Anyone else totally burnt out on packed lunches?

Finally onto all packed lunches for very fussy eater 10yo as the school meals are awful apparently and the portion sizes don’t increase for the older kids, plus for me as I’ve started a job where there is nowhere to buy lunch from nearby. It’s turning into such a chore in the mornings.

DS would typically have a thin bagel with Marmite, yoghurt, fruit, and two plain-ish biscuits. He has just had a ham wrap for the first time this week as he’s always refused anything other than Marmite bagel and he liked it. Occasionally will have houmous and breadsticks or cold sausage. Baked beans in a flask. Refuses all other hot food in a flask.

The dietician said not to worry about what he eats at school as long as it’s not utter crap and that he is not going hungry so that he can’t concentrate in class.

The quality of the school lunches in the schools my children attend are abysmal. So not only do they not actually like either the food on offer, but the few options they do like, are so badly made that they’re inedible. I simply couldn’t justify the expense each day for food that is so woefully inadequate. Half of what gets served I wouldn’t set down in front of a dog.

Hi, Sorry to keep you waiting...I live in the US and am old, so I still call a lunchbox a 'lunch pail'
@SherlockHolmes

I pay for hot school dinners until Y5 when they can make their own packed lunch if they want. That's the deal in my house.

Son is 9yo makes his own grated cheese wrap, has a small chocolate bar, cuts his own cucumber portion (or takes fruit) and has a packet of crisps. Not the most inspiring lunch but does the job and he makes it all himself. He has school dinners once a week because he likes those days on the menu.

Yes? I manage my time to work, look after my children, feed them adequately, post on mumsnet, work out, look after the household and do many other things, including judging the pride at which some women on here declare that they cannot be arsed to make healthy food for their children.

My DC has packed lunches AND is vegetarian. My god it's hard.

We usually do wraps instead of sandwiches - a bit easier and quicker - plus fruit, chopped raw veg, Greek yoghurt and a sweet treat. Occasionally do a hot flask with soup or pasta.

We decant the yoghurt though to save on packaging and usually make our own unprocessed sweet treats too, which I think makes me a lunchbox wanker.

And yet you have time to do both

@rzb yeah just that, they don’t have bins to put anything in so it all comes home, leftovers, wrappers, the lot.

@MonkeyPuddle I'm genuinely intrigued by the school sending home the leftovers - at my kids' schools, the food stays with the child so anything not eaten just stays in the lunchbox / flask, unless the child is motivated enough to find a bin to put the uneaten stuff in. Does your child's school do something different?

I am such an odd one out! I loved making packed lunches, and was so sad when I didn’t have to do them any more!

As a parent of young adults now (early 20s), I'd say don't tie yourselves in knots about stuff like this .... at the end of the day it doesn't matter whether it's a jam sandwich and a packet of crisps or a tupperware of homemade sushi covered in home grown organic mung beans. As long as they aren't hungry, they'll be fine.

I spent so much time fretting about their diet all through primary school and early secondary ... then they start walking home from school with friends and buying blue fizz and chips. A couple of years later they're in the smoking and drinking vodka phase.

Just chill, they'll all be fine in the end.

I’m pretty lucky that my DS is happy with a cheese and ham sarnie, portion of fruit and some cucumber. Sometimes some yoghurt. He eats really slowly so I don’t pack him much as it goes uneaten otherwise. Our school send home the leftovers so it’s easy to see what’s been had or not.
It takes me about 45 seconds to make his sarnie while I make tea and then I pop the whole pack up in the fridge overnight.

See my first disclaimer, because discussions like this always get hijacked by parents of ND children and children with eating disorders. Different rules apply there, of course.

But I've clearly hit a nerve with some of the more lazy people who have time to post on mumsnet, but no time to make nutritious food - one of the basic necessities of life - for their children.

My kids pack their own and have done since they were 7/8. The rule is one carb, one fruit or veg, one protein and one bigger snack. Then they can grab whatever else they fancy that day. They put things on the grocery list on the fridge and sometimes my daughter (12) will make something on a Sunday to bring that week if she wants pasta or whatever. My son would get free school lunches (in Scotland) but he hated them so wanted to pack his own.

Lol

You're not taking into consideration children with eating disorders. I would happily pack up a super healthy lunch. It would come home from school uneaten. My DC is in the starve rather than eat something he doesn't want category.

Any food is better than no food, in those circumstances. Although he won't even eat most UPF or junk foods either so even that is hard.

Children can have an adequate diet without packed lunches. My DC have a great diet which includes healthy and enjoyable school lunches. Mind your own business.

It's not up to you to tell me whether to judge or not. I do, and I will continue to judge, any parent who says they do not have the time to feed their children an adequate diet. Priorities and all that.

I did a dance when the healthy one left school. The other one then swiftly won his battle to have salami wraps every single day. He leaves in the summer and it can't come quickly enough. Scarred for life.

Does anyone remember this poem, it was in a book I had as a kid and went something like this:

Poor Simon Benn
Poor Simon Benn
His sandwiches are frozen again

Mrs Benn please
Not steel-hard cheese
At zero degrees

There was more but that's all I remember

The day I gave in an "let" them have school meals was life changing!

No i dont feel bad in the least, they'll live

Oh god you’re right, picnic season aargh! I hate the picnics where everyone brings their own and my poor DC get picnic envy when they have my rubbish offerings and other kids have amazing ones. I don’t have time or headspace to be a wonderful picnic creator. DH is a lot better at it than me luckily. Picnic making- One of the few real negatives of summer. Along with sun creaming kids constantly.

I also have something on iPad when I’m in the kitchen.

I use Bluetooth headphones as well as I can hear it even if I’m using something noisy or need to go and get something.

Not sure it completely changed the drudge of packed lunches but I’ve always pre prepared (whilst catching up on something!)

Tubs of prepared salad bits.
tubs if prepared fillings.
Box with crisps in
box of snack stuff.

always brought bread, wraps and rolls and froze them. So night before ask ds what he wanted, take out the bread he wanted, fill in morning and grab extras from box.

I often joked I felt like I worked in subway filling wraps etc from pre prepared boxes!

DS is now 20 and I still do clip lock boxes at the weekend ready for us during the week!!!

I do not have time to make packed lunches and it’s not up to you to judge whether that is a “poor excuse” or not.

Shock- other people’s lives are different to yours.