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Original poster

School lunch or packed lunch??????

16 replies

cleaninglady · 04/09/2006 15:24

that is the question??
dd about to start reception tommorrow - she is a slight fussy eater but has a good diet although maybe a bit plain! I have put her down for school lunches thinking that this will encourage her to eat more variety and hoping that new guidelines would mean healthy meals but the other thread about school meals is now worrying me! I would need to give some notice but should I swop her to packed lunches or let her try the school meals ? Also read somewhere about it being a good idea to give packed lunches for new starters as its one less thing to worry about ! so that would take it down to only 10,233 things that i worry about then

OP posts:

MamaG · 04/09/2006 15:25

Personally I've always done packed lunches, but I guess its just personal choice. Ilike to know what she's eating but I do think that schools are much better nowadays with what they give them. My DD's school sends home menus so the parents can see what they have had, which might reassure you.

scotlou · 04/09/2006 15:36

My ds has had school dinners since he started P1. Mind you, our council has had a "healthy meals" policy for a while - and the meals seem reasonable. They also have to choose their meals for the week on Monday morning - and I send in the money with his choice of meals then. This avoids a 4 -5 year old trying to decide what tehy are going to eat when lunchtime actually arrives! My ds is a very good eater though - and this gets commented on by the school.

Earlybird · 04/09/2006 15:38

Agree with the opionios that says she'll have enough new things to cope with/adjust to, so don't add different food in also atm. Maybe try after Christmas once she's well and truly settled?

Original poster

cleaninglady · 04/09/2006 15:39

she is only part time for this week so I will ask about the menu tommorrow - I hope we get to choose for the week and send the choice in as I like the idea of that!

OP posts:

Original poster

cleaninglady · 04/09/2006 15:40

Earlybird - thats what I thought really. will make decision tomorrow - after I have stopped crying watching her go in with her uniform on

OP posts:

Furball · 04/09/2006 15:47

Ds's school was supposed to be all healthy etc etc and they sent home reasonable menus saying that the children must have one choice from a main meal one from carbs, one from veg etc. Great! except they didn't enforce it so my ds (who was in reception and only just 4) quite often had crusty bread, chips and pasta, which was actually spagetthi hoops. I don't know why the dinner ladies especially to the infants don't enforce the rules as lets face it how many 4/5 year olds know about carbs, proteins and nutitrion etc etc.

Blu · 04/09/2006 16:08

If the lunches are reasonable, i would do school dinners.
DS, also 'reasonably fussy' has blossomed in his eating habits soince school - eats all kinds of things that he would never touch at home. 'Mummy - you should buy some lettuce! we have LETTUCE at school' as if it is some kind of delicacy and I have not been wishing he would at salad! Also, check on the arrangements - they may get far more interatction with staff having school dinners, whereas the 'packed lunch' children might be left to own devices at another table.

I always thought I would give DS a packed lunch (as i am v fussy about what he eats), but the socialisation, being part of the school group, and the experience of eating something not provided by me has been completely positive.

Blu · 04/09/2006 16:10

At DS's schol, reception are served their lunch before any older children come into the hall. And they have 'tasting' dishes, so they can try things before having a big portion dolloped in front of them. All this came as a nice surprise to me.

NomDePlume · 04/09/2006 16:11

There are very, very few primary schools where I live that still have kitchens ! It seems to be just the Independent/Private sector, everywhere else is packed lunch only.

Mercy · 04/09/2006 16:25

Dd started on packed lunches straightaway and they always have their Nursery Nurse sitting with them. The Reception and Year 1 classes eat first - also each class eats together, no separate tables for those who bring packed lunch or those who have school dinner.

Also, school dinners are way too expensive at dd' school!

tamum · 04/09/2006 16:28

Blu Do you think he tells the dinner ladies in a loud voice "we never have lettuce at home"?

Original poster

cleaninglady · 04/09/2006 20:04

thanks everyone - nice post blu , it said all the reasons I wanted dd to have school lunches and what I hope she would get out of it.
I am going to check out the menu's before I decide - its only a little village school with 15 children in the class so would hope they monitor their eating. lol at furball - my dd would love crusty bread, chips and pasta!

OP posts:

lucy5 · 04/09/2006 20:11

It might be worth finding out what the other kids are doing. At dd's school there was an option for packed lunch but only 2 kids did it and felt rather left out.

SaintGeorge · 04/09/2006 20:17

Keep in mind too that the school might have a different policy for the first few weeks.

At our primary, reception kids can't stay for lunch at all for the first week and no school dinners for the first month.

Tinkerbel5 · 04/09/2006 20:27

When DD started reception last year they werent allowed to have school dinners until they came back after the christmas break, they had to have packed lunch in the classroom for the first 3 months to settle them in.

DD's school has just won an award for healthy eating so I let her have them and she now eats things which she wouldnt eat at home.

tissy · 04/09/2006 20:29

dd has started full days in P1 today and will be having school lunches at least for a few weeks, mainly because I want her to vary her diet a bit!

I went in to school last Thursday lunchtime to try the lunches with her, and was pleasantly surprised! Good quality, hot meal or sandwiches, plenty of fruit, yoghurt, bread, fruit juice or water to drink.

Dd chose macaroni cheese and chocolate cake- she didn't like the macaroni (but ate some when i confiscated the cake ). I must admit I was worried that she would find nothing she liked on the menu, but today she tells me she has eaten rice with chicken peas and sweetcorn (wouldn't touch that at home!), a plum (ditto) and a biscuit. Apparently teacher wouldn't let her eat that first!

She did beg me to let her have packed lunches, but I think only because we would then have to go out and buy her a lunch box, and she has her eye on a Barbie one .

No school meals it will be, unless school tell me that she is starving herself (Mummy you're CRUEL!)

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