How much do you put in your dc's packed lunch?

[redclover79]

I've just been stopped by ds1's teacher who tells me that the dinner lady has said I put too much in ds1's lunchbox and he's not finished his lunch again. He has had today sandwiches, a packet of crisps, a banana, some apple juice and a fig roll. I know he takes a looooooong time to eat (he's probably too busy chatting) but I didn't think that what we give him is excessive! I don't really want to cut down as he barely eats his breakfast or dinner...
DS1 has told me that the rest of the class left before he had finished today. I've suggested maybe he could eat a bit faster but he said he likes to eat slowly.
If I keep putting what I do in his lunchbox ds1 will never finish his lunch, but I don't want to just give him a sandwich and a biscuit (all he managed to eat today!). WWYD?

[Idobelieveinfairies]

My children have sandwich, yogurt, cereal bar, nutri-grain bar, rasins, apple, banana, satsuma, drink of water. All gets finished and starving again by 3pm.

I would maybe take away the crisps and see how he gets on.

Better to have too much food in the lunch box than not enough though.

[wontbepreggersagain]

roll, raisins, fruit bar, yoghurt, banana and crisps.

[TrinityRhino]

sandwich
crisps
apple
juice

she usually comes back with her crisps

[ruddynorah]

does he get a morning break? could he eat some of his lunch box then, if you're concerned he eats too little at breakfast.

[mollythetortoise]

sandwich
crisps
fruit ie. satsuma/ apple or container of raspberries
drink
yoghurt

but my dd is VERY quick eater

[Buda]

I give DS a sandwich/wrap, drink, Babybel/cucumber/couple of pretzels. Yesterday he ate the Babybel and had the drink. That was it all day.

[lemonlady]

My dd yr2 is the last to finish everyday as she eats sooo slow, dinnerladies just move her onto another table.
4 crackers cheese spread on
frube
crisps
innocent drink.
she has digestive biscuit for 1st play snack and they also have fruit in class(if want)

[MadreInglese]

DD (10) has

sandwich or wrap or crackers & meat or pot of pasta
apple
crisps
carrot or cucumber sticks or little chunks of cheese
penguin or similar
bottle of water

I think she usually eats something each break time

[Mercy]

Dd has something along the lines of

sandwich
juice
muesli bar
carrot sticks
sometimes one other item - could be a biscuit, small yoghurt etc

Ds has just a sandwich, juice, carrot sticks. Mind you he's only started staying for lunch this week.

Crisps are banned - and they take a while to eat.

[Jux]

dd Year 5:

cheese roll
piece of fruit
2 squares of chocolate
water

I usually put more in - like some veg type thing - but she never has enough time to eat it in. I suspect that it is not that you give too much (food), but that the school gives too little (time). At dd's school they expect them to be able to bolt the lot down in a very short time (can't remember how long now, but I was surprised when I heard).

[Overmydeadbody]

I would put in as much as my DS usually eats. So if all your DS is managing ot eat is the sandwich and biscuit then just give him that.

There's not much point in putting more in then they eat and it always coming back only half eaten is there?

I tend to find, with DS, if there are more processed things like a biscuit, crisps or babybell etc in his lunchbox then he doesn't eat the fruit , so now he gets a sandwich, fruit, carrots or olives, and occasionally something more "appealing" to him (I'd hate to call it a treat as such).

[Overmydeadbody]

I think it's also to do with lack of time, DS said it's hard to eat the carrots as they take a long time to chew, but easy to finish the olives as they are soft.

Seriously, if they aren't eating it all, you might as well put less in.

[shivermetimbers]

they do not allow enough time to eat.we have had arguements over this at dds school.
dd has sandwich or bagel
fruit
yoghurt
cereal bar
drink
crisps
she eats 1 square of sandwich and half a packet of crisps.
kids should not be made to wolf down food or go hungry.

[Furball]

I'm no food snob, but am surprised how many have crisps. Do they have them everyday? Wasn't it reported last year that if you eat a bag of crips a day you consume something staggering like a gallon of cooking oil over a year.

[Majeika]

I would suggest he eats his fruit at playtime.

give him a sandwich and raw veg to eat and a frube as they are easy to eat.

Take a piece of fruit when you pick him up and he will be fine.

They def do not have enough time to eat.

[MollieO]

I had the same problem at nursery. I ended up cutting down what I put in my ds's lunchbox even though it seemed he had little to eat at lunch time. He had been getting upset that everyone else finished before him. He is an incredibly slow eater and always has been. He was a lot happier at having less and finishing it even though he was eating less than everyone else!

[Mercy]

Furball, yes at my dc school they are not allowed to bring in fizzy drinks, crisps, sweets or chocolate (but I think a chocolate chip biscuit is ok)

It's the salt content which I think is a no-no when it comes to crisps.

[Overmydeadbody]

Furball, DS has had crisps exactly three times in his school life. Sometimes they need more calories than carrot sticks and apples provide though.

[Overmydeadbody]

shivermetimbers would she eat all of her sandwich if you didn't pack the yoghurt and cereal bar do you think? That seems an awful lot of food for a child

[shubiedoo]

Ds1 is 5 and has a sandwich, fruit or veg, water and a "treat" (granola bar, flapjack etc.) He only has 20 minutes but he usually manages all of it, but sometimes leaves the fruit or veg..!
I would agree not to pack too much food, leave out the crisps and see if he does better. I read somewhere that too much can be overwhelming for kids.

[Mercy]

I agree. One of the most often heard complaints re dinners at our school is from Yr 5 and 6 children who are still hungry. Yes they need to eat healthily but they also need the calories.

[Nemoandthefishes]

Ds is 4 and has
a sandwich[small milk roll size]
small gingerbread man
handful of fruit
frube
some cucumber
milk

[pooka]

DD has sandwich. Just over half a round because make a whole sandwich and then use pastry cutter shapes (don't ask hmm). Usually ham and cream cheese, or roast beef, or cheese or tuna.

Small carton of juice.

Yoghurt.

Grapes.

Mini yellow pepper (whole - she eats them like apples), or cut red pepper/carrot batons/cucumber sticks.

A biscuit.

Usually she eats most of it. TOday she didn't eat an apple I put in, and having begged to have a packet of crisps, only ate half. But more often than not it is mostly gone.

[Overmydeadbody]

pooka please tell me you eat the rst of the sandwich after cutting it out and it doesn't just get binned?

[pooka]

Of course! Crusts make your hair curly.

Actually cannot believe that I have fallen into this ridiculous habit, but at the moment pandering to dd's foibles seem to be just about keeping her one step away from hating going to school...

If I had my way she'd have school dinners, and did all year R (happy) and for the first week of yr1 term (but she was sad).