experience of fussy eaters transforming into great eaters with school lunch?

[giveitago]

Ds just started reception. Has always be a fussy eater and we feel it will hold him back socially.

We opted for school lunches as we've heard they can have great outcomes for the fussier child.

Day one he complained he wasn't being given what he wanted. Day two he says he had bits and pieces but I've noticed that this evening he's really hungry and he's now saying he didn't eat a thing.

I'm frustrated already as a packed lunch will be equally challenging.We were hoping to open his mind a bit with school lunch and then switch to packed lunches if he wants once he's happy with more variety.

Am I being way too impatient? The other issue is that currently he's doing short days and has figured this out and might just be stubborn and wait till he gets home. My view is that lunch is at school and if he doesn't eat it he can wait for diner for his next meal. He goes full time shortly.

He also doesn't tell us much about school at all so it's hard to guess what he's actually doing about food.

Will it get better?

Any similar issues with your dcs and what did you do or are doing?

My DD is a fussy eater. Her school didn't allow packed lunches.

I don't think she ate an awful lot for lunch the first few years (she always had some fruit for morning break and ate the pudding!)but she survived just fine and gradually became less fussy. Till the day when I was serving DH and myself with cabbage and she announced she liked it - she'd tried it at school and liked cabbage!

So, while she's still on the fussy side, I'm pretty sure school lunches did help her.

Oh gives me a glimmer of hope then. I think the staff clock if they are not eating much and I'm dreading them saying he's not not eating enough and ask that we do a packed lunch as I know that will resolve nothing!

DS is fussy. So fussy that after a half term on school lunches his teacher actually requested that he go back to packed lunches as he just wasn't eating enough .

I have had some success with widening the variety of foods he eats in his packed lunch. It has taken a year or so of stops and starts, though.

I add one new thing every other week, and put it in his lunchbox two or three times that week. I must admit, I use 'bribes' (or incentives, as I like to think of them) - e.g. 'if you eat half your turkey sandwich today you can have a cookie this afternoon' etc. I try to add things in that are similar to things he already likes, so I know he likes normal ham so will try turkey ham, or I know he likes cereal bars so will try homemade flapjacks.

Eventually, I would like him to be able to go back on to school lunches (less hassle for me!), so I do sometimes ask him what other people had for lunch today, did it look nice etc, just to keep his mind open to the possibility.

Don't stress too much, though. My DS was the ultimate fussy toddler, but has slowly but progressively got better as time has gone on and I hope that trend will continue!

Faamily - gosh - my ds sounds similar.

I also don't want the hassle of doing a lunch plus I was convinced he might go along with the crowd. He still may do.

Took my fussy eating son a good half term to REALLY try his school dinners. One day he came home and he'd eaten a samosa (because his best buddy ate one)...it was a taste revelation (made his lips tickly) and he's never looked back.
I say persevere. Peer pressure can be a good thing sometimes!

Dd is fussy. I put her on school lunches. I had lunch with her in the spring of reception and they said they had thought I would just give up as she was so slow and so fussy. But I never intended to give up!

She's still slow and fussy - but she definitely eats a few more things due to school lunches. I think it's good experience for her and the lunches at her school are good. I knew we had turned a corner when she started coming home and not immediately demanding food.

My dd is a fussy eater and has school lunches 2 days a week with the schools support worker there to help support her ( she doesnt eat much of it either), does your school have someone that could support them? I wanted her to have them full time but school worried she wouldnt eat enough and support worker unable to (fair enough as busy lady) go with her every day.

Ok, I'm going to keep with school lunches until the staff (who don't support but observe) tell me otherwise.

He's slow and fussy too. Ohh.

Many thanks all

I also pack lunches because my DS did not eat the school meals. It would not be a big deal if he was not a fussy eater. There are things he eats at home but he will not eat them at school. At home he might try cooked rice with carrots and turkey, spices but not at school. His school packed lunches look pretty plain but at least he is eating something.
Thanks for starting this thread, very helpful and gives some hope.

Acin that's interesting. Ds back from school early and not asking for stuff. I'm not pushing the issue but I'm guessing he's muddling through.

Have parent evening next week and will highlight this and many other difficulties he's having (school is great) but will lay cards on table.

I just feel that school lunches is the only way he's going to broaden his food outlook.

Interesting stories - thank you all very much.