School want me to give DC double the amount of food for lunch?

[dreakdays]

DC is 5 and has...

A cheese and onion/egg mayo sandwich

A cheese

Small pot of olives (I put these in, about 4/5 olives)

A peperami

A yogurt

A little cake bar, such as a banana soreen bar

His teacher has requested I double this, as apparently he's finishing his lunch and trying to steal other Children's food!

For breakfast he has peanut butter on toast (he won't eat anything else like porridge etc)

I really don't think it's necessary to double his food. I'd give things like veg etc or fruit but he won't eat it. It just won't get eaten and if I try to send it amongst everything else, the school tell me not to send it in as he doesn't like it

This is a special needs school but I'm a bit annoyed at having to double up on lunches

I think he's just trying to explore more stuff and needs to just be told no here...

Soreen Maltloaf is like a sweet loaf. So it's a bit like a cake but it's not a cake. Some like to put butter on it. I just love it as it is. You can get snacksize. My son loves it and has been known to eat a full loaf.

U could Add extra sandwich ( one slice cut in 2)
use thick bread slices
fill up sandwich a bit more
add the big pepperami rather Than the small ones
Fridge raiders ? They do chicken bites in small packs
add a digestive biscuit maybe ? He’s obviously still hungry .. which is great as some kids won’t eat lol

I absolutely wouldn't double that as he risks turning into a chubby child, which will lead to other problems. But maybe do add some more healthy options (not crisps, soreen cake etc but maybe a small sandwich) to stop him taking other childrens' food.

I'm curious, but is his sandwich made from two slices of bread with lots of filling? As what you describe sounds like what my 16-year-old has when he needs a packed lunch for whatever reason. If this isn't enough for your 5-year-old I think you may need medical advice as this doesn't sound normal?

Depends which school at my kids generic SN school I had to apply for free school meals.

At my son's specialist autism residential school some are day pupils all children get free school meals. Non are on packed lunch. If there isn't anything they like they will provide something they do on the condition they pick something off the menu to try. The food is really good. My son was happy they had his favourite pudding on his first day.

Mostly it's the new children that want something different. But they keep them separate to children already settled in. They soon settle in and eat off the menu.

Maybe he has a tapeworm.

Just give more sandwich

Surely the answer is to find out what he tries to steal and add that to his lunch.

Also we are not always great at feeling full, add another sandwich but cut it up smaller so he has more small sandwiches to eat.

OP you didn’t answer the basic questions about full size sandwich, full fat yoghurt etc. If he is eating a hefty egg or cheese sandwich, full fat dairy etc it seems surprising he would still be hungry. An extra sandwich or filling snacks could help. If he’s leaving his food and going for others it will be clearer that the staff need to act.

I would add something like a packet of crisps that will take him a bit longer to eat.

I would add more food and see if he eats it.

OP if it’s crisps that’s he’s after I’d try these, my nephew has Williamsons syndrome and also in a special needs setting and he eats these.

However it does sound as if it’s impulse control and will take time for the teachers to not only teach him but your ds to understand the rules at lunch time.

A packet of walkers baked, quavers, wotsits, etc...

If you put the crisps in a small tupperware container it will distract him a little from what everyone else has.

I have also found that making a snack with DS at home will make him less likely to look at what others have. Make cookies for the week, brownies, or flapjacks. DS shows them off!

I buy cake and cookie mix. Cheap, cheerful and easy.

The sandwich is a full sized sandwich. He eats the crusts too

The full fat yoghurt comes home every day. The only thing he won't eat

My son attends a special needs school and some kids have stolen his food,like you say it's about exploring and they need to set boundaries!
My 8 year old wouldn't eat half the amount of what you send so it seems like loads to me 😳.
If he's it overweight you could send more but if he is chubby he might not get the message he's full so food needs monitoring x

@ghostsandpumpkinsalready haha they're terrible for this aren't they? So cheeky DS will take my food even if we're eating the same...'I don't eat around him much anymore. Always the same stress!

He's 50th centile for height and 49th for weight. Slim, muscly figure with lean torso etc and visibly has what looks like a sick pack emerging!

Due to the constant climbing and non stop moving since 3am activity

I would swap the yogurt for something like a packet of crisps and see if that helps

It sounds very high salt for a small child (peanut butter is also high in sodium alongside most of the elements in his lunch). Lots of research out there confirms that high salt diets make you retain water so you don't feel thirsty as such even though you are dehydrated- but they do make you feel hungrier. It's worth a Google.

Replace the high salt stuff with low salt and give him a yoghurt drink and more fluids in general and he will probably be easier satiated.

If he's hungry right now it's probably also a major growth spurt. I wouldn't over think it, just give him another sandwich and a banana. As they get older you'll see lots of growth spurts. But in general the salt is probably a big issue here for the little guy.

Maybe he's tiny because you aren't feeding him enough?

I’d try doubling the sandwich, add banana and crisps and see how you go x

Surprised the school can’t deal with him trying to eat other’s food. My son did the same at 5 & the school just used it as a learning opportunity! it’s pretty standard at a special school surely?

Could you try swapping the pot of olives for something sweet and see if that solves it? Olives are high in salt and fat but don’t count as one of his 5 a day (I’m sure you know this, I’m just explaining my reasoning for picking on the olives!) so he probably wouldn’t be missing out on much by not eating them? It doesn’t have to be a huge slice of cake, just something small.

Or if he won’t eat the yoghurt you could swap that for something.

So your child is pinching other kids crisps.

Even back when I went to school the ones whose parents made them a 'healthier' lunch were always trying to scav my bloody crisps. Surely just let you kid eat some crisps. A packet of wotsists once a day won't kill them.

That wouldn't be enough for my DS. He would have that plus a small hot meal, taken in a thermos container - rice, pasta, etc.

He’s slim but very, very high energy.

🤣 little monsters but so adorable.
He sounds perfectly proportioned so maybe a bit more food to keep his hands to himself.
And I agree about the six pack 🤣I always used to say I need to copy my sons movements I'd say a fortune on weight watchers 💪🏼🤣