To ask what is an ideal packed lunch for my ds in reception?

[bobstersmum]

My ds is in reception and the gp has suggested he go on packed lunches for one month so that we can keep a check on what he is actually eating. This is due to some reflux issues as well as regularly being sick and suffering from constipation. He has been prescribed omeprazole as well.
He is not a fussy eater, that's not why I'm asking, I want to know what is seen as an ideal packed lunch, and what food will the packed lunch police remove? (I wouldn't send a chocolate bar anyway!)
He has quite an appetite usually so I want him to enjoy all of his lunch.
Any advice or suggestions appreciated!

My DS takes a portion of pasta or wrap/sandwich, piece of fruit, some cheese or a yogurt, crackers or a biscuit (not chocolate).

The best packed lunch for a Reception child contains

• foods he will actually eat
• packaging/tubs etc that he can open himself
• not so much food that he is overwhelmed but equally ...
• not so little that he's still hungry
• not too much "faffy" food as he'll have a limited time to eat it in (and may be more interested in going out to play than eating too many things)

In terms of what your school will allow, you really need to consult your school as there is no norm. The DC's infants school, for example, did not allow tube type yogurts, yet they are quite often recommended as great for lunchboxes!

When my DC were having packed lunches at this age I started off going down the route of a packed lunch containing:

• a sandwich (which might be 1 slice of bread or 2, depending on your child)
• something else savoury (e.g. mini cheese, carrot sticks etc)
• something sweet (e.g. yogurt, malt loaf, flapjack, choc biscuit)
• a piece of fruit
• a drink

... which was modified constantly depending on how much they actually ate on a day by day basis.

My ds has a sandwich (ham or cheese), a yogurt pouch (I’d like to stop using pouches but pots seem to go everywhere on him and his lunchbox and the spoon never comes home) and a piece of fruit.
He also has to take two snacks. One of those is usually all veg and the other is veg/fruit. For some reason he’ll eat the veg at snack time but not at lunch.

My dd has a packed lunch for pre school and she has:

• 2 mini wraps with tuna sweetcorn, lettuce, grated carrot and cheese.
• A pot with something in, usually either a satsuma, cheese cubes, grapes

-Piece of fruit -Water

• Something else, this could be a baby bel, piece of maltloaf, yogurt- depending on what goes in her pot

It's practically the healthiest meal she will eat so has it twice a week on pre school days without fail!

Sandwich with savoury filling
Savoury snack e g. Carrot sticks, cheese, ham, bread sticks, falafel or crackers
Sweet snack e.g. Malt loaf, raisins, yogurt or biscuit
Piece of fruit

I would balance the sweet and savoury snacks out. For example, I wouldn't have s yogurt and cheese one day but no dairy the next.

Thanks these are really helpful, I'm off onto town today to buy a lunch bag and some little pots. I forgot about a drink too! I think I assumed he'd have one that the school gave, so I'll look at small bottles too. He'd love some of these suggestions!

I

My little girl has started year 1 this September (only turned 5 at the end of August and is tiny) - in age 3-4 clothes!)
For lunch she has
1 slice of bread (no crusts) with ham or smocked salmon with cream cheese
An Ella's kitchen yogurt or fruit pudding thing
About 5 grapes
3 strawberries
And some kind of chocolate so normally a few choc buttons and 3 squares of dairy milk
Water to drink

She gets full easily and for tea with have a potion of whatever we have to eat so pie, pasta etc