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Original poster

Reception child hunger - what do you feed them in the evening?

118 replies

tigerrr · 14/09/2024 06:40

My son started reception this week and comes home absolutely starving. He has a hot meal at school and an afternoon snack so my plan was to give him "tea" (eg sandwich, fruit, yoghurt etc) in the evenings.

However he keeps asking for more more more. Yesterday he had pasta, a crepe, yoghurt, an apple, and then wanted more snacks so he had a pear, healthy flapjack, breadsticks and Philadelphia, cucumber sticks and raisins! We were running out of ideas by the end!

What do other people offer their reception aged child after school?

OP posts:
whatwindow · 14/09/2024 06:43

I still give a normal hot dinner even though there was a hot meal at school. On top of a healthy after-school snack or two.

Solasum · 14/09/2024 06:43

I always worked on the assumption that anything eaten at school was a bonus, and served a full portion of whatever I was eating for dinner

Flibflobflibflob · 14/09/2024 06:44

Just give him a proper meal. They are still growing quite fast and are usually quite active. Theres no point in trying to give a child a picnic tea if they are still hungry. Theres no rule that says they only need one hot meal a day. Mine has a packed lunch which always come back cleared out so I know she’s eating well. She usually has a bit of popcorn or something then she’s out for clubs 5 days a week and then home for a full meal.

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Changeiscomingthisyear · 14/09/2024 06:45

Snack when leaving school eg apple, cheese, biscuits.

Dinner in the evening, this week we’ve had pad thai, jacket potato and beans, spag bol, sardine spahetti, lentil and bacon soup with toast (home made).

I don’t do anything different because they’ve had school dinners. The meal is hot but not bigger and they’re not always great in terms of nutrition.

Bearpawk · 14/09/2024 06:45

Why aren't you giving him a proper meal ?

CastleTower · 14/09/2024 06:45

We have a hot meal in the evening too. It's my main meal time anyway. I don't feel bad if she doesn't want much but she usually does.

We eat at 5.30, so her day is:

Breakfast 7am
School milk 9am ish
School dinner 11.30am
Fruit 2.00pm
Crackers and juice 3.30pm (after-school club)
Dinner at home 5.30pm

Mumistiredzzzz · 14/09/2024 06:46

I had planned that as DD would have a hot meal at school she's probably want something small for tea...no! Shea is ravenous despite eating all her lunch. We just do a normal full tea on top of all the snacks she wants as soon as she gets out the gate 🤣

Mumof2namechange · 14/09/2024 06:47

We always eat a proper hot meal all together in the evening.

I reckon kids generally don't eat much for lunch at school (at any age), they're too excited/distracted talking to their friends. I'm a teacher so I've seen it

FaiIureToLunch · 14/09/2024 06:50

Why can’t you feed him what you have? They need food! School dinners are garbage, my kids always get a big feed.

MyOtherCarisAVauxhallZafira · 14/09/2024 06:51

DS has overnight oats or porridge with fruit for breakfast, milk and a piece of fruit at snack time at school, hot school lunch, after school club sandwiches and sometimes cake if there's any left from lunchtime , non ASC days and after school snack yesterday was a crumpet with peanut butter and a banana before swimming lesson and every night he has dinner when he gets home at around 5:30, he's tall for his age and at the bottom end of BMI. No way would he make do with a sandwich for dinner

SardineJam · 14/09/2024 06:51

Give him proper dinner, and eat together as a family...

Cheesecakelunch · 14/09/2024 06:52

Give him a proper dinner? Not sure why it's a such a mystery to you.

Brainded · 14/09/2024 06:59

Just feed him a proper dinner! I don’t understand why people think a person should only have one hot meal per day!?

Mummyoflittledragon · 14/09/2024 07:00

That’s not enough. School lunches aren’t great and reception kids generally have their lunch first as they need to eat more regularly and this keeps their energy up. Dd used to come out of school starving so I’d bring a snack with me then she’d have a meal at maybe 5.30. She didn’t eat much variety so that was spaghetti bolognese, eggs with marmite soldiers or dinosaur burgers with pasta and vegetables.

Original poster
tigerrr · 14/09/2024 07:02

FaiIureToLunch · 14/09/2024 06:50

Why can’t you feed him what you have? They need food! School dinners are garbage, my kids always get a big feed.

We eat later after he's gone to bed. How do people have time to cook and eat so early if you're finishing work at 5.30ish?

I think I assumed one hot meal would be enough, but clearly need to rethink!

Perhaps I'll rely on the slow cooker now that we're in Autumn, and could get something cooking in the morning, then son can have a portion at 5.30 and we have ours when husband gets home later.

OP posts:
Original poster
tigerrr · 14/09/2024 07:03

Cheesecakelunch · 14/09/2024 06:52

Give him a proper dinner? Not sure why it's a such a mystery to you.

Not sure why you need to write such a snarky response?

OP posts:
Bjorkdidit · 14/09/2024 07:03

You don't mention breakfast. If he's starving it could be that his lunch is insufficient to fill him up after breakfast so if he has a decent breakfast, that could help too.

Something like eggs, beans or cheese on toast rather than rubbishy cereal or even porridge which makes a lot of people more hungry not feel fuller as often claimed.

The sort of food you mention isn't really substantial meal food as its mostly carby. If you're trying to avoid cooking a proper meal, the aforementioned eggs, beans or cheese on toast or an omelette would also be better than things like pancakes and breadsticks.

LucyLocketLovesPollyPocket · 14/09/2024 07:04

I found with mine that I'd give them an early hot dinner once home around 4.30pm, then they would have supper when me and dh ate our evening meal. If I gave them snacks they wouldn't eat a full meal and want to snack all evening, same with a cold tea.

School meals are not that big, and the younger children eat first. With distraction of friends and the promise of play they don't always eat much.

Original poster
tigerrr · 14/09/2024 07:04

@Bjorkdidit thanks that's helpful. I will have a rethink ready for next week

OP posts:
Wessiewoowoo · 14/09/2024 07:05

When my kids were young and we used to eat later , I would batch cook , so I could re heat a meal for them after school. So they got a meal earlier than us , as they got older they would have a snack after school and then a meal with us .

Original poster
tigerrr · 14/09/2024 07:05

He only gets home around 5.30 as he does after school club except on Fridays.

OP posts:
Bjorkdidit · 14/09/2024 07:05

Batch cooking is another option to help with the time issue. If you have bolognese sauce, chilli or curry ready to reheat, you only need 10 mins to so some pasta or rice.

arethereanyleftatall · 14/09/2024 07:06

Their dinner....

If you don't want to/can't eat with him, then he has whatever you made for dinner the night before.,

Fargo79 · 14/09/2024 07:06

Portions are generally small at school and it's not uncommon for children to rush their lunch and not finish it. He is also growing extremely rapidly at that age and lots of brain development is happening which all takes huge amounts of energy. He needs a proper dinner after school and if he's still hungry then he also needs healthy snacks. Children are usually very good at self regulating and listening to their bodies for hunger cues. The last thing you want to do is override that and teach him to ignore his hunger or, conversely, eat when he isn't hungry.

BarbaraHoward · 14/09/2024 07:07

On after school club days mine has three hot meals! School dinner, dinner at after school club and then dinner at home. On ASC days she doesn't always eat much of her dinner at home, on other days she has a snack mid afternoon and then usually devours her dinner at home. We all eat together about 6:30, and then the kids go to bed.

The school dinners won't be a big portion and probably eaten very early. Just cos it's hot doesn't mean it's enough to be their main meal.

What did you do before he started school? Do you eat together as a family at all?

If your husband can't be home on time, I'd eat with your son and then your DH can reheat his.