Packed lunch vs school dinners for reception year?

[PeonyTruffle]

I need to decide for the first term at least, whether I want DS to have packed lunch or school dinner?

I worry that if I choose SD, he won’t like it and will be hungry. If he has a PL then at least I know it’ll be things he likes.
But I also know they are strict on what is allowed in lunchboxes nowadays so know it has to be ‘healthy’ bits

What do your kids prefer? I realise this is a silly thing to ponder over but I can’t decide and the school are chasing me to return the slip

(And he’s not 4 until the end of August so he doesn’t really get the concept of one vs the other otherwise I would just ask him!)

School dinners are free and my son has tried new foods. His school seems to be one long food fest anyway- morning tuck, milk, lunch and afternoon fruit.

I put them in for school dinners, it’s good for them to try new things! I make sure they have a good snack after school and a tea they enjoy if I know they won’t have eaten much lunch!

What sort of eater is he generally? My dd is slightly picky, but loves most of the main meals at school. The ones she doesn't like she just has jacket potato and beans.
It's lovely not having to do lunch every day.

I would try him on school meals now. If you start off with a packed lunch and then want to switch him to school meals he might be a bit reluctant, so you could be making a rod for your own back.

I think packed lunch children often sit separately (same hall, but on one table or something similar), so might he find it a bit easier to be sitting with more friends when he is new to the school?

I would go with school dinner. I like mine to have a hot meal and try everything on offer, and there's usually a sandwich selection anyway.

Ds has school dinners, there’s no way I’m faffing about with packed lunch when it’s free! He does eat most things though so I don’t have any worries there. Can you see a sample menu see if he’ll eat most of it? It’s pretty bland stuff tbh., even then curry and chilli are very very mild.

DD is currently in year 1. We weren't sure about this, as she can be a bit funny about trying new foods. She's so much better now - it's definitely down to peer pressure of seeing all her friends eating the school foods. Which are much better than I had at primary school. (Shudder at the memory!)

He’s not the best eater, which is why I was leaning more towards packed lunch.

But I know that if I went for SD’s that he would know that’s all there is, no other option and would be more inclined to eat it.

Oh good lord, all this over lunch!

Oh and there is a little boy from his current preschool class that is going to the new school and in his class with him who will be having school dinners so a familiar face which is nice.

Not sure if they split up PL vs SD but assume they will....

Think I’m leaning more towards school dinners tbh

Can you ask for a sample menu or ask how much choice there is?

DD's Primary do two hot mains (one veggie), a baked potato with a choice of fillings and a selection of sandwiches, wraps, cheese, crackers fruit, yoghurt etc.

My DD's are good eaters, but they always know they can have a sandwich if they don't like anything on the menu.

They won't choose anything good off the school menu and the dinner ladies won't make them - packed lunch all the way!

Having nipped in to give medication to ds2 while he was in reception, I saw him sat with a blob of mashed potato, some sweetcorn he was ignoring and the biggest wodge of cake he'd ever been given in his life - I'd say the menu doesn't line up with what they actually are served, because the menu said it was chicken hotpot with sweetcorn and green beans. he had not been served any green beans OR any chicken hotpot.

School dinners are free and give a choice of meals. Plus most children have then in reception so his friends are likely to have them. My dd is fussy but there's always something she'll eat even if it's a cheese sandwich!

I would definitely opt for school lunch (that’s what we did). It’s free and I don’t have to remember to pack it or bring it (when school started this year I was working 14 hour days 3 days a week, could barely pack my own lunch, let alone hers!). Also I think it’s good to not play into the fussiness. They often eat things they wouldn’t normally when friends are doing it. Mine doesn’t always like her main but she finds bits she does like and they also have a snack in the morning and I give her a healthy snack when I pick her up at 3. So she never goes hungry. She used to ask for packed lunch because one of her friends has it. But they went away on a few school trips and I had to send a lunch with her. She didn’t eat much of that either! So whether she eats it or not on any given day, at least it’s not our money and efforts going to waste if she has a picky day. Most days she eats it just fine. We do the order together and she gets to pick the meals she prefers.

Our daughter has had school dinners and it has helped her try some different foods as she sees her friends eating them. She's generally quite good with trying new things, but did go through a phase when she chose a chicken baguette every day. Her school provides a regular menu and the chefs and servers are really good and encouraging. DD doesn't like butter on her bread and they always made sure that plain/unspread bread was available.

If your child is a fussy eater then go for the packed lunch.

I put Dd in for SD, they were free and always something she'd eat, tuna baked potato for 6 years but she ate it!
She still has free meals at 16 but it's just money on her finger now.
She nagged for packed lunch when she was 9, we tried it for a term and it was a PITA, with wanting what X had, or the brand of yoghurt that Y had, or Z laughed because she had something they didn't like.

Our school sends out the following week's menu on a Friday. DD has eaten the school "hot" option from reception through to year 2. Now, in preparation for junior school, she can choose 1 day a week to have a packed lunch. Free lunches have worked well for us. She now eats loads of stuff! Including beetroot! They need to try it before having a choice. DD hated the idea of fishcakes. Now they and cowboy mash are her best days...

I found menu online and it looks fine for him plus a current school mum sent me this so, school dinners for you DS!

Flowers on the tables?!

If it’s a disaster, we can switch him so it’s worth a go

DD alternates because she likes the best of both worlds. She will eat anything though.

Ds's school is the same. Table cloths and flowers every day. The children love it.

Wednesdays are roasts, Friday is fish and Monday is meat free. Puddings are excellent. Always the option to have a jacket potato instead or a sandwich/wrap/pasta and fruit/yoghurt. DS loves school dinners. He even brings some home on his jumper each day.

School lunch. They get a hot balanced meal and you save yourself the hassle of making packed lunch. They will try new things. At dds school every day there is a jacket potato option If neither main option is wanted

I think with a picky eater school dinners are the way forward. It has certainly helped mine try more new foods.

Go with the dinners. I'm a midday supervisor and they all do eat something. We have an extremely picky eater but there's always something he'll have. We try our very hardest not to let them go hungry!

DD had school dinners in reception and year1. She ate jacket potato and cheese everyday for two years she has packed lunch now through choice but has bread and butter, yoghurt and fruit (which I think she's just taking for a walk because it certainly never gets eaten) every day because she won't eat anything else. If they are a picky eater I'd just do whatever is easiest for you. Chances are they won't bloody eat anything anyway. For myself I hate the extra chore of doing a packed lunch everyday and look forwards to the holidays for this reason.