School nursery packed lunch worries

[QforCucumber]

Ds will be starting school udders full time in September, the nursery children must take a packed lunch and I’m at such a loss as to how this will do him the whole day?!

he will attend 9-3 then be at the childminder until 5.

currently, and since he was 9 months, he’s in full time private nursery 8:15-5:15 where he gets toast at 9am. Fruit at 10. Hot lunch (curry, chilli and rice, fish pie etc) at 11:45. Plus a pudding (apple crumble, cake and custard) light dinner at 3:15 (beans on toast, wraps, frittata slices) and then still eats his dinner at home ag 6pm.

I feel like I’m going to have to pack him 2 lunches or something; one for lunchtime and one for at the childminders? Does anyone have any experience of the change and ideas for keeping him satiated?

(most annoying is that once he starts reception he can go back to hot meals again! Hope he will want to)

not udders 🤦🏽‍♀️

Usually in the early years they have a fruit snack in the morning or afternoon. I would check with them. They don’t want hangry toddlers either!
I would ask your childminder if it’s possible he can have a snack at pick up time too.
my two go in with a packed lunch (I overdo it but make sure it’s filling foods)… but eldest takes an apple for morning break and youngest they have the fruit in the morning.

they'll get a snack at nursery too.

usually am & pm - my daughters nursery before school was 10am snack, 11.30 lunch, snack I think around 1.30/2 and then home at 3.

In DDs school they get given a piece of fruit at mid morning break. Lunch is either hot dinner or packed lunch. For packed lunch we give:

• some kind of wrap/sandwich/crackers
• piece of fruit
• some type of vegetable
• dairy thing - yoghurt or cheesestring
• snack pack - crisps, breadsticks, ricecake

She usually doesn't eat it all but will have whatever she doesn't eat when she gets home as a snack.

My experience was nursery gave fruit snack in the morning.

Childminder might give an after school snack, you'll have to ask them.

But its perfectly normal for kids if that age to have breakfast at 8ish, fruit mid morning, packed lunch, after school snack of a biscuit or similar, then dinner at 5.30...

Ah these are great to know Thankyou, the childminder does pre packaged snacks but doesn’t prepare food on site (so only a croissant or something) ds1 gets picked up from school by her already but he never attended a school nursery and instead stayed in private daycare due to us moving house at a similar age so I feel clueless about the nursery procedures

I'm confused - is he going to a council nursery attached to a school from 9-3?

At DS nursery, they provide morning and afternoon snacks plus they can get a drink at anytime. At DS nursery, the snack table is open most of the morning where they can just go up and help themselves. Then there's an hour where they get nothing before they sit down for their packed lunch. They another snack and drinks round in the afternoon.

Have you asked the nursery what they do? We didn't find out anything until the induction visit.

My DS quite often doesn't eat his packed lunch at lunchtime because he's stuffed his face with cheese and crackers, wraps, crumpets etc at the snack table and he's too full for lunch! He will often have the packed lunch on the way home or for tea.

They get milk and snack morning and afternoon.

I have a yum box and it really helps me to pack a varied selection. I have 4 year old twins, they have a sandwich, yogurt, fruit, snack/biscuits and sometimes hummus and crackers. Ask your childminder to take a snack with them when they pick them up, just to stave off being grumpy. For the first few weeks of staying their night time meals will be awful as they’re so tired but I just did really simple filling meals, beans on toast, jacket potato, pasta bolognese etc

@Skyeheather its school nursery, they go in ‘uniform’ the teachers are part of the school, they share part of their playground with reception. All schools locally have them.

Nursery tends to feed them tea because some children will be there til 6 and home later. He'll be home at 5, he doesn't need a whole meal before then. Just give him lunch, add a little snack for the childminder's if they don't provide them, and give him a proper dinner at home.

You give breakfast before school, either send fruit or they provide it at break time, they will provide milk, you pack a packed lunch, then depending on your child minder, a snack for after school