Is this enough food

[Cosymess]

7 year old DS has school lunch. He generally eats most of it but I think it's sometimes a small portion as he says often the potato/vegetables aren't great quality.

Yesterday was Mac cheese. At after-school club he had some cheese and breadsticks.

He is tired and never fancies proper dinner when he gets home.

Dinner was chopped fruit and a slice of toast with peanut butter. Bowl of cereal before bed.

He's very slim and I would feel happier if he has a substantial meal.

Is it really that surprising that he doesn't want a hot dinner at night when he's already had one during the day? Peanut butter on toast with fruit is fairly nutritious, add a glass of full fat milk as well, or maybe offer beans or egg on toast or jacket potato and a pudding after.

@SmellyOldOwls

Is it really that surprising that he doesn't want a hot dinner at night when he's already had one during the day? Peanut butter on toast with fruit is fairly nutritious, add a glass of full fat milk as well, or maybe offer beans or egg on toast or jacket potato and a pudding after.

I think that really depends on what the school dinners are like.

DD was never that keen on them so picked out what she liked and it was hardly what I would call a full hot meal. I personally also found the portions tiny.

I think offering a second one is absolutely acceptable, at least I would know that my child gets the necessary nutritions on a daily basis.

I think offering a portion of the family meal is better than cooking a separate one and beans/eggs and/or jacket potatoes is also a full meal in my view.

If evening tiredness is a problem can you beef up his breakfasts instead? Eggs/beans etc on toast and maybe a breakfast 'pudding' of yoghurt and fruit or a pancake similar? Then he can have a lighter meal for his dinner whilst getting the same number of calories as a child that has a piece of toast or cereal at breakfast, picks at school lunch then has a 'full' dinner?

But if he's a healthy weight and is healthy and growing well, it's possible he just has a small appetite, sometimes I do think we expect DC to eat near-adult sized portions and they don't really need it, everyone is different after all and although some DC would probably be starving without a proper hot dinner others seem to thrive on much less...

What time are you doing dinner?

Honestly it sounds not terrible to me. There's protein in there and a decent mix overall. My DD never went more than 2 hours between food and still doesn't at 14yo, but it does mean a lot of smaller meals.

At that age she'd have had a biscuit on waking and then cereal/toast at before school club. Ours were allowed a snack at break time (she favoured a Winder or Smoothie Melts) and then she had school lunches at that point. She was veggie and it varied whether she ate much of it. After school club gave them a biscuit and unlimited fruit, and then a cooked tea at 5pm - spag bol, curry, nuggets, jacket potato sort of thing, with yogurt pudding. She'd come home and have some dinner with us about 7:30pm.

Only difference now is she doesn't eat breakfast really and one dinner not two, but has a substantial snack after school.

She's now 6 foot tall and like a bean pole....

@reluctantbrit of course a second hot meal is acceptable but a bit pointless if the boy refuses to eat it.

My dc have always had a big evening meal even when they have school dinners....school lunches are quite small portions arent they? I'm surprised he's not hungry after school...usually kids are starving by the time they get home.

As water addict said, at this stage let him have anything he will eat but go full fat milk, yoghurt ect. I had one like this who would barely eat at school, in fact reached the point where he refused all food at school. I discovered ovaltine instant hot chocolate is fortified with alsorts of vitamins and minerals and always bought full fat organic milk for highest calories/nutrition (in fact still do and he's 6'2" adult now😂 (skimmed for me). Eventually, years later, he became interested in nutrition/health and cooking, became vegetarian and now eats healthier than I do! Try to relax but make sure anything he likes that is nutritious is freely available and try to get him interested in growing and cooking. Making home made dough/pizza from scratch was always a hit at that age. If they help make it they seem more interested in eating it

Could he be dehydrated? Tiredness is the first sign of that. When he gets home from school could you encourage him to drink more when he is having his snack... water is best, but it doesnt really matter what it is as long as its not full of sugar. He would feel more alert and hopefully more interested when it came to mealtime.

@SmellyOldOwls

Is it really that surprising that he doesn't want a hot dinner at night when he's already had one during the day? Peanut butter on toast with fruit is fairly nutritious, add a glass of full fat milk as well, or maybe offer beans or egg on toast or jacket potato and a pudding after.

School dinners are usually tiny. For example when they have fishfingers at my daughter's school they got one! She eats four at home. That is why they need a proper meal in the evening.

Can't hurt to consider all ideas, will make sure he isn't thirsty. At weekends I can compensate with a good breakfast. I'm not really concerned about the tiredness. He is up at 6.30 and home 5/5.30 so feels reasonable that he is tired. He's an active child. He has just had one bite of dinner. My mash is lumpy apparently. I can't believe it's worse than school mash!

I don't think it sounds that bad, especially if he's a restricted eater anyway. Fruit and effectively a peanut butter sandwich for one main meal and school dinner for the other. Maybe the breadsticks fill him a bit so he doesn't want more dinner? Cereal for supper is completely normal though and probably helps with sleep. If you can get him to have a bit more then great but I think some kids just don't eat much and they do ok. DS2 is now 10 and has just started eating better having been really birdy and picky when he was younger.