Encouraging a child to eat their sandwiches.....your thoughts..

[sagandswing]

Hello, I was just wondering what your thought are on this;

Dd's school try to encourage all children to eat their sandwhiches (which is fair enough) there have been several occassions that my Dd hasn't eaten her snacky stuff and only nibbled on her sandwiches (I kind of imagined she was too busy wanting to play as she tends to eat most of the foods I put in her lunch bag at home), she has also been in a vile mood when leaving school saying that she doesn't want to go again, doesn't like her teacher etc...which to be honest I just put down to her being tired.

Now on friday I was informed by her teacher that Dd wouldn't eat her sandwiches because she didn't like them, teacher had suggested that mum wouldn't of put anything she didn't like in her lunch box (which I wouldn't). So we went home and I found that she hadn't eaten ANYTHING at all (on closer inspection I realised that the chicken sandwhich had a stray piece of sweetcorn in which Dd really doesn't like...oh dear!) so I am guessing that if Dd doesn't eat all or most of her sandwiches she doesn't get to eat anything else??.

I can understand that the school have a duty of care to be sure that the Dc eat their sandwiches but surley it would be best that a child eats SOMETHING during the day?? be that a pack of crisps or a breakfast bar??.

Please do not shoot me down if you are a teacher. She is very petit and her appetite isn't that great to begin with. She can also become a bit difficult when she is hungry, I have had a chat with her about eating her sandwiches first but TBH I'm not sure that will be of any help unless I am there to monitor her.

SO what are your thoughts? Do you think it would be acceptable for me to check her lunch bag when the teacher stops me for a quick chat about her behaviour and if she hasn't eaten anything point this out? or would it seem unacceptable for me to just pass Dd the snacks from her lunch bag?

Barbarian - totally agree with your last bit - I was thinking "treats" along the lines of flapjack or cake - something that has nutritional value, rather than crisps and chocolate.
(although, we have started eating vegetable crisps at home - yummy and healthy!)

anyway.
i have been thinking about this today.
we bought a loaf of bread from sainsbury's today which was pumpkin seeded bread with o range and cranberries.
it was absolutely gorgeous.
for sandwiches you could have it- just butter it and put it in.
or put in a mini tub of hoummus

Everything in ds's lunch box is healthy so I don't care what order he eats his food in - up to him. On Fridays he has either a home made cake or a piece of chocolate, but apart from that it's all reasonably good stuff. He doesn't seem to eat much but usually polishes the rest off on the way home!

My ds doesn't like sandwiches so he has a sausage roll & cocktail sausages instead which I realise is not as healthy but it means he eats lunch which is more important imo.

Soft cheese (like philadelphia but own brand!) with no salt crisps in a little pot tend to go down well if the sarnies are coming home untouched.

Cat98 What do you put in your DS lunchbox?

I vary it so much day to day tbh. Only max of 3 items a day or it's just wasted.
Usually one of:
Sandwich/roll/wrap (I vary the bread)- filled with egg, tuna, cream cheese, chicken or ham
Or crackers or oatcakes or breadsticks with cheese chunks/cream cheese

And then 2 items out of:
Crudités (carrots and cucumber generally)
Fruit - this can be anything- usually: strawberries/raspberries/blueberries/tangerine segments/apple/grapes
Babybel cheese
Mini sausages
Raisins
Yoghurt
Feta cheese cubes with sliced cherry tomatoes
Fridays only - cake or small piece of chocolate

I am lucky in that my ds eats a reasonable variety I guess. He has different things each day though :)

Oh and I have given him pasta or couscous mixed with meat/fish and veg. He prefers sandwiches etc though!

I'm a lunchtime controller with a yr 3/4 class.

I aim to treat them as I would want my own children treated and this includes not forcing them to eat food. I don't have a rule about eating sandwiches first, but I "encourage" eating them up. If they have 4 things in their lunch box I'll aim for 3 out of 4 items eaten.

It is a delicate situation. One child's mum has complained about me twice because her child has not eaten their sandwiches. I have to stand over child now :-( I have found another child throwing unopened food in the bin because she gets told off by her mum if she doesn't eat everything. Another parent just doesn't send any sandwich at all - just crisps and biscuits (which I have reported but what can we do?).

I think it should be possible for the school to have some leeway with sandwiches. I like the suggestions up thread - send some ham, snack eggs, pasta in a food flask, cream crackers.