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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To send my nearly four year old to school with a flask of soup.

118 replies

Byallmeans · 28/08/2020 09:12

Yes it’s a packed lunch fred!

Dd3 Is a fussy eater and I’m struggling to think what she will have for packed lunches. She won’t eat a sandwich or wrap with any filling but would eat it dry. No dips or cucumbers.

I’m thinking of sending her in with a soup I know she loves with cocktail sausages, pineapple and yogurt. The soup is cauliflower and cheddar. She’s asked for BBQ spare ribs but I’ve said no

OP posts:

Polnm · 28/08/2020 09:59

I would be more concerned they the rest will be in free school meals and with cv19 she may be the only one eating alone as lots of a schools are doing packed lunches in classrooms

MrsWombat · 28/08/2020 10:01

Send her in with a dry wrap (cut into nice shapes?) and the sausages.

VenetoResident · 28/08/2020 10:03

DS2 had spag Bol in a food flask in school based nursery. Never had any issues although I assume someone helped him open it.

It was a baby food jar (sensory food issues) that I warmed in the morning so perhaps safer than homemade to keep warm for a few hours?

UnbeatenMum · 28/08/2020 10:09

I've been sending DD2 in with dry bread, plain wraps or crackers for the last 5 years since she started reception. She has cheese or mini sausages or Fridge Raiders separately and then fruit, veg sticks, a cake or crisps and sometimes a yogurt. I don't think our school allow hot food so that was never an option for us.

WhyNotMe40 · 28/08/2020 10:12

The 2 hours is due to bacteria multiplying.
I used to do a lot of cafe and restaurant work, and 2 hours was the maximum. If you had continuous heat and could keep it HOT then it is longer time allowed depending on the food.

ClaudiaWankleman · 28/08/2020 10:15

On a food safety issue, you are not supposed to keep food warm for more than 2 hours

Have a day off. The guidance for restaurant buffets is unlikely to be much use in the context of a homemade vegetarian soup. Have some common sense about your cooking.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 28/08/2020 10:18

She’s too young. I suspect you’d get a call from the school if you did. My 10 year would be OK to manage without scalding I’d say 7 or 8 would be minimum.

LonelyFromCorona · 28/08/2020 10:19

*pat lunch

haveagoodyear · 28/08/2020 10:21

Does she not get free lunches? I'm sure all children are eligible until year 2.

BluePaintSample · 28/08/2020 10:24

Ds2 used to take a flask of soup but I did provide him with a plastic bowl to tip it into, he was KS2 though. These were then put in a gallon ziplock that I washed out and re-used for this.

Lots of children have the "funtainer" by Thermos. Some have spaghetti hoops and a dry piece of toast, pasta stuff. It is best to give them stuff they will eat. Ds2 didn't give a shit that his lunch wasn't the same as other children, he even took falafel in, hot pulled pork to stick inside a brioche roll.

Experiment at home. Warm the soup, see how long the thermos holds the heat and then see if she can open it. This is what we did.

Thehogfatherstolemycurry · 28/08/2020 10:25

You need to ask school first. My dcs school don't allow hot food to be brought in from home.

aToadOnTheWhole · 28/08/2020 10:28

If she's nearly 4, she's school nursery so not eligible for FSM until reception. My DS is the same, I'm sending packed lunches for the time being.

I have literally (in the last week) got him to eat sandwiches by buying a teddy bear sandwich stamper from Amazon. It makes a teddy bear face and stamps the edges closed so it's like a little pasty. I thought I was just going to have to send cubes of cheese, sliced ham and hope I didn't get pulled for being negligent

Soup I'd be slightly wary of just in case of spills, but I plan on sending pasta in a thermos/little pot.

ktp100 · 28/08/2020 10:29

I don't see what's wrong with it so long as it's not too hot and you know she can handle the flask.

Will she not eat cheese and crackers with the sausages?

inappropriateraspberry · 28/08/2020 10:29

A 3 year old bringing soup? I think that's totally impractical, especially if teachers can't help/get close with the current regulations. It'll be more work to clean up if spilt and will probably take her a while to eat, compared to her friends.

andadietcoke · 28/08/2020 10:30

We're not allowed to send anything warm / hot in so as long as it's allowed and she can open it up herself then I think fine.

madnessitellyou · 28/08/2020 10:32

The time issue would be the thing I'd be concerned about. DD2 at that age was quite possibly the slowest eater in the world (we used to need to leave for a swimming lesson at 1.30. I had to give her lunch at 11.30 and even then she wouldn't get through it - I'm talking a wrap and a bit of fruit). At that age she'd come home from preschool not having eaten everything - again, just a wrap and some fruit as any more would have required hours - due to time. She's quicker now but still slow so at the age of nearly ten gets a little more in her lunch but again not loads due to time!

unmarkedbythat · 28/08/2020 10:35

Ours aren't allowed to take packed lunch in this term if they are in the year groups with universal FSM entitlement- they will be provided with a packed lunch by school to eat in their classrooms.

But if your school are letting people bring their own food and they don't have a standing policy about not bringing hot food in, and you are confident that she has demonstrated to you that she can reliably open the flask etc, why not? There are plenty of thermos flasks in various shapes and designs for kids.

zerocraic · 28/08/2020 10:35

Sorry this isn't the point of your thread but are children really allowed start school at 3 in the UK?

CCSS15 · 28/08/2020 10:36

If she does eat a dry wrap why not send that 'cooked' - we have wraps cut up into toddler hand held size and done in the actifry for 10 mins (could do in oven too). Sometimes pop in herbs, garlic granules too for extra flavour - it then doesn't look quite as sad as a dry wrap on its own

aToadOnTheWhole · 28/08/2020 10:42

@zerocraic

Sorry this isn't the point of your thread but are children really allowed start school at 3 in the UK?

Yes. School nursery in my area had been standard for a long time. I went when I was 3

Alwaysinpain · 28/08/2020 10:42

@LonelyFromCorona

*pat lunch

🤣 what on earth is a 'pat lunch?!?!'

laudete · 28/08/2020 10:42

You know your child's abilities best. If you think they can drink soup from a flask completely unaided, go for it. If they require assistance, you'll have to think of something else.

Starbuggy · 28/08/2020 10:43

I would just send the dry stuff she will eat tbh. Soup for a 3 year old to manage on their own sounds like a recipe for disaster!

AriettyHomily · 28/08/2020 10:43

Mine take soup, spaghetti hoops, chilli, pasta all sorts in a flask but at that age I don't think they would have managed with soup.

otterbaby · 28/08/2020 10:44

On the first read, I thought you meant the soup was made of sausage, pineapple and yogurt 😂

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