Teachers said my DD didn't have enough to eat

[StoppinBy]

First off I think I am BU at how much I let this upset me for personal reasons but I am seeking clarification on whether I actually do send her enough.

When I picked up DD6 the teacher in charge at the time said to me that one of DD's teachers had said that I wasn't sending enough for her to eat, yesterday she had :

A vegemite sandwich, two cherry tomatoes, an apple, a chunk of cheese cut off the block and a big handful of nuts, she brought home a cherry tomato, some of her crust and some of her nuts .

The reasoning behind saying she didn't have enough food was that she had eaten her sandwich and a tomato and her cheese at 'snack time' - 11am and then had her nuts and apple at lunch - 1pm. Apparently she often does this.

We usually have lunch at 11:30 - 12 at home to fit around DS's naps so personally I can't see the issue with how she ate and I feel that if she was actually hungry that she would eat everything in her lunch box but she regularly brings stuff home.

AIBU to think that she does have enough food and that the teachers are actually wrong or do most kids eat more than that?

Just put an extra sandwich in.

Are tomato’s filling though? Tbh I don’t think there is that much there that’s substantial.

My dd nearly six would need more than that.

I didn’t realise some schools weren’t nut free. It doesn’t sound like much to me personally but maybe my DC are just greedy fuckers . They’re not overweight in the slightest but if I just gave them that they would sure complain... They complain enough after school about being hungry as it is and I put lots in their lunchboxes.

It could just be that the teachers are only seeing what she has left after snack time and think it’s not enough.

*I am a teacher and couldnt imagine our children going to get thier sandwich out for snack time, most schools only allow fruit for snack and then provide milk/water.

Utter bollocks.*

NOT “utter bollocks”! At my school lunch boxes go in the dining hall for lunchtime and snacks are separate. The children are NOT allowed to eat LUNCH at snack time. We only allow fruit at snack time and milk or water. These rules have been the same in all schools I have worked and the school my DCs attended.

And those saying a single sandwich and the other things (cheese, bites, fruit, tomatoes) is too little for a child.... I just had my lunch.... I had a peanut butter sandwich (two slices of bread). DH had also bought some cake but I was no longer hungry after my sandwich so I might have the cake later on. DS (15 yo) had a round and a half of cheese sandwich and also turned down cake but did grab a handful of grapes....

Aussie schools are quite demanding when it comes to food brought in, and getting more so.
There is also a definite "no hat, no play" policy in all public schools (aka state schools) in NSW - ours is all year round, not just Terms 1 and 4 (end of Jan to start of April, and mid October to just before Christmas = hotter months of the year)

A Vegemite sandwich is perfectly acceptable.
At my DSs' school, lunches are monitored (policed, if you prefer) to ensure that a range of healthy options are offered, and not all sugary crap. Sugary crap is generally frowned upon.
We also know that we can NOT ban nuts in our school - we can ask people not send them in, we can even strongly advise them not to send them in but we cannot strictly ban them (and we have a peanut anaphylactic child in our school at the moment). If a child does rock up with a peanut butter sandwich, or peanut something else, they are moved away from the general eating area to eat that peanut item, and hand and face-washing is insisted upon. But that's only if it's spotted, of course. We hope that most parents wouldn't want to cause another child in the school harm that is potentially fatal.

Our canteens in NSW are now facing overhaul as well - new regulations for healthy options are being enforced.

Preschools here are even more militant - no flavoured milk, no sweets, crisps, cakes, biscuits or other sugary snacks; plain yoghurts only, not fruit; water or plain milk to drink, no juice. And yes it is policed, and yes if you transgress your child will not be allowed their contraband food, it will be confiscated (in all our local pre-schools).

However, what doesn't happen, to my knowledge, is policing what kids can eat when - apart from fruit break, which is first thing and is only fruit or vegetable snacks - but then at our school they have lunch at 11ish and recess at 1:30, so sandwiches would be eaten between 11 and 12, and not later.

There has been a lot of uninformed nastiness on this thread to the OP from people who don't know the system over here.

It was the 'most schools' and the tone of disbelief that was utter bullocks.

Teachers don't go around policing lunch boxes!

Yes they do. Have you never heard the term ‘lunchbox police’? It’s mentioned on MN quite a lot.

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I have to say I find it ironic that people are thinking her eating the sandwich at break is an sign shes not had a decent breakfast when on every single school dinner thread people moan that eating fruit at break is bad because it's just sugar when in fact they could do with some cheese and crackers or oat cakes or something more filling and long lasting.

And how they all turn up to school pick up with wraps and sandwiches because they are so starving which to me is is a second lunch.

It's all far to much food that a sensible portion is seen as a tiny snack.

If all these kids need crisps and wraps after school clearly the school or the parents gave an inadequate lunch and are starving their kids also?

Yes they do. Have you never heard the term ‘lunchbox police’? It’s mentioned on MN quite a lot.

And I bet you it’s lunchtime staff, NOT the teachers!

Gosh you sound very angry and defensive. And some of it sounds a bit odd. You say first off she doesn't like crusts, then you tell us her and her brother rip into her lunch box at home in thr hope there is some left and they share them.

Do you have financial issues? If not then please just send an extra sandwich or two in with her and make your kids a snack when they come home, ripping into a lunch box hoping for left over crusts sounds really desperate.

It's not that unusual for kids to "save stuff for later" thougsometimes if my dds arent that hungry at lunch they will eat their carrot sticks in the car or something and will often share.

They dont go to the same school now but did often brings home half her lunch as she wasnt hungry or didnt have time to eat it akd still offeres her sister the apple or carrot sticks or feeds it to the rabbit

I personally don't think a vegemite sandwich is an adequate meal at lunch time for a growing child as there is so little in it nutritionally (asides from the B vitamins).

My child has to bring in two snacks (am and pm snack times) plus lunch. He normally has a hot meal in a flask (occasionally he will have a sandwich - ham, chicken, cheese with salad/coleslaw) plus a yogurt. His snacks consist of piece of fruit for one snack time and piece of cheese for the second snack time. Unfortunately my child's school is nut free.

So essentially:
Hot meal or sandwich
Yogurt x 1
Cheese x 1
Fruit x 1
The school provides water or milk at meal and snack times.

Holidayshopping - can't answer for all schools but our NSW primary school doesn't have any "lunchtime staff" - only teachers. Teachers are therefore the ones who see the lunchboxes and "police" them.

NSW primary school doesn't have any "lunchtime staff" - only teachers.

I have never worked in a school in 20 years of teaching where teachers were responsible over the lunch break.

NSW? I’m guessing Oz?

The lunchbox police referred to earlier, I assumed was talking about English schools. Apologies.

@Holidayshopping also no “lunchtime staff” in Ireland. (Imo another waste of the school budget in the I’m!) we actually have the 6th class children split up and join the younger classes in their classroom and the two teachers patrol the classrooms (on a Rota so we do one day a week) works well

OP is in Australia too.
and yes, we have lunchbox police here too.

*Uk not I’m 😂

The problem with sending in an extra sandwich (what many people suggest) is that

1. It teaches her that her portion size should be bigger which is wrong because she is self regulating fine and
2. The teacher will probably try to convince her to eat more, thus overeating and ignoring her body saying that she is full.

No wonder so many people are overweight.

It strikes me OP is not asking if others think her child's diet is acceptable, but wants people to agree with her that the teacher has some nerve. Therefore we can suggest useful food strategies until the cows come home.... I'm with all the other MNetters who say for God's sake just send another sandwich.
BTW, youmadorwhat, I think you deserve a gold medal for tastiest packed lunch!

I think the OP may have learnt not to ask here about food, especially not children's food. Whatever you give your children, there will be one set of people howling at you that you are starving the child, and another denouncing you for force-feeding them and murdering them by forcing a lifetime of obesity on them.

I think the food you provided was perfectly fine.
I think the teacher thinks the 'lunch' should be bigger than the 'snack', because that's how she would eat.
However, in reality people's appetites vary at different times.
I probably have a similar eating pattern to your daughter. I'm always so hungry at 11ish, despite having a decent breakfast and then have a small lunch.
Overall she's eating enough food throughout the day.
The teachers dinner time is probably later than your dd's too.

And I bet you it’s lunchtime staff, NOT the teachers!

If the OP’s child eats in the classroom, I assume it’s the teachers who are supervising them.

1. It teaches her that her portion size should be bigger which is wrong because she is self regulating fine and 2. The teacher will probably try to convince her to eat more, thus overeating and ignoring her body saying that she is full

Unlikely on this amount of food, and it might have escaped you but the kids rip into the lunch box and share the crusts which the daughter doesn't even like, as soon as she gets back.

That's two hungry kids in anyone's book.

And i think it's highly likely this child is saving food for her and her brother to share when she gets back because thdy are hungry,

A two year old grabbing for his sisters lunch box as soon as she gets back to see what's left is a two year old that's hungry and doesn't have the option of better snacks.