to think we should be able to choose what our kids eat for lunch?

[Cuddler]

My friends son is starting school in September and she has been given a whole list of things he isn't allowed in his lunch box.Not just for allergy reasons,i understand those,but things like,no cheese sandwiches,as thats dairy and carbs together,and no ham as its processed,no yogurts if they have sweeteners in them.No tropical fruits,only berries,apples,pears and peaches,they are better for concentration.no white bread.No pasteurized juice.

I'm not saying that the above isn't true,my kids don't have sugary yogurts or white bread sandwiches,BUT i would like to think they could have them if they wanted to,and i do think that this is going about things in the wrong way?In the grand scheme of things,a cheese sandwich,a frube,a banana and some apple juice isn't that bad is it?I mean it could be worse?

You're very lucky Cuddler. Much like some parents get given children who are terribly bright and others with SN. Some of us get difficult eaters.

I expect your friend feels really crap that her DS will only eat rubbish food. I do hope you don't rub her nose in it.

Well i dont think its luck tbh!But thats another thread!

Yanbu. It is completely up to the parent, I'd send them with whatever I wanted to, what they gonna do about it? Is this private school though?

I am not sure that I have seen that almost every poster has said they feed their DCs processed food, crisps, biscuits etc.

What I noticed is that most posters have said they mainly give their DCs completely healthy stuff then offer other bits as part of a balanced diet.

I completely disagree that it is luck with regards to what DCs eat - but like Cuddler said that is a diferent thread!

I really do think it is up to the parent to manage their own child's lunch box contents but unfortunately there are people who need help to understand what is a good balanced diet (or to be bothered to do so) so sometimes school's need to intervene.

Blanket bans on cheese/white bread/tropical fruit/yoghurts is absolutely ridiculous and I would be cross if that was my DSs school.

I do not know where people get the idea that the occasional packet of crisps or chocolate biscuits is that bad if they are having lots of fresh foods etc the majority of the time.

Sorry - just realised that the reference to the processed foods. crisps etc was about anither thread! I was confused as everyone on here seemed relatively sensible about it all!

Our DC's school was a bit like this but not as bad. It was quite entertaining because at least half the staff were obese and it gave us hours of fun in the playground.

It is complete luck re what children eat,sorry but it is.

I come from a very foody family.My mother is an amazing cook,who has travelled a lot and her cooking was always highly influenced by her cooking.I was weaned on street market food in the Far East hence I too am a foody and cook very adventurously.I have always strived to provide a variety of healthy and interesting food.

Dp and I love food,2 of my children adore food,there is literally not a single thing they won't eat. 1 of my amazing eaters has a twin who is very fussy.They were weaned from the same pot and spoon and I have never,ever force fed,made a scene or served up different food.Said fussy boy was a nightmare even with baby rice.

I drew the lucky straws with 2 of my dc re eating and the short straw with dtwin 2.He has a healthy diet and is healthy,people differ,they have different tastes,personalities.

Kiwis are banned at my DD1's school as a child there has a very severe allergy to them

This lunchbox gestapo thing gets right on my last one

"Well i dont think its luck tbh!"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

and

HAHAHAHAHA

that's me laughing at you BTW.

Cuddler - do you realise that you've basically said that it's entirely your friend's fault that her DS is such a fussy eater and that you - and her - are both really, really identifiable from this thread?

Rockpool there are different levels of fussyness and it sounds like you are giving DT a healthy diet anyway - what I really meant is that for instance my DN who was allowed to have 'party' food as her everyday lunch then started to refuse proper food when SIL suddenly realised she had been giving her a terrible selection of food form the age of 2-4 yrs so had huge battles getting her to eat properly and still does at the age of 7.

AmazingBouncingFerret - I shall join you. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

but i didnt know you could be allergic to kiwi

Of course you can, you can be allergic to anything. I am allergic to kiwi, didn't used to be, until I developed a latex allergy. The two are linked.

You can laugh all you want,no one is born with a rubbish eater gene as far as i know.It is my friends fault he wont eat properly,she doesnt mind,he still feeds like newborn baby and she is the type of person who has to be reminded to eat herself,so sometimes she forgets to feed him too.He gets all of his nutrients from her mainly so hes not suffering health wise.

rockpoll you have just proved my point?By striving to provide a variety of foods,your children eat a variety of foods?

My cousin fed her DD pureed food until she was 3 as she gagged once on a bit of lumpy food at about 8 months old so she just decided that she was unable to eat anything with lumps. Thats nothing to do with luck . . .

You hear that alot though,not until 3 but about babies not liking lumps.I have no idea why people still do purees,all of those problems just go out the window.

But he's extremely fussy.

I take issue with the not being born with a fussy eater gene,sorry but from my experience(and from the vast amount of threads on this subject)many kids are born being fussy eaters.

My son has never liked intense flavours or smells,he was in the womb with his twin so clearly this was there before he was born.He gets extremely nervous re new foods and has a major texture issue yet he has never,ever been given anything different from his twin.Although he has a healthy diet it is limited,what he knows and he often goes hungry as he will not eat foods he is scared of.

My second child was born a rubbish eater, and still is. He was failure to thrive baby and toddler, he did actually nearly starve himself. Turned out he had multiple allergies and a dodgy digestive system. He's still very picky. I'm pretty sure its nothing I did.

Cuddler - so essentially you are saying the fact that DS2 is extremely picky about what he eats is my fault? Thank you so much. By the way, the other two are fine. I thought like you until I had a fussy eater. Used to recommend ways of improving my godson's eating to my friend how she didn't punch me I do not know Then DS2 hit one and stopped eating all the stuff he had previously happily eaten. And now I understand.

Basically, until you have a fussy eater you have no idea. None.

I don't think its entirely luck; some parents do transfer food hangups to their kids; but ignoring the obvious, yes if you have a fussy eater then you have a fussy eater.

My OH grew up in extreme poverty, and food was scarce; still wouldnt eat the food his mum gave him if he didn't like it! (and little bejeezuses have inherited that fussiness)

I would totally ignore it and carry on ignoring it until I got hauled int o see the Head.

What a bloody cheek!

We can't put sweets or nuts in lunchboxes (fair enough) and have had to check about pineapple this year as there is a boy in DD's class who's allergic but that's turned out to be OK. They also frown on Frubes because of the squirty/mess potential although they don't read the riot act if you do send them in.

I know we have to have the nuts thing - but that drives me mad in itself as DD loves nuts and I have to limit the amount of bread & cheese she has as she has 'sluggish digestion' so being able to give her a peanut butter sarnie or waldorf salad would be Godsend but I can't do it.

Some parents have kids who will merrily scoff sauteéd eel, line caught mackerel with a garnish of samphire, stuffed olives and lumps of stilton. This is in part due to exposing them to a range of flavours. It is also in part down to sheer luck.

Fussy eaters are fussy eaters. And fussy eaters can appear in the most foodie of foodie households. It doesn't do to get too smug because one day your the little darlings will be away at university scoffing kebabs and pot noodles galore. Msaybe even a Fray Bentos pie! You will clutch your pearls in alarm.

I've got one of those as well, squoosh, as well as another somewhere in the middle. They have all been treated the same, seems pretty random to me!