To think this packed lunch is fine?

According to who? Plenty of schools allow peanut butter.
Allergy UK.advise against banning it from schools as people with peanut allergy need to learn to manage the real world.
I have worked in upwards of 15 schools and not one had a peanut butter ban.

The only time my dd ever argued about having processed crap, years ago, she was spending the money on sweets etc!

Oh, I had the sausage roll every break and then for lunch a hot dog and a giant cookie, every single day for 5 years and was skinny as a rake. (Not now 😂)

She just prefers the tesco meal deal. A teaco meal deal is less food than what you packed.
I buy my son the meal deal if he has football camp in the holidays as he thinks its cool. Hes playing sports all day so I don't really mind it as a treat. But it literally is a sandwich snack and drink.
Just add more filling in your wrap maybe or two wraps? An extra piece of fruit too?
Why seitch to pack lunches then buy a tesco meal deal, the school will have equivelant food if she wants that kind of lunch.

I don’t think you are taking on board the advice given, multiple posters advice is she’s a growing girl, your lunch is embarrassing, not suitable for a 12 year old etc. Even the child’s mum has obviously gently tried to hint what she prefers but instead of listening or taking the hint you have created a post on an internet forum. If she wasn’t packed lunch and having school meals I’m sure she would be eating all sorts of crap, like most teens.

This is not the hill to die on.
She's obviously active and hungry.
Just give her more calorie dense food and be grateful that she's not anorexic.

well that’s up for her parents to decide not you

Are the wraps home made? If not, what's the difference between that and a wrap or sandwich bought as part of the Tesco meal dea?

When my step daughter moved in with us aged 12, it was a nightmare as where she had lived previously they were used to going to the chippy for lunch, and this school there was no going out at lunch - school dinners or packed lunch and that child thought all meals included chips

Oh the battles, until one night we went to a harvester for tea ( is there still Harvesters? ) , and she fell in love with the salad cart. That was it, We spent Sunday evening gathering up the bits she liked, washing and chopping, and from then on she made her own pack up and there was no half eaten lunches coming back

Talk to her, something I never did cos I knew all about nutrition and what was good for everyone ( yeah right ) Food is a battle you don't need

😂 I used to have sausage roll and a chocolate doughnut every single day at my posh grammar school. I wasn’t fat either. Not sure I touched fruit for years but my dinner was always homemade and healthy.

Whilst it's obviously the more nutritious lunch there are several problems for a 12 Yr old girl

Firstly a salad wrap will be soggy and gross by lunch time. The hummus and yoghurt will be warm as no fridge, hummus also goes crusty and the apple possibly brown. Its all just a bit gross by lunch time

Secondly if she's used to school dinners she's used to chosing what she wants each day. Now the choice has been removed from her

Thirdly it's a bit embarrassing for a 12 yo. As the child who always had the healthy homemade lunch at school I'd look at my friends cheesestrings and ham sandwiches with envy.

Finally it's going to take a while to eat, her friends might not be sitting and eating lunch

I think you need to talk to her and find out what the problem is with your lunches. I don't think a meal deal everyday is an option but I'd probably switch to some crisps or a biscuit bar and do away with the warm hummus and yoghurt. Perhaps give her some more control?

My 12 year old has just eaten a veggie pasta bake (home made) and then had seconds, eating far more than me. She’s very skinny but growing and ravenous right now. There’s no way that lunch would be enough for her. Teens need carbs.

Mine have:
chicken and salad wrap or pitta / pasta bake or risotto in a thermos food container
cheese
yoghurt
some kind of cake slice (sometimes homemade sometimes not) or mini chocolate biscuit
fruit
packet of crisps (not with pasta/risotto as that has more calories/is more filling so I leave out crisps on those days)

They do lots of exercise in activities after school and burn it all off. All my dc are healthy on the bmi scale and only just out of the underweight end.

My choice of lunch at secondary school was a roll. a can of Mountain Dew and a twirl….

Oh come on your packed lunch is not for secondary school. A sliced apple. She’s 12 not two ! Celery sticks 🤦🏻‍♀️. Ya need to get down with the kids.

I think you DSD is old enough to decide what foods she likes, I think you should respect her enough to give her the meal deal if that’s what she likes as I’m sure you eat what you like, processed or not it’s her choice at 12, you can given advice and say yours is a healthier option but ultimately it’s upto her

There used to be a calorie guide for kids on the NHS website - can’t find it at the moment but I know tweens and teens generally need significant more calories than adults .. will share if I can find it

God just seen she's 12 not 5

Yes to more calories

Homemade is better, but your lunch sounds light on calories to be fair

She doesn’t have time to eat all the little individual things - too busy chatting and socialising etc .. I go for calorie density and easy to eat standing up - two wraps (600 calories ish) , homemade flapjack ( probably 250 calories) and fruit or crisps for the child that can’t be bothered with fruit

@Love51 if you put a quarter teaspoon of salt in water, soak the apples slices for a few mins then rinse them well they stay crisp and don't go brown.

Celery is grim, the rest sounds fine. I ate nothing all day when I was in comp so probably not the best to advise on what is suitable!

I have a twelve year old girl and, being intrigued by the ‘uncool’ comments, I asked her opinion. She thinks meal deals are grim, and would prefer the homemade lunch, as would her friends. The only thing she mentioned was being able to eat things without cutlery as sometimes there isn’t anywhere to sit.

Ooh tricky age 12. As others have said, it’s likely she’s wanting to fit in with friends. I wouldn’t give in on buying her a meal deal though. That’s ridiculous. Excellent idea to take her shopping with you and get her involved with the lunch making. She may feel better if she has some ownership.