fruit and one is sugar free it's still an overly sweet meal to me.

[stuckinthehouse]

Nuts in a lunchbox????!!!! There's a sure-fire way to get the lunchbox police after you if ever I heard one!

[ETanny]

My 5yr old has a ham sandwich thin, a banana, a yogurt, two breadsticks and a bottle of water. On a Friday she'll have a cake slice or something sweet.

[arethereanyleftatall]

1 x sandwich.
1 x fruit.
1 x treat.

[blackteaplease]

My ds is 4. He has a honey sandwich with 2 slices of bread, yogurt, bottle of water, small pot of grapes or strawberries and a pot of popcorn. Most of it gets eaten.

[ButtonBoo]

DD (5) has half a sandwich, cut into two. Usually cheese or cheese and cucumber. A handful of tortilla chips. Veg sticks (usually cucumber, carrot and red pepper). Sometimes with a little pot of houmous. Fruit of some kind e.g. small banana, blueberries, kiwi. Bottle of water.

[Yika]

Oh, OK, I'm not in the UK, I don't know what's acceptable there. I often send nuts (usually cashews or pistachios). If cashews, broken up small due to (my) fear of choking hazard. I'm sure they'd let us know if anyone was allergic; there's no blanket ban. And nuts are very nutritious and energy dense.

[PolarBearGoingSomewhere]

My DD has

Sandwich - cheese or jam, one slice of bread

Veg - 8 or so finger sized sticks of celery, carrot, pepper, cucumber depending what we have in

Fruit - 4 strawberries or an apple or 12 grapes

Quavers or Dunker or matchbox sized piece of cheese or 4 cocktail sausages

A frube or a jammie dodger

Apparently her teachers tell her they wish I made their lunch

[kaytee87]

I'd probably ditch the cake and give a yoghurt instead of the jelly. Is it including his snacks as well? Tbh I'd only have a sandwich and a bit of fruit for my own lunch but I suppose I'm not growing or running around very much.

[Mehfruittea]

Thanks everyone!

His school is nut free and the fairy cake is at his request, so I'd have to leave the jelly out to lesson the sweet stuff. I had hoped the cheese would be a portion of protein and calcium for him.

It's the sandwich he's seemed to fixate on as being too much.

I don't mind it not getting eaten, I just don't want him to be hungry and he isn't one to over eat. I figure the portion size is right if he eats most but leaves a bit.

[ijustwannadance]

Crisps, kitkat or similar, some sausage rolls or crackers, water.

Stopped bothering putting in fruit or veg as it was never eaten.

[kaytee87]

Op I'd keep the cheese and ditch the jelly if he really wants the cake. Sugar free jelly basically has no nutrition anyway.

[mummypig14]

Chocolatebutton is that actually what you give your child?!?! Fucking hell

[Mimi14]

DS is autistic and has many food issues, so I send a lunch I know he will eat. It's not healthy but I haven't had the lunchbox police onto me yet!

Cheese sandwich (white bread, 2 quarters)
Packet of wotsits, quavers or skips
3-4 cocktail sausages or small bag of those chicken fridge raiders
Peppa Pig or Thomas yogurt (the ones that claim to be strawberry flavour but are bright pink and taste absolutely nothing like strawberries!)

[ButtonBoo]

Try half a sandwich. With the other bits and a cheese filling (good protein) then half a sandwich i.e one piece of bread folded in half might suffice. DD always struggled with a whole sandwich. To be fair, I eat a whole sandwich and some veg sticks for lunch and that fills me up so probably cant expect a 5yo to manage the same.

[FizzyGreenWater]

Cheese sandwich - but pretty small round of bread, from breadmaker. Usually seedy!

Carrot, two cherry toms

Some fruit - couple of apple slices, 7-ish grapes, couple of strawberries, something like that. (just the one of those things)

Choc bar - penguin or similar.

Water bottle.

[BuntyCollocks]

On the occasions my DS has to have a packed lunch I've made something like:

1 slice of bread ham sandwich
5 cocktail sausages
Small bunch of grapes
yogurt
Biscuit/treat
Babybel

[SleepFreeZone]

My 4 year old has

1 small sandwich - ham or cheese
1 pot of strawberries and blueberries or a banana.
1 yogurt
1 mini babybel
1 packet Pom Bears
1 small chocolate bar

Not all of it gets eaten but we always go to the park after preschool and he eats the remainder there.

[sdaisy26]

Dd has something like:
1 slice of bread sandwich (ham, cheese, smoked salmon) or 3 buttered crackers plus the filling separately.
Veg sticks (carrot, cucumber, cherry toms)
Piece of fruit (small apple, handful of raspberries or grapes type stuff)
Yoghurt
Sometimes half a packet of Pom-bear type crisps or popcorn.

[Mehfruittea]

Thanks everyone. It seems a 1 slice sandwich is more common than a 2 slice.

I know DS would eat all this, he is tallest in his year and has a big appetite but slim. I'm going to see how he is in the morning and let him decide what to take. don't need the drama

[LellyMcKelly]

My 8yo has a ham roll, a pear or a bunch of grapes, and an apple juice.

[AndNowItIsSeven]

Mysix year old would only ever eat two squares of a sandwich. Four is loads for a five year old.

[PutThatPomBearBack]

Mummypig

Or would you prefer an avocado?