...to think that this is an appropriate packed lunch for an 8yo

[sashangel]

My DD is is going on a school trip today so have had to put a packed lunch together. She is very tall and thin for her age. She is also very active doing lots of different sports through the week. It consisted of

A ham and coleslaw wholemeal wrap with watercress salad.
A pot of Carrot, cucumber, baby tomatoes and olives
A pot of Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and kiwi
Light Babybel
Mini Pepperami
Pot of ambrosia rice pudding
With water.

I was speaking to another mum who looked completely horrified (not joking) that she didn't have crisps and at least one chocolate bar to go with it and if she had only gave what I had to her DD she would get a telling off.

I thought what I have put together was a healthy and appropriate amount of food for an 8 year old. Is that right or have I completely fucked up and have a very hungry and grumpy DD later.

In RL mine has a ham sandwich on Best of Both, a few cherry tomatoes, a frube type thing and a cake slice from the overpriced packed lunch section of Waitrose. I got told off when I only put healthy things in there as apparently it made him the odd one out.

Wow it's an amazing packed lunch. Wish my dd would eat such variety.

Sounds fine. I bet you got half of it back.

You have a child who will eat olives!!??

It is a lovely lunch box. I would have put a fair bit of that type of stuff, and as a bad mum still often gave crisps and a small chocolate biscuit too.

Good god, no one show DP one of these threads - I make him two bagels and an apple for his lunch and occasionally he might get a slice of cake or a yoghurt or a cold sausage. He's a grown man and normally out at work for at least 14 hours

Why so much food for a child?! Or are they having teeny portions of each thing? In which case, would it not just be easier to shove an apple in, than pot up three different varieties of berries?!

GinAndOnIt - how come you make your DP's lunch? Although I have to say my 6'3 DH would complain of actual starvation if that was his lunch (although he does his own so I don't have to worry)!

As for OP - what a stealth boast. Who really has the time to make up a whole fruit salad for a kids lunch box rather than just chuck an apple or similar in there? I love the 'wholemeal wrap with watercress salad' as well.

Kit because I like to!

Sounds like a goodreasonably healthy mix to me, but as others have said a HUGE amount for a skinny child.

My DS starts whole days rather than just mornings at preschool after Easter and you lot have given me a complex about his bloody packed lunch already! Nit picking calories, sugar and salt in lunchbox items, unless it is clearly excessive and at dangerous levels (in which case if this was happening daily I would expect the school to have a word with parents) then I don't know why is causes such distress to mumsnetters.

Come on, are you honestly going to pick apart a friggin' rice pudding?!

He is fussy (no doubt caused by my terrible/soft parenting I hear you cry) so I'm already slightly limited but thanks for letting me know how harshly I will be judged for the odd packet of mini cheddars, or dare I utter the word Quavers.

You are being completely unreasonable. peperami ? it's a heart attack and cholesterol hit in a bag. same for babybel which is probably one molecule away from being a piece of rubber. Utter shite.

parents today.....

Right, here's my example of a packed lunch for a School trip for 6 year old DS.

HAM or Cheese or Tuna Sandwich
1 packet of crisps - normally quavers or skips
1 full fat yoghurt
1 pot of cucumber/carrot/mango sticks
Or a combination - I ask him what he would prefer
1 small kitkat
1 orange juice pouch and 1 water pouch.

I think this is a fair lunch for a School Trip. It depends on what you feel is appropriate.

In my DS' case - a nice bit of everything always goes down well.

kskifred are you new to MN?

I only ask because, out there in the real world, nobody gives a shit what you put in your child's lunchbox.

But every so often one of these threads pops up to tell a poster that no matter how healthy they might think the lunchbox is, they are in fact completely wrong and there is too much salt, fat, sugar etc. in it.

It sounds similar to what I give my kids although they don't like olives or blackberries. I usually give one fruit e.g. Pot of chopped strawberries and one veg eg 4 cucumber/carrot sticks. Agree full fat babybel is what they need. I always give them more than usual when they go on a school trip. Once a week I give a treat like crisps or a cake.

Jesus.

I've been making packed lunches on and off for nearly 20 years anf I have NEVER discussed the contents in RL ever.

Is this really what mums talk about these days?

Fwiw the lunch sounds completely over the top.

I last made a packed lunch a week or so ago for dd 10. Tuna sandwich, crisps, apple, water. Tick, vg.

Id be a bit worried about the salt content, but not too bad

The thing that puts me off putting things like hummus, chopped fruit, salad etc into my child's lunchbox is the thought of washing it all up when he gets home and it's all mixed up and gone manky after having been kept warm all afternoon. He's gone on a trip today and had taken a cheese & onion sandwich (bought from Tesco yesterday, taken out of its packet and wrapped in clingfilm), an apple that's been ready chopped and packaged, a couple of sachets of salad cream for him to dip his apple into, a couple of pieces of mature cheddar, a squeezy yoghurt, a kinder chocolate bar and a bottle of orange squash.

I love this thread!
When I check their lunch boxes I like to tick things off:
Fruit..,half of a grape eaten ✅
Babybell....one bite taken ✅
Yoghurt...two spoonfuls left ✅
Crisps...half packet stuck to lunchbox with leftover yoghurt ✅
One spoon....missing ✅
Sandwiches....two crusts with half sandwich attached ✅
If I don't get 6/6 ticks then I know something's up!

I LOVE this billy

I've been making packed lunches on and off for nearly 20 years anf I have NEVER discussed the contents in RL ever

Me neither. It sounds a very boring topic of conversation apart from anything else.

Sounds overly complicated The soft fruit will be smashed to a pulp by lunchtime though not a great choice for a coach trip.

An easier alternative may have been a whole apple or a couple of satsumas.

Fairly sure you know that's a healthy lunch!!

Here's my top tip for packed lunches:

Every week when we go to McD (yes! We go every week) I ask for BBQ sauce and they always give 2 sachets. Then I use them to go which a chicken wrap.

Of course, the wrap is wholemeal. It really is. I'm not a bad mum.

Loving "missing spoon". Oh yes.

You mean you didn't pack her some broccoli soup in a thermo?

You were trying to innocently ask if giving your child fruit and veg and cheese as snacks is wrong/inadequate instead of giving her chocolate and chips?

Seriously?

Steal boast.

Sounds fine to me. I do tent to make up a more treat like packed lunch when my kids have a school trip though with crisps or biscuits.