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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Individual wipes in packed lunch boxes

26 replies

BoysRule · 02/09/2013 13:49

My DS is about to start Reception. He is going to have packed lunches and can be quite a messy eater - yoghurt etc tends to end up around his face. He had packed lunches at pre school and often when I picked him up he would have a crusted ring of food around his mouth. I don't really want this now he is in big school!

Does anyone put a wipe in their DCs lunchbox? Is it a bit precious? Can you buy individually packed ones that are easy for children to open? I am a primary school teacher and rarely did children come back from lunch with food around their mouths (the youngest I taught was Year 1 though) - if they did I would wet a paper towel and wipe it for them. Do dinner ladies do this?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Galena · 02/09/2013 13:51

I was thinking something similar... I think I'll try to remember to put a wipe in her lunchbox. it won't be too dried out by lunchtime, I don't think.

lastnightidreamt · 02/09/2013 13:55

Actually you've made me think! My DS always used to come home from pre-school covered in lunch, but never has from school (going into year 2).

I haven't put a wipe in for him (never occurred to me, and not that organised!), so somehow he is either remaining clean himself or someone is giving him a quick wipe!

Having just asked him, apparently he just stays clean all by himself!

I think a wipe is a really good idea - I think he will soon grow out of using them, though.

testedpatience · 02/09/2013 14:04

Amazon sell the individually wrapped wipes in boxes of 100

BobbyGentry · 02/09/2013 14:09

If you pop an individually wrapped wet wipe into his snack then you may have to open it slightly before so that it would open easily. Try how he gets on with them before so you can guide on how to look after himself. I think it's a good idea :)

TravelinColour · 02/09/2013 14:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DeWe · 02/09/2013 14:14

Not sure whether it's a good idea or not.
I'm sure that my ds wouldn't use it anyway-and the dinnerladies are not going to have time to remind them to use it.

But it's the sort of thing my dm used to do, and I hated because it marked me out as being different. She was always convinced it was a really kind thing to do, and how lucky I was that I wasn't (eg) covered in food like everyone else. I felt it was saying that I was messier than everyone else...

AnneUulmelmahay · 02/09/2013 14:20

Slightly off topic but do rethink yoghurt. Staff will love you if you send yoghurt free lunchboxes.

MonstersDontCry · 02/09/2013 14:21

You could put a wipe from a packet into a sandwich bag?

redskyatnight · 02/09/2013 14:23

Your child will end up covered with playdoh/glitter/paint/glue/wool/whiteboard marker/soil/grass stains anyway. A few random bits of food will hardly be noticed.

TwasBrillig · 02/09/2013 14:23

I'm rethinking yoghurt . . .!

Original poster

BoysRule · 02/09/2013 14:27

After eating his yoghurt at lunch time today he had a quite thick ring of it round his mouth. He was only 4 last week so maybe he is just not that co-ordinated yet. He doesn't like the ones in a tube or I would do that.

I am going to experiment with one in a tuppaware. It will be inconspicuous so if he doesn't want to use it he won't, I can just see if he does. I looked at the ones on Amazon but I don't think he will be able to rip them open and I have used them in restaurants and on planes and they are really soapy and wet.

I don't really want to send him without a yoghurt as he is quite a fussy eater and it will limit an already limited list!

OP posts:

everlong · 02/09/2013 14:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ClaimedByMe · 02/09/2013 14:40

Pot and spoon is less messy, I buy plastic disposable spoons now, never thought about a wet wipe, my dc are 8 and 10 and the 10yo still comes home covered in food!

AnythingNotEverything · 02/09/2013 14:47

Wouldn't a piece of kitchen towel do?

BackforGood · 02/09/2013 14:51

My ds just presumed that's what sleeves were for

MrsEdinburgh · 02/09/2013 14:55

I put a piece of kitchen roll in DD's lunch box, however 8 times out of ten it comes back unused...

Fuzzymum1 · 02/09/2013 14:56

I got round the issue by sending in the yoghurt pouches with screw on tops. they sell them in tesco, asda and (I think) sainsburys

ilovepowerhoop · 02/09/2013 14:58

I also use the yoghurt pouches with screw on lids. We get them in asda or tesco.

zipzap · 02/09/2013 15:16

ds2 used to come home last year (YR) still with food plastered around his face and on his jumper front and his jumper sleeves and polo shirt and his trousers and in his hair... Some of the time he had school lunches, some packed lunches.

And sending in a wipe or tissue or paper towel didn't seem to make any difference! Ironically at home he is also quite messy - but very quick to help himself to the tissues to wipe up messy hands and face, as he doesn't like them - he'll often do them himself half way through a meal if it's particularly bad as he doesn't like the sticky feeling - and yet is happy to live with it all afternoon at school!

Fingers crossed it will be better in Y1 but not holding my breath

Think paper towel and/or wet wipe in a tupperware box sound good...

SydneyB · 03/09/2013 15:31

Blimey, does it really matter if they come home plastered in food??

Marne · 03/09/2013 15:51

My dd's always come home grubby , as long as they wash their hands then i'm not too bothered about their faces, I send mine in with yoghurt pouches or frubes rather than a pot.

jamtoast12 · 03/09/2013 21:16

I used to put a piece of kitchen roll in...and I'd even draw a funny face on it or message as a surprise

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 03/09/2013 21:20

My DS (9) still gets food round his mouth (he has poor coordination with cutlery) and has pasta in tomato sauce with a flask quite often, at his age it is embarrassing to have food round your mouth, so I just bung in a bit of kitchen roll with his fork and he does use it.

Ixia · 04/09/2013 01:16

I just fold up a baby wipe and tuck it in between the bits and pieces in DD's lunch bag. Sometimes she uses it, sometimes she doesn't. I put yoghurt in its own Tupperware container, as they have to fetch all leftovers home, not great if the left overs are half an open yoghurt.

MrsCakesPremonition · 04/09/2013 01:34

Umm - this might be really obvious, but I can't see anyone else suggesting it so here goes... why not ask the teacher how the school handles lunchtime faces and then decide if you need a wipe? At my DCs school the class TA accompanies the class to lunch with a roll of kitchen towel .

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