Lunchbox contents fine for school but not holiday club

[TheLunchIsServed]

DD is 7, about to go into year 3 at school.

She doesn’t always have a school hot dinner so takes a packed lunch. Usually she has

• Ham Sandwich
• Cheese string or babybel
• Penguin bar or similar small type biscuit
• Cucumber and carrot sticks
• Apple orange or banana
• Water

Sometimes I swap the cucumber and carrots for a homemade yogurt (fruit and greek yogurt combined). School have never commented negatively on the contents of her lunchbox, only comment I’ve ever had about it was from the headteacher the first time she took a lunchbox and I asked if it was (she’d gone in late for a reason and was taken to class by the HT) who said it sounded fine.

DD is at holiday club while I work and is taking the same packed lunch with her. She’s been before to this holiday club but I had a call to say policy has changed and she’s not allowed the cheese, yogurt (even a homemade one) or the chocolate and that lunch has to contain two portions of vegetables. They’d rather I didn’t send sugary fruit – even though DD tends to eat that at morning snack time rather than with lunch.

They’ve suggested I leave in the sandwich, cucumber and carrots, swap the cheese for another portion of vegetables – they suggested some cooked and cooled sweetcorn or tomatos (which are fruit) neither of which DD likes. They said to leave the chocolate out completely.

It’s nothing to do with hot weather as the lunchbox goes into a coolbag thing when she gets to holiday club and DD says it’s still cold when she eats it (at school I put those iceblocks in when it’s hot to keep it cool and DD says it’s nice there too).

I can’t understand why her lunchbox is fine at school but not holiday club who I was expecting to be more lenient.

So AIBU to think as I’m paying £35 a day for the service they can ignore a bit of cheese and a small chocolate bar? Or AIBU?

And if so can you make suggestions that a 7 year old will actually eat?

Rules are:

• Two Portions of Veg
• No nuts or seeds
• No kiwi
• No tahini/hummus

If it isn’t a case of dairy allergy I would be Very Annoyed.

I always wonder what parents do about these "healthy lunches" who have kids like I was. My whole life I haven't been able to tolerate "normal" amounts of fruit and veg or much in the way of fibre generally. If i had gone to that HC as a kid, they would NOT have liked the outcome of two portions of veg for lunch!

Unless there is a child with a dairy allergy I would tell them I will not be altering my child’s lunch. Though i would agree to remove the chocolate if they really insisted.

I’ve got an ASD kid who really struggles to eat. My goal for a packed lunch is to just get some calories into her to keep her going. We worry about nutrition on the balance of a week not at any one meal. The only veggies she consumes are blended into smoothies, I’m not wasting money and resources by putting them in her lunch.

Put the cucumber and carrot sticks in 2 small boxes so it counts as 2 veg. They have not got a leg to stand on with yogurt/cheese and I would keep putting it in. You could swap the penguin for a plain biscuit/flapjack/malt loaf if it's a chocolate issue. Excluding allergies, as long as you're not sending a Mars bar and a can of coke for lunch, it's none of their business.

@fruitpastille

Put the cucumber and carrot sticks in 2 small boxes so it counts as 2 veg. They have not got a leg to stand on with yogurt/cheese and I would keep putting it in. You could swap the penguin for a plain biscuit/flapjack/malt loaf if it's a chocolate issue. Excluding allergies, as long as you're not sending a Mars bar and a can of coke for lunch, it's none of their business.

nah, coke is for wimps, the hard kids get Red Bull

Surely it is up to you as a parent what you feed your child? Why do the school/holiday club have a say?

2 portions of veg would have been thrown away daily if in DS lunchbox....hell would freeze over before he ate raw veg. I suppose I could have sent some raw courgette & carrot chopped up, then put them in our cooking pot for evening meal, then repeat next time.

I am quite diffident but could imagine having a big paddy in OP's situation.

Their plan doesn't sound healthier than yours.
I imagine that there are allergies and overweight children in the cohort?

@MrsFionaCharming

I’d be tempted to tell them some rubbish about how you’d been advised by a dietician she needs a high fat / calorie dense diet, then just continue to send in what you have been.

My son actually has been. The advice from her is to buy full fat everything and to add cream and butter to whatever we can. Fortunately throughout school (hes left now) my lunchboxes were never challenged!!

My DD's love raw veg. Dd2 will sit and eat a whole packet of mini cucumbers and a pepper like it's an apple however she doesn't seem to eat it at school so it comes back limp and unappetising. I imagine it's because some of her good friends are fussy and not eating any veg. For that reason she often has some at breakfast and for after school snack and I send things she will actually eat at lunch. I'd be pretty annoyed at a paid for holiday club dictating what could be in it. It's bad enough when schools do it (thankfully ours doesn't)

I would ask about the no dairy request but other than that it seems fine to me (your lunchbox that is).
some settings are strict about sweets/biscuits/cake.

They are seriously over the top. There's nothing wrong with the lunch you usually prepare, don't give in to it.

I'm appalled that they look in the lunch box, never happened when my children were young.

Their service their rules. Get a grip rather than starting an argument. On a side note what you've provided for your child is trash food by any measure

Do they sell lunches by any chance?

One of the holiday club providers here have got more and more ridiculous with their lunch rules that people generally find it easier to just buy their lunches… almost like that’s why they got stupid with their rules.

Personally, I can't see anything wrong with what you put in her lunchbox, she's growing, active at holiday club all day, so it looks fine to me - dairy is an important food group for children. BUT from their perspective, I'll bet it's the cheese string they have a problem with because they are so processed. I bet if it was a few crackers/breadsticks and cubes/slices of cheddar they wouldn't be concerned.

They sound bonkers, I really can't stand the lunchbox police.

Definitely ask if there’s a dairy allergy.

I used to run a holiday club & we had one regular attendee who had severe allergies. We did ask parents not to send food with the most serious allergens, but not all paid attention. So we put other control measures in place - everyone ate lunch together, staff and kids so good supervision. We told the kids they couldn’t share food with each other (unless from same household or previously discussed with parents) and as soon as they’d finished eating they had to thoroughly wash and dry hands before going back to touch equipment. All done with the agreement of parents and kids so everyone on board. Much safer than just sending a list of banned foods.

As for the nutrition advice, it is absurd as many PP have pointed out, and there’s no way I would be following that for my own child.

Have they actually said 'no dairy' or just no to the cheese/yogurt? Sorry, might have missed it. No dairy would suggest an allergy but if they're just picking on specific items rather than giving a blanket ban it might be to do with 'promoting health'.

It isn't unheard of for lunchbox police to crack down on high fat foods, completely ignoring the fact that children need fats for energy and instead applying an adult low-fat diet approach as a 'healthy' one. We've definitely had threads about it before.

They sound controlling!

Put the cheese into the sandwich with the ham. Then it won’t be visible

Would she eat a couple of spinach leaves for the 2nd veg? Leaves look large and green so should satisfy these controlling fuckers.

Wtf is wrong with yoghurt? Weirdos.

If there is a child in the class with allergies so severe to common foods there should be better planning involved to keep them away from potential harm. That does not mean banning other children from eating a healthy balanced meal.

'Promoting health' sounds more like promoting disordered eating.

I think there must be a child with a dairy allergy - I can't think of any other sensible reason why they wouldn''t allow cheese or yogurt.

As for lunch box suggestions - raw peas from the pod, raw cauliflower cut into little florets, raw beetroot (nice spiralized if you have one) or in thin slices, any kind of leafy lettuce greens, edamame beans (or other beans such as chick peas etc - assuming the hummus ban is because of the sesame) baby corn, celery, cold pasta salad, cold sausage, boiled egg, slice of veggie frittata.

This is a healthy lunchbox. The Greek yoghurt is much healthier for them than something like a petit filous which contains added sugar. Cheese is really also good. It neutralises any acids in their mouth so helps protect teeth. I would really like to hear the reasons for them saying you can't give your child this.

My brother was severely allergic to dairy. But anyone could sit next to him and eat cheese, yogurt, cream etc and it would be no problem. It's not like a peanut allergy where fragments in the air can kill.

Golly, your lunch sounds fine to me.

Yabu for making homemade yoghurt - just throw in a frube like the rest of us! No food is unhealthy and as the parent of an underweight 13 yo I dare anyone to suggest I limit my dc diet to suit their own agenda. Absolutely bonkers.