School packed lunch.

[Weedinosaurus]

I really don’t think I’m being U here but before I go to the school, I’m after feedback about dds packed lunch.

Dd is in Y4 and is taking her own lunch for the first time. She’s always had school lunches.
I’ve just received an email from school advising me to consider the content and portion size in dds lunch box and to ask the school if I need advice on providing an appropriate lunch.

Example lunch for dd today is:
Ham sandwich on wholemeal bread (1 slice of bread)
3 cherry tomatoes
Cucumber and pepper sticks
A pot of chopped strawberrries
A packet of quavers
Fromage Frais

For break time snack she took a banana.

I get that ham isn’t great and the quavers could be better, but isn’t it about balance?

I’m sure that’s an okay lunch? Or am I just uneducated?

Tell me before I look daft by asking the school what the problem is.

Dd is active and not overweight.

I’m wondering if it was a general email sent to all parents so as to highlight the issue of having appropriate portions to every parent, rather than singling your child out?

They think it’s too little, i.e. half a sandwich for a yr 4 is probably what stood out. I’d definitely put a whole (rather than half) sandwich in and give her the opportunity to decide to eat it all.

The rest is pretty healthy compared to what I see in a lot of packed lunches.

Would your dd eat two slices of bread if you left the crisps out?

I think a one slice of bread sandwich is too small, it should be 2 slices for a sandwich. The veg is good but maybe you could add something healthy and more filling so she wouldn’t need quavers? Ham isn’t great as processed meat. But on the whole it doesn’t sound bad at all!

I’ve just received an email from school advising me to consider the content and portion size in dds lunch box and to ask the school if I need advice on providing an appropriate lunch.

Are you sure this isn't just a generic email that they send to all parents whose kids take in a packed lunch? Does it mention you or your child by name?

Call the school and ask what was wrong with it.

Not very substantial. Quavers are all salt and air, do away with those and give her a two slice sandwich.

@Glitteryone see my updates re slices of bread.

Yes, I could do pasta. For reference, I’ve just had my lunch as an adult and had a ham sandwich (2 slices) also cucumber, pepper and tomatoes (a slightly larger quantity than dd but not by much) and a bowl of strawberries and I’m totally full.

You know your child. If they think it's too light just tell them she eats again after school. My daughter was hard to pack lunch for. Actually both of them were. Especially once peanut butter was ruled out as an option. I used to get questioned every once in a while but I wasn't going to send things to get tossed out and wasted. If she's healthy, that's what is important.

Maybe the DD likes the crisps rather than 'needs' them and if it's the only junk she's eating each day, I don't see the problem. Quavers are 90% air after all.

I can’t believe primary schools have got time & energy to ‘police’ packed lunches . In three years time your DD will be at secondary school & no one cares what/if the kids eat .... I used to see many lunches consisting of a can of red bull & a Ginsters pasty .

And what on earth is ‘dull’ about a ham sandwich, my DS had a ham roll & a banana every day for his school lunch, including sixth form, if I faffed around with pasta salads etc he certainly wouldn’t have been impressed.

Sounds fine to me.

2 slices is what I'd have as an adult. Neither of my two would have eaten more than one slice in year 4.

How odd. It looks normal to me with a healthy balance. My 7yo dd would have that but with 2 rounds of bread. Would she eat a mini peperami or cheese cubes?

My Year 4 would struggle to eat all of that as he's a very slow eater so now I try and only put the stuff I want him to concentrate on. Today's lunch is a brioche bum with ham & cream cheese, a cheddar babybel, a yoghurt pouch and an orange. He just wouldn't have time for any more. If it's a sandwich one slice sandwich is fine for him too, but he likes buns better. I've never been told he's not taking enough.

I haven’t read the full the thread but could she be taking more out at snack than you release? Perhaps the lunch staff are only seeing what is left after it’s been attacked for snack?

We don’t have much junk at home at all. I think school forget that lunch is part of an overall picture.
Dd had a good breakfast of porridge (made with milk) with blueberries and a slice of toast.
For dinner, I’ve started preparing a jambalaya - plenty of fresh chicken, veg and some rice.
She’ll snack when she comes home and maybe have a small supper before bed.
She never has large portion sizes...I don’t think that as a family, any of us do.

Love a school lunch thread surprised noone's mentioned sugar content of fruit yet.

I had a similar problem with the school and DSD at that age, she would always leave half her lunch so I started sending her with less then they put a note in her lunchbox asking us to send more.

My mother is a primary head and her staff barely have time to breathe in her school so I'm always surprised there are schools out there managing to dedicate time to this.

Sounds fine to me, you know your child's appetite.

My DD is also year 4, for comparison this is her lunch today - Apple for morning snack; cheese sandwich (2 slices white), cherry tomatoes and cucumber, a club biscuit. She doesn't eat much.

I do wonder if it's a generic email sent to everybody because honestly teachers see dreadful lunches brought in - think leftover cold chippy tea or packet of custard creams. I can't imagine they would be contacting you over yours.

It will be because it's a half sandwich rather than a full one. The lunch sounds like it's about 350 to 400 calories. I'd maybe aim for 450 to 500 calories which you'd get if you added a slice of bread of a portion of cheese. Banana is about 100 so perfect for a snack.

She should get roughly 1500 if she's inactive or 2000 if she is very sporty. It depends what else she eats in the rest of the day, but for example if she gets 350, 3 times per day... plus a banana, that's 1150 which is not enough for an 8 year old.

But if she has more at dinner and perhaps a couple more snacks, it sounds ok.

Dd had a good breakfast of porridge (made with milk) with blueberries and a slice of toast.

Sounds like similar problems my mum had with my brother's school when he was a child. My brother has always eaten a huge breakfast. In his case it was 2/3 shredded wheat or weetabix plus toast. Consequently he ate very little lunch. My mum would send half a sandwich and it would come home uneaten.

In contrast I ate very little for breakfast and so always had a large school lunch.

If you dd is having porridge, fruit and toast for breakfast no wonder she doesn't want much for lunch.

Wouldn't it be helpful if the school either specified that the message was going to all parents, or if it was just re your DD, exactly what the problem was? It's a bit like telling a child to "think about your behaviour", isn't it?

Looks fine to me too. It's almost identical to the lunch that year 4 DD has at home on a Saturday.

I'd just reply saying that you're happy with the nutritional content of the lunch you provided and you don't need any further advice thank you.

I would swap the crisps out. Maybe they have a ban on crisps and choc bars because lots of parents give their dc too much off food like this (not saying you do!). Perhaps breadsticks and humous? I don't think crisps should be eaten every day but I know I'm in the minority my dd is 9 and only has one slice of bread for her sandwich 🤷🏽‍♀️ My 6 yo ds would eat two slices easily.

DD's lunch: tuna sandwich (one slice best of both), kiwi, grapes, yoghurt. Pulsin bar. She's a fusspot and will only eat half her lunch.

If it’s not generic I’d just tell them what she has for breakfast . That’s a substantial breakfast and is probably impacting her need for a bigger lunch.