To think this is a fine dinner for 5 year old?!?

[Abneyandteal19]

Older DS had swimming until 6pm one day of the week.
Usual dinner time is 5pm.
Younger DS swims 4:30-5 but then has to wait until 6pm for older one then by the time he gets dressed and home it's 6:30 which is when younger DS has story and wind down for bed at 7pm.

So rather than 'waste' the time he has to sit around and then have a late tea/bed I have started to take his dinner to swimming so he can eat whilst older DS swims.

Today it was spag Bol (in one of those keep warm flasks) a large size fromais frais, pot of strawberries and a biscuit.
So a bit more sugar than usual but he has just swum and it's only one day per week.
He seems happy with this!

Older DS eats when we get home as he doesn't go to bed until later.

Family members are telling me this is awful- he can't eat dinner in the swimming pool cafe (!?) and it's really weird behaviour! there's no option of buying a fresh dinner at pool as it's only a Starbucks type cafe.

He gets so tired if he stays up late and also doesn't eat well when tired.

What do you think? AIBU??

Sounds fab well done for getting organised. If course family members could always pick ds up take him home feed him and get him ready for bed or shut their mouths.

Tell them to wind their neck in! It’s fine, much better than trying to feed him when he’s home and overtired.

There is nothing wrong with the food per se…It sounds nutritious and tasty.

Have you missed the point? Isn’t their objection that it is weird to take dinner and eat it in the swimming pool cafe? As in, it’s cheeky to eat your own food in a cafe. I would be a bit 🙄 at that. Although, if the cafe doesn’t care, go ahead!

I used to do this all the time! YANBU op. Ignore.

I actually wondered if you were one of the parents at my DCs swimming lessons today OP. By the time we get in it's 7pm and it's just too late for them to eat when they're so tired.
There's always kids eating on the floor waiting for older siblings at swimming. Bonus points if they get to eat out of the saucepan (like mine did today. Cos I ran out of flasks/takeaway tubs) 😅🤣

Your family members are nuts.

You’re squeezing in a packed hot dinner between activities, when you have time. So multitasking. And the child is happy and satisfied. Haters gonna hate….

It would be my only concern.
it was a nice dinner, OP, I bet your DC loved the adventure.

You could offer that your family members help you with the logistics of the evening and feed one of your DC (or both!)....I wonder how quickly they will change their tune!

I don't get it... is this a stealth boast that you're actually really organised? I'm 100% with the PP who goes to the drive-thru McD's on the way home.

No drive thrus anywhere near here (at least a 10 mile drive out of the way) but I FULLY would take advantage of this if I could!

They'd faint at my DS eating pasta and nuggets out of a flask in the car between activities... Sometimes it's hot dogs 🤷‍♂️

Leisure centre cafe chips are the best

I used to always take hot food in a flask or a “picnic” in nicer weather so sandwich, fruit etc for my younger too when my oldest was at clubs. They’ve ate in the “waiting room” bit or in the car on many occasions & it never did them any harm. When they got a bit older and times changed dinner was when we go home but usually just beans on toast on those nights.

dinner sounds fine, it’s home made & better than a lot of things. Don’t see how anyone can have a problem with it but it’s not anything to do with anyone else so just ignore them

Thanks all! I don't know why I entertained the thought actually that's a very good point and you are all correct that they are not offering to help!

Not a stealth blast at all! They eat McDonalds! But we live semi rural and the nearest one is in the opposite direction to home and would almost certainly result in younger one falling asleep!!

Those who said can you bring your own food to the cafe- I don't know I'm guessing strictly speaking no- but half the kids in their have packed lunches and the cafe doesn't offer any sort of 'meal' only cakes and coffee. I do buy a coffee so not like I don't spend money there. It's also the only place to watch the pool so people sit there without buying a thing!

I also have fond memories of post swimming vending machine and cafe chips!! But nowadays it all fancy energy drinks in the machines and a very odd M&M machine?? Plus Starbucks and Costa instead of all the old school cafes where you could get toasted sandwiches and chips!!

To be honest family members thing I'm crazy to not let him eat when we get back as they generally think I put them to bed crazy early - it works for us and my younger DS is one of those kids who really needs his sleep- he sleeps 7-7 90% of the time! So I think this is where it's coming from really. I shall ignore any future comments from them.

Also I don't usually tell them everything but they happen to be here today collecting something when I was preparing the packed tea- couldn't exactly hide it away!

Thanks all and I'll carry on as I was! Spag Bol Mondays at the leisure centre are here to stay!

tell them all piss off. I bet they're not all the picture of good health either

Not only would I do this, I also wouldn't get him dressed after swimming, he'd go straight into his PJs and have his dinner in them, in the cafe, so he's ready for bed when we get home. Wonder what your family would make of that?

Your child is loved and fed. With a home cooked meal. Tell them to eff off.

So much this!!

Haha they’re mad! It’s absolutely fine. I used to do similar and DD would have Diary Lea lunchables and a Barney bear cake 😂 she’s older and now slim and athletic, it didn’t kill her!

Sounds very healthy to me . Home cooked food . Loads would pick up a Macdonalds ! People can just butt out with their interfering busy body ways. I bet they always remember those meals out of the flask when they're grown up .

Totally fine and makes sense. Nothing worse than a hangry kid!
Where I live loads of people bring tea to the swimming baths for afterwards if they haven't managed the holy grail of getting all the siblings the same swimming slot!

Sounds perfect to me.

I suspect that if family members suggested this was odd was because you have gone to the trouble of putting Spag Bol into a flask to eat poolside whereas most people would have just made a cheese sandwich . Which is also perfectly fine for a child's dinner once a week - add a few carrot sticks if you want.

I did exactly the same thing (spag bol in thermos!) For a few months for exactly the same reason. If i didn't, DD was too tired to eat when we got home, then would wake up at midnight hungry.

Its a perfectly acceptable meal.