Packed lunch - what in?

[KickboxingWanker]

Morning

my ds is year 6 has ASD - doesn’t have many friends and is an only child so I have no experience with this.

he’s got his high school place - a DP in a mainstream school.

he has so many food issues that he’ll need to take his lunch with him. What do high school pupils that take their lunch in? - I don’t want what to send him with something that will be socially wrong iykwim. He will have to eat lunch with everyone in the canteen.

also pe kits do they still tend to use a pe bag?

anything else you think I should know? Will the school send a list of what he needs?

suspect every school and child is different but both my girls take their lunch in these metal lunchboxes (www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=green+tiffin+box&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) or a food flask with pasta etc.

They don't use PE bags and have a cotton tote for PE.. I think a lot of children just take a tupperware box or even a carrier bag...They are year 9 and 11 at a big comp and no-one seems to judge anyone's lunch box... the scruffier the better I think. Good luck!

My children are younger so I can’t help with your questions but just wanted to say how nice it is that you’re thinking of these things.

Ds has this one in a different colour. I dont use the yoghurt pot and put fruit in the 2 smaller spaces. Wrap/sandwich goes in the bigger space on the bottom level and the the tray sits on top and i put a mini biscuit pack on the tray.

I've got a year 9, 8 & 6. They take lunch in a clear plastic lunch box with blue edging & metal water bottle.

PE kits are taken in Nike / Adidas drawstring bags.

Plain tupperware box or carrier bag for lunch

Plain drawstring or sports bag for PE Kit.

If in doubt, send him in with something innocuous for the first week or so, so he can get a feel for what's "acceptable".

Plain tupperware - a basic rectangle no fancy compartments. Or failing that, a tin foiled wrap shoved jn the top pocket of the backpack. Pe kit - balled up in the bottom of the backpack, with trainers in a separate boot bag type thing.

My experience (girl, yr 8) is that lunch is in a plastic bag. No box as their bags are so full. It takes up too much room. But if it was in a box it would need to be simple clear plastic no pictures etc. Her PE goes in a plain black drawstring bag with a plain black zip up shoe bag for the trainers. Basically, she wouldn't want to stand out in any way!! Good luck

My eldest just takes a sandwich and packet of crisps and buys snacks there. He takes a plain black canvas lunch box. He just puts his PE kit in his school bag and doesn't use a separate bag.

My dc has asd (plus food intolerances) I spoke to the catering department and they did a bespoke menu, much more flexiblethan primary school. So don't totally rule out a school dinner (aware that for some it's not possible). When staying packed lunch I sent a clear tupperware box in (because thats what others used), but then dc didn't like you could see into it so I sent a coloured one in. Then dc decided didn't like the noise it made in bag so now it goes in a tote bag! Maybe give dc some ideas see what they prefer/will use.
PE kits are taken in Nike / Adidas drawstring bags or jd carrier bags.
A good idea is to drive past as kids are going/coming from school look at what they're wearing/carrying.

Both of mine use the Sistema bento boxes linked above. We use the yoghurt poys for dried fruit or olives instead.

PE bags - DD uses a rucksack but yr 7 DS uses a slazengar small holdall so he can carry it as his main school bag is a large school logoed and personalised rucksack.

Thanks so much everyone some great ideas - he won’t even notice what others are using but I just don’t want him to stand out, he’s got enough going on without having the wrong ‘stuff’.
thanks again 🙂

It does depend on the school year. Dd3 and her friends were all into biodegradable solutions and looking after the earth. So she had her lunches in beeswax wraps

Ds in same school used a tubberware type box 2 years apart.

Imo in year 7 you won't go wrong with a plastic container and a plainish cool bag.

Mine took their pe kit in a separate rucksack but both were heavily into sports so that may be different.

I think most of the kids at my DD’s school take their PE kit in one of the drawstring PE bag, carried separately. They have so many books to take that there isn’t room to put PE kit in their school bag.

Ds took either a long sistema lunch box link below or a multi layer Sistema but the design has changed, so sandwich in the top layer then crisps and a granola bar in the bottom. The sandwiches or wraps were wrapped in grease proof paper which acted as a plate for the school table and then we put a slim ice pack in too if he was having ham, chicken or beef.

www.sistemaplastics.com/2l-lunch

PE kit wise, lots of kids have plastic drawstring bags from JD sports but Ds was already carrying a rucksack (laptop bag as padded at the back) so he had a cross body bag like this bagbase.com/products/bg21-messenger-bag

The sports bag definitely depends on the school, the comp down the orad from us, the kids all use drawstring bags, at ours the kids all use plain black sports bags like these

Sarnie or salad in box, some veg and fruit, a flapjack or Madeline cake. Simple fold over lunch pack that fits in rucksack.

At secondary the PE bag has been a second smaller rucksack that goes in his locker and comes home at the end of the week. Too much kit for a carrier or drawstring bag plus muddy boots can go in sep part of rucksack.

School will probably advise about the pe kit bag but our school says plainish black drawstring bag. A Nike swoosh would probably be fine, can’t see Nike ever going out of favour. The canteen will sell cakes, crisps, fruit etc, if he doesn’t want to carry too much lunch.

I've a year 9 with ASC and a year 7. They take sandwiches in a clear tupperware tub inside a carrier. Year 7 will take hot food in a plain thermos food flask. Both have plain black water bottles.

Oh and both have a plain black draw string bag one nike and one addidas (v small logo).

Hi,
I have a son who will be starting secondary school, how do the 'cool kids' take their packed lunch to school these days 🤭

My son just wraps everything in foil as the lunch box takes up to much room in his bag