Packed lunch for 8 year old

[nerf54]

DSC8 normally has school lunches so we don’t often have to make a packed lunch. when typing this out it seems a lot, but he’s always hungry and always asking for a snack, so would rather he has a good choice although he isnt fussy at all. It is for an all day sports camp he is attending one day next week so not sure on breaks/snack/lunch timings. Is this okay or too much? I’m probably overthinking it!

cheese wrap
strawberries
peeled satsuma
crisps
yogurt tube or pouch
cheese string or babybel
Sweet snack biscuits or soreen bar
refillable water bottle

My DD is off to football camp this week and today she's got a cheese sandwich, crisps, a pot of cucumber and carrots sticks, apple, crackers, plain biscuits and a chocolate cake bar. She's also got a pound for tuck shop too.

She's a slow eater and I don't know how much time she has to eat but I'm sure she'll be begging me for a snack at 4pm when I pick her up.

I am just intrigued why an 8 year old can’t peel an orange himself…

A different source of protein would help fill a child up a bit more - a cheese wrap and the cheese string or Babybel - is a lot of cheese. How about ham, tuna, egg, or cold chicken (with a freezer pack) to replace one of the cheese items?

That sounds like a fairly normal school packed lunch to me - I'd probably pack a bit more for an all day sports camp (or up the quantities of everything so two wraps, plenty of fruit etc)

Oh he can, I just feel like he’s more likely to eat it if it’s done and ready for him!

My 7 year old ds is rail thin and can eat twice that amount if active all day. I’d say it sounds absolutely fine OP! 😊

Fair enough. 🤣🤣

For an all day camp i would actually double that. But make sure he knows he doesn't have to eat it all. Being active and outside seems to make me and my children eat twice as much as usual.

Seems light, maybe make a chicken wrap.

then for the afternoon snack some pancakes?

also cheese wrap and babybel feels a bit much cheese. Also if outdoor cheese goes a bit funny.

I too would put more in, an all day sports thing, he could be starving!! There's nothing very substantial there either lots of picky bits I'd put another sandwich in at least, plus something like mini sausages, sausage rolls, et cetera

Just telling him he doesn't need to eat it all he only needs to eat what he wants and bring the rest home. Best to have too much than not enough at an all day event.

Typical kid will probably eat half of it in the car on the way home 🤣🤣

You sound like a very thoughtful mum.

I reckon that would be absolutely fine, but I tend to bulk up the "main" on sports camp days to add calories without fuss. Maybe upgrade the cheese string/babybel to an extra cheese wrap.

Thanks all, that’s all really helpful! I would hate for him to be hungry during the day. I will bulk it up a bit more!

I'd suggest making a few smaller wraps/sandwiches in place of one large one - they're more likely to reach for, and be able to eat, a bite-sized wrap / sarnie during short breaks between activities, than reaching for the main item in their box, and it'll help them avoid getting low on energy. How about some small flapjack pieces with fruit, nuts (if allowed) and/or seeds?

Well my ND child can't, judge away.

DS9 and DD5 have today -

Mini homemade wrap with smoked salmon, cheese and sliced cucumber
Strawberries
1/2 a hot cross bun
1 small mini muffin
A milkshake
1 packet of crisps/Pom Bears
Water

Camp is 8-330. They had breakfast of crackers, banana, cheddar slices, milk and cereal before the went. Dinner will be chicken curry, homemade rotis/chappatis, steamed veggies of 4 kinds and something for pudding.

What is small mini muffin? I've seen mini muffins 😂 I'm intrigued.

I’d add some vegetables.

Same. Lunch sounds great but would not be arsed to pre peel a satsuma for an 8 year old 😂😂😂

It really is not all that intriguing, though, is it? Depends on the rest of one’s life I guess :) Fairly obvious it’s just your garden variety mini muffin that sells at tescos for £1.99 for a big box of UPF - just bought that and gave them one each.

I always do:
A main (sandwich, pasta, sausage roll etc)
A fruit (apples, banana, grapes etc)
A veg (carrot sticks, cucumber etc)
A protein (peperami, cheese dunker thingies, yoghurt etc)
A treat (yoghurt, muffin, chocolate etc)

As long as I tick each box I feel that's good

My 9 year old is at a sports club and he’ll take, cream cheese sandwich, packet of crisps, cucumber and pepper sticks, cereal bar, cake/bun, usually some sweets (or part of an Easter egg in a small tub), some rice cakes, and an apple. They don’t have a tuck shop and have a break mid morning and mid afternoon that they can snack at, so he likes plenty. He’ll then have another snack when he gets in at 16:00 (usually toast/hot cross bun), before tea at 18:00 ish

So a mini muffin than.

My 7 year old ds (big appetite) takes
6 sandwiches (3 slices of bread in quarters) - wholemeal seeded bread, usually protein filling eg smoked salmon & cream cheese / tuna - he likes fish
little pot of crudite usually cucumber and pepper
small bag crisps
squeezy yoghurt pouch
little pot of fruit (grapes/ berries/ apple whatever we have in)
water bottle
plus a couple of snacks eg cereal bar, raisins

he usually eats most of it, sometimes leaves the yogurt or fruit
I’d just give things you know he will be happy to eat. Mine loves having a packed lunch for camp and looks forward to it as his school only allow school lunches!

I also put in a mini ice pack on hot days

Sounds good to me