School dinners - tiny portion sizes

[QueenStarlight]

Can anyone advise what to do? My son and daughter attend different primary schools. Both say that they are hungry at dinner time after their dinners and that they only get a toddler size portion.

They have good breakfasts. A huge bowl of porridge or Weetabix (4 biscuits each) followed by yoghurt with lots of nuts and then a piece of fruit. Dinner is fairly late-ish but they get a snack when they get in from school.

Both are of athletic build.

I have never asked if they have enough, they both independently moan about it. I have spoken to the office of my daughter's school who have confirmed she finishes everything on her plate. I know my ds does as he always has.

I could send them in with an additional packed lunch but that kids of defeats the objective of school dinners (1 I pay for, 1 I don't).

Both offices have said there is bread, but this appears to be rationed also according to my children (as other kids who get it then don't eat their dinner).

I have no idea what to do next.

4 weetabix may only be 280 calories, but add half a pint of milk, full fat yogurt, lots of nuts, plus fruit and sometimes eggs, that's starting to add up to 500/600 cals which is pretty big for a primary aged child. How old are they?

280 calories without milk though Washed, easily 400+ with. Not to mention the yoghurt, nuts, fruit (and eggs if OP has time). There's no denying that's a lot.

X post Tv

Great minds

The breakfast portions are only that size on school days as I am trying to prevent hunger throught the day.

My kids are proper skinny but they do not stop moving. They also have no food fussiness.

They eat according to appetite. Dinner portions are the same size for all family members with the exception of 3yr old who also eats to appetite but needs seemingly little more than air.

Athletic build means skinny as feck but with massive muscles.

How old are they? Do they get snack or milk at first break?

Wow! My dd is in year 6, and I doubt she could eat more than one weetabix in a sitting! If she ate four, I doubt she'd eat again until the evening!

Saturday porridge or weetabix smaller sizes. No additions. Sometimes pancakes I stress as my ds like cooking them.

Lunch varies but usually sandwiches of 2 slices of bread with filling plus a veg or fruit side.

Dinner as normal. 2 small potatoes each if potatoes around 75g of rice/pasta if not potatoes mince or veg curry/stew mostly, or 1 fillet of fish/chicken. We never have dessert.

No orange. They have only been this way since complaining of hunger in the afternoons, so I upped their breakfasts but it isn't working.

I can probably reduce their breakfasts easily but I'm not sure how that will help their school hunger.

I don't understand how sorting that amount of food in the morning is possible yet doing a packed lunch isn't

you'd have far more time in the mornings of you weren't having to cram and entire days food down them.in half an hour.

just do packed lunches

'I'd rather mine ate more in the day and less in the evening as they need it in the day.'

But OPs dc aren't eating less in the evening. (Or have I got it wrong?) 'Dinner portions are the same size for all family members' I'm assuming this is a hot meal?

How do you feel about just giving them a packed lunch OP?

Is the term 'athletic build' a new faux pas on Mumsnet?

Thank you kitella I can send in a piece of fruit for break snack if they don't want school fruit. Ds gets milk. Dd doesn't.

I suppose I could see if I could get away with a small sandwich!?

There's nothing wrong with feeling hungry sometimes.

What time do they eat dinner on a night? Maybe if they are going from 12-7pm they are bound to be hungry, my three are ravenous when they get in. Mine have their main meal at 4.30, then supper st 7.30, this seems to work for them, otherwise they just snack till dinner time

Everyone seems to want you to starve your children as they can't seem to comprehend some people need more food than others.
I'm always shocked by how little some people need to eat.
My brother's children are skinny and fit and strong and eat masses of food. Some people need to eat more than others

It is every day, not sometimes that the feel hungry. DS has asked what he can say to the chef (he has ASD so is struggling to understand why he isn't given enough),

They don't train I don't think, but they probably walk around 30 miles a week as I don't drive and they do a LOT of after school activities. Both gymnastics, running and dd, ballet.

Yes we had a period of the children having tea earlier than us which was a pita (but dh worked long hours back then)

Pull their teatime forwards.

My son is a good eater , he will only eat maximum 2 weetabix at breakfast . He has just started reception and has got food at lunchtime . He will just have toast and fruit ( for example ) at dinner time and he hardly eats that .. I don't think children need 2 hot meals a day let alone Such a lot of food .

It depends on the activities. Tonight they ate at 5:30 (though had homemade date and sunflower seed flapjack after school) as had to set off for activity at 6. Tomorrow it won't be until 7:30 when we get home so I take a tuna sandwiches to eat on the bus and have dinner after activity.

Thank you pants. I think it is unfair to say the kids 'shouldn't be hungry, how date they?' When the fact is, they are.

I've been on kids camps. I know the majority of little kids barely eat and cause waste. That is not my kids.

They eat to appetite. They aren't fat, not even a little bit. Their bodies seem to know what they need. The school aren't providing it.