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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

What lunch bag for high school?

74 replies

Bizkit · 23/08/2014 16:55

What type of lunch bag?

DS is starting high school in sept and I'm assuming they don't use the common character/cool bag type ones used throughout primary school, I've not seen any children carrying a separate lunch bag, when I've seen then walk home from school.

I don't even know where their lunch will be stored all day? Any ideas?

I'm thinking just a small plain coloured zip up cool bag thing that can fit in his rucksack?

I can't for the life of me remember what I did back in my high school days...

OP posts:

AtiaoftheJulii · 01/09/2014 11:33

Yes :) I find the ones that are a bit over a litre work for my girls (juice carton, roll, crisps, biscuit) but my son has a slightly bigger one and usually has an extra "side" or another roll.

HibiscusIsland · 01/09/2014 11:58

Thank you

Rivercam · 01/09/2014 15:24

Mine use a plastic box as well, and the sandwiches always gets eaten. Also, they have a small amount on their cash card for snacks, etc.

GreenPetal94 · 01/09/2014 15:36

I just hand over a tenner on Monday and ds1 gets himself stuff in the school canteen. They only have lunch at school Mon-Thu in Scotland anyway. I think he buys too many doughnuts but I do agree with him that the school prices are a bargain.

He also won't take a water bottle, I think he uses the water fountain if its hot / PE.

Flossiex2 · 01/09/2014 16:12

Most pupils take in money to spend on hot dogs, pizza, paninis etc in the school canteen. Very few take packed lunch and those whose mums insist on making them dispose of them in various stairwells, behind radiators or use the sandwiches as missiles.

Some young people spend the money on the way to school or even save it!

myotherusernameisbetter · 01/09/2014 16:20

Rainbow spiral - that isn't universal across Scotland - I'm guessing you are Edinburgh/Lothians.

Most of the rest of the country do 5 full days and the kids do need lunch on a Friday too. A tenner wouldn't go far in my boys school either, I think a pizzini is over 2 quid, never mind adding in a drink if they aren't taking a drink with them.

It really depends on the school I think what is acceptable and what isn't, my two prefer a packed lunch, and after posting on this thread I checked with them again that they don't get a hard time and they say that a lot of people take packed and nobody bothers - sometimes they walked to the supermarket with friends and just eat their lunch as they go. it takes most of the lunch break to walk down and back. The only time my son decided to go there and buy stuff, he ended up with no lunch as he didn't have time to actually buy lunch before heading back up :(

Doyouthinktheysaurus · 01/09/2014 16:37

Ds1 has insisted on a bag, I hope he doesn't get teased

I did give him the choice and tried to steer him towards a box but no, he wanted a lunch bag. It's very neutral.....

God, I hope it's not social suicide

Angelto5 · 01/09/2014 16:40

Myother-my dc at high school are not allowed to leave the school premises at lunch time. They are going in to years 8 & 11.
What years are yours in?

myotherusernameisbetter · 01/09/2014 17:21

Angel, they are S2 and S3 in Scotland (just turned 14 and 13 - roughly year 9 & 10 I think?). They don't have any restriction as basically there really isn't anywhere for them to go other than to tesco which is a good 15 minutes away and because of the hill on the way back, probably 20 to get back up - they only get 40 minutes. A lot of other schools don't allow S1s (roughly year 8 I think) to leave but older children can. I think it really depends on the school, the area and the available outside temptations. They also have a lunch card system so most of the kids don't really have access to cash if their parents decide to fund the card by cheque.

myotherusernameisbetter · 01/09/2014 17:27

In Scotland they stay until P7 in primary and then up to High school for S1 - they will be between 11 and a half and 12 and a half roughly though some may be a bit older if they had a deferred entry into P1. In Scotland you don't need to start until you are 5 but you can start in the summer if you were 4 before march 1st. Some parents whose child isn't 5 yet by mid August when the school starts after the summer hols, choose to wait until the next year. Theoretically that could be if they were 5 in September, but in practice it is usually just those with January/February birthdays - makes an interesting range in classes when some children could be nearly a full year and a half other than others.

Chopstheduck · 01/09/2014 17:31

Can't believe how many people say about it being social suicide to take food from home.

We have various types of tupperware, sandwich boxes, salad containers, etc. My two seniors take in the same as the dts in juniors - salads, quinoa, pasta, wraps, rolls, sarnies, whatever else I feel like chucking in there. The queues for the canteen are usually huge and they only get half an hour, so pack ups are preferable.

Angelto5 · 01/09/2014 17:34

My dc have a similar cash system for dinners but they use their thumb print to pay.
My dc only have food from the canteen on a Friday because if we let them all week we'd be bankrupt!

HolgerDanske · 01/09/2014 19:43

It isn't social suicide to take lunch in at my daughter's school thank goodness. But I don't think I've ever seen anyone carrying a specific lunch bag..

Everyone carries a bag of some sort (rucksack or cross body or for some girls, a big handbag) and I assume that they all either eat in the cafe or do some variation of what my daughter does - carries the lunch in her bag, but in a plastic container.

HolgerDanske · 01/09/2014 19:43

Excuse horrific grammar, v. Tired.

Admiraltea · 01/09/2014 21:23

quinoa...dd of doctor (everyone super jealous but not ever awake to make) . ...haribo..." I ate 5 colours of food" ... local carvery for £3.00 lunch ... get there b4 oap's ... box in bag is def the way to go... (dictated by super awesome year 13)

MrsLoada · 01/09/2014 21:54

Ds12 and dd13 both take lots of small items wrapped separately then popped inside a large sandwich type bag . They take sandwichs cut into 4 each wrapped on their own, homemade cakes, biscuits, crisps, cereal bars , mini sausage rolls, mini picnic eggs. Plus a bottle of water shop bought but reused for a week.
Food is eaten little and often all day , they grab a mini sandwich between lessons, have crisps at break. Must lunch times they are going to a club and don't have time to que . School lunch starts at £2.10 for something like pizza slice and chips or a pot of pasta. Need extra money for a drink so a school lunch works out about £3 a day

prettybird · 02/09/2014 11:04

Ds (14 next week) is in S3 (=Y9) and takes in his own "subway" roll that he makes himself. Usually he just wraps it in cling film (although at the moment he's unhappy at me as he's having to wrap it in a plastic bag as I've run out of cling film and haven't been to the shops) and shoves it in his bag.

When he was in S1 (Y7), he wasn't allowed to leave the school grounds, so had school dinners. They're now £1.50 daily (all week - including Fridays ) - but he prefers to eat out. He saves the money I give him (although I now only give him £5 as I buy in the ingredients - part-baked rolls, salami, cucumbers, salad leaves....) and he'll "treat" himself on a Friday.

This way he is incentivised to actually make food for himself!

SixImpossible · 02/09/2014 11:20

Ds just distributes his lunch, wrapped in a variety of foil/clingfilm/sandwich bags, in various pockets of his rucksack. He says that there's just not enough space to carry a dedicated lunch bag. He also can't guarantee getting to his locker before first period and before lunch, so his lunch generally stays in his rucksack all day. We have never bothered with ice packs, not even in primary, and none of my dc have ever been made ill by their ambient lunches.

There isn't enough space for everyone to sit down to eat, so ds prefers food he can eat standing up or while walking with friends. He doesn't want to waste his break time waiting for a seat.

pissedglitter · 02/09/2014 11:30

I have never seen a high school kid with a lunch bag/box (not saying it doesn't happen just never seen it)

My lot would rather go hungry than take a packed lunch they use the school canteen or leave school to go to the chippy/cafe

Angelto5 · 02/09/2014 16:09

My ds(15) has just picked a graffiti style lunch box with an attached bottle. He doesn't care what people think.
Nothing gets between him & his food.

bubby64 · 10/09/2014 22:02

My 2 both have just a clip-top plastic lunchbox and a separate water bottle, they say anything else would be laughed at.

EveryThingIsImpossible · 10/09/2014 23:06

New York Deli Experience. Sub in a brown paper bag, crisps cookie fruit and drink
Simples :D

DarkHeart · 17/09/2014 21:47

My ds would rather go hungry than take a packed lunch- def social suicide at his school

Scholes34 · 24/09/2014 13:27

All three of mine (17, 16, 14) have these. DD's is now in its seventh year and still going strong:

www.concentrate.org.uk/index.php?page=94

The material is stretchy and a bit like wet suit material. It washes and you can squish lots of plastic boxes into it

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