Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Critique my DDs lunchbox for tomorrow

52 replies

SoftChewyFoods · 13/09/2020 12:48

She’s 6, in year 2. School are fine with what I send because DD has some additional needs and finds certain foods difficult to eat. But I want to know if I can make it healthier.

Tomorrows lunch is:
Dinosaur Turkey with a bit of margarine on 50/50 bread (she’ll pick the turkey off first then eat the bread and eat that but if I give it all separately she makes a sandwich with it all – 6 year olds logic clearly) she won’t eat normal turkey or ham fillings only either dinosaur turkey or billy bear ham
Small amount of mature cheddar cubed (as in 6-7 little cubes of cheese)
Mini Roll
4 strawberries cut up with a bit of lemon juice added
Carton of orange juice (the from concentrate stuff)

As I said school are fine with it due to her additional needs. She can’t have crunchy foods so no crisps, rice cakes or similar as they’re too crunchy and hurt her mouth (common with her conditions). She also struggles with foods that have little or no flavour. She’s ok mixing foods to give a stronger flavour though so she can’t eat plain pasta but if it has a tomato sauce on it she’s fine with it.

School rules she has to follow:

  • No nuts, sesame seeds or hummus
  • No chocolate flavoured spreads (due to the nut risk)
  • Must be able to be eaten in their 20 minute slot – she’s a slow eater so much more in terms of food would over face her

In terms of her overall eating, she’ll have porridge or toast with margarine and/or honey for breakfast, banana or peach for playtime snack, mini malt loaf or similar at hometime and then a big meal of say spaghetti Bolognese for tea/dinner (whatever you want to call it it’s not a debate about the name of the evening meal).

I think there’s too much sugar in her diet but I don’t know how to fix it given her very specific needs. So let me have it, whats her lunch like in terms of nutritional value?

OP posts:
Augustbreeze · 13/09/2020 12:50

Sounds not too bad to me! Is there any way you could get some veg in?

Findahouse21 · 13/09/2020 12:50

If you're worried about sugar overall, then personally i'd replace the mini roll with something homemade that you could control the flavour and sugar a bit more. But overall I think it's fine given her restrictions.

theskyispurple · 13/09/2020 12:52

Is get rid of the dinosaur turkey- too processed. I'd swop marg for proper butter. Id do bread and butter and the cheese separately as you are doing. Would she have a yoghurt? Ideally plain Greek with a bit of honey on, but if not look at the packets of yoga to find the least sugar or sweetener filled.
Olives? Plain green ones with no stones go down well with mine

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

SoftChewyFoods · 13/09/2020 12:55

@theskyispurple

Is get rid of the dinosaur turkey- too processed. I'd swop marg for proper butter. Id do bread and butter and the cheese separately as you are doing. Would she have a yoghurt? Ideally plain Greek with a bit of honey on, but if not look at the packets of yoga to find the least sugar or sweetener filled. Olives? Plain green ones with no stones go down well with mine
She won't eat normal ham or turkey, I've tried she ends up leaving the whole sandwich which for me is the main filling part.

She will eat cucumber cut up and I do put that in sometimes but she won't eat raw carrots or breadsticks.

OP posts:
Splendidseptember · 13/09/2020 12:56

Omg for balance, I'd be thrilled if my youngest dc would eat that op! Thrilled!!

Hazelnutlatteplease · 13/09/2020 12:58

Sounds fine. But if you are really worried...

If you wanted to replace the swiss roll: Most shops (definitely tesco and Aldi) do a 5 pack value chocolate chip cake bar. They are actually low-ish comparatively in sugar and way cheaper/easier than making yourself. And don't melt.

Replace the strawberries for veg, maybe cucumber or sweetcorn.

Value fish fingers. Thinking of your pocket, no difference nutritionally.

ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble · 13/09/2020 13:02

To compare I'll tell you what DD has,in y4 now.

A cheese sandwich(white bread,butter,grated mozzarella) nearly every single fucking day.
Crisps
Some type of yogurt, frubes,actimel etc.
Grapes /peaches/strawberries /whatever

An apple or a banana for snack.

Drinks water.

She's fussy as fuck and even fussier when it comes to cold food. I just hope her school will start hot meals soon.

Gancanny · 13/09/2020 13:03

Youngest DS has restrictive eating and it's similar to what he takes, you've just got to feed her what she eats OP and if you've found foods that work then keep going.

Ine thing DS has started enjoying is banana bread. I make it in a cake bar mould so it's a little rectangle, takes around 30 minutes to make a batch including baking it, and it lasts the whole week in a tub in the fridge. You don't need very much sugar in it at all because of the ripe bananas.

Gancanny · 13/09/2020 13:05

On Friday DS had:

  • chocolate spread sandwich in one slice of white bread folded over, we use a specific nut/gluten/dairy free one as school don't allow nuts
  • a small bag of Fridge Raiders which is around 5-6 processed chicken mini-chunks
  • a small pot of blueberries
Sirzy · 13/09/2020 13:05

Ds is in year 6 and has a very restricted diet due to additional needs. For the past 3 years his packed lunch has been an apple and a packet of ready salted crisps.

She is happy, school understand. Don’t rock the boat by changing things too much!

Feminist10101 · 13/09/2020 13:06

Why lemon juice on the strawberries (out of interest)?

SoftChewyFoods · 13/09/2020 13:12

@Feminist10101

Why lemon juice on the strawberries (out of interest)?
To stop them going off and she likes the flavour
OP posts:
Feminist10101 · 13/09/2020 13:14

I just put strawberries in DD’s lunchbox and they stay fine. I only lemon juice things like apple.

Wouldn’t have thought the combination of fructose and unnecessary acid was brilliant for teeth (but understand the constraints you’re working under!).

Ploughingthrough · 13/09/2020 13:15

Op, you shouldn't consult mumsnet on your DDs lunch and definitely don't ask for a critique unless you want to be worried about nothing by the time the thread ends. You have given her the lunch she can eat given her additional needs and the time frame she has to finish in.

Many of us on here will have had a sandwich, bag of walkers crisps and a penguin bar for lunch every day for 12 years and survived so don't overthink it. Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or what anyone else puts in their kids lunchbox.

Rae36 · 13/09/2020 13:18

Mine has a tin of spaghetti hoops in a flask every single single day. I dread to think what colour his insides are. Then an apple and a frube. Usually a packet of crisps for snack.
Your dds lunch sounds quite varied in comparison.
I'm not sure the dinosaur ham is that much more processed than normal ham tbh, in terms of its nutritional content.

user1493494961 · 13/09/2020 13:19

Sounds fine to me.

Swatsup · 13/09/2020 13:19

Sounds pretty healthy. We have a thermos pot thing that’s great for pasta or soup.

CrunchyNutNC · 13/09/2020 13:22

I would swap to real butter (as a PP suggested) and ditch the mini roll (which adds nothing by way of nutrition, only sugar). The rest looks ok to me OP if, as you say, she won't eat any other type of meat.

Maybe just do mini roll on Fridays as a treat?

OverTheRainbow88 · 13/09/2020 13:27

Why no hummus at school?

If that’s what she eats then it sounds great. Is it enough to fill her up? Could add a different fruit as well?

SoftChewyFoods · 13/09/2020 13:30

@OverTheRainbow88

Why no hummus at school?

If that’s what she eats then it sounds great. Is it enough to fill her up? Could add a different fruit as well?

They said due to an allergy, I don't understand enough about allergies to know the real reason, sorry.

It fills her up until about 2.30ish, hence the after school snack as she's hungry when she comes out of school.

OP posts:
Gancanny · 13/09/2020 13:33

Hummus often has tahini in it which is made from sesame seeds.

PhantomErik · 13/09/2020 13:34

Would she eat a hard boiled egg? Maybe with some mayo to dip it in. Might make a nice change if she wants it.

My DD is 11, 12 in Jan & has a small appetite especially at school & she has:

An egg mayo sandwich (1 slice of wholemeal bread folded over - no crusts)

A tiny pot of dried fruit

A 2 finger kitkat

Pack of crisps like wotsits but usually only eats half the pack.

She often has toast with peanut butter for breakfast, sometimes with a banana.

Smallish portion of normal evening meal (roast/pasta/curry/pizza & she's not too fussy so plenty of veg etc) but loves greek yogurt with blueberries & honey so has a decent bowl of this most days.

ButteryPuffin · 13/09/2020 13:36

Op, you shouldn't consult mumsnet on your DDs lunch and definitely don't ask for a critique unless you want to be worried about nothing by the time the thread ends. You have given her the lunch she can eat given her additional needs and the time frame she has to finish in

This. You'll be told you are poisoning her and wrecking her health before you know it.

FWIW I would keep giving her what you know she will eat, and add in any more fruit and veg where you can. Like the cucumber you mentioned.

dementedpixie · 13/09/2020 13:37

strawberries don't need lemon juice to stay fresh. I send strawberries and grapes.

OverTheRainbow88 · 13/09/2020 13:37

You'll be told you are poisoning her and wrecking her health before you know it.

Congrats, you were the first to do this 🙄

Swipe left for the next trending thread