ON a scale of 1-10 how crazy does it come across to put a note in dd's lunchbox for the dinner lady saying...

[littleducks]

'FAO: Lunchtime Supervisor, I give my permission for dd to eat her lunch in whichever order she chooses'

As she has for the past two days taken a jacket potatoe in a flask, which she said on one occassion was still a tad to hot when she opened it. I said she should eat her salad (just chopped up cucumber and peppers) with the flask open to cool if it happened again. Apparently the potatoe was ok today but she started to eat her salad first.

Then she was told she wasnt allowed to eat her salad until she had finished her potatoe.

I really dont understand why they have to invent all these rules, I put the food in her bag, she isnt allowed to throw anything away, so I know exactly what she has eaten and could discipline her if necessary.

If I had served the meal at home and put it on a plate, I doubt I would have noticed, let alone cared what order she had eaten it in!

never mind the note for the staff, where did YOU get a flask that's so efficient please?

But salad before the main course is the more correct way round anyway!

And how did you come up with the idea of putting a jacket potato in a flask?

(and is it pureed & does she eat it thru a straw, etc.)
It won't work (the note I mean) but nice try, can't say as I blame ya'.

It is this one (But i bought it a few years ago for about £10 from jojo maman bebe) and you have to stick jacket potato in standing upright but it works for dd as I want to avoid the school dinners after discovering that 'cheese and crackers' was in fact a fluroscent orange cheese slice and crackers

I bloody would! How dare they assume they can tell your daughter what order to eat her lunch in? What is the point? It still gets eaten doesn't it!

I doubt they will have time to read it

What the actual fuck? It's mad I tell ya, mad!

Don't put the note in until you have confirmed that's what she said! It sounds so ridiculous that there must have been a misunderstanding somewhere.

Is the salad a "reward" for eating her potato?

ffs.

IME all the lunchtime supervisiors I have ever met should be forcefed those flasks so they can't spout their ridiculous notions.

Wow I just bought one for me! Fab.

thanks for the link re; the flask

but seriously, how old is your DD if she's being told in which order to eat her dinner, and then complains about it to you?

am

I would do it. I am sick of the dinner staff making kids upset at their meal times. Don't spell potato with an e on the end though unless you are pluralising it or they will just laugh at you for not spelling it right and miss the point of your note.

Sounds very strange for them to dictate that salad comes after potato!

I know that our dinner staff do encourage children to eat savoury before their sweet/dessert, which I think is fine. They also will , in some cases, ask children to eat sandwiches before crisps esp where the children are leaving food in favour of crisps, again I think this is fine.

But to dictate order to two healthy savouries is very odd.

That flask is great. I use it for DS's pasta or chilli in the winter and it keeps it really warm.

I like the flask, thanks!

OP, dinner lady here, I would have absolutely no problem with your note.

I would try the note, but not be sirprised if it had no effect (bonkers situation though!)

Lakeland also do a Thermos flask which is super efficient - a bit bigger, I think (for those dc with an enormous appetite ). I have used these for years to keep dd1's lunch hot at school/days out (allergy issues) and they work a treat.

I am a dinner lady, and its v strange that someone would do that, we encourage for the children to eat savoury first but no one should be stopping your child from eating salad first. I would not put a note in but speak to teacher to pass a message on to the dinner ladies about it.

Although seeming trivial, things like that are not trivial to a child.

Might it not be better to - tactfully and low-key - inform the class teacher? Probably doesn't 'do' to cross MTAs; also caretakers and 'jobsworths' who can wield surprising amounts of (possibly unofficial) power.

Talking to a teacher sounds like a better way to me....but I must admit that my child is pre school so what do I know?

Our old school did this to an unreasonable degree. I actually did have words with them. It didn't help. But it made me feel better and at least DD knew I'd tried to help. In the end she learned to just scoff whatever she wanted first before the dinner lady made it to her end of the table. Mostly with her she wants to eat fruit first. I can't see a problem with this myself.

DD is 5.

I will probably won't actually send in a note but be quietly irritated instead (and whinge on mumsnet!)

DD didn't have time to eat all her salad (which she loves so it isn't an excuse to me) which is how I know about it.

I could understand if it was crisps/cake although I would still let her eat it however she wants, as I only put tiny ounce of 'junk' food items in. I would have prefered her to eat the salad, as it's one of her 5 a day, and goes slimy by the end of the day and has to be thrown.

Those who are going to but a flask, I recommend prewarming it with boiling water from the kettle, before filling it to keep the food hot.

Oh no the food police....I think your dd should be entitled to eat whatever she fancies in whatever order she likes! And I would be someone to put my foot down about it,too. My dd has only just started reception and has school dinners which she loves. I have just put a note in her book bag to the teachers to ask them very politely if there is any way they can stop her having squash with her lunch. She loves that too because she won't have it at home for a good reason: it makes her so hyperactive that she is bouncing off the ceiling after school... No wonder her teacher has reported that she seems somewhat distracted a lot of the time. Wish me luck

Put a note in the packed lunch telling the dinner lady not to contradict you as it is bad manners when you have explained clearly what and how your dd is to go about eating her lunch