Critique my DD's packed lunch

[flowerpootle]

Bit out of practise...

Mini breadsticks
Quinoa crisps (handful)
Hummus
Lump of Parmesan (her favourite cheese)
Chopped cherry tomatoes
Chocolate digestive biscuits
Nectarine
Cherries

She's 4

Its fine! Lots of fruit

No artisanal cheese? No Italian hand-cured Serrano ham? What wine are you pairing with the lunch? Olives wouldn't go a miss...

4/10

Four year olds I know would take about an hour to get through all that faff.

No one eats a lump of parmesan , its okay to say babybel OP

It sounds OK.

If you're looking for improvements, I'd ditch the breadsticks and digestive biscuits (just empty calories) and try to include some less processed carbohydrates.

I'd also add some extra veggies...cucumber, carrot sticks, cold sweetcorn. They get so hungry at school/ nursery that they're much less fussy ime .

I would replace the chocolate digestive with something non-chocolaty as it will melt everywhere as she eats it.

It looks fine to me - all major food groups. There is no reason you have to have a traditional sandwich if this is what she prefers. Maybe a few more veg?

It is perfectly normal (and delicious) to eat chunks of Parmesan.

Better than my 4 year old who has the exact same pack up every day (being tested for ASD).

A ham sandwich
3 cheddar crackers
A pot of strawberries and blueberries
A pot of carrot and cucumber sticks
A strawberry mini malt loaf.

He absolutely won’t deviate from it at all. I’m hoping he will have school dinners when he starts in September to try and get a bit of variety!

@PrettyBlunt

Sounds good.

My 2 year old when I've tried him on hummus acts like I've given him a pile of sand to eat.

Do people still do the typical sort of lunches? Sandwiches, fruit a few crisps etc? For their children in school. Just asking as the children I know have hot dinners.

Lunches like the OPs would be in the minority at my school. Most children bring a wrap / sandwich, crisps, a side of cucumber / fruit etc and something sweet. As for the OPs lunch if it's for a school dinner I would worry it's too much, they really don't have long to eat and it's quite a lot of food to get through.

Christ, mine used to get a ham sandwich (crusts off and cut into triangles), a bag of hoola hoops, a piece of fruit that was never eaten and a fruit shoot.

Absolutely fine.

@maddiemookins16mum

Christ, mine used to get a ham sandwich (crusts off and cut into triangles), a bag of hoola hoops, a piece of fruit that was never eaten and a fruit shoot.

Mine too. Except they had water because they didn’t like fruit shoots.

Ham and cheese if they were feeling adventurous

Packet of crisps.

Squishy Yoghurt or Frube

Stunt apple.

Sounds ok to me.

Mine won't eat mixed things either, so no sandwiches or wraps. She's four. I normally go with a bread roll, a hard boiled egg or some mini sausages, some cheese, cucumber and tomatoes, strawberries/banana and a yoghurt.

Stunt apple 😂

I eat chunks of parmesan, as did my Dd at that age, yes, it's salty by there's this miraculous thing called water, and we have these things called taps to provide it.

That's loads. My 4yo has a sandwich, aldi frube and grapes and usually doesn't eat that.

Thank you @Whinge. Yes don't they have something silly like half hour?

Lol at the “no protein” comments. Houmous and Parmesan are protein. Though, yeah, it’s crying out for some charcuterie too.

Maybe add some olives and little cornichon?

Stunt apple .

I remember first day of Reception I must have spent an hour prepping a beautifully balanced lunch, including sweet potato wedges and a wrap with avocado instead of margarine. I didn't know back then that the avocado would be brown by lunchtime and I got a call to warn me not to put peanut butter in his wraps. I was as had no idea what they were on about and he had a peanut allergy.
Anyway your lunch sounds lovely if a bit salty with the Parmesan. I usually do half a sandwich with some fruit, veg and a cake. Nicer than just filling up on the boring sandwich.

Honest to god. You will be making packed lunches for the next eleventy million years. Make them easy and something your kid will eat.

Don’t start off all high brow and make work for yourself.

@PrettyBlunt

Thank you *@Whinge*. Yes don't they have something silly like half hour?

It's 30 minutes in our school, I know another who have 40 minutes, but either way it's really not a lot of time. 30 minutes flies by, and with one or 2 midday supervisors serving dinners, mopping up spills, filling up water bottles and keeping an eye on 60+ children it's easy for children to spend too much time chatting and not eating.

@Santastealer that's a perfectly good lunch in my opinion! I know loads of parent who would be thrilled if their children ate that. My DD6 has been eating the same wrap for 3 years now (ham, cheese, tomato and cucumber) and she is still in love with it

@maddiemookins16mum

Christ, mine used to get a ham sandwich (crusts off and cut into triangles), a bag of hoola hoops, a piece of fruit that was never eaten and a fruit shoot.

Frozen ham sandwich (because there were five of us and mother made them all on a Sunday night), wrapped in cling film, just about defrosted by first break, supermarket own brand crisps, and a penguin. Oh and diluted orange squash in the thermos flask! Sorry, not helpful, but shows how times change!

My DD6 has been eating the same wrap for 3 years now
Perhaps make a smaller one next time

I wouldn’t put biscuits in at all, the rest if it sounds fine. The four years olds at our school seem to exist on half a crayon and three peas for lunch.
I’m a mean mum, I put four of their five a day in their lunch box, then I just have to lob some broccoli at them in the evening, job done