To ask what you put in a 5 yr olds packed lunch

[Mehfruittea]

DS class have all had a talk and been told not to bring too much food or any fizzy drinks in their packed lunch. That's ok.

DS now really unhappy with the packed lunch I've made, saying it's too much and he's not allowed.

I've done him:
1 ham sandwich, cut in to 4
1 sugar free jelly pot
5 strawberries, cut in quarters as quite large
1 kids mini cheese stick thing (cheddar, not a cheese string!)
1 small fairy cake home baked, no icing
1 bottle of water

He wants to leave the cheese at home, which is ok, but also 3 out of 4 of the ham sandwich. 3/4 of it!!

God knows what school have said but they've scared him half to death and I'm worried he won't have enough if he doesn't take the full sandwich. He doesn't eat crusts so will only have enough for 1 bite!

What do you think? Is this too much? What do you send for a full school day + after school club so pick up at 4pm.

Wrap (cheese/ham/salami) or sandwich (cheese/ham/salami/tuna) for my big two I use two slices of bread, for my little ds I use one.

One veggie i.e carrot or cucumber sticks. Sometimes homous to dip.

One fruit i.e grapes/strawberries/melon/kiwi/mango

Yoghurt or cheese (eg babybel)

Sometimes crisps or a biscuit but not always.

All 3 of them always eat it all and we haven't ever been told off for sending any of th above.

5 year old has a sandwich or a 'thin' with cheese, pastrami, salami, tuna and cucumber/cheese and crackers/a homemade sausage roll or pasty
mixed veg sticks or just a small carrot
fruit cut up
bear yoyo/hand full of crisps, cheddars,popcorn/a celebration/a mini muffin.

Is it possible that the school have recommended one sandwich and he is taking this literally to mean one of your 4 pieces?

A chicken pot noodle and some money to go the chippy.....

Got a problem with that Mummypig??

I give me 9 month old baby more than what some you do for your children.

She has;

1 sandwich cut into 4 triangles
Grapes, raspberries strawberries
2 pieces of watermelon
Baby bell
Dairy-lee dunkers
Raisins
Yogurt biscuit bar thing
Some crisps or a chocolate biscuit

Tbf she is with the CM all day

Mine aren't that into sandwiches.

They either have mini ham & cheese pizzas (one batch of dough in the bread maker makes enough for around 8 small bases) or wraps - one filled tortilla cut in half.

That plus a piece of fruit is all they get. I used to spend ages putting in chopped cucumber, carrot, yoghurts, etc - that would get eaten but then half the pizza or wrap wouldn't. Once in a while I put in a small piece of cake (we cut birthday cakes up into small portions, wrap & freeze them for lunchboxes, there's always far too much on the day).

So now they get enough, it all comes back eaten and if they're hungry after school they get a piece of cake / toast / fruit / yoghurt / etc depending on where they're going next. Fridays is sparring so they get chocolate muffins :-)

In your case OP, I would lose the sugar free jelly and keep the sandwich. It's got carbs and protein which is going to do him more good than whatever sugar replacement chemicals are in the jelly. I wouldn't lose the cake, because - well, because cake :-)

Some of these lunches are so exotic - my DS now 16 has had more or less the same packed lunch for ever.

One (or two if hungry) sandwiches.
Banana
water to drink

He did go through a stage of having a small biscuit (kit kat or similar) but now doesn't bother.

DD is 4 and she has:

Half a wrap with ham or cheese / half a roll with same / a slice of quiche

2 x of cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper

1 x of strawberries, grapes or raisins

Yoghurt

Cheese lump or cocktail sausages depending on sandwich filling

Barney bar / Annabel Karmel bar with puree or something like that.

If I swapped the sweet stuff for more veg I know they just wouldn't get eaten. Also quite frankly I'm not the type of person whose child only gets to eat carrots and celery til they come of age.

My 4 year old has

Either a thin, small wrap or one bread sandwich with either tuna, cheese and gherkins or chorizo and olives. Sometimes she has three crackers with some cheese, olives and chorizo instead. She likes quiche but said it got mushy in her lunchbox so we only give that at home now. She also has..

A piece of fruit, either small banana or pot.of pineapple
A carton of orange or apple juice
A little yogurt
A nutrigrain or other cereal bar. Once a week she gets a Barney bear instead of the cereal bar

DS is 2 and for nursery gets
A two slice sandwich
A cheese
A banana, apple and an orange
A yoghurt
Sometimes a pack of hoola hoops
Water

It doesn't all get eaten and he doesn't eat the crusts.

DD gets

Ham sandwich (usually 1 slice of bread)
Grapes or apple or banana
Cheese or small sausage
Yoghurt

Drink would be water or very dilute ribena.

If she isn't finding it enough I would do more sandwiches or give 2 pieces of fruit.

So today is a ham sandwich, 2 slices , cheese, carrot sticks, apple, a bit of cake, water.

Mine is 4.5 yrs old and takes a packed lunch to full day of nursery twice a week. We also need to provide something for mid morning and late afternoon snacks. Lunchbox looks generally like this:

Sandwich - one large slice of bread folded in half with ham, cheese, tuna or pate

2 x Fruit - usually a banana and a tangerine.

Handful of mixed veg - either carrot sticks, cucumber, red peppers, cherry tomatoes etc.

Handful of crackers, breadsticks or oatcakes. Occasionally half a packet of crisps instead. Or lunchbox size malt loaf bar. If not cheese in the sandwich then I put some some cubes of cheese in with the oatcakes.

Water. Sometimes a fruit smoothie too.

My DD (nearly 5) has gone in today with:
1 slice ham sandwich (seed bread)
Small pot of blueberries, grapes and pomegranate seeds
2x satsumas
Chunk of Brie (cut into slices)
Frube
Small packet raisins
Pack of those yoghurt covered dried fruit flake things

She'll probably eat half the sandwich, the yoghurt, the brie, 1 satsuma, and the yoghurt covered fruit things. She always comes out starving so will prob have the rest of the fruit on the way home, and the raisins will go back in the cupboard for next time

Quite surprised how tiny some of the portions are! DD is fairly dinky and would be absolutely starving on some of these lunches.

At that age, I used to get 1 sandwich (2 pieces of bread) with egg mayo, peanut butter, cheese or ham. 1 packet of crisps. 1 piece of fruit. 1 100% apple or orange juice box. I suspect if my mother were doing it today, the crisps would be something like a piece of cheese and a cracker.

Sooooo many of the kids used to get sweets and chocolate. I was so jealous!!

Who has told him he's not allowed and it's too much? Unless he is obese - and it doesn't sound like it - I think that's dreadful. As the mum of a fussy 2 year old I would never want him to be told that he had too much in his lunchbox!!

Four square 6 yr old eater here, always asks for more. He is very tall for his age.

Similar items to above and try and be as healthy as possible, no jelly though, sweet treats consist of piece of fruit and maybe a Yoyo as forever collecting the cards inside. Very occasionally 1 large rice cake with chocolate covering.Other than that just the usual veg sticks, sandwich or yogurt pot.

Croissant or plain bagel (won't eat sandwiches or fillings)

Pack of mini cheddars, mini cookies or crisps

Bottle of flavoured water.

Petit filous or jelly

Apple (that doesn't get eaten)

Ds has half a sandwhich and some grapes. Just invested in a kids thermos so hes going to take pasta

I did used to do bugger pack lunches but dc hated it. Ds 8 has one sandwhich - that's it. They come home and have a snack then tea at 6

Wow! Thanks everyone.

The reason for the stress is this is a one off. School kitchen is closed for refurb and they asked us to send packed lunch for today only. In explaining it to the kids, they must have scared DS shitless because he was adamant that he couldn't take too much.

They had an assembly, we had a letter weeks ago then a reminder in the bag yesterday. I forgot and could only give him what we already had. Hence fairy cake at his request. No I wouldn't send it in everyday!! Nor would jelly be in there, the yogurts went out of date yesterday.

I had a hair pulling moment when I'd done my best to cobble together something and was told it wasn't good enough!

I've sent him in with the full sandwich hidden at the bottom.

My son will have
Ham and cucumber sandwich/roll/pita
A boiled egg or a baby bell
A piece of fruit
Bottle
On Fridays he gets a small sweet treat

My five year old would eat a full sandwich, some cucumber, a piece of fruit or berry equivalent (like your strawberries), I might send something savoury like cheese straws (not enormous as home made) and a drink of water. I find they don't have long to eat at school so sending much more doesn't mean he eats more. If we go out as a family, he will also have a pack of crisps but I think lunchbox police don't like them, so I wouldn't send to school!

Update: he's home and complained he didn't have enough to eat ffs! He had to borrow from Billy (NC obvs!) who had plenty. I stayed calm.

Note to self: I know how much my son eats and need to trust my own judgement!