is breakfast cereal an adequate school lunch?

[Oneborneverydecade]

DD is in year 3. She's a fussy eater and it seemed like a good idea. School have said it's not adequate. I appreciate breakfast cereal is often quite high in sugar but the only sandwich fillings she will eat are sweet.
There's no SEN and yes I accept full responsibility for having a fussy child. It would be great if she wasn't, and actually she's getting better but mostly at teatime, but I needed a solution for right now

What does she eat for dinner?

It depends on breakfast and tea. And what else is with it i suppose. And which cereal. I cant really see the difference between one startchy food and another. Does it matter if its bread, cold pasta or a weetabix.

What does she have for lunch at home?

If she eats a jam or chocolate spread sandwich can't you send that or is that not allowed either? My DD has only recently started eating a savoury sandwich filling (ham) but she would eat plain bread or a plain wrap or roll before that or a jam sandwich. She had a cheese string or chicken pieces separately so she did get enough protein.

Cereal for breakfast and lunch really isn't good. What will she eat other than cereal? Presumably she doesn't have cereal for dinner as well?

If she likes apples and satsumas, would she eat a fruit salad? Put apple and satsuma in alongside some other chopped fruit with similar textures like pear, soft berries, etc.

Will she eat cold melted cheese? You could make a quesadilla, basically a cheese toast made with flour tortillas instead of bread.

She must eat other things other than cereal. What does she eat for breakfast,lunch and dinner at home?

If she eats a jam or chocolate spread sandwich can't you send that or is that not allowed either?

This too. DS takes a chocolate spread sandwich because that's what he eats and it's that or nothing.

Cereal doesn’t sound like enough to me. I’ve sent mine in with mini wheatabix before, but that’s in addition to a small sandwich, piece of fruit and cucumber/tomatoes. I think you
Need to keep trying until you hit on an option that is acceptable to her and the school. Have you tried a ‘Philadelphia’ type cheese sandwich or those dairyLea cheese triangles that have a sort of melted cheese texture?

Does it matter if its bread, cold pasta or a weetabix.

There are few breakfast cereals that aren't high in sugar, so unless the dd is eating plain weetabix or shredded wheat for lunch, yes it probably is considerably worse than bread or pasta.

Sorry it was Honey Cheerios. She's pretty unfussy when it comes to cereal

Tea is the usual; curry, cottage pie, fish pie, sausages, tacos, chilli, crispy chicken, roast chicken... She has issues with eating food cold that was hot

I think if you over haul breakfast then that might go some way to helping.

If she has a really good filling breakfast then you can probably get away with it.

Breakfast doesn't even have to be something traditionally thought of as breakfast really.

Honey Cheerios are pretty much one third sugar! 9g per 30g serving.

My ds was fussy...hates sandwiches. I gave him cold chicken goujons, pitta bread cut in strips, a dry piece of baguette, crudites, mini pizzas etc

They'd rather see a chocolate spread sandwich than cereal.

Could you give her a food flask with chilli, curry etc?

My comment was based on the OP saying no SEN and just fussy.

What does she eat OP?

Crackers?
Bread and butter?
Brioche?
Fruit of any sort?
Yogurt?
Cheese/ham/cocktail sausages/cooked chicken?
Pasta?
Flapjack?

They also contain whole grains, vitamin D, and calcium so they're not exactly shit in a box and in the context of a child with a restricted diet (and therefore restricted calories) they're fine.

Why can't she have a jam or chocolate spread sandwich if that is what she eats? What does she eat for lunch at the weekend?

Not on its own. But my 9yr old doesn't really like sandwiches so occasionally she takes rice crispies along with a couple of bits of fruit, some cucumber, cherry tomatoes a pepperami or bit of cheese and a soren bar.

I don't know why people are so obsessed with sandwiches - bread isn't particularly good for us so I don't think cereal is any worse.

It’s not. It’s not got enough calories, it’s too sweet, etc etc
Honestly I would make her a sandwich and give general chopped veggies and fruit. She’ll eat it as she will have no choice and will be hungry. Might take a few days but the worst is she’s a bit hungry in the day and you feed her an early tea.
My BFF swore blind her child wouldn’t drink water or milk just fruit shoots or coke. When he came to ours for lunch he drank water like my kids did, as that was all we had and my kids were drinking it.

What about a plain brioche? With a yogurt and piece of fruit and maybe some cheddars or ritz crackers?

bread isn't particularly good for us so I don't think cereal is any worse

Ah but this is Mumsnet where any cereal with more than a micrograms of sugar is akin to crystal meth and will plunge your DC into a lifetime of obesity, tooth decay, and other assorted depravity.

What did she do for lunch in the years before Y3?

We don’t make sarnies every day for lunch, the kids eat pasta salad and all sorts but if she’s a proper fussy bugger the. Sarnies are a pretty safe bet til she starts eating a better range of food.