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Education

Help! Dd does not eat her lunch at school and is honestly weak with hunger by the end of the school day

31 replies

foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 21:11

Dd has a big appetite and when she's at home, eats large portions and snacks alot. She sometimes needs geeing up a bit to finish her food but I do this because I know if I don't, she'll only ask for something to eat 5 minutes after she has finished a meal.

We started her off on hot dinners but she had recently outgrown her egg allergy and found it very hard to suddenly start eating food she had never had before. She also found the smell of the omelettes (they seem to have this often as a veggie option) or cheesy things (like macaroni, cheesy pasties) really offputting (she had a milk allergy and although this is outgrown, she still won't go near cheese).

So we swapped to packed lunch but she seems to never eat her sandwiches. I've tried other bits like pasta salad but she barely touches them. She will nibble a bit at everything and wolfs down any fruit I put in but doesn't touch the protein or the starchy stuff. As a result, the last few weeks, she's actually been sent home twice in the afternoon - both times because she has said her tummy is sore but once home scoffing a massive bowl of food she is much better!

I asked her why she doesn't eat and she said none of her friends eat very much (it is true that most of her friends eat like birds) and I have tried to explain that in our family, we all have appetites the size of houses and need to eat more than most but it doesn't seem to make a difference.

I'm now wondering whether to swap back to hot dinners and try again (as there are lots of boys who have hot dinners who love their food!). What would you do? (she's 5 btw)

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BettySpaghetti · 12/07/2006 21:24

My DD (6) hardly eats anything at lunchtime at school. She tends to be tired and tearful by the time we get home.
I get the impression they probably don't have long ( 2 sittings so they are rushed through to make way for the older ones) and also she is rather prone to chatting constantly with her friends. Could this be the case with your DD?
All she ate today was one bite of a filled pitta bread, a Babybel and some raspberries.

Bozza · 12/07/2006 21:24

I think I would be tempted to go back to dinners in September. Will be nice come Nov/Dec. And she might have time to come to terms with the egg/cheese thing in the meantime. Also much easier to eat a substantial dinner than a similar amount in packed lunch form IMO.

foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 21:29

yes I tend to think that Bozza. Oh it's good to hear others don't eat v much. I know alot of her friends don't but when they come here, they eat about a tenth of what my kids eat so I can't really compare. Yes, I think she probably chats a hell of a lot. I think at first (with hot dinners) she was always left behind and the last one in the hall because it took her so long to get through everything and then she sped up by just not eating!!

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foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 21:35

thanks for your comments btw

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SlightlyFamiliarPeachyClair · 12/07/2006 21:42

Have you asked the school about play? it's just that my boys eat very little of a packed lunch (eg half a round of sarnies and nothing, not even a drink, else)- the answer is simply that the quicker they eat, the quicker they are allowed out to play.

Bozza · 12/07/2006 21:49

Maybe if she is with the boys rather than her close girl friends she will be less chatty?

zephyrcat · 12/07/2006 21:49

I would be tempted to give her a vitamin tablet every morning along with a fruit smoothie for breakfasy - will give her heaps of energy and pick her right up.

Having said that I do know it's not easy - I have a 4 and a half year old who is a nightmare with food and I'm dreading her starting school in sept because I just know she won't eat there!!

foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 21:50

I think this is the case with packed lunches (with hot dinners, the dinner ladies keep more of an eye on them). Also, I think in reception, they supervised the children a bit more but now she is in yr1, they are left a bit more to their own devices.

I'm amazed they get through the day on so little. I think I might up her breakfasts in the meantime!

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motherinferior · 12/07/2006 21:51

I switched DD1 to school dinners and it made a huge difference. AND she lured her mates over to the Dark Side with tales of stodgy puddings, so now they all eat them

foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 21:53

that was in reply to peachy's comment about play.

Yes you are right Bozza - the boys will prob be good for her!

the breakfast smoothie is a good plan - she eats quite a lot then already but I could probably cram a few more things in!

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foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 21:54

I think she would love hot dinners if she could get over the whole eggy/cheesy smell.

I have some sympathy for her because I remember our school dinners smelling foul even though they tasted alright! I had to drop off something at school for her and as I walked through the door, that school dinner smell hit me so I know what she means.

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foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 21:59

lol at the stodgy puddings - it is amazing that 30 odd years since we were at school they are still the stalwart of the school dinner!

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zephyrcat · 12/07/2006 22:03

(Foxinsocks - was it you asking a while back about being tested for coeliacs? How did it all go??)

foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 22:08

oh zephyr it has been a nightmare - they did no specific test because I don't have the symptoms as everything now appears to be totally related to my period. The doctors have been completely useless and last time I went (about the 6th time I have had to go), she suggested I might be depressed (I think because I was starting to get frustrated because I felt no-one was listening to what was wrong or even attempting to come up with a plan to make me better!!). I told her I was sure I would know if I was depressed but the simple fact was that I had not even managed to see the same doctor twice, had to tell each one the whole story from the beginning and then each one sent me off for different tests.

Am now in the same position I was over a year ago.

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zephyrcat · 12/07/2006 22:15

Blimey what a total nightmare Did you try changing your diet anyway to see if it made you feel and better/different? (Sorry to go off on a tangant(sp?) been wondering for ages how you were getting on!)

SlightlyFamiliarPeachyClair · 12/07/2006 22:15

Did you try the new home coeliacs test? I used one and it helped me work out what my problems were (not coeliacs, coffee it seems. Now wheat I could give up....)

Porridge is the thing to keep them going all day long, whilst she adapts to school dinners.

They don't get stodgy puds at our school, it's all iced buns and shortvread. for them.

SlightlyFamiliarPeachyClair · 12/07/2006 22:15

Did you try the new home coeliacs test? I used one and it helped me work out what my problems were (not coeliacs, coffee it seems. Now wheat I could give up....)

Porridge is the thing to keep them going all day long, whilst she adapts to school dinners.

They don't get stodgy puds at our school, it's all iced buns and shortvread. for them.

foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 22:21

I did but I must admit, I didn't make a whole hearted effort but certainly tried for a few weeks.

It now boils down to either having a 'condition' that is triggered by menstruation (originally they thought Lupus because I tick so many of the boxes but I'm really not that unwell and didn't get a positive on one of the blood tests) or being very sensitive, almost to the point of allergic to the progesterone in my cycle (which causes this weird blister/hive rash on my joints, nausea, headaches). Then my period comes and I get a migraine that lasts till my period is gone and sometimes it kick-starts a coldsore with associated fever etc. (probably because I'm run down). It's a bloody nightmare because it means I don't feel well for basically 2 weeks out of every month!!

thanks for thinking of me!

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foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 22:22

no peachy, I didn't know about that. Do you get it from the chemist? I guess it is not medically approved but I suppose it is something that points you in a direction.

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SlightlyFamiliarPeachyClair · 12/07/2006 22:23

They had it on This Morning a few weeks, ago totally approved but very new.

I will find a link

foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 22:25

thanks peachy, that would be great

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SlightlyFamiliarPeachyClair · 12/07/2006 22:25

\link{http://www.yourallergy.co.uk/test.htm\ this is the test I used]

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SlightlyFamiliarPeachyClair · 12/07/2006 22:26

here

oops

foxinsocks · 12/07/2006 22:30

thanks for that

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zephyrcat · 12/07/2006 22:32

I didn't realise you could get those it looks really good. I wonder if it is the same as a blood test in that you can get a false negative?

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