Super quick reception lunchbox help please?!

[letsjog]

DS gets free school dinners this year but has been begging me for a lunchbox as he's seen some of the older kids have it.

Now I've made one this morning I don't think there's enough food in it.

We have

• one slice of bread made into a cream cheese sandwich.
• cucumber and pepper slices in a container
• 4 cherry tomatoes
• some blueberries

I was thinking of some quavers too but not sure if that's just feeding him rubbish.
They're not allowed any nuts or any sweet stuff like chocolate bars etc.

He's 4 and generally takes his time with food but has started eating a lot better since starting reception.

Should I be putting more in?
I also have some sausages I could cut up for him and pop in there but then I don't know if he'll have it all.

Help

I would say you need more protein in there to fill him up and for longer so the sausages would be a good idea.

Sounds like what DD gets in her school lunch but she also gets a yoghurt. I wouldn't put in Quavers, he'll probably get them taken off him. But really, what do you feed normally?

Your know your child and what he’d like and how much he’d eat. Mine would like the sausage as well.

More protein. Put the sausages in.

If put the quavers in too as well as the sausages.

My 8yo takes...

• two slice bread sandwich (ham and/or cheese)
• babybel or cheese portion if not in sandwich

-cherry tomatoes

• juice
• a jelly/yoghurt/mini biscuits (like iced gems)
• fruit for break

Some times bits come back uneaten

If he's home he has whatever we have for lunch. Anything from some soup, to pasta/previous day's leftovers or toast, lots of veg, lots of fruit if we're in a pinch.

Sausages and a drink with that sounds fine.

Remembers wistfully the days of a jam sandwich, club biscuit, packet of KP and a carton of Um Bongo!

Is that's his usual portion size at home? If so it's fine I would maybe add a yoghurt and the sausage or cubed cheese if you think he usually eats more.

It doesn't seem much food, especially compared to a typical school lunch, but children have such differing appetites. The four year old I look after would eat two slices of bread. Do you have any yoghurts to add in? I'd put the sausages in too - he might not eat them, but then you'd know not to add them again, it's better for him to have too much food than not enough and be hungry all afternoon.

Don't put too much as sometimes at age 4/5 they are encouraged to eat it all. -- is he already given free fruit/veg at break time? My kids usually have 2 slices bread in a sandwich or a wrap, 1 piece of fruit and 1 other thing either biscuit or crisps or cake. As they get older and do clubs etc sometimes they ask for more which is fine, then extra fruit, a yoghurt, bits of meat etc.

I'd put the sausages and the crisps in and see what he eats. Our school 'allows' crisps or something like a penguin with an otherwise healthy lunch They do ask parents to cut up grapes/cherry tomatoes though. I know lots of people don't and laugh at people who do, but anyone can choke especially on foods like that so I'd cut up the tomatoes if you haven't.

Mine have ham or cheese or cream cheese sandwich, yogurt and an apple every day. I keep it deliberately boring in the hope they’ll choose to switch back to school dinners.

I also have to provide a snack and that is usually vegetable sticks and cheese - I put the healthier stuff in there because they tend to finish the snack whereas vegetables at lunch is hit or miss.

Thanks!

I've added a Cumberland sausage cut into 3.

He really didn't want a yogurt when we made the lunch together earlier so I've left that out ( not sure why he usually loves yogurt) .

He's very big on his veg so he has 8 cucumber sticks, 4 pepper sticks and 4 cherry tomatoes which I'm sure he'll get to first.

Yes I think you need a little more in. Put the sausages in.
My DD has x2 sandwiches, small bag crisps, fruit bag / or chopped veg and yoghurt.

Dairylea triangles were a favourite with mine at that age. No free school meals then

I work in reception and lots of children bring in packed lunch but we always allow them a school lunch to top up of they are still hungry or if they just fancy a fish finger on the side. Hopefully his school will give him something if he is hungry. We wouldn't allow quavers though.

I send one sandwich or soda bread
Babybel
Apple
Yoghurt or banana for mine in reception

Yogurt in a pack lunch is a pain, once it is open, it goes everywhere. Even the child has eaten it all (bitter experience there)

For next time, my dcs just had a normal punch as packed lunch.
I bought a nice thermo and they’ve had pasta, curry etc... as warm meals. Or salad etc...
Just like what we would eat at home for lunch.

Slice sausage lengthways too and halve the cherry tomatoes - our school insists and I think they’re right to

@catinavan agree. They move around a lot while eating lunch.

I didn't slice the tomatoes but he point blank refuses to eat them unless they're whole....

I cut the sausage so it effectively made 3 slices the size of a cocktail sausage each.

Thank God you added the sausage roll. The poor kid would have been starving otherwise