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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

about my son's lunchbox

109 replies

Bogeybrains · 22/09/2015 21:00

Sorry for what is probably a boring topic to many but would like opinions on this. Since he has gone back to school, my previously picky eating 7 year old has transformed. The school are rewarding the children with stickers and rewards if they finish everything in their lunchbox. DS now insists on eating every single crumb as opposed to hardly eating anything.He is looking so much healthier. However, DS is coming home upset and cross because he is missing playtime with his friends because he spends his entire lunch break in the hall. Surely this is not normal. I'm wondering if I am giving him too much but I don't think I am. He normally has a tuna and cucumber sandwich on 2 slices of bread, cheese stick, yoghurt, piece of fruit and a flapjack/cake. Is this a normal amount for a 7 year old or am I overfeeding the poor thing making him miss playtime?

OP posts:
sproketmx · 23/09/2015 19:28

What do you do tho? What my kids have is basically the same as me and my siblings have and none of us are overweight. We're all in pretty physical manual labour jobs though. My kids get in the door just after three and they're ravenous. They get another roll or something then they're out to play till half 5, come in and get their tea then out to play again till half 7 maybe 8ish. They never stop going.

DamnBamboo · 23/09/2015 20:13

Besides, if they're used to big lunches rather than light ones from such an early age, they probably will still be hungry again at 3 o'clock before long, because it'll take more to fill them up

Oh dear!
Says someone who clearly has no knowledge about satiety and appetite, especially for that of a child!

So you're suggesting that more food for a child, means they'll be hungrier? Rather than a good meal means that they can hold off for longer.

Curious though, What evidence do you a have for your statement? I'm not aware of a shred, but would love to be enlightened!

DamnBamboo · 23/09/2015 20:21

They may not have a weight problem now, but being used to lots of food in one sitting will eventually turn into a weight problem later on

Oh FGS. We appear to be on a thread with a load of experts in appetite! Who knew it Hmm

If you are so enlightened as to what will and won't cause childhood obesity, can I suggest you make it your mission to contact public health England and tell them all this! I'm sure they're dying to know.

OP, if you are teaching to child to eat to satiety and no more (and there is very clear evidence that children don't eat food just becuase it's there, unlike adults ; even tasty food!) then don't worry about it at all. Your lunch is fine.

Gottagetmoving · 23/09/2015 20:50

Damnbamboo

There are many causes of childhood obesity. It's not a mystery.I am sure 'public health' know the reasons without me contacting them
Overfeeding is one cause. You don't have to be an expert, it's common sense. Even experts disagree with each other.
One thing is for sure, childhood obesity is becoming a major problem so parents are going wrong somewhere.
Large portions could be the beginning.

sproketmx · 23/09/2015 21:15

I think a bigger part of child obesity is none of them do anything. There isn't many obese kids here coz they play out in the streets. Being active. Kids these days are kept indoors or in a wee garden and while they may do activities and things it's no substitute for being outside and a bit feral like kids should be.

MinecraftWonder · 23/09/2015 21:19

Large portions could be the beginning

Somehow, I think parents feeding their kids shite is the problem, not stuffing them full of too many apples Hmm

OhWotIsItThisTime · 24/09/2015 05:12

Somehow, I think parents feeding their kids shite is the problem, not stuffing them full of too many apples Grin

nooka · 24/09/2015 05:50

My children are long past primary now, but ds in particular needed a fairly large lunch. He never was very hungry at breakfast time, and so part of his pack up was for snack time and part for lunch time. If he didn't have enough to eat his behaviour really deteriorated (at home too). We couldn't do school hot lunches becasue they were much too small and he always needed extra pretty much as soon as he came out of school too. No worries about being over weight, he was at the 6th centile until very recently (he has started to fill out now he's almost adult height) and I'd be very surprised if he was ever overweight.

Some children burn off a lot of calories and need more food. Others are more sedentary and need much less. To me the obvious thing to look at in the OP's child's lunch box are the things that take longer to eat. So yogurt in a tube rather than a pot, cubes of cheese rather than cheese string (if that's what he has now), cut up fruit perhaps and also a check on any tricky packaging.

merrymouse · 24/09/2015 06:03

How long is the lunch break? Maybe that is part of the problem?

Anyway, you don't have to take an all or nothing approach - just experiment with smaller portions/cutting things out and see what happens.

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