To worry what I’m putting in DS’s lunchbox?

[MissEyreBronte]

He’s 3 and a half and starting at pre school next week.
Up until now he’s been at a private day nursery so meals have been provided.

My problem is that he doesn’t like any ‘traditional’ packed lunch foods. So he doesn’t eat sandwiches, doesn’t like cheese, won’t eat yogurt and so on.

Things he will eat:
Sausage roll, mini chicken satays, a plain wrap or plain bread with nothing on it.
Fruit like raisins, mango, satsuma, apple and occasionally grapes.
He will eat salad stuff like cucumber, cherry tomatoes and pepper.
He likes those mini soreen loaves and obviously cake and chocolate but I can’t give him that really.
Not sure if we can put crisps in , but was thinking mini cheddars or Pom bears.

And a carton of juice?

Any more help and ideas would be great.

Random stuff my fussier dc has eaten in lunchboxes: vegan hot dogs, served cold; boiled eggs; cold pasta; pieces of smoked mackerel; mini croissants; mini savoury muffins; corn bread; savoury flapjacks. Popcorn is also great. Breadsticks/veg sticks with hummus. Cold pizza.

pls don’t put chicken satay in unless you have somehow found a peanut free version. Would he eat other chicken?

Pasta
If he likes pizza make one on a wrap and put some veg on it
Hummus with things to dip in it (breadsticks, crackers)
Oat cakes
Falafel

A snacky lunch is fine. A bit of cold meat, fruit and veg, mini cheddars is all ok. As someone who has worked in childcare for years an untraditional lunch isn’t going to have alarm bells ringing for us. Some kids show up with no lunch! Or really inappropriate lunch - bag of Doritos and can of energy drink etc.

If he likes salad stuff then maybe a salad with little bits of chicken? To make it a bit more filling. Or just give him the cold meat and bread separate if that’s what he likes!

Would he eat little eggy muffins / mini frittata?

It will depend completely on the setting what they are allowed or not allowed.

I do supply teaching so I am in different schools all of the time. One day I’ll be somewhere where every child has a packet of crisps, a smoothie and a four finger Kit Kat and the next day I’ll be somewhere where they aren’t allowed a smidge of home made carrot cake. Most schools don’t allow juice though.

Lots of dc don’t have sandwiches so I wouldn’t worry about that. Try not to pack too much. You can get lunch boxes with different sections. Sistema do a cheap but good one or Yum Box which is expensive but lovely.

Sounds fine to me - I was a picky eater and went through my entire primary and secondary career on a peanut butter sandwich, a pack of crisps and a fun-size Mars bar every school day and was perfectly healthy. But I guess people weren't scrutinising lunchboxes then - but if it's what your kid eats, it's what your kid eats.

Our school isnt nut free so satay would be fine.
Mine quite enjoy pastry pin wheels

Random but my daughter's ex sent their child, aged 8, to school with ... a tin of baked beans for lunch.

I have a fussy eater too so I sympathise! Recently discovered this recipe which went down a treat (without cheese!) I also didn’t bother sticking it the oven and just used one wrap with the filling in the George foreman www.tamingtwins.com/chicken-quesadillas-sheet-pan/?fbclid=IwAR23Tmq-VY5699htYhO2EYM4LvRoXYIOc6ZtJeBPQeyFId74OlBqM5cGKbA

Sounds fine. Cut a plain wrap into four, add some crudités to the box, mini soreen loaf is fine, one or two fruits chopped up, and add something new/different in a small portion just for curiosity - strips of cooked chicken breast, sliced pepperoni etc.

I send my fuss pot in with a thermos of pasta

are there school dinners? That might be an option and the other kids eating might encourage him

My almost 4 year old is VERY particular about what he likes in his lunchbox (won't entertain anything hot for lunch even when he's off preschool - except a Happy Meal 😬🙄)
He has a pot of salad veg, a pot of fruit (usually grapes & apple slices), a sausage roll (he refuses anything else - crackers, sandwich, wrap, cold pasta etc) a babybel, a small snack pack of something like party rings or animal biscuits & half a pack of crisps that I put in a pot so he doesn't know it's only half a pack 😉 I'm not prepared for him to go hungry at lunchtime so if they want to pick a battle about the contents of his lunchbox they can try but I'm sending what he will eat. He will pretty much anything we set in front of him at tea time & eats a fairly decent breakfast so I'm not worried about his overall diet. I think that he just likes the reassurance/familiarity/ constancy of his lunchbox having what he likes & expects everyday.

Most of that sounds fine. Just check eg if no nuts. Fine to pack a few bits. Those soreen malt mini loaves are usually fine for school. Don’t overpack it might be overwhelming, I bet they get a snack too.

DD won’t eat sandwiches and very rarely eats cheese and won’t eat school dinners.

She has
-Crackers with butter/Bread and butter
-some sort of meat (sausage roll/chunks of chicken/ham
-cucumber, pepper and carrot sticks (Lidl do little lunchbox cucumbers and pepper, she loves those and they don’t dry out by lunchtime as they’re whole)
-2 portions of fruit
-Raisins or a fruit bar (or a kids fromage frais thing as she will eat those occasionally).

For a drink she just has water, the school don’t allow juice unless it’s something like a minimum 54% fruit juice. Most school's have their healthy eating/lunchbox policy on their website OP.

A small sausage roll would be fine. Does he like egg? Scotch egg. Mini quiche. Cold pizza.

He doesn't sound overly fussy to me!

He just doesn't like sandwiches or cheese.

A plain pitta with veg bits and fruit is fine.

Or cheddars, mini sausages, mini sausage rolls etc.

He eats enough variety to be able to vary it each day too.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Just to add, he doesn’t like pasta or cold meats, won’t eat eggs either.

I was thinking of making my own sausage roll using sausage meat and the jus rol pastry.

Sounds just like my DD with the no pasta and eggs too! If he likes the pastry go to town on the middle (in addition to homemade sausage rolls) we fill jus roll with leftover bolognaise sauce, baked beans, curry etc

My DS is much older than yours (year 7) but wants a packed lunch as the queue for the canteen is apparently too long to wait in. Unfortunately he doesn't like all the usual packed lunch foods. 🙄 So I keep portions of evening meals, reheat and put in a thermos flask. Things like fajitas, meatballs in tomato sauce, curry etc.

When I was this age I’d have killed for that, over a dry peanut butter sandwich!

Easiest homemade sausage rolls are a pack of decent quality sausages remove skin. Sheet of ready rolled jus roll puff pastry (or Aldi version) Cut pastry in half lengthwise. 4 sausages down each stop of pastry. Brush with milk or egg wash. Cut into pieces and bake.

yumboxlunch.com/collections/yumbox-original/products/leakproof-bento-box-for-kids-yumbox-power-pink

👆This helped me organise myself as my daughter also only liked picky bits, I would fill her bento box with cucumbers tomatoes in the veg bit, little bread sticks or rice or plain wrap in the grains, mini sausages or sausage roll for protein, raisins in the random small hole section! She did like yoghurt so I would put that in the dairy bit (it has a special seal so won't leak) but I also would put more veg in there or grated cheese or sometimes a hard boiled egg. It made me feel like it was a little buffet lunch, not the traditional sandwich, crisps affair which is fine for others but for her she just wouldn't eat it!

I feel your pain, OP! I've had years of lunchboxes, and it's one of the parenting things I absolutely will not miss eventually, one day.

Our pre school have no restrictions other than chocolate has to have biscuit ot wafer in it. So not a milky-way
And no juice throughout day just with lunch

Some kids take a pot noodle due to eating issues

Dc only has lunch twice a week

Has either, sandwiches, sausage roll, pitta, mini sausages

Pack of crisps or cheddars.

Strawberries, , grapes blue berries and raspberry in a pot i make

Plus a single fruit banana or orange

Cucumbers

Then a chocolate biscuit, ice gems or something similar

Yes its a lot for a 4 year old. But she's healthy weight and size so im not too worried.

They provide am and pm snacks
They vary from fruit, veg, cereal, toast, crackers, bread sticks etc on a 2 week rota.