If your child uas school dinners, what do they eat at dinner time? And can anyone think of a soloution?

[spookysal]

Dd1 is in reception and has school meals. I think these are filling her up as she isn't eating dinner at home anymore. She is normally a really good eater.

I'm thinking about offering her sandwiches or soup instead.

The problem is that means at 5pm, dd2 (2yo) would be eating dinner by herself as I eat dinner after they are all in bed. Eating at 5 means I just snack in the evening.

The other problem is that dd2 will just want to eat whatever dd1 is eating which means she won't eat her dinner.

I can't face dishing up another dinner to dd1 just to watch her push it around the plate. It would easier just to throw the ingredients straight in the bin and not bother cooking them.

Any suggestions?

Give dd2 a big lunch so it doesn't matter if she also has soup or a sandwich at dinner (sigh, wish mine would eat soup and sandwiches).

Or just give her smaller portions ?
IME, being active at school all day makes them hungrier, not less so though - are you sure it's the school dinners that have made her lose her appetite ?

My 7 yr old has a hot school dinner once a week and his evening meal is not another hot dinner - it might be something on toast, soup, sandwich, cheese toastie.

Yes I think it is backforgood, because at the weekends she is fine.

I've been doing smaller (and smaller) portions but I just dont think she can face the thought of another meal.

I was thinking of giving dd2 dinner at lunchtime but that would take some serious organising tbh. And some days lunch is eaten on the run so that wouldn't be possible.

Could you possibly give DD2 something reheated that you have eaten the night before for lunch? Spag bol/casserole or something that doesn't turn into concrete in the microwave.

DS would never survive the day on a packed lunch. He always seems intent on playing outside in just a t-shirt whatever the weather, so needs a decent lunch to give him some energy.

I don't mean to lower the tone, but maybe she's not eating as she needs to go to the loo. My dd can't eat much if she feels like she needs to do a poo, and as others have said most children come home from school v hungry.

Or maybe she is exhausted?

Try the sandwiches and soup for both and see how it goes. If you feel your DD2 needs something more, try to incorporate it into a snack before DD1 comes home. AFAIK if they have a balanced diet it doesn't have to include a hot dinner.

I've got into the habit of giving DC2 his cooked meal at lunchtime for this reason. I've been relying on Little Dish ready meals - will get more organised eventually!

DC1 is not always full from her school dinners (lunches) but either a) too tired to contemplate a second meal at tea (dinner) time or b) as a PP said needs to have a poo (she has been holding it in until home - apparently this is common?). So have been doing lots of Heinz Pasta shapes 'n' bread / snacky food (think party food) / sandwich teas for her, all of which she eats well.

DC2 and I usually still have a bigger meal at "tea" time. I do count a fish finger sarnie as a meal though.

My DC both have school dinners and tbh I don't always cook for them in the evening.

They may have a toasted sandwich with salad, cold pasta salad etc, sandwiches or a jacket spud with tuna/beans etc etc...

It does depend on what they have eaten at school ie on a day when it is a tuna wrap I would cook as neither child is hugely keen (but would eat some of it) so might be more hungry at home...

My DCs have a hot lunch every day at school and then we have a cooked meal in the evening too. We genarally eat at 6.30-7pm so i figure it's over 6 hours since lunch.

When i went to have lunch with them, i needed a lie down after lunch but they generally come home hungry and are both at the bottom end of the centile weight chart (one is actually off the bottom of the scale).

Sorry for butting in but do your children stay in school until past 6pm to have 'dinner'? Shouldn't it be called 'school lunch'?

DS1 has hot dinners 4 days a week. DS2 is at nursery so has a hot lunch there too on the same 4 days. We make an effort to eat together on Sat, Sun and the one day he has a packed lunch but the boys have their tea together the other 4 days at 5 or even 4.30.

We have one of the following: - sandwiches ('hot' - i.e. toasties, or cold), boiled egg and soldiers, soup and toast or scones (leftover soup frozen in individual portions, scones also from freezer), beans on toast, jacket potato and beans.

I would also say maybe temporary due to tiredness. Maybe go for light meals such as omelette and salad for both DC? Or jacket potato but only give her half? Nothing wrong with a good thick veggie soup as a meal for both DC?

DD is used to 2 hot meals most days since she is 11 months. She had it at nursery and now at school.

She comes out of school totally starved. 4 days a week she also has a small tea (cooked again) at her childminder. We have 5 out of 7 meals hot in the evening as we all eat together at 6.30pm.

On some days she ahs 1/2 a children portion on others, especially if she likes it a lot, she has a full portion, sometimes eats more than I do.

But when she started last year she was so tired she only picked her food for a while.

Rollmops: the name for the lunchtime meal in school is called "Dinner", don't ask but I was repeatedly corrected by my DD when I asked her what she had for "Lunch". At home we call mid-day meal lunch and evening Dinner though.

Oh, Rollmops: while the school meal is called "Dinner" part of the children bring "Packed lunch".

I gave up on the English words to describe various meals during the day.

Give her sandwiches for school? Or homemade soup and a roll if she wants something warm there.

You cook one meal for everyone but the kids have it earlier and adults have it later..

Can you cook one meal that you can all eat, but the DCs just have smaller portions?

This is what I have done for mine since DD started weaning. They are both now at school and have hot school lunch then another hot meal at about 5.30.

I only do one meal for all of us and I eat with the DCs. DH's coming home time is hugely variable and often he is not home till 9, by which time I would have fainted with hunger.

I plate up DH's and he heats it up in the microwave. Can't be doing with idea of cooking multiple meals.

I second Deux.

My DS has school dinners and then a full adult-sized big cooked dinner at 3-4pm in the out of school club, and often has some, but not much cooked dinner with us at 6-7pm. He is a growing boy though. You can see his ribs still.

I feel a bit of a bad mum having read all these! DS has school dinners and then most nights will have a sandwich/salad/fruit/yoghurt (i.e. exactly what I would put in a packed lunch if he were having one). It hadn't occurred to me to cook for him in the evening - I pay for school dinners precisely so I don't have to cook for him again!
He eats whatever we do at the weekend, and occasionally during the week if DH is going to be home early from work.

In my culture it is normal to have two cooked meals a day (adults will bring food to work to reheat) so I never really thought about it: mine have never had any trouble managing that except if very tired.

The school dinners are far too small to fill DS 3 up, he has a snatch at 4 and then another hot meal at 6 ish.
The portion sizes are an issue, they seem to be the same size for little P1's of 4/5 and great big P7's of 11/12.

Whats a snatch? ( I'm desperately wanting it to be related to a bandersnatch in Jaberwocky but I'm suspecting not!)

Why not feed your two year old a portion of whatever you have eaten at dinner the night before at lunchtime? Then feed both children the same when your eldest gets home form school.My toddlers always had leftover dinner for lunch and then a high tea as we ate when they had gone to bed.

I have a really skinny child and always have hot dinner as well as school dinner. He usually manages a decent portion. I would just give her a smaller plate, not rearrange the whole meal. She may just be too tired, maybe try eating earlier?