Son,13yrs, not eating lunch at school.

[caringdad66]

Son is in year 8.
He is a normal healthy weight,according to the NHS ,BMI checker.
The issue is he hardly ever eats anything at school.
School send home itemized lists of all lunchtime food bought,and I am worried.
In a typical week,he goes two days without buying a single thing,and on the other days will eat approx 300 calls per lunchtime.
He can't be saving the money up,because it's all done electronically,with me crediting his dinner account as and when needed.
When quizzed he says he's not that hungry,and would rather chill with his many mates outside.
He eats breakfast everyday.
And I cook a hot meal each evening,which he eats.
My worry is,if he isn't eating at lunchtime,how can his body/brain give their best in pm lessons?
Surely not eating affects concentration and leads to poor schoolwork?

For my Ds playing football, bulldogs etc is more important than lunch. He regularly leaves his sandwiches at home and eats them when he gets back. Then has a cooked dinner later. Perhaps these children are going 'all continental' on us. When the pressure is on me at school 'lunch' is often eaten at break and after the school day. Hors d'oeuvre at break and the entree at 2.45.

Would he drink anything? I have the same problem but at breakfast. Ds doesn't like breakfast and our Ped. said if he would drink milk at breakfast that would definitely be better than nothing until lunch, which he will eat.

I buy these shelf stable vanilla milks, I have seen them in chocolate and strawberry too. Also, I think Instant Breakfast (it's called something else now) have cans he could take along with an ice pack that he could drink at lunch. Now, I am aware that a vanilla milk that is sweetened cannot compare to a healthy breakfast, but if that is the only thing ds will have, I just go with it.

Or maybe some sort of smoothie he would drink? I know you can buy smoothie mix for convenience and whip up one for him to take in a container? I know it's not the optimum, but it's better than nothing. I try not to make a big deal about food (not saying you are at all)...maybe if you ask him if he'd rather pack something - even cheese and crackers - if he thinks the food doesn't taste good? I know my ds will say he's not hungry if he doesn't like the taste of something, but his appetite will 'come back' if I offer him something he likes.

DS2 is a similar age and does this. I have no idea how. But it hasn't affected his health, or his schoolwork which is prize-winningly excellent. He does however have that skinny teenage "grown up but not out yet" look. But so do lots of them.

What is he having for breakfast? Does he get money (cash) from you that he might spend on snacks elsewhere? Maybe he's eating enough food but making poor choices elsewhere. Or is he losing weight / exercising excessively / showing concern about his weight?

DD was very much the same - if her mates weren't going off to the canteen, she'd skip lunch - and then get home starving and cross! Solution has been for her to make and take a packed lunch, then she can eat on the run.

For the whole of secondary school, well apart from a bit of the first year my Son never had any lunch, he sure made up for it when he came home though! He didn't like sitting in the noisy canteen and would rather stay in the Library. They had water fountains available which he used. I used to worry but making a fuss wouldn't have helped, if they have breakfast and something when they come home, then there's no problem really IMO. My Son has done just fine and it didn't effect his school work. I have to do the same now with my job, your body gets used to it.

Thanks for all the replies.
He does drink water at school,which I guess is better than nothing.
I think the hassle of queuing,May be correct.
He is a very sociable,lad,who probably sees queuing and eating lunch as taking away his social time.
I must try and get as many cals as possible down him at breakfast!

Stick a flapjack inhisbag too, he'll eat it if he remembers, even if it is on the way home.

Or a protein shake.

i used to eat breakfast and not lunch when i was at school, and now as an adult no breakfast but eat lunch. I've never been able to do both.

If he was loosing weight rapidly or getting ill easily or very tired i'd worry, if not i'd not worry!

Do you think it'd be better if you sent him with a packed lunch? My DD prefers this as it avoids queuing (can be 20 mins apparently) when she'd rather be with her friends. Her friends rarely buy food in school, as they prefer to meet up straight away and chat. My DD doesn't eat a great deal, but at least it's there in her bag. If you haven't got time to prepare a lunchbox (and DS won't do it), plain wraps or pitta bread, babybel, pepperami, flapjacks, yogurts, apples, bananas are all healthy, with a treat of say crisps or a biscuit, are easy to pack and easy to just eat - even if he only eats a couple of things it's better than nothing.