School Meals v Packed Lunch

[kissmekate]

Hi

Can anyone give me ideas for sandwich fillings that kids will actually eat; as my 4 year old is due to start a school which doesn't have a canteen, so Im going to have to start giving her exciting pack lunches to try to get her to eat up. Im really stumped for ideas.

Thanks!

[filigree]

Mine eats just about anything: ham, cheese, cheese spread, spreading pate, sandwich spreads, sliced meats, tuna mayo. Occasionally he has sausage rolls or a pasty, not too often though because pastry is very fatty. Most kids like egg mayo but it stinks by lunchtime! Salad goes soggy in bread, what you can do is make a sandwich that goes bread-thin ham-tomato-another slice of ham-bread.

Pasta salad makes a nice change - cold pasta, crunchy veg like cucumber, sweetcorn and peppers, mixed with some salad dressing and tuna. Some parents swear by slices of cold pizza, but my kid won't touch it!

I'd suggest getting an insulated lunch pack to stop her lunch getting warm and stale. I make sandwiches in bulk and freeze them, and put them in the lunchbag still frozen. They defrost by lunchtime ;)

[tru]

What Filigree said ;D

Sometimes my kids get fed up with sandwiches so they have what they call pick n mix. Cheesestring, peperami, tomato, chunk of cucumber, mini cheddars, scotch egg, mini pasty or sausage roll, fruit and anything really that makes a picnic ;D

[ANDYPANDY]

If your little one is anything like mine don't dwell too much on lunches! They are so desperate to get out and play that most of it is untouched until they leave the school gates!

For an alternative to sandwiches I sometimes put in a chunk of french bread with a piece of cheese or chicken kebabs (obviously only little bits of chicken). She seems to like these cold and they are quick and easy to eat!

[Trix]

I try to give a different thing every day to stop them getting bored. Mine have:

1. Slices of peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, cheese chunks and ham / chicken slices (kinda like Troos 'pic'n'mix' ;D)
2. The pasta salad like filigree said.
3. Cheese (either sliced cheese or triangles) and crackers with slices of ham.
4. Chicken drumstick - might be a bit young at four for this though.
5. Slices of quiche.
6. Breadsticks with 'dips' (cheese triangles, sandwich paste etc)

If you eat a corner yogurt - rinse out the pot then you can put the dip in the corner with mini breadsticks or sticks of carrot / pepper etc in the main part. Cover it in cling film or put it in a food bag to keep everything in.

If you're giving sandwiches try using biscuit cutters to make them more interesting - you can get them in so many shapes every day can be different.

Try having 'packed lunch days' at home and get to see what your child likes from these ideas or as a sandwich filling. My 6 and 10 year olds love doing this even now!

Let your child help when making the sandwiches or other options to get them more interested and let them make choices (not all the time - just during 'packed lunch days' or the rare occasion you may have time when they start school). If they've helped and chosen they're more likely to eat it.

I agree with insulated packed lunch boxes - I have mini freeze blocks that I put in as well. I haven't seen a school yet that has a fridge to store lunch boxes :-X. Another tip if you can't find the mini freeze blocks is to freeze bottles of juice (NOT pop) and the night before put one in the fridge - they'll be half defrosted by the morning then fully defrosted but nice and cool by lunchtime with the rest of the food being chilled as well.

The other things I put in lunchboxes apart from the main 'meal' are:
1. Drink - pure fruit juice, bottle of made up juice ( by made up I mean from cordial - not pretend juice.....y'know whatta mean! ;)), water and a milkshake on a Friday :)
2. Fruit - halve a kiwi, put it in a food bag and give a teaspoon to eat it. Strawberries go down well in the summer. Grapes are usually popular. If you give an orange - peel it and separate the segments when they're young and put it in a small container or food bag. Banana. Apples are usually only ever half eaten :-/
3. Yogurt or fromage frais
4. Small biscuit
5. Crisps or mini cheddars (although I try to just give them a couple of times in one week)
6. Mini boxes of raisins

END OF SUGGESTIONS!

Well I know you only asked for sandwich ideas but thought you might need other ideas as well ::) ;D

[16011996]

Instead of little boxes of raisins, I buy big cheap bag of dried mixed fruit and put some in placcy bag. My daughter loves fruit salad. I just slice strawberries, apple, melon raspberries or anything else i have to hand, sprinkle with a little sugar and lemon juice. Don't worry too much about what you put in though, as long as your making sure you give her a good breakfast and tea, she won't miss out. Also, the good thing with pack lunches is (if your school do this) is they send all thats not eaten home, so you know how much they've had. Always worried when mine wre on school dinners that they'd come home hungry (which they did a few times) cos it was something they didn't like.

Lots of luck on her first day at school.

160

[Ally]

I always put meat slices in my girls sandwiches - I just get the bigger packs and stuff her rolls :o :o I find that rolls are easier - the little hovis ones that look like a mini loaf of bread are her fav.

Also, have to say, the squeezy yogurts are fab, no need for a spoon and no lost cutlery either - little kids just need to practice getting the packs open!!

Try and get your little one to put all the left overs in a sealable poly bag (80 for £1 in most £ shops) as the results can be icky on hot days especially with banana's!! I also avoid drink cartons (our school sends the kids back with all left overs so parents can see how much the kids have eaten)

HTH
Ally

[filigree]

Meant to say... I keep little plastic tubs, the sort that have dips or coleslaw in. Wash them out and use them for packing lunches in. That way, if your dopey son throws them away (grrr) you haven't lost a proper Tupperware tub. Learned that lesson the expensive way! ::)

500g size margarine tubs are a good size for pasta salad, too.

[tru]

I buy the yogurt in a tube (frubes?) too, I used to buy cartons of yogurt but the kids would throw my spoons away with the carton ::)

[kissmekate]

Wow, Thanks for all the culinary tips. Im trying to track down an insulated sandwich box at the mo. We are going to try a few lunch box meals as suggested.

Thanks so much for the help... Keep them coming

[Travelqueen]

BTW - Whilst having my toast this morning I noticed that Marmite are doing an insulated Marmite sandwich box for 4.99 with a purchase - it comes with space for an ice pack too if I remember rightly from my quick scan read at stupid o'clock this morning!

Hope that helps

TQ

[plumpmouse]

Hi just wanted to add a bit.

My little boy isn't at school yet but he loves most of the things listed but also loves humous(sp?) with pitta bread.

My main point though is my mum buys lunchboxes for my little brother from matalan. They are blue and have a section for the ice pack (which is included) not sure how much they are though

HTH

[Sarahsaver]

My kids love cheese and crackers bcos they think its 'grown up'!
other yummy fillings for sandwiches - peanut butter and marmite, tesco value meat paste, JAM (greatly underestimated in my opinion) cheese and marmite, a thin spreading of pesto with whatever you fancy, such as chicken, ham etc. I dont use margarine unless the filling isnt itself sticky. Also my daughter likes the filling separate if its cheese or ham or salami, she likes to make ker own sandwiches. You could provide a banana for a banana sandwich to be made if your child can cope with this - yum! Schoolday memories flooding back.
I no longer buy crisps or chocolate coated biscuits. If my kids need a packed lunch they get some dried fruit - apricots or sultanas, breadsticks, frubes are good as you can freeze them, so they keep the rest of the lunch cool, or freeze the juice bottle and get it out in the fridge the night before so its still very cold but not totally chilly. Make little buns, one egg, 3 ounces each of self raising flour, sugar and vegetable oil, cook for about 10 minutes at gas 7 in the middle of the oven. If your kids help out they will usually eat what they have made proudly ;D
I tend to only pack apples as most other fruits dont survive well being in a lunchbox.

[halloweenqueen]

Remember we all liked things as kids we wouldn't eat now!
I had a two year love affair with salad cream sarnies = poor mum was almost gagging when she made them! We also have a favourite in the house of peanut butter and cucumber (might be worth checking if any kids at the school have such a bad nut allergy that other kids having them set them off as happened at our local school).
Ham and cheese is a more mundane favourite - or cream crackers make a nice chnage with those squares of plastic cheese.
Mine take pitta breads with ham in, my oldest has never eaten a sandwich at school in her life and made it fairly healthily to her teens!Slices of cold pizza, homemade rolls are a very strong favourite (even the oldest will have those!).
I think half of the battle is to get the children involved with the making of them and that seems to make them think more about actually eating them.
Homemade cheese and ham scones are something kids will eat without thinking about it ebing more or less the equivalent of a sandwich.

[Lucie]

I think I lived on salmon paste sandwiches for about 5 years when I was a kid! They were always better with prawn cocktail crisps in them if I remember correctly..... wouldn't touch the stuff now.
I would never eat all 4 sandwiches (1 round of bread cut into 4 little squares) so my Mum used to cut them up into 3 long "soldiers" & I would eat all 3 - despite it being exactly the same amount??!! odd child!

[Peakma]

I seem to be giving my kids the same stuff over and over cheese/ham/marmite sandwich. Piece of fruit,packet of crisps and chocolate bar.Seem to leave fruit and sandwich. sometimes give olives,raisons,apricots. Has anyone got any intresting,healthy options that kids go for?

[Edinburghlass]

Jamie Oliver was talking about this in the Daily Mail tv supplement, he reckons packed lunches are even worse than school dinners!

He has a new book out and devotes a chapter to this. Two things that were mentioned in the article were a bag of cherry tomatoes, my daughter loves them, along with mixed leaves and a little cling film wrap of dressing that they add before they eat. The other was freeze a carton of fruit juice, I use the Tesco value orange for lunches, while cold it acts as a cool pack and is squashy by lunchtime.

Jamies website, http://www.jamieoliver.com is worth taking a look at for his diary, recipes and there is a forum there.

[Quackers]

My girls take a cold tuna or chicken pasta thing sometimes. Just cold pasta, mayo, tuna or chicken & some sweetcorn or cucumber. You can add whatever they will eat or whatever leftovers you have to this.

Dont use just bread all the time - my girls love pitta bread filled with tuna or soft cheese or chicken. Add some chopped up cucumber & a bit of lettuce if they'll eat it?

Another thing which I wish I'd started ages ago is - get them involved in deciding & making it! My girls come up with all sorts of ideas & they're more willing to eat their own creations. ;D

[tru]

Cheesestrings, frubes, mini peperami, mini salad, breadsticks (these are great cos they come in loads of different flavours ;D) There's more but I'm suffering from brain frazzle at the mo ;D

[sce37]

Apples, grapes, bananas - no preparation
Mix a few fruits together (fruit salad) to pick at.
Kiwi fruit with top cut off like a boiled egg (don't forget to pack a plastic spoon)

Chuck a few lettuce leaves, cherry tomotoes, feta cheese, olives, tuna and mayo in a box - salad nicoise very quick.

Mine like the M & S duck wraps (only usually as a treat) but make own too - wrapped in tortillas

I have stopped putting any chocolate bars in their lunches now - part of the retraining of their behaviour towards healthy eating.
They like the part-bake crusty baguettes too.
Try finger foods carrots, peppers, cucumber with dips

[Sarahsaver]

Put the fillings in separate from the bread, my daughter loved making her own sandwiches at school.
Freeze frubes, they keep chilled that way. Provide a piece of kitchen paper or a serviette so your kids can set out their table 'all proper like'
Peeled carrots are great.
Use leftovers, cold pizza, cooked sausages...
I think involving the kids is a good idea too and make it on the evening before bed to avoid the morning rush.

[filigree]

Various tips - I used to work at my son's school supervising lunches:

Don't give them anything in little fiddly packets and tubs that have to be cut up, peeled or otherwise faffed about with. They want to cram food in and run out to play. If its hard work it goes in the bin.

Rolls stay fresher than sandwiches.

Anything eggy stinks.

Don't give them giant bottles of Sunny Delight/Panda Pops etc. If they get a whole days worth of calories from a revolting green drink, they won't want to eat proper food. All they really need is a SMALL drink of plain water, very diluted squash, or juice.

Some kids simply don't eat much. Try half a sandwich, a few grapes, and a small treat like one home made scone. Add to it if they seem hungry.

Some of those "ideal" lunch suggestions make me laugh. My 10 year old eats like a horse, but he can't eat all that in one 15 minute sitting. The Jamie Olivers of this world need to wake up to the reality that a four year old can't eat as much as a 16 year old!

Personally I avoid anything marketed at kids for packed lunches. It's invariably expensive, and crammed with chemicals, nasty fats and sugar. I don't care if it claims to have Vitamin C added - junk food with added vitamins is still junk food.

There was this one little boy who was taking Ritalin for his hyperactivity. Every day his lunch consisted entirely of pre-packaged junk food and fizzy, sugary drinks. Needless to say his behaviour plummeted after lunchtime :-/

[Edinburghlass]

Which funnily enough is exactly what Jamie Oliver was saying in the article I read. I am sorry you seemed to read into what I posted that he advocated otherwise and I think being the father of two very young children he is well aware of how much children will/can eat.

Personally, my own daughter never ate very much of her packed lunch at primary school and I was contacted by the meal supervisors because they were concerned about it when she was 5/6. The end result was I used to pack her a school lunch that looked good for those that supervised and she got adept at tipping it in the bin when no-one was looking and she ate when she came home.

[Judi]

I battle with school lunches too. If i put in too much of a variation, my son doesnt eat the sandwiches. Even a banana is enough to put him off eating anything else. My daughter watched me pack minimes lunch box and told me i was a mean mum cause i didnt put him in a bag of crisps. >:(

[Spendless]

I battle with school lunches too. If i put in too much of a variation, my son doesnt eat the sandwiches. Even a banana is enough to put him off eating anything else. My daughter watched me pack minimes lunch box and told me i was a mean mum cause i didnt put him in a bag of crisps. >:(Judi- this is exactly what happened to me. It's one of the reasons why he now has a school dinner.

[Sarahsaver]

My daughter used to have packed lunches, but now my kids are eligible for free school meals. Kids are mean when it comes to looking at each others lunchboxes, to see if it has the 'right' stuff in it. You know, tesco value crisps - naff, doritos - cool. I think some parents collude in it, after all the kids dont do the shopping. My daughter usually had sarnies and a piece of fruit, and occasional crisps or biscuit but always the cheap stuff. We have to teach our kids to rise above consumerism, after all we want them to grow up as moneysavers too. ;D

[filigree]

Which funnily enough is exactly what Jamie Oliver was saying in the article I read. !I am sorry you seemed to read into what I posted that he advocated otherwise and I think being the father of two very young children he is well aware of how much children will/can eat.


I wasn't suggesting his packed lunch ideas are bad, cos I hadn't read them! I do read earnest articles by nutritionists and professional parents (ie Nigella) who don't seem to live in the real world. Jamie Oliver's kids are still in nappies - it'll be interesting to see how he fares in a few years time (unless the nanny does it all).

As you've seen for yourself, it doesn't matter if you pack the "correct" lunch, it goes in the bin anyway. The lunch room bin was quite an education - huge amounts of untouched fruit, lots of empty crisp and choccy wrappers ;)

Some lunches are disgraceful - we had to find a spare school dinner for one poor mite who came in with mouldy jam sandwiches. Some parents are beyond education >:( Perhaps the school should buy a copy of Jamie Oliver's book and beat them severely about the head with it :-/

[Lucie]

Sandwiches are so boring. Make them more interesting with pitta bread, tortilla wraps etc. You have to balance this with making them TOO interesting & then the kids won't eat them!
Instead of sarnies try a sausage roll, scotch egg, cheese & onion pasty, pasta salad or a flask of soup in winter.

Save coleslaw pots etc & plastic spoons to put into lunch boxes to stop the kids throwing away your expensive tupperware!

[filigree]

I knew one girl who brought a flask of hot water and a Pot Noodle! Not very wholesome but it made a change from sandwiches ;)

[sara2323]

There's some interesting ideas in the ukparents forum about packed lunches from other mum's.

I have a three year old who has just started school full time and I have opted for paying for school dinners as he's very picky with food and although I've tried making pretend "lunch boxes" at home for picnics etc he always seems to leave most of the fruit and healthy snacks and opt for the juice, crisps etc.

It's also a good idea to speak to the dinner ladies, teachers to find what the child likes, I get a lot of feedback from them about the food he consumes.
He's often forgotten what he's had when he comes home. ::)

[Jay-Jay]

My big sprog is 5 and has school dinners because she likes choosing what to have herself.

However, she takes a snack for playtime. It has to be a healthy snack apart from on Fridays when she can take chocs or crisps.

I usually send her with a few carrot sticks, cheese sticks and cherry toms in a bag. Those snack a jack things tend to go down quite well too. Asda do titchy boxes of raisins which are good and maybe a few grapes if I'm feeling generous ;D

I've got some jazzy bags to put these in, Rainbow Snack Bags (Asda & Tesco) they have funny stickers to seal them and they're opaque so SURPRISE snack ;D

[Peakma]

thankyou for all your responses, and all your helpful suggestions. Done a tesco shop today,got mini scotch eggs,squeezems,mini pepperoni, mini olive and pesto ciabatta rolls and loads more intresting stuff, they also sent some mini baby bels that i'd not even ordered!

[16011996]

regarding the flask of soup, just check with the school its allowed, our school don't allow it, following a child getting scalded. but other schools i know do.

[Trix]

See if THIS (http://forum.moneysavingexpert.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Families;action=display;num=1089969 753;start) thread has any other ideas not already mentioned :)

[jellyhead]

my 8 year old loves grapes, i've seen that other kids love cherry tomatoes (i volunteer in school and walk through the dinner hall to go home). he also likes pitta bread (with strawberry jam - yuck!!).

because he's going to a residential thing later on in year 4 i've been trying to get him to have school dinners. he's autistic and very fussy about food, he's never had a school dinner so to begin with he's having help. i was with him last week and the food was terrbile! we'd looked at the menu and he saw that he could have cauliflower, grapes, banana, etc. but it was all really mushy and disgusting. the cauliflower was so overcooked it fell apart. the bananas were ready peeled so had gone brown, the grapes were watery and mushy. if he can't eat the fruit or veg then the only option is to eat pizza, chips and cake and i think his packed lunch is a better option for him really!! all the kids were putting the veg from their school dinner into the bin, they were only eating the junk.

i've also had teachers saying i'm not feeding him enough, and other kids saying i'm mean for not including a chocolate bar or crisps but he has such a tiny appetite, he doesn't need that kind of thing if he eats a small banana and some grapes then that's enough food for him.

[16011996]

jellyhead, you know your own child best, ignore what others say. our school dinners are as bad. they get one veg a day, no choice, and one fruit, agian no choice. been complaining for years, but they just say, well balance it out at home,

its why i give my kids have packed lunches.

[RACHIE77]

If you've been watching Jamie Olivers School Dinners programme on C4 you'd see what this countries kids are being given to eat in schools - it's a disgrace!!! Even if you don't have children but you care about what they are eating PLEASE SPARE ONE MINUTE OF YOUR TIME to sign it, on...

www.feedmebetter.com

** hope this is the right place to post this as I wasnt sure? **

p.s make sure you copy and paste this into an email and send this on to others in your address book to encourage them to sign! :)

[elona]

Excellent idea Rachie77 - I have signed it .

Might it be a good idea to contact a board guide to make it sticky or more prominent?

[080766]

The children not on school dinner but signed it anyway. I hope we are helping all the children at school for their better health!

[RACHIE77]

If you have watched the series you will know that schools are allocated 35p-45p to make our children a MEAL!

Whilst prisoners get 74p! Surely our children are worth this at least.

[Pooky]

Thanks for that - have just emailed the link to the school too - might spur them into joining!!!

[Bun]

I'm sure the amount is purely because the portion size is bigger.....but isn't that what punishment should be - a ten year stretch of turkey twizzlers????

[RACHIE77]

I'm sure the amount is purely because the portion size is bigger.....but isn't that what punishment should be - a ten year stretch of turkey twizzlers????

LOL! i think thats enough to put me off being naughty! I DONT WANNA GO TO PRISON!! NO TURKEY TWIZZLERS! ;)

[Yoga Girl]

Excellent, thanks for posting. I'm appalled that the government are still allowing that processed junk food to be served in schools. Have signed the petition and will forward the link on as well to everyone I know!

[tiff]

Have signed the petition, really hope it makes a difference :)

[VickyA]

I have just spent the last 4 weeks teaching English in an Italian primary school, in Florence. The school lunches there are great: for 4 euros (about 2.50 pounds) they get 2 courses, plus fruit and they're nutritionally balanced and not a chip in sight! And they're pretty tasty.

The first course is always a pasta dish - quite filling in itself - followed by either meat or a substantial salad. All the veggies used are organic too. All the teachers eat the school food, which is almost unheard of in England. I'm going to miss this sort of food when I go back to my sandwiches in the staffroom!

[hilstep2000]

I am a Teaching Assistant, and mother of two. I am appalled by the jubk that we serve up in our school, along with all the others in East Sussex. Signed the petition, hope we can get something done!

[mightymo]

VickyA, you are so right! It is very rare for the teachers to be eating the school meals!

My son only stays for school dinners when it is the "Christmas Party Dinner", but otherwise he has a packed lunch. I am a relief dinner lady at my son's school and I have seen the rubbish the children are given under the pretence "cooked dinners". I would not eat these meals myself, obviously the teachers don't want to - so why should the children?

[zcaprd7]

What!!! I Pay £1.60 a day for my ten year old.

Although school are trying to improve, according to the letter last week.


Jamie has been a bit misleading with this one - the rest of the money is spent on those "excellent" dinner ladies wages...

[jellyhead]

we pay £1.55 (i don't, my son deserves a packed lunch lol!). i don't know what the ingredients cost is per day but the rest goes to pay for the staff etc. it's run on contract, county catering or something they're called. they may even have to pay for kitchen hire, i don't know but there's extra hours spent cleaning the floor, washing up, collecting money in and counting it, that kind of stuff. maybe in the good old days the staff were employed by the school so our whole payment went towards ingredients? we had lovely meals when i was a kid, plenty of fruit and veg. our school isn't too bad actually, they don't use turkey twizzlers or chicken nuggets. they run a 6 week rolling menu, we are given the menu for the following week on the back of our weekly school newsletter.

examining this weeks menu more close i see chips are about once a fortnight and there are ploughmans instead of main course and 4 choices of veg, 1 is veg sticks but i see that on tuesday potato salad counts as one?! then there's the potato portion too, not very healthy ... especially as cheese and potato pie is a main course option for that day lol! i can imagine the trays - cheese and potato pie, potato salad with mashed potatoes - at least the rice pudding doesn't contain potato :rotfl: but seriuosly would you want your child to eat that meal, i realise that potatoes are veg but still, imagine the afternoon energy slump after that initial sugar rush from all the potato!

i have volunteered in school for 4 years now and there's a definite difference between morning and afternoon, except for the kids who don't eat breakfast. those who do have breakfast are fine in the mornings but then after lunch something happens to turn them into dribbling glazed zombies with the attention span of a goldfish - most kids have school dinners, packed lunches aren't that common.

[Peakma]

I would love school dinners to be better.My kids won't touch them, so every night when I've finnaly got them all to bed, doing their pack-ups is an unwelcome extra chore. I started off trying to make these healthy, but they hardly ate anything, so we have slipped into daily crisps and chocolate and of course sandwich and fruit ( which they more often than not leave).This also annoys me because if they were at home I would encourage them to eat the healthier stuff first (they are only 5 wnd 6) but at school they just tuck in and obviously head straight for the "goodies!" then don't feel like eating the real good stuff.
So it would be fantastc if school dinners were more appetising and healthy. It would also save my partner and I arguing about whose turn it is to make up the packed lunches.Just out of interest do most people share this chore? Or is gennerally Mums job? (as my partner seems to think it should be!).I will now go sign the petition.

[tiff]

I make the packed lunches during tea time, that way there is no mess to clear up later. It always seems to be my job too.

[jellyhead]

spud's like me, sandwiches have to be fresh so i make his packed lunch while he eats breakfast, it's my job because hubby has already left for work at that point but hubby does his fair share, washing out the lunchbox every day because spud makes such a mess of it lol!

[Savvy_Sue]

I would love school dinners to be better.My kids won't touch them, so every night when I've finnaly got them all to bed, doing their pack-ups is an unwelcome extra chore. I started off trying to make these healthy, but they hardly ate anything, so we have slipped into daily crisps and chocolate and of course sandwich and fruit ( which they more often than not leave).This also annoys me because if they were at home I would encourage them to eat the healthier stuff first (they are only 5 wnd 6) but at school they just tuck in and obviously head straight for the "goodies!" then don't feel like eating the real good stuff.
So it would be fantastc if school dinners were more appetising and healthy. It would also save my partner and I arguing about whose turn it is to make up the packed lunches.Just out of interest do most people share this chore? Or is gennerally Mums job? (as my partner seems to think it should be!).I will now go sign the petition.It was always my job too. But mostly mine ate school dinners so it wasn't very often. When they were having a packed lunch, I would get them to help: even 5 is not too young to help make a sandwich, and if they can choose what goes in they may eat better? Just an idea ...

[Frugal_Moose]

Signed this morning after seeing Jamie on Parkinson last night, this should be moved to somewhere more prominent or even included in the weekly email sent by our lord and master.

[quietheart]

Signed this morning after seeing Jamie on Parkinson last night, this should be moved to somewhere more prominent or even included in the weekly email sent by our lord and master.

so true, will put it on the suggestions board.

[samnmalc]

Signed it ....just hope it does some good!!

[kazd]

I would like my children to have the chance of a cooked meal in school. Schools in Northampton do not get cooked meals. Our children are in a brand new school, it does not have a canteen and the whole school was built so small that after the first term, they closed down the playground so that they could build some more classrooms. (Excellent planning by the authorities)

[kazd]

In addition they wrote to the parents on arrival back at school letting us know that the children would be playing on the MUGA and that they had to wear trainers to school to save time having them change out of school shoes. This did not go down well with the parents who had all purchased new shoes during the xmas holidays.

[Elljay]

Thanks fo rposting this. I feel so strongly about it. Makes me mad that we have to "fight" to get our children provided with healthy meal options.... my boy isn't even at school yet!!!Hope it's sorted by then!!!Lol

[Jumanji]

Excellent idea! Have signed it! :j

[Becles]

I started off trying to make these healthy, but they hardly ate anything, so we have slipped into daily crisps and chocolate and of course sandwich and fruit ( which they more often than not leave).This also annoys me because if they were at home I would encourage them to eat the healthier stuff first (they are only 5 wnd 6) but at school they just tuck in and obviously head straight for the "goodies!" then don't feel like eating the real good stuff.


Mine two are 6 and 8. I always do a healthy packed lunch with one treat item like crisps or a wrapped chocolate biscuit. The rule is if they bring the healthy food home, they don't get the treat item the next day. The normally eat all of it now.

If they are filling themselves up on 'goodies', and not having room for the rest, try stopping the 'goodies' and only put them back in when they start eating the sandwiches and fruit.

You can try other healthy things too. Mine enjoy crackers and cubes of hard cheese, or little home made pizzas or quiches made with a scone cutter so they are easy to eat.

[livsmum]

Thanks for the link, been meaning to sign up!

Had a problem getting my signature accepted - anyone else had a problem?
What am I doing wrong??

[Amba_Gambla]

jamie oliver really is a ledge....

[bailey]

Along with this great idea, I read on another board about children not drinking enough in school. I get thirsty easily and sip water and squash during the day. When I go to help out at my neices primary school I end up with headaches and very dry throat, as my fluid is restricted.

Why can't children take small water bottles with them to sit in the classroom to drink SENSIBLY or a fountain be accessable for quick guzzles.

I know children will always find a way to avoid lessons by saying they want the toilet or want to drink, but the teacher will be able to pick up on the ones mucking about and have words, surely??

Good food is just as important as enough fluid. Water would prevent concentration and keep their attention too.

[Pooky]

Our school has had a cold water supply put in the hall and the kids are allowed to take a clear plastic bottle with a sports cap on it and can fill it during the day - they have trays on their tables to keep their bottles in and can drink it when they like.....I think it's a great idea, they've all been sensible and my 2 go and fill their bottles about 3 times a day plus have a fruit juice with their lunch. I also pay for them to have milk at break - they get individual cartons with straws - equates to a 1/4 of a pint - not sure if all schools do this.

The kids that go home via the walking bus also get a chance to fill their bottles up for the walk home...again a great idea especially in the summer!

[mightymo]

My son's school has a cold water facility in the hall too. Each morning the children fill their plastic bottles up. They get free fruit at breaktime, and I pay for milk.

My son is starting junior school in September, so I think all these things will stop unfortunately!

[Spendless]

At sons school they are allowed to take in a sports bottle with water in it. I think a clear one is a great idea as i am aware of at least one parent who is flouting the rules by sending her child in with juice.

[tiff]

At sons school they are allowed to take in a sports bottle with water in it. I think a clear one is a great idea as i am aware of at least one parent who is flouting the rules by sending her child in with juice.

She is the one doing damage to her kids teeth. Why do some mothers mollycoddle their kids? My friend is guilty of putting squash in his water bottle too. She says he wont drink water and she worries, but he will surely drink it in school if he's thirsty and all the other kids have water too!

[Spendless]

My friend is guilty of putting squash in his water bottle too. She says he wont drink water and she worries, but he will surely drink it in school if he's thirsty and all the other kids have water too!That's exactly my friends argument too tiff.
I was tempted to ask what would happen if they were ever to get stranded in a desert and only water would save them (lol).

[Swattie]

My daughters school encourages them to take a bottle of water in and has facilities to refill during the day.
They also are encouraged to take some fruit in for morning break (dried fruit is also allowed as are carrots) but they are not allowed anything else.

They have also just started hot dinners, as they don't have a kitchen it has to be brought in. All things considered they are not too bad and reasonably well balanced, but there is room for improvement. There are 3 options a day standard, vegetarian and snack (3 days out of 5 this is a baked potato) there is also a desert or piece of fruit.

As I know what she will be eating each lunch time I can make sure that I make sure her breakfast/evening meal are healthy and compensate for anything lunch is missing.

[metro_gnome]

Mine two are 6 and 8. I always do a healthy packed lunch with one treat item like crisps or a wrapped chocolate biscuit. The rule is if they bring the healthy food home, they don't get the treat item the next day. The normally eat all of it now.

Having worked as a dinner lady in the past, (now known as Midday School Supervisory Assistants - what a mouthful!) I have seen children throw much of their packed lunches away! They weren't allowed to do this in the Dining hall, but would sneak stuff into the playground bins. It's not always easy to guarantee children eat what they are given unless you are there watching them.

I feel like starting a 'Give Jamie Oliver a Knighthood' campaign. He has single handedly pinpointed one of the biggest causes of difficult behaviour and ill-health in our children. So much of this has been known for ages. The Government has done nothing to stop children being targetted and exploited by big businesses who are happy to profit from feeding our kids rubbish. (I'll get down off my high horse now!)

[Becles]

They're pretty strict at our school about food. I get fruit peel/cores back in their lunchboxes, so they must eat them.

[jellyhead]

our school started sending kids home with their rubbish this year, apparently mums wanted to know what their kids were and weren't eating from the sandwich boxes so they don't collect any rubbish at school now. sandwich boxes are left in the cloakroom so they can't sneak food into the playground bins. i've recently realised my son doesn't eat his crusts - he does at home, the excuse for school is that they take too long to chew lol! it'a nasty when he has a banana though and brings home a lunchbox covered in black slime from the banana skin!

sorry if i offend anyone but i find it very odd when a child won't drink water - why not? there's a girl we know who drinks coke at home, she was astonished that i didn't have any when she came round to play, she thought everybody bought it with their weekly shopping! i offered water, milk, ribena or orange juice - all refused. she'd have coke or sunny D, nothing else. no wonder she's obese.

[Becles]

My little boy (age 6) came in from school tonight and asked if he could have decent food in his lunchbox. I was quite shocked by this, so have just questioned both of them about it over tea.

Apparantly school now has a 'lunchbox police' who analyze each childs lunchbox. They get a point for each healthy food and notes are made on a piece of paper. My son only got 1 point today for an apple.

However, his lunchbox contained a round of cheese sandwiches, a chicken leg, an apple and a 2 finger kit kat. I've always sent them with a similar balanced meal, plus a 'treat' item.

I'm at a loss why a chicken leg (oven roasted so no fat added) and a cheese sandwich (home made wholemeal bread and cheddar cheese not processed) is not healthy :confused:

Overall their diet consists of mainly home cooked foods made with fresh ingredients. We have few processed or junk foods. Neither child is overweight and they are both in good health and rarely catch the usual bugs that go round.

I'm just so cross that someone is mointoring what I feed them and giving my children what I consider to be bad advice. I'm tempted to write to the headmaster and complain as I feel it's none of their business.

Ironically I refuse to send them for school dinners as the menu mainly consists of chicken nuggets fish shapes, potato shapes, chips and the infamous turkey twizzlers :mad:

[Spendless]

Becles why don't you check with the school about how they award the points? For example you might only get a point for fruit or veg.

At sons school they have won a healthy eating award for their school dinners but had to send out a letter recently asking parents not to include sweets in the packed lunch.

[Lucie]

Ironically I refuse to send them for school dinners as the menu mainly consists of chicken nuggets fish shapes, potato shapes, chips and the infamous turkey twizzlers :mad:

Talk about double standards! Perhaps you & a few other parents should go in at lunchtime with a clipboard & give their school lunches marks out of ten for "healthiness"!!??

If you son only got one point for a healthy balance between protein, carbohydrates & vitamins, I dread to think what some of the others got? Do they do minus points for dairylea lunchables, crisps & coke?

I would write to the head & maybe ask what nutritional qualifications these "lunchbox police" have?

[Bossyboots]

I am not surprised you are cross.

I understand why schools say no sweets, but other than that what business of theirs is it what you feed your child. This is appalling double standards and personally I would not leave it at this.

I would not let my children have school meals because of the rubbish they were given. As well as the dreaded mentions in the opening post, my bug bears were them serving spaghetti as a vegetable and crisps instead of chips on Thursdays because they weren't allowed to do chips every day.

[elona]

Bossyboots

The school sounds awful!!

I would certainly want to ask how "points" are awarded and how home made ingredients do not count as "healthy"!

Possibly they are trying to "encourage" or rather "blackmail" kids into school lunches - I use the term loosely as they would get more nutrition from a paper plate!

I cannot wait till my youngest goes to grammar school in September as I know the food is decent there!

[catznine]

My first thought on reading this was don't they have more important things to do with their time? It is nothing to do with the school as to what is in your childs lunchbox! There is nothing anti-social in there, nothing that would hurt others!

It beggars belief that they feel they can do this to anyone, let alone a Mum who sends her child into school with sandwiches made from home made bread and yet they can still feed kids the absolute rubbish they call school dinners! I work in a school and feel I can make fair comment here.

If it was me I would write a lengthy letter regarding this and let the head know exactly how you feel. Maybe a petition if other Mums feel the same!

[Jay-Jay]

Ohhhh grrrrr indeed! I'd be down at that school at 9am in the morning demanding to see someone.

Homemade wholemeal bread, freshly prepared fat-free meat, fruit and a small piece of chocolate....unhealthy? Are they serious?

I send my daughter with a very similar lunch, ok I don't make my bread but I buy wholemeal organic for her sandwiches. I send a carton of fresh juice, an apple or carrot sticks, a yoghurt and either a penguin or a chocolate biscuit. I think that a little treat is important when they're working hard all day.

I consider my daughters lunch to be reasonably healthy and tasty, what's more she looks forward to it and eats every scrap. Compare that to the single chicken nugget, 3 chips and a piece of cake she was eating last term and there's no comparison.

I would be having words with the people responsible for sending the message to your children that their meals aren't healthy.

[Mado]

No school dinners on offer at our school so they'd better no dare tell me what to send...
I imagine that if you add a leaf of lettuce to the sandwich it will pass with flying colors... that's the kind of thing they want!
But good idea to ask them.

Problem is I guess that they are trying heavily handed to help as I am sure some kids could benefit from being rewarded if they change bad habits and that 2 wrongs (bad school dinners and some parent's bad pack lunches) don't make a right.

On a complete different track, I just had a big go at the PA meeting as they only offer SUGAR at the tuck shop for any school event. Reply: you don't make money if you sell fruit ... So just to prove them wrong, I'll be organizing a fruit kebab stand for the school fete. Wish me luck
PS: does anyone knows of any H&S issue that should definitely keep me away from that idea?

[Becles]

There's a mass on at school in the morning, so it'll be difficult to catch a teacher before school. Instead I've written a polite letter to the head asking why they are inspecting lunchboxes and why my son came home thinking his lunch wasn't healthy. I've also mentioned how poor I think the school dinners are in comparison.

I walk to school with a neighbour. Her little girl refuses to eat normal food so her lunchbox has just a packet of crisps, sweets and biscuits in it :eek: It's these children they should be trying to educate, as they are the ones missing out on nutrients etc.

[Savvy_Sue]

PS: does anyone know that should definitely keep me away from that idea?Normal food hygiene standards - absolutely spotless chopping boards not previously used for meat, separate hand and utensil washing facilities. Should go down a storm ...

... especially if you can get a chocolate fountain (http://www.event-management-uk.co.uk/links.asp?cat=chocolate%20fountain) to go with it! (Scroll to the bottom of that page for small pictures of what I'm talking about if you think I've gone bananas!)

(Sorry, the food police won't approve but they are absolutely delicious!)

[VixxAnn]

Its probably developed from a good idea at school thats just been taken too far. I think its totally wrong that they intimidate the children by checking and awarding point for their lunch but I do feel that schools DO need to educate children on the good foods to eat and why certain things are not so good.

You obviously sound like you feed your children well, but we all know there are plenty of people out there who are not bothered about the wholesome nutritious foods and will just let their kids eat cheap processed unhealthy food. If we believe what's on the TV then there are apparently adults out there that don't even know what Brocoli and other vegetables are!!! So schools definately need to incorporate good nutritional standards into the lesson plans - just not dictate over packed lunches !!!

[BrokeBrokeBroke]

On a complete different track, I just had a big go at the PA meeting as they only offer SUGAR at the tuck shop for any school event. Reply: you don't make money if you sell fruit ... So just to prove them wrong, I'll be organizing a fruit kebab stand for the school fete

Isn't that just SUGAR in a different form? (Yes, I know there are vitamins etc in fruit, but there is also a massive amount of sugar)

How about yummy scrummy popcorn (WITHOUT SUGAR! ;-)) I think that counts as a whole grain and is one of my faves! (with hot melted butter - which is much better than low fat 'goodness only knows what's in it' spread)

[Debt_Free_Chick]

My little boy (age 6) came in from school tonight and asked if he could have decent food in his lunchbox. I was quite shocked by this, so have just questioned both of them about it over tea.

Apparantly school now has a 'lunchbox police' who analyze each childs lunchbox. They get a point for each healthy food and notes are made on a piece of paper. My son only got 1 point today for an apple.

However, his lunchbox contained a round of cheese sandwiches, a chicken leg, an apple and a 2 finger kit kat. I've always sent them with a similar balanced meal, plus a 'treat' item.

I'm at a loss why a chicken leg (oven roasted so no fat added) and a cheese sandwich (home made wholemeal bread and cheddar cheese not processed) is not healthy :confused:

Overall their diet consists of mainly home cooked foods made with fresh ingredients. We have few processed or junk foods. Neither child is overweight and they are both in good health and rarely catch the usual bugs that go round.

I'm just so cross that someone is mointoring what I feed them and giving my children what I consider to be bad advice. I'm tempted to write to the headmaster and complain as I feel it's none of their business.

Ironically I refuse to send them for school dinners as the menu mainly consists of chicken nuggets fish shapes, potato shapes, chips and the infamous turkey twizzlers :mad:

Let me try and take an unemotional view on this.

Chicken leg is not as lean as breast. Now I'm not suggesting your child should only ever have the breast ... bear with me ;) Did it have the skin on? That would increase the fat count. Add that to the cheese and I'd say that the fat count is on the high side of average. Skinless chicken and cut the cheese would be better.

There is only one piece of fruit and no veg/salad. I know these things are difficult in a lunch box, but you could skin the chicken, shred it and add it to a wholemeal roll with salad. It's relatively easy to use a leaf of lettuce to "wrap" the contents so that they stay in the roll.

I would have added a bag of raisins or sultanas in place of the kit-kat (yet more fat, sorry :( ) No need to buy the special kiddie bags - just buy a jumbo sized bag and decant into a little tupperware box or a small freezer bag.

To be fair, it's not that long since we had a thread about the appalling state of school meals & Jamie's School Dinners. And we were all for the schools doing something about it. When I watched JSD, I was equally appalled at some of the packed lunches that children had, provided from home. I'm not appalled at yours ... but I agree with the school that it could be improved.

I would have given a point for the wholemeal bread, another maybe half point ;) for the chicken, but then deducted a point for the cheese and another for the kit-kat.

I can see that my view does not accord with the others, but I genuinely hope it gives you a different point of view to consider.

On the points system .... well, kids get points for just about everything else they do at school. And it's a well proven method of earning rewards for good behaviour. Does no-one use it at home? I agree that kids have to be educated about good food, but how do we actually motivate them to make the change, without some sort of reward system?

Agree with the suggestions that you should ask the school for details of the scoring system. It may give you some new ideas for the lunch box .. or you may find something in the list to argue about ;)

Hope this is helpful - genuinely meant to be constructive.

Regards

[swizzlebabe]

My son`s school has `healhy eating status` which means that even before jamie looked into school lunches,there was a salad bar and lots of fruit.

However after looking at the menu I thought my little one would be better on packed lunches, he is fussey and I thought £7 a week was a lot(even more so now I know only 37p or so is for food]

No chocolate is allowed in lunch boxes, fine by me, but some don`t like it, if they have fruit in there lunch box, they get a token to but in a large jar, when it was full, they would all get a sweet!! I don`t think so! Mum`s complained and this was changed. Not sure what they will get now, as jar not full yet, but will be some other form of treat.

I think that before this lunch box inspection, you should have been told about it. They could have always have had a sneak look before, and if they thought all the kids were eating crap, done something about it, they have no right saying anything to the kids at this stage.They could invole the kids to design a healthy lunchbox-have a comp or something.

[jellyhead]

your lunch box was better than most children eat for school dinners and i'd be upset if they'd criticised my sons lunch box too - it's not as if you sent him in with crisps, chocolate and coke! i'm surprised that they didn't send out a letter about this first, my school would have outlined the points system in the weekly school newsletter. at least that way you could have explained to your son where he will get points and how healthy you think his lunch box is.

what probably happened is that they got some year six children to go around and just count the fruit/veg portions!! mind you most lunch boxes would score higher than a school dinner in that respect, and many kids don't eat the veg option of their school meal anyhow.

[Becles]

I can see your point Debt_Free_Chick, but I still disagree with the cheese!

Both my boys like cheese and would eat pounds of the stuff if I let them! They always have proper cheese and I never buy Dairylea and other processed kids brands. I think proper cheese is much better for them as it doesn't contain the additives that processed cheese does.

I don't agree with feeding children a very low fat diet. They do need a little fat and there is no harm in having a small treat item. I've never called foods 'naughty' or similar, and just explained that some foods are not healthy but it's ok to eat a little bit of unhealthy foods as long as the rest of your diet is healthy. Hopefully they won't get the guilt factor when you eat an occasional bar of chocolate as I think that is bad. It must be working as neither is overweight, both are full of energy and they rarely catch colds etc.

The fat content in lunch may have been high, but his tea had a low fat content so it would have balanced itself out over the day. We had lean beef and onions with vegetables and fresh fruit salad afterwards.

[Bendybops19]

When i was at junior school i remember we had helpers that used to make sure we didnt leave a thing in our lunch boxes! I actually used to go into school dreading lunch time because if i was full or didnt fancy something, that wouldnt let you leave until you ate it!

I understand that it needs to be checked that every child has something to eat and they arent just eating crips/chocolate, but they dont need to be monitored to that extreme!

[Sarahsaver]

I identify with the concerns of the op because my kids have been upset several times due to the dinner ladies' comments. Thay told my kids off for having a small fork, knife or spoon, for eating fruit (son cant touch oranges cos of his eczema) knife for spreading cheese on crispbread... They have been blatantly told 'you can't have that' and i have complained. The offending items were a sausage roll, accompanied by fruit and a carrot, and a bottle of water, and crispbreads, cream crackers and cheese with fruit. They have the occasional homemade cake, flapjack or a boiled egg. My son especially was really upset because he knows how important healthy eating is, and he knows his food is healthy. His friends have fizzy drink, crisps, chocolate etc... and my son finds that they are so intrigued with his food he lets them try it. :rolleyes: Its got to the point where i put a letter for the dinner ladies in with my kids food, saying theat whats in their lunch bag is their property, and if something is in their bag its because I have put it there!

In terms of what exactly IS healthy, children need a higher proportion of fat in their diet compared to adults. Fat is essential for healthy brain development. We have cut fat in our diets to the extent we actually take supplements which are basically fatty acids - omega 3 oils, evening primrose and the like. The fat in a chicken leg will be better than the fat in a bag of crisps or a processed cereal bar, as the chicken leg hasnt been hydrogenated/saturated and so on. Kids in wealthy areas, I have heard, have suffered from their parents giving them too much whole grain full fibre fat free food. We all know we have to strike a balance. But these dinner ladies need some educating!

[elona]

Well said Sarah! Too many people seem to think of children as mini adults - leading to what was called Muesli belt syndrome - where kids were fed very low fat meals and their bodies did not have the essential fats and nutrients that they needed!

I would be very interested to know what the school says when you challenge them!

I had endless problems with our primary - not allowed bottles of drinks ( flavoured Water?)

Allowed fruit juice then not allowed juice!

Not allowed choc - fine - but trouble when given a home made flapjack????


Praying for September when she goes to decent school!!!!!

And I do mean what I say!!!!

[mrcow]

Hi Becles,

Did you have a word about this this morning? I'm just wondering what the school's reply was?

The reason for me asking is that I was thinking whether the school are trying to promote the '5 a day' idea on fruit and veg, and so that is why your son got one point.

As you rightly point out, it's completely ridiculous to imply to a six year old that eating cheese sandwiches or chicken for lunch as part of a balanced diet is in any way shape or form an unhealthy practice.

I suppose I'm just questioning whether the message has been lost in translation and obviously caused you unnecessary upset. Could it just be that the school are trying to encourage the children to take an interest in the types of food that they are eating? In which case, is it not a positive move? Either way, they need to make their motives and actions much clearer to parents.

I'll hasten to add at this point that my little one is only three, and so will not start primary school until next year, and so my experience of how draconian some schools can be is somewhat limited? (although I always seem to me the one Mum up the nursery making my point heard, so I don't suppose this will change when he starts school :rolleyes: )

You should complain.....trust me, you won't be the only parent to have been bothered about this, and the school needs to hear your feedback.

mrcow

[filigree]

I think that before this lunch box inspection, you should have been told about it. They could have always have had a sneak look before, and if they thought all the kids were eating crap, done something about it, they have no right saying anything to the kids at this stage.They could invole the kids to design a healthy lunchbox-have a comp or something.

That's what my son's school did, it was tackled as part of the curriculum so they learned about healthy eating, made posters etc. They all came home with a letter explaining about the project so parents weren't caught on the hop.

I like the idea of promoting healthy eating but the parents should be informed ahead of time, it's not fair criticising little kids for what Mum puts in the lunchbox.

Re the PTA fayre, I have sold popcorn in the past very successfully. I take the machine with me and pop the corn on the spot, the children are fascinated and queue up to buy it :D If you do this though, provide heatproof containers ie paper cups because very hot popcorn melts plastic bags (found that out the hard way! :eek: ) We usually sell chunks of watermelon, that's especially popular on really hot days.

Best of all, the school has a wide ethnic mix and parents bring in home cooked food, we get byriani and samosas yum yum yum :drool:

[ceegee]

It is quite a difficult situation. Naturally, the school wants children to eat heathily, although the double standards issue of school dinners crops up here.
Also, some children do go to school with junk food in their lunchboxes and perhaps these parents and children need educating/help in this respect. But is this the nanny state? Do we feel that parents should be able to feed their children however they please without interference?

When does "help" become "interference". :confused:

Unfortunately there is no "one size fits all" policy.

Time to get off me soap box now! :silenced:

[mightymo]

I'm a relief dinner lady at my son's school and yesterday had to cover dinners.
They have started a new sticker scheme whereby if a child eats a piece of fruit, they get a fruit sticker - and if they eat all their dinner (regardless of whether it's got fruit in it or not) they get a smiley face sticker.

The school promoted fruit a couple of weeks ago by holding "fruity Friday", where the kids were encouraged to take in an extra piece of fruit for lunchtime (they get free fruit for break).

I think they have done this because there were a lot of children in the school whose packed lunches consisted of one bag of crisps and two chocolate bars :eek: .

[Sarahsaver]

People should NOT be able to send their kids to school with too much junk - diet affects behaviour. I worked in a very large secondary school, which served those little bottles of fizzy pop at lunchtimes. One lad who washed his lunch down with one of those actually projectile vomited over my classroom :rolleyes: Staff lobbied for a change in what was offered, then after the change to bottled water the kids' behaviour in afternoons changed dramatically. This was in the 90s probably before jamie oliver started shaving ;)

Also if people have too much choice they tend (human nature) to make bad choices!

The school my kids are at have a healthy eating week every year, where the kids have to pick the ingredients for a healthy meal, even the 3 year olds take part. All the kids in school kept a food diary for a week, my son won the prize for healthiest food diary so he won a huge bowl of fruit! Trouble is getting it through to parents - and dinnerladies :rolleyes:

[jellyhead]

i'm sure the dinner ladies know that they're serving rubbish, and know what should be in a lunch box - they're just following the scheme as set out by the headmaster i'd imagine. it's possible that your son only got one point because there was 1 portion of fruit/veg, maybe that's what they were concentrating on - but if that's the case you should have been told, your son should have been made aware that he got one point for one portion of fruit - not made to feel that his lunch was wrong or inadequate in some way. i don't understand why they've implemented any scheme without informing parents though, it's mad - poor kids!

[Becles]

I sent my letter in as I'm usually rushing off to work in a morning so no time to speak to anyone. The 'official' response from the school is the head told my eldest "tell your Mam it's ok, we know you eat healthily".

We made a big effort this morning and my youngest took:
2 slices of wholemeal bread with ham and cucumber in
a whole tomato (he didn't want it in the sandwich for some reason!)
a bourbon biscuit
about 4 tbsp fresh fruit salad made with pineapple, melon, kiwi, apple and grapes.
For that he got 2 points :confused:

Still none the wiser and he's upset again tonight at the intrusion into his lunchbox.

[MATH]

You've got me worried now. I'm going as a parent helper on the school trip and will be taking a packed lunch with me. I hope I'm not frisked by the lunch box police.:D

I would go into the school and asked what scoring system they are using and why your child only received one point for what was a well-balanced, healthy lunch box.

I can understand where some posters are coming from suggesting skinning the chiken leg etc but remember this is a CHILD'S lunch not an adult's. Children should not be placed on low-fat diets. Skinning chicken and buying low-fat options in not necessary or advisable it your child is eating a good mix of foods and getting plenty of exercise. They need moderate fat in their diet to develop properly. I'd also keep the kit-kat in and be damned. A balanced diet isn't about slavish, self denial but a sensible fruit 'n' veg based diet with the odd treat IMO

[Spendless]

Becles -I think you need to ask the school to clarify their points system.

Did your son eat the whole tomato? It might be points awarded for the fruit/veg eaten.

[elona]

Becles

As this is obviously stupid and pointless in your case - they seem to be giving points for 1 fruit or veg item - and 1 point for a salad - play them at their own game!!

Put 1 orange and 1 apple plus a few grapes in (3points)

1 tomato and 1 peeled carrot (2points)

Mixed salad 1 point

Total 6 points

The fact that there is no protein, calcium, complex carbs etc and that your son will not eat it is presumably irrelevant?

[Ticklemouse]

Luckily, my son's school haven't started this (yet) I'd be stumped if he got low points for his lunchbox contents, because he invariably takes the same thing in every day - his choice. He has a ham sandwich on a wholemeal roll, piece of unbuttered malt loaf, 1 humzinger of assorted variety (dried fruit stick, no added sugar ) and 1 carton of apple juice. He gets a piece of fruit at school. I offer him other fruit etc for his lunch, but I know they won't get eaten. However, he eats a healthy breakfast which often includes fruit and after school eats fruit or veg whilst I am cooking. We don't 'do' fizzy drinks or jelly/coloured sweets in this house as DS1 is affected dreadfully by them. He does get choc biscuits, homemade cakes or choccy bars so he isn't deprived.

I once had a look in another boy's lunchbox (he left it in my car and yes, I was being nosey) He obviously ate, from the debris in the lunch box, some sort of paste sandwich on white, crisps, chocolate and orange squash. From what I see, this is typical of the other kids lunchboxes. I wouldn't worry about the fat content of the chicken leg and the cheese. If your son is like mine, he'll eat for England and still look like he's not eaten for a week. They need the fat if they run around and cycle all day like mine do.

[jellyhead]

mmmm .... humzingers ...

sorry, not a very helpful post lol!!

[Mado]

Isn't that just SUGAR in a different form? (Yes, I know there are vitamins etc in fruit, but there is also a massive amount of sugar)



Will not get pedantic on that one as you are absolutely right it is sugar but I have never seen a child high on sugar after eating apples, pear, kiwi, bananas, strawberries and other items I propose to put on the kebabs...

Popcorn has different issues with our PA mostly mess and little siblings can choke on it.
Might give it a go anyway!

[pavlovs_dog]

just my 2 pennies worth....

if they are, as it seems, marking on the number of fruit/veggies included.......does no one else think it is ridiculously unreasonable that they are expected to eat their 5 recommended servings in one sitting, rather than spread throughout the day?!

are parents no longer capable of administering fruit and veggies to their children?

[Debt_Free_Chick]

I can understand where some posters are coming from suggesting skinning the chiken leg etc but remember this is a CHILD'S lunch not an adult's. Children should not be placed on low-fat diets. Skinning chicken and buying low-fat options in not necessary or advisable it your child is eating a good mix of foods and getting plenty of exercise.

There's fat IN the chicken. The skin is EXTRA fat. There was EXTRA fat in the cheese. And in the kit-kat.

I did not suggest a low-fat diet, merely one that avoided excess ANIMAL fat. Not all fat is good.

And we don't even know if that was in any way part of the issue - it was merely my speculation.

[jellyhead]

those fruit kebabs sound delicious, can you come to our summer fayre? lol!

while popcorn sounds yummy too, fruit might quench thirst and lead to the kids buying less coloured sugar water from the PTA tuck shop, also contains vitamins and fibre - lacking in the diets of many children. i've yet to meet a child who didn't eat enough carbs, the popcorn would just be loading more carbs into kids who already survive on breakfast cereal, chips, crisps, potato faces, pasta and processed main courses containing more rusk than meat. the fruit could be the only fruit/veg they eat that day, so i'd rather do fruit although the kids might actually prefer the popcorn :-)

i'm not sure i'll be doing this years summer fayre, might be in labour so am limiting my name being put to anything, just sticking to a table where i don't have to do anything, but for next year, and for the autumn disco i'm going to make fruit kebabs, what an excellent idea - what do you skewer them with?

[elona]

I would use toothpicks (new) and make mini kebabs - less expensive than proper skewers.

[Mado]

hadn't adressed the skewer sticky issue.
Expect some problem with the naughty ones using them as weapons...
Maybe Q-tips?
Not!!!

[pavlovs_dog]

i suppose there's another health and safety issue there - people stabbing themselves/others :eek: bloody democracy and red tape, nothng is ever easy in this day and age.

whatever you use, would suggest blunting the end/covering them with something

p_d

[elona]

Once you have threaded the fruit on to the toothpick then you could cut off the sharp end with scissors!

Would love to know what comment OP gets back from the school!

[Becles]

I've spoke to the head.

He said the points scheme is something the dinner ladies introduced. He doesn't know how the points are awarded but he agreed it does seem unfair that the boys are getting such low scores for healthy lunchboxes. He said he would speak to the dinner ladies and ask how points are awarded. He said they hoped that by giving children with healthy boxes points, the ones with junk food would pester their parents for healthy food too.

He said he would have a word with my youngest today and reassure him, and also have a look in his lunchbox and praise him for it!

While I can see his point about encouraging the others who take junk, I'm still not happy about the intrusion as it's upsetting my children. They asked this morning if they could come home for lunches. It's not always possible though as I work irregular hours, and I think they would miss out on the social aspect too.

I'm also appalled at the double standard of encouraging packed lunch children to bring in healthy food while the kitchen serves up chicken nuggets and chips for the ones on school dinners :mad:

[jellyhead]

yep, that's the bit i don't understand - it's the school dinners that need inspecting, not the lunchboxes!!

[elona]

If the dinner ladies have come up with the idea of awarding points - then would it be very cynical of me to assume everyone with a packed lunch will be told that it is unhealthy - surprise,surprise - those on packed lunches are then on "healthy turkey twizzlers!!!"????:confused:

[jellyhead]

mmmmm .... you could ask the head outright if it's a ploy to get kids onto school dinners, maybe jamie oliver has caused a downturn in the number of kids eating twizzlers and the dinner ladies are worried that their jobs are at stake ?!

[Love Weddings]

This isn't the first time I have heard about this I have to say, and I am really dissapointed that the school has taken this approach.

Personally, I think that for years now, no-one has taken responsibility for the rubbish which is served up to children by the school. The schools claim it's out of their hands as it is outside catering, the caterers say it's not down to them - its' down to the budget, and the teachers - well I haven't exactly heard many cases of teacher rushing into the dining room and throwing themselves in front of the deep fat fryers in protest against the dreadful foods which are being cooked and served to children.

However, I think educating children about what they eat can only be a good thing. I think however it should be intruduced as part of the lessons and could be discussions around what makes a healthy lunch.

I also think it would be prudent to actually communicate with the parents about what constitutes a good lunch box. I think education is the key here rather than making children feel somehow bad about the food their parents provide.

[aliasojo]

This may have come from a suggestion handed down from above? Our local LEA decides what the schools in the area serve and the schools themselves have little to do with the decisions.

Even decisions about whether the children are automatically given napkins or not, is an LEA decision. Our school hands out napkins if the child has something like pizza, but the rest of the napkins are usually behind the counter and children who have a sandwich for example are not automatically given one....although they will get one if they ask. (Does your 5 year old ask for a napkin???? Mine is too busy with her food to worry about such niceties, lol.) It's all to do with saving money.

The notion of encouraging healthy packed lunches is a good one, but if it has come from above and is not just a school decision, perhaps someone in an office somewhere has not thought through the side effects of 'lunch box policing'?

My daughter's teacher has commented in the past about the children's lunches, but casually...not in an official points capacity, iykwim.

I agree with Love Weddings above who says that communication is a key point. I think it's a shame that the kids are judged and awarded points on something that they have little control over.

[Penny-Pincher!!]

Morning All

I have just read this complete thread and am completely shocked by your schools attitude towards your childs pack lunch :eek:

IMO it sounds fine & quite healthy! Much healthier than most childrens packed lunches I know of.

My daughter is 10 and she has a packed lunch. She normally has;

Either cheddar, ham or marmite sarnies. Or a container with roast chicken chopped up with boiled rice/pasta. With the ham or cheese sarnies she will have a little lettuce(she probably bins this though..lol)
Has either a large banana or apple
Bottle of weak no sugar squash
Low fat crisps
Handful of raisins (smart price £0.35 & lasts for about 2 months)
Yogurt (low sugar)

I think this is not too bad and know many of her friends only have in their lunch boxes crisps, choccy biscuits & fizzy drinks! No sarnies or fruit etc :eek:

I think she eats pretty well. Breakfast is normally either toast & marmite, cereal, egg on toast, bacon sarnie. Always has a glass of either apple or orange juice. Dinners are normally standard food-roasts, shepards pie, toad in hole, spag bol, chilli, curry etc, all served with at least 2 veg. Rarerly have pudding but sometimes have rice pudding, yogurts, ice cream etc. If she is hungry when she gets in from school she will have a piece of fruit. She always has a large glass of milk in the evening with 2 cookies :eek:

Is she eating ok?

We are going onto Income Support in the next 4 weeks as im disabled and having to give up work as Im basically housebound, hubby is my carer. Daughter will be entitled to free school diners, but untill the quality and standard of food improves we will have to continue to pay for her packed lunches! Maybe they will give me the £8.50 per week they would have paid for the school dinners..lol????

Thanks All

Penny-Pincher!!
XXX

[jellyhead]

lol! spud was entitled to free school dinners when he started school, just for the first 2 terms then i got married, but i always gave him a packed lunch. he didn't want school dinners anyhow. as part of the settling in process the children who are going into reception go for a school dinner with their parents. i enjoyed it, i'm a chip shop fan and can eat fatty stodge until it comes out of my ears but spud wouldn't enjoy it.

the school office put a note in the school newsletter not long after i'd married, asking that parents notify them of their child entitlement to free dinners even if they don't take them as the school gets extra funding for free dinners children. they were a bit miffed when i said they could have had spud's name, they asked why i hadn't taken up the free meals and i said because they were rubbish lol!

[mitchb]

On a lighter note

Had to look twice at this post from jay - jay

"I send a carton of fresh juice, an apple or carrot sticks, a yoghurt and either a penguin or a chocolate biscuit."

I love penguins but couldnt eat a full one :D

[Mado]

On a lighter note

Had to look twice at this post from jay - jay

"I send a carton of fresh juice, an apple or carrot sticks, a yoghurt and either a penguin or a chocolate biscuit."

I love penguins but couldnt eat a full one :D

And I thought they were a protected specie... shame on Jay-Jay really!!!!!! :rotfl:

[Zziggi]

wasn't sure whether to put this on the benefits board, families or OS board...

Eldest child is due to start school in sept. He'll be eligible for free school meals. The thing is he eats Halal (we're muslim) and also he has a milk intollerance (& other products but we're still trying to work out exactly which other products it is [wheat etc])

I want him to have school meals because we're eligible for them but am worried about what they'll give him to eat! It'd be fine for him to have vegetarian (to get round the Halal problem) but I'm not sure what they'd do about the milk intollerance/wheat probs.

What do schools do? [BTW if the food is dire, bland or repetative then I'll be giving him a pack up anyway] Is there anyway that if the school can't give him decent stuff to cope with food requirements then i can send him a pack up (and perhaps get an allowance instead fo the free school meals?).

He's my first child to reach school age so I don;t know about this problem, can anyone tell me how schools deal with this please?

[margaretclare]

Hi Zziggi

Your best bet is to go to the school and talk to someone face-to-face. They're reasonable people! Schools vary a lot. Your son can't be the only one with a milk intolerance/food allergy and I'm certain he won't be the only Muslim!

Best wishes

Aunty Margaret

[Zziggi]

Hi Zziggi

Your best bet is to go to the school and talk to someone face-to-face. They're reasonable people! Schools vary a lot. Your son can't be the only one with a milk intolerance/food allergy and I'm certain he won't be the only Muslim!

Best wishes

Aunty Margaret

Thanks Aunty Mararet!
Just wondered what other peoples' experiences were before i asked the school. BTW we live in a very non-multicultural area and the school he is going to is 80 years old and apparently he is going to be the first muslim pupil they've had in their history (don't know how true it is but that's what i got told). I've already been asked to go in when they do RE and study 'other cultures' to bring in clothes, artifacts etc etc (there's nowt like roping parents in at the first opportunity!).

I know in areas like Birmingham/Bradford/areas of London then the school cater for muslim pupils with halal meals, i know that won't happen round here which is why i'm fine about vegetarian meals. But whenever we go out (and therefore choose vegetarian) we struggle to find a veggie dish that doesn't have cheese/milk in it, so i was wondering about the schools.

[margaretclare]

Hi Zziggi

What you need to do is to specify vegan rather than vegetarian. I'm in the local AnimalAid and we had a fund-raising dinner just before Christmas which was in an Indian restaurant and we all ate strictly vegan. I was amused - even the wine had to be vegan (apparently animal products are sometimes used cleaning out the wine-barrels). There are apparently more and more vegans around, and they don't eat any animal products at all - no cheese, no milk (soya milk instead).

Have a look at their site: www.vegansociety.com

I was surprised - it really is quite edible!

Aunty Margaret

oooops, sorry about mentioning the vegan wine - forgot, you're Muslims!

[juno]

I'm a coeliac, and at 2 schools I had free school meals! Both times, as long as my parents went and explained to them exactly what I could and couldn't eat, they were happy to help. I think they even sent me home with a menu for my parents to approve, but it was a while ago and being young I didn't take much interest.

So I suggest going and having a word with his teacher/head teacher, who can then tell you if you need to do anything special like talk to the chef. Also, make sure your son knows roughly what he can and can't eat, and that he knows that just because he was given it doesn't mean it is safe. I have memories of telling the leaders at playgroup that I couldn't eat cake!

But you are right in saying that the food might be awful. I still have nightmares over that cheese omlette!

[Savvy_Sue]

The only thing I can say with certainty is that you won't get an allowance if you don't take up the free school meals! However, the schools still, I think, like to know that your child is entitled to them, even if you don't use them.

Also as well as looking at the 'regular' menus, you need to talk to the catering staff about what they will provide in the odd packed lunch if your child is going out for the day with the school. You may decide not to have a school packed lunch provided but to send your own in on those days, even if the meals are reasonable the rest of the time.

And you MAY find that they are serving Halal meat anyway, as I know some authorities started doing this in response to the BSE crisis or some other food scare.

[bylromarha]

Email your county council...they'll be the ones supplying the school kitchens and approve the menus...the head will only go to them anyway, so it will bypass the face to face chat. I can echo the "school will be happy to help"...they want to do as much as possible to make your little'un as comfortable in school as he can be.

Our school used to do a pack up for 1 boy every day as he had allergies...ate it with his peers in the packed lunch room.

Whatever the outcome, even if you bring packed lunch from home each day...claim the free meals...the higher the percentage of free meals, the more funding the school receives.

[Zziggi]

And you MAY find that they are serving Halal meat anyway, as I know some authorities started doing this in response to the BSE crisis or some other food scare.

Have heard that quite a few hospitals and prisons do this so that they are basically catering for everyone as meat-eaters will eat any meat, vegetarians & vegans won;t touch it anyway... so i guess really it's only the Jews who eat Kosher and those who object to the halal slaughter methods who will be unhappy.

[Zziggi]

There are apparently more and more vegans around, and they don't eat any animal products at all - no cheese, no milk (soya milk instead).

Have a look at their site: www.vegansociety.com

I was surprised - it really is quite edible!

Aunty Margaret

oooops, sorry about mentioning the vegan wine - forgot, you're Muslims!

No problem, thought it was quite funny really :rotfl:
I've also notice more and more vegan around too.

[Peakma]

My kids are rubbish at eating thier pack lunches,they get a treat( choc, cake etc) and a packet of crisps everyday which always get eaten, and a sandwich and piece of fruit which often comes home.Idealy I would never of started this trend, but if I switch to pasta salads-which they wouldn't eat, it just won't work.
Anyway what I was just pondering then( before I go and wash out the boxes,I wish I'd done it on friday!),and thought I'd see the general opinion, is which is healthier chocolate spread on good brown bread , or cheese saandwich on white bread?

[Poppy9]

Have you thought about school dinners. Your school should be able to give you a menu and information into the policy of how meals are prepared etc.

I gave up on sandwiches which were never eaten. I never got into the choccie bar thing, it was always sarnie, crisps and fruit. Crisps and fruit eaten but not sarnie.

I now pay £1.50 per day for school dinners as its a better balance. Kids can choose from hot or cold meals they just say at morning register. Cold meal is choice of sandwich i.e. ham, tuna, cheese or egg, plus homemade pizza slice or sausage roll followed by pud of the day or fruit. Hot meals are all made on the premises and vary from traditonal roast dinner to curry & rice.

Fizzy drinks and sweets are banned full stop. Crisps, choccie bars and squash only allowed in lunch boxes for consumption in dining hall. School studies healthy eating with the kids throughout the school so they are more aware of eating junk in moderation. The school also installed water machines.

If they insist on staying as sandwiches ( I know who's the parent ;) ) what about using a reward chart - they are never too old. Choccie bar only on a friday if they have eaten sarnies and fruit during week.

Other ideas for lunch box beside pasta is pieces of chicken, raw vegetables, lump of cheese etc.

Sorry don't know about choc spread on brown versus cheese in white as I have never bought sandwich spreads but the cheese sarnie sounds better.

Good luck - these kids are sent to try us:D

[bailey]

The only thing with a reward system for sandwiches eaten during the week, is you never know if the sarnies are going to be "binned" under someone's hedge on the way home.....that way Mum's none the wiser and treat still given!!!

I know, I used to do it....!!!!!

I still dont know if the birds/animals ever got round to eating them, but several years later when that hedge got a severe hair cut, I dread to think what they found under there.

I have to say I eat all my sarnies up now!!

I reckon cheese sarnie is better than choccie spread.

[filigree]

The lunch lady at my son's school told me he was binning his sandwiches and only eating the snacks. I think in his case the problem was that he wanted to gobble his lunch quickly and go out to play, and being a kid he chose to eat the snacks in preference to the healthier items. For a few weeks I stopped giving him snacks altogether and he soon learned that he had to eat the sandwich or go hungry!

Sometimes I take him shopping and let him have some choice in what he has for snacks or sandwich fillings. Of course I don't let him dictate the shopping list, but I reckon if he is allowed to make suggestions he is more likely to get a lunch he enjoys.

[bigmuffins]

Hi
My daughter is the same - asks for choc/crisps treats and doesn't eat anything else or drink! School policy is no sweets and all rubbish is taken home - eco friendly, parents can see what has/not been eaten! Also saves school money on rubbish bags! No food sharing is allowed and no hot dinners are available so all kiddies have to have packed lunches! The prob is a lot of the packed lunches contain sweets/crisps etc so my daughter wants them too! Have recently started saying that only gets crisps etc at home time if all lunch eaten! I always pack a sandwich/pasta salad, fruit and/or carrot/cucumber sticks and a dip with a juice drink or water. All good stuff but still no joy! I think they just want to go out to play asap. Am fed up with chucking food away and having a starving, cranky junk food hoover at home time! Am now going to move tea to 4pm as soon as get in so at least will have eaten proper meal and can snack without me getting stressed!

[Becles]

Maybe you are putting too much food in and they are filling up on the junk food rather than the healthy food?

I had the same problem so cut out all the junk and just gave them sandwiches and fruit. If there is nothing else to eat, they will eat the healthy food. We've also talked a lot about healthy eating and it's working as they now ask for healthy food instead of junk.

They do get treats now and again, but usually as a reward. Maybe try the healthy food all week and a chocolate bar on a Friday as suggested above.

For alternatives to sandwiches, mine like cubes of cheese, cooked meats and crackers. It's like a Dairylea Lunchable that I've been pestered for, but made with decent ingredients at a cheaper price which I've explained to them and they accept. They are also like pitta breads stuffed with various fillings. You could try finger foods like carrot and cucumber sticks, or cherry tomatoes too.

[Counting_Pennies]

How about bridge rolls instead. They were always so much more fun than sandwiches when I was at school. Fill them with cheese and jam, or chocolate spread at first to encourage them to eat them, and then start introducing healthier fillings.

How about just one of the goodies you put in the lunchbox that way they will be hungry enough to eat the healthier options.

There are some great Goodies bars (in the baby section of supermarkets) they are lovely and are completely no junk, you could try that instead. Or a box of raisins?

There is also a product called Humzinger which is sold in the dried fruit section of supermarkets. It is a dried fruit bar, and very tasty.

HTH

[Peakma]

thanks for replies, but I still can't decide which is the healthier sandwich, any opinions?

[swizzle]

I would say the cheese on white, esp if it`s best of both and not cheap value stuff. Kids need fat and calcium, choc spread is just sugar
Although choc spread once or twice a week dosn`t harm, aslong as they eat.
My son at mo has ham everyday, not ideal but he will eat it.

I used to put loads in his lunch box, but it over faced him. Also he wanted to get out to play asap.
He has crisps on a friday, but just a few, he would be full with a packet.

Today he has a ham sandwich on white milk roll,sliced cucumber, a small choc chip cookie and a yougart, plus some fresh fruit juice. He also has fruit for morning and afternoon break.

I`d try yours with a sandwich, which you know they`ll eat, plus fruit, plus a few crisps, with a treat of say cake on a friday. If there old enough ask them what they`d like in there lunch and compromise.

[Dormouse]

I'd agree with the previous post, I think the cheese sandwich is healthier. And yes, why not try one of those wholewhite/best of both whites, they look like white but are a bit healthier?

[jellyhead]

my boy wants to get out to play, plus he has a small appetite and is a slow chewer. recently he's been having a banana instead of a sandwich - school have moaned though, he takes a banana and a box of raisins and they don't think he's eating enough, he really does have the appetite of a bird though, they don't have an afternoon break so all he has is this for lunch and he's never hungry when he comes out of school. i put a humzinger in too and he sometimes eats that for lunch, sometimes on the way home. i love humzingers :D

sandwiches, hmmm ... he doesn't eat dairy at all so i don't know about cheese or choc spread lol! i would say the cheese sandwich is healthier, and you can get breads that are best of both. my son says white bread's vile, he'd choose brown. if yours would prefer the choc spread would they also eat a cheese cube, or a dairylea triangle/babybel/cheddar stick? if they have yoghurt then the cheese isn't so important.

the bread itself is my sons main gripe about sandwiches - bread takes ages to chew. he hates crusts, hates white bread, hates thick bread. he prefers thin brown bread with the crusts cut off. or milk roll or danish because it's lighter and not as crusty.

but i'm not really in a position to give sandwich advice - i give him jam sandwiches, i'm a bad mother!! i think that's okay, his diet at home is much better, the jam is reduced sugar, doesn't have E numbers etc. either that or dry crackers. although he eats well at home i wouldn't want him to have a sugar high then a slump during afternoon school so he has brown bread, together with the jam i think it's better than white bread would be. he takes a bottle of water, no pop.

[endaria]

i think cheese on white or choc spread on brown both have their own benefits; i'm guessing the kids won't have cheese on brown! my son has brown all the time now, but he used to only want white. give them choccy spread on brown to encourage them to eat it, then slip some cheese in one day and they probablty will have got used to the brown. or, another thing i've done is have one slice of brown and one slice of white to make a sandwich. don't need to do that now as my son eats the brown no probs, but prefers me to take off the crusts (but i don't anyway). cheese has protein while brown bread ahs fibre and slow release carbohydrates, all of these are necessary. white bread and choc spread turn to simple sugar very quickly in the body, causing imbalances in blood sugars and concentration probs. not that i'm a model mum, i give my son sugar-free squash, fruit, wholemeal sarnies (containing protein - eggs, cheese or ham), yoghurt and a packet of crisps every day. i know the crisps are not too good ...

[DevilsAdvocate1]

I found the same with my son - he'd eat all the rubbish and leave the healthy stuff. So I cut right back on the amount I gave him. I would just put in 2 fromage frais, 1 sandwich in a medium white bread bun and a piece of fruit. He started complaining that this wasn't filling him so I added something sweet, eg. a chocolate biscuit. The sandwich usually has something like ham or chicken in it and I try to buy good quality meat rather than the wafer thin stuff. I personally think white bread buns are much tastier than brown.

He has recently started complaining again that he's hungry - he is now 7. So I've started adding an extra item. Today it was a bag of Skips. Sometimes I put in a pot of roast chicken (cut from the weekly roast), a croissant or an extra sandwich. I've told him that he won't be getting crisps every day or even every week. He constantly asks for the rubbish that is in his friend's lunchboxes, but I've told him that its important that he is healthy. I did say that I love him so much that I want him to be healthy and free from illness which is why he doesn't get a lunchbox full of sweets.

I have taken him shopping in the past to choose fillings for his lunchbox and this worked quite well. I explained that he could pick some sweets to go in as long as he picked something new to try which was also healthy.

Recently I've started getting him to come into the kitchen once a week to help with the cooking and I've found he seems more willing to try new things if he has a part in cooking them.

In the summer I'm going to experiment with wraps to see if I can introduce some more variety for him.

HTH. D.

[Poppy9]

Food Standard Agency have some good tips

Eatwell (http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/agesandstages/children/yrchild/)

Personally I avoid 'reduced sugar' drinks as they contain artificial sweeteners and I am not convinced they are safe for children. As I limit sweet drinks I don't see the 'ordinary' sugar as a problem.

[Becles]

The children on packed lunch are being pestered to go onto school dinners. I don't know the reason why - money? easier for dinnerladies?

Anyway, they came home with a letter today, and have been told that packed lunches are more expensive and less healthy than school dinners.

On reading the letter, the typical example of a packed lunch is:

Dairylea HotDog Lunchable
Dairylea Big Triangle
Frube
Probiotic Drink
Mini Jaffa Cake Pack
Wotsits
Cadburys Fudge

This costs £2.70 and they claim it has 382 more calories, 18.1g more fat and 1.4g more salt than a school dinner. A school dinner costs less at £1.50.

My eldest came out fuming and said it was a load of rubbish, as they never have a lunch box like that. He correctly said the only things on that list I buy are Jaffa Cakes, and that's on rare occasions!

I gave him a job and said it would cost £15 for him and his brother for a weeks school dinners. I sent him to tesco.com and told him to buy enough food for 10 packed lunches during the week. He said they would be happy with lunch of a sandwich, a yoghurt and 2 pieces of fruit, and came up with this:

ingredients for baking 2 loaves - 50p
10 slices of chicken - 78p
10 slices of ham - 78p
250g farmhouse cheddar - 2.55
1kg english apples - 1.49
1kg bananas - 0.64
2 melons - 2.00
12 Ski yoghurts - 1.99

Total 10.73.

Todays school dinner was burger, chips and brocolli, followed by chocolate cake.

He came back and said he'd saved £4.27 on the price of school dinners and thought his menu was more healthy than school dinners.

I'm dead proud of him for working it out for himself, rather than believing the letter from school.

[looby75]

We got a similar letter to that not long ago Becles, I don't think it's the schools pushing to get rid of packed lunches it's Durham County Council!

I have one child who is on school dinners (he gets them free because I am on IS) and my oldest takes a packed lunch because the kids who eat at the canteen in the school usually end up with about 10 mins to shove their food down by the time they have lined up and been served. She usually takes a sandwich, a yogurt drink or frube and a piece of fruit (she takes a bottle full of water to school every day, so I don't have to worry about pop)

There is NO way that it cost me more for her packed lunches than it would if I gave her dinner money everyday.

As for the example given in the letters, I don't know anyone who sends their kids to school with that amount of rubbish in their lunch box. And I live in a village where a lot of parents ideas of a balanced diet is the same amount of chips as larger! :eek:

edited to say

I had to collect my son from school today at lunch time.

The dinners they were having were a cheese and onion pasty, roast potatoes carrots and green beans. Chocolate cake or yogurt and blackcurrant juice.

Not the most healthy meal either IMO.

[Spendless]

The children on packed lunch are being pestered to go onto school dinners. I don't know the reason why - money? easier for dinnerladies?

Anyway, they came home with a letter today, and have been told that packed lunches are more expensive and less healthy than school dinners.

On reading the letter, the typical example of a packed lunch is:

Dairylea HotDog Lunchable
Dairylea Big Triangle
Frube
Probiotic Drink
Mini Jaffa Cake Pack
Wotsits
Cadburys Fudge

This costs £2.70 and they claim it has 382 more calories, 18.1g more fat and 1.4g more salt than a school dinner. A school dinner costs less at £1.50.

My eldest came out fuming and said it was a load of rubbish, as they never have a lunch box like that. He correctly said the only things on that list I buy are Jaffa Cakes, and that's on rare occasions!

I gave him a job and said it would cost £15 for him and his brother for a weeks school dinners. I sent him to tesco.com and told him to buy enough food for 10 packed lunches during the week. He said they would be happy with lunch of a sandwich, a yoghurt and 2 pieces of fruit, and came up with this:

ingredients for baking 2 loaves - 50p
10 slices of chicken - 78p
10 slices of ham - 78p
250g farmhouse cheddar - 2.55
1kg english apples - 1.49
1kg bananas - 0.64
2 melons - 2.00
12 Ski yoghurts - 1.99

Total 10.73.

Todays school dinner was burger, chips and brocolli, followed by chocolate cake.

He came back and said he'd saved £4.27 on the price of school dinners and thought his menu was more healthy than school dinners.

I'm dead proud of him for working it out for himself, rather than believing the letter from school.AFAIK The reason why they push school dinners is the lunchtime staff still have to supervise the kids eating their lunch and outside in the playground, abnd of course if you're sending the kids in with packed lunch instead of paying for dinners you are not putting anything into the pot to cover their wages;) .
In my days as a dinner lady sadly there were more packed lunches as described than what you've written you send in. I witnessed kids eating bags of chocolate biscuits (you know the 18 to a bag cholcolate stuff and yes the whole bag), half a slab of the blocks of chocolate that cost over £1 a bar and monster munch that turns your tongue a different colour and I never saw a lunchbox that didn't contain crisps or juice. All this was in a school that had healthy eating status for their dinners and jacket pototoes and salad available every day.
I'm guessing that the letter is aimed at the likes of packed lunches that I used to see and not what you send in so I'd ignore it.

[linzibean]

I'd always go for packed lunches - then you will always know exactly how much of sugar, fat, salt etc. the kids are eating :) I think school lunhces in some areas are aimed at kids who maybe wont get a cooked meal in the evening, so get their main meal during the day.

[Felicity]

Well done to the OP, this seems like an excellent idea and giving your children the control will give them more enthusiam / pride in taking their own lunches in.

I don't have children, but if I did, I would always favour the packed lunch option. It is always likely to be cheaper and healthier.

I really don't understand these parents that say they don't have the time or the budget to cook healthy meals for their children (maybe going a bit off topic here, but I included their evening meal in that). It takes no time at all and you will have happier, healthier children for it.

I make my hubby and I packed lunches everyday, pitta breads crammed with veggies and also fruit and water. Takes about 6 minutes an evening, costs about 60p each. No processed food. You can't really go wrong!

[suffolkb]

£2.55 for 250gm of cheese seems a bit pricey.Thats over a tenner per kg .
My daughter`s school lets the kids take a packed lunch,but they are not allowed to use the dining room to eat in.Not much fun in winter.

[misty]

My son takes a packed lunch - they have to bring home anything they haven't eaten - so we see exactly what they have eaten. I pack it so know what he has got. The school dinners at his school look quite good - we had sample menus but I make him a hot meal at night and I don't feel he needs one in the day too. The school regularly send home leaflets about healthy eating and the types of things they would like to see in packed lunches. It winds me up everytime but one of the dinner ladies said some of them come in with all sorts of crap - even though there is a ban on crisps/sweets and chocolate in school. However, when the kitchen was being refurbed the school dinner kids were given a packed lunch by the school - so the parents were paying for the school to give them a packed lunch instead of making it themselves. Even worse they were giving them a sausage roll from Hampsons, a yogurt and carton of juice.

[Rachie B]

my son has school dinners,tried packed lunches but TBH it was costing more than the £1.50 per day school dinners cost,hes skinny but can eat for wales lol

they have a new menu with mostly healthy options ,with chips etc featuring rarely on it im glad to say :) i like the fact he gets a hot meal in the winter too :)

my youngest goes fulltime in sept and will have to have packed lunch as hes sooooooooooooo fussy with hot meals

but he loves picnis style meal

his box wont be anything like the example above though !

wholemeal ham sarnie / pitta pocket
yogurt
raisins
plain biscuit
orange juice / water
mini scotch egg / bread sticks / rice cake
piece of HM pizza
cold sausage

would be the kinda thing he will be having

ive worked in schools and yes a lot of the boxes are mainly junk and thats sad :(

i remember one child had a half a sarnie with crusts cut off,choc spread was the filling ,then he had 2 kitkats and a bottle of coke

and thats it !

i know my youngest is fussy but surely these kids will eat things vaguely more nutritious than this

as for schools pushing to have school dinners ive not heard of that and think its a cheek TBH lol

[funky-footprints]

my son is such a fussy winge bag when it comes to pack lunches, if he had a pack lunch or picnic as he calls it he would only have the same thing every day, where as now he has a varied dinner. our school has gone very healthy actually and im very impressed with thier menu, he now eats runner & broad beans, brocolli ( green trees) brown rice etc that at home he wont touch.

as the above poster commented he also has a warm dinner through the winter which i prefer, and he eats what everyone else eats, i have noticed in his school and paticularly his class, that those that take packed lunches tend to be the fussier ones, and thier mums say most nights they are taking home a full lunch box everynight. Dont understand how they can say, I see what what they have eaten now, as in most cases it is the case of seeing what they havnt eaten. definately a for school dinners vote in this house, but then Im lucky as I know he is getting a good healthy option.

[Spendless]

my son is such a fussy winge bag when it comes to pack lunches, if he had a pack lunch or picnic as he calls it he would only have the same thing every day, where as now he has a varied dinner. our school has gone very healthy actually and im very impressed with thier menu, he now eats runner & broad beans, brocolli ( green trees) brown rice etc that at home he wont touch.

as the above poster commented he also has a warm dinner through the winter which i prefer, and he eats what everyone else eats, i have noticed in his school and paticularly his class, that those that take packed lunches tend to be the fussier ones, and thier mums say most nights they are taking home a full lunch box everynight. Dont understand how they can say, I see what what they have eaten now, as in most cases it is the case of seeing what they havnt eaten. definately a for school dinners vote in this house, but then Im lucky as I know he is getting a good healthy option.I actually found the same with my own son, very faddy at 4, he will now try anything and eats loads more different veg than he used to because he tried them on school dinners, when I served them up I just used to get a 'don't like' wouldn't try. Re seeing what they eat when I worked in a dinner hall any child not eating their dinner on a regular basis it would be reported to our supervisor, who would then make sure someone kept a discreet eye on them, if further problems continued it would be reported to their teacher who would speak to whoever collected them.

[tiptoes]

My two take pack lunch though when they changed schools in Feb the Head asked where they entitled to free school meals anyway as the money goes to the school.

[CCStar]

In my day, school dinner was not much better than pigslop, except for the roast, which was lovely.

I either went home for lunch or mum did me a packed lunch as I was a very picky child.

After seeing Jamie Oliver, I can understand why I didn't like school dinners.

[montycat]

My 3 girls have school dinners and they eat it all .I get free school meals but ,I see the menu and ,it is NOT stodge .Chicken risotto today and yes ,they dio have cake but ,it is homebaked (in the school) using organic wholegrain wheat and reduced sugar .
More kids have school dinners than packed -lunches because of this .

[Penny-Pincher!!]

I had a similar problem recently. DD is entitled to free school dinners as we are on IS, but I was fed up with her getting the dribs and drabs and being fed total !!!!!! DD has a healthy appetite and has daily:

Wholemeal Sarnie/Roll (Cheese,ham or marmite)
3 pieces of fruit (banana, apple, pear, raisins, kiwi, grapes, orange etc)
HM Fork Biccie
Low Fat Crisps
Yogurt
Bottle of tap water

This amounts to about £3.50 each week max and I know she's not being fed rubbish, high fat, salt, processed food:mad:

HTH

PP
xx

[jellyhead]

my son has school dinners sometimes, it depends what it is. they're not fresh enough for him. the veg has been cooked for so long it falls apart as soon as you look at it (he prefers it a bit crunchier), the fruit is peeled much too early on so it's manky, brown, droopy. if they could have bananas and peel them themselves it wouldn't be so bad.

i've been a helper in school and have helped kids get their school meal, so i'm not just taking my boy's word for it about the fruit and veg. besides which they don't have to eat it - as long as they eat the main course, the potato option and the pudding they can go out to play, fruit isn't a popular pudding option so most kids eat pizza, garlic bread and cake and chuck the veg in the bin.

my son takes strawberries, raspberries, blackberries etc. into school in little containers. he tells me he's never seen anyone else on his lunch table eat fruit or veg - ever. and i believe him.

[jellyhead]

what do you all think? i was laughed at last week in the playground because i had to go into town for a couple of things despite having done my weekly shop 4 days earlier. i needed fresh fruit for my son's lunchbox. he likes raspberries, strawberries, blueberries or blackberries and they need buying twice a week. i was told i'm a sucker, making a rod for my own back etc. and also that i'm wasting money.

is fresh fruit really any more expensive than the processed packaged stuff such as fruit winders? i don't think so.

we all like eating the berries, and we do buy the usual stuff too such as apples, oranges, tomatoes, bananas for everyday. everyone else seems to have snacks and puddings from the freezer or multipacks etc. and never anything fresh, but i don't find fresh any more expensive :confused:

am i spoiling my son? and the baby, my husband and myself come to think of it, we'd all choose a kiwi fruit or some watermelon over a choccy bar any time.

[skylight]

Yes you are!

How dare you. Spoiling yourself with fresh fruit thats good for you.

Goodness me, whats the world coming too!!


Its just jealousy - cos their kids wont eat it!

[funky-footprints]

goodness me ..what rubbish do they put in thier supermarket trolleys then ... lol !! Ive actually had to reduce the amount of fruit my son eats as he was having stomach cramps !! oh the shame when i took him to the doctor .... my gp jokily suggested doesnt he eat chocolate and crisps ? ? ? ofcourse he does !! I very often have to do to an extra fruit & veg run a week, as i dont buy either from the supermarket, i prefer to use the green grocer. i dont find it any more expensive and its far tastier !!

[AnnieH]

Fruit winders and other stuff like that is processed to within an inch of its life. I'd be very surprised if there's any goodness left in them.

Of course you should be giving your son fresh fruit. You're lucky to have a child that will eat it!!! Encourage it. Don't give in to others who feed their kids rubbish.

My dd1 loves all fruit. dd2 doesn't eat fruit at all except the odd banana (I think she eats it at school though as they get given a piece of fruit at play time)

ds only eats frutapura pots and sometimes an apple.

[trickytrolleys]

I go to the shops a few times a week to get my daughter fresh meat and fruit for school - I think its got something to do with actually caring about her!!!

[Browntoa]

makes a change from the chocolate bar, bag of crisps brigade !!

good on you !!

[Kimberley]

Ignore those in the playground and laugh in their faces because your kids lunchbox is healthier then theirs. I work in a school kitchen and when i sweep the hall floor after the kids have left, you should see the crap some people put in their kids lunch boxes :rolleyes:

If they laugh again, say i will not under any circumstances feed my kids on processed rubbish :D

[madauri]

Nothing can substitute for fresh fruit. Enjoy the fact that your kid likes it - I wish I did like fruit more!

[Quasar]

Berries of all kinds are the healthiest possible fruit you can have because they are loaded with enzymes and antioxidants.

Far from making a rod for your back, you are building a healthy habit which will hopefully last a lifetime. Anyway, how wonderful having a child that pesters you for healthy food rather than crisps, cakes, chocolates and soft drinks.

Let the others laugh at you, because you most certainly know better! :T

[Rachie B]

OMG ive never heard such a load of crap like ........ ever lol

how can you be spoiling your child by making sure he gets his fruit intake / healthy diet etc


<sigh> whatever next

[lynzpower]

I think this is bloody ridiculous. Spoliing your child by feeding them properly? What next!!!!!

What, should you give them twizzlers & winders and all the rest of the carp "targeted" at kids instead :mad:

Maybe they are the same people who think Jamie olivers kids are spolit. Well at least they dont have impacted bowels and short attention spans and the rest of it. I would have thought any kid was spoiled by being given processed rubbish to keep them quiet over and above the "in-moderation" amount.

*shakes head*

[jellyhead]

thanks all :-)

actually my child does have a short attention span but i'm sure it would be worse if his diet was worse. and we do buy choccy sometimes, and other processed treats such as frubes, humzingers etc.

supermarket fruit can be expensive but my town centre is only ten minutes walk from school and has 2 greengrocers and an indoor market. the greengrocer sells large slices of watermelon for 50p, big enough for all 4 of us as a snack, and the baby loves it.

from a moneysaving point of view i don't think the fruit costs more than the processed prepacked 'ideal for lunchboxes' things.

[lynzpower]

the key here is that processed stuff is a "treat" and not a staple. Fruit & veg are filling, so moneysaving all the more.

Keep it up!!

[patchwork cat]

If we were in December I would be saying oh that's expensive, but at this time of year, no. I do wonder if the healthy eating message is getting through to some people - obviously not!

[Spendless]

In what way did they mean you were making a rod for your own back :confused: by giving fresh fruit or by having to shop more than once a week?

Personally I think it's nice to see a packed lunch box with fresh fruit in them, there were very few of them when I was a dinner lady.

[jellyhead]

rod for my back was both for providing favourite foods i suppose, and for shopping more than once a week, which i would have to do anyway for bread unless i froze some.

[EasilyAggravated]

and how will you feel knowing you are bringing up 2 HEALTHY children?
then ask yourself how you would feel bringing up kids who eat nothing but junk food. obese children with medical conditions or healthy kids leading a healthy life. i know which id prefer

me and the woman indoors have an 11 month old and we buy fresh fruit and veg for him to eat. he might get the odd little bit of junk now and again but its nowhere near what i see other parents throwing down their kids necks.

GOOD ON YOU. IGNORE THE MACDONALDS FANS

[lilmrsmullen]

what is good enought for me is good enough for my kids, we eat very littel processed food in my house. So i have to make a mid week trip especially fro fruit, and i send my daughter to school with 2 pieces of fresh fruit one for break and one with her lunch. Dont listen to what they have to say.

[Thriftylady]

I'm so shocked that people would even consider that feeding your child healthy and nutritious food is somehow 'spoiling' him......actually, when I think about it, I probably shouldn't be shocked at all. The crap people feed their children (and themselves) makes me so furious - when I see folk in the supermarket loading up on rubbish (and I mean trolleys full of rubbish, not just a few treats thrown in along with otherwise sensible food) I want to tell them they shouldn't have had children in the first place if they can't be bothered to feed them.

Excuse me, I'm just climbing down off my high horse now......

[wigginsmum]

fresh fruit in lunchbox = clued-in mother :)

[jellyhead]

when the fruit isn't in season i will be a cheapskate and give him satsumas :rotfl: he does have raisins and school bars sometimes, i'm not a saint :D

i was surprised when talking to other people this week though how little fruit and veg they buy - only one friend does a midweek fruit and veg shop, and she told me lidl is really cheap so i'll try there too as it can be on the way to town if i take a slight detour. the nice thing about the greengrocers is that it smells of fruit, the supermarket stuff has been chilled i suppose - there's nothing like the smell of strawberries to make you salivate though :D

my baby always has a tomato seed under his chin no matter how often he is washed, it's one of those cute little things we all laugh about.

[Becles]

Just ignore them. You've done a superb job making sure he eats fresh fruit and veg. Not many children do these days. He'll grow up with healthy habits for life and thank you for it in the long run.

[thriftlady]

Was up at my favourite farmshop this morning buying gorgeous smelling local strawberries for my kid's lunch boxes.

All my 3 are real fruit bats.I put this down to the fact that I've always given them fruit and always will.

We know we're right,feeding our kids real food is not spoiling them.I've never heard anything so mad in my life:confused:

[alice's mum]

Oh my God!!!! if you're making a "rod for your own back" - then I've done the same, my two think that a treat is fruit, and if you've been VERY GOOD then a small sweety type thing. My local greengrocer, just reaches for the banana's when I walk in the shop, we must get thru 15 - 20 in a week, for all four of us, and then there's apples, grapes, oranges, strawberries, cherries, limes, lemons in fact pretty much any fruit they sell we will eat.

But then my two have lovely strong teeth, clear skin, they sleep well 12 hours a night on average, my DS is so healthy he is in line for 100% attendance in school this year:j - no little niggling illnesses, bugs etc - which I am sure is down to all the fruit he eats.

It would be interesting to see what these other mums put in their kids lunch boxes. I work in a primary school and the lunch boxes I see are bad.... crisps, cartons of juice, processed sandwiche fillings on white bread, sweets, cake, etc.

There is no price too high to pay for your kids and your health, if you can afford it keep giving them the fruit, it works out cheaper than the crap anyway.

L

[inkie]

I can't seem to keep up with the amount of fruit my two DDs eat - but i'd rather it be that way than trying to coerce them into getting their 5-a-day.

It never ceases to amaze me the 'can't be bothered' attitude of some of the mothers at my DDs school. My eldest whose 9 was telling me that there is a a boy in her class who regularly takes a packet of biscuits for his lunch - his mum certainly hasn't had a rod for her own back.
It worries me what other kids get fed on - mine regularly take things like chapattis/croissants/ tortilla etc and the other kids always say 'whats that?!'

I recetly had to right in a letter of complaint to school as my daughter was told by the dinnerladies that she shouldn't be taking sushi to school for her lunch "cos it stinks" (their words!). What hope have we?

Stick with the healthy food which your child enjoys - you only have to see 'honey we're killing the kids to see the long term implications for kids being fed on !!!!.

[jellyhead]

even worse than not knowing what a tortilla is - one of his friends asked what's that when she saw him eating broccoli :eek: i like the fruit bats expression, will remember that :D

[liney]

I'd tell them that chocolate and crisps are what they should be cutting back on, not fresh fruit. Then i'd stop speaking to the these people who are probably part of the 'It's-the-goverment-making- up -this -5 a-day thing-and-it-makes-my-kids-ill' Clan.

On another note did anyone hear about a council giving out free Vit D drops to under 2's because there were cases of ricketts in the area? Shocking.

[fesdufun]

Good on you.

Although I try not too it is all too easy to get sucked into the trap of buying convience foods for their lunch boxes. The sooner they ban advertising of this junk the better.

My three year old has a thing for cherry tomatoes. The other day he told me he would get his own dessert. He came back from the kitchen with the box cherry tomatoes and sat down and ate the whole lot!

9 times out of 10 if you often him a chocolate or a sweet he will turn it down. It's not that we have banned him from eating them, he just doesn't like them. It is a nightmare at Easter as I try to explain that he doesn't like Easter eggs. Some people can't get their head around this fact.

It just a pity I am not the same. At least I get to eat all of sweets from his parties bags!

[joannasmum]

If you think that you've got problems with mums at the school gates imagine what its like when its your in-laws. I had to sprint across the garden at my SIL's the other day because my MIL had just given my 18 month old a Fruit Shoot (yuck, yuck). They just dont get it that I dont want her to have rubbish and she enjoys her fruit and veg.

[bulchy]

Reading through this thread reminds me of when DS was about 3, I walked into the greengrocers with him in his buggy, asked him what he wanted and he asked for a cabbage :rotfl: still his favourite veg even now at the age of 12. Everyone was well impressed with him in the shop that day :p
Its great to read all the replies, and hearing how much fruit and veg everyones kids eat, as my kids both comment on how unhealthy some of there friends are, going to chippy at lunch time etc. Mine both take packed lunch to school, they each eat fruit and veg at home and school, and its bottles of water instead of pop as well, DS even says he feels sick at the sight of some of the lunches his friends have.
These mothers need to go back to school, and learn how to feed there kids properly :rolleyes:
Sue

[Tribal]

How lovely to see all watchers of Martins etc. totally concur with giving their children what nature intended! Incredibly heartwarming and gave a smile to the jaded. Well darn well done us. Makes one feel less out in the wilderness.

[funky-footprints]

joannasmum ..be prepared for the fact that your daughter will in the future go to birthday parties, or got to tea at a friends house and you wont be there, normally those children that are never allowed 'rubbish' swamp thier plates with the 'rubbish' first, its quite an education having 5 years old home for tea !!!!
My husbands sister isnt allowed anything bad yet unsupervised she is an absolute sod !!! a little in moderation never harmed anyone !!!

[Josiegirl]

fesdufun, you made me laugh thinking about cherry tomatoes, used to love seeing the expressions on my kids faces when they'd bite into a just picked tom and it'd squirt everywhere lol.

Re the fruit, although my kids are older now and left home, I now make rollups for my nephews and nieces for thier lunchboxes. I just puree apple, strawberries, kiwifruit, mango etc. whatever is in season (sometimes adding a little honey if needed) and pour it into trays in the food dehydrator. Same thing as the other kids have (only natural ;)) so they don't feel they're missing out on 'treats'. They will also keep for ages in an airtight jar.

So anyway, you go girl and be smug in the knowledge that you are feeding your kids right :)

[AnnieH]

When my dd2 was small she used to pinch bits of broccoli in ASDA and eat it while she was in the trolley.

[jellyhead]

raw broccoli is yummy :D my mum has always eaten raw peas.

we do buy junk in moderation and we eat at mcdonalds around once a month too (i don't think their food is any worse than what's sold in supermarkets to be honest) junk isn't banned it's just that they prefer other things, i'm fond of the junk myself but that doesn't mean the others have to eat it lol! i sneak off to the chip shop occasionally :o

i do buy fruit winders, school bars and fruit flakes but the fresh fruit is nicer and it's what my son prefers. when he was younger he couldn't manage it at school because he's very clumsy so he had raisins and the fruit flake type stuff.

i don't insist on my children eating fresh fruit and sometimes my son swaps at school (other children would swap anything for his strawberries, like the dairylea traingles adverts). there is a boy i know at school whose mum is very strict about his diet and he swaps everything (he doesn't tell her though!) because he sees junk food as illicit and exciting.

off topic a bit but did anyone watch channel 5 last night? there was a baby mind reader doing a reality tv show and he told an overweight woman that her baby is thinking 'i don't want chocolate and biscuits, i want grapes'!!

[misty]

What I find annoying is the fact someone decides to comment on what you feed your child - let alone the fact that you are giving them fruit. They should keep their opinions (particularly as they are talking !!!!) to themselves. The only time I discuss food with the other mothers is if I am having their child over to tea or they are having mine and then it's only to check they're are no allergies. You should have said - your absoloutely right - i am mamking a rod for my own back - I'll rush out and buy some salty snacks immediately.

[funky-footprints]

other than the alergy thing or main dislikes, (got caught out with lasagne as the boy refused to eat mince) i always also ask is there anything you dont like your child to have ? ? ive never had a mum actually answer the last thing, i think for a one off if my son goes to play with a friends and has a glass of coke i am not going to go off on one, as at the end of the day its me that does the grocery shop so me that decides what goes in our home cupboard. Shocked actually that someone did comment on you feeding your child healthily !! I shudder to think what meals times in thier home are like !!

[misty]

there is a boy i know at school whose mum is very strict about his diet and he swaps everything (he doesn't tell her though!) because he sees junk food as illicit and exciting.

This was me at school -I always had healthy stuff - that I would swap at the drop of a hat - I still like a bit of junk now (hangs head in shame)

My son is allowed sweets and crisps etc but he doesn't really bother because I think he doesn't see them as special. if we are having sarnies and I ask him if he wants some crisps he always says no - I would always have said yes because they were something that were bad for me or a treat.

[Spendless]

smarties and coke are banned for my boy cos it sends him yampy and believe me he needs no encouragement:rolleyes: . If he is offered them when I'm not about though he takes them cos he knows it is the only time he'll get them. There was a coupon for a free park of smarties from woolies in one of the Sunday papers. They say no articificial colours on them now. I realise they'll still have red cochineal in them cos that is natural. I picked up a pack cos they were free to see if these are ok. Has anyone tried them and how do they compare to how they used to be made :confused:

[jellyhead]

haven't bought smarties, but have noticed a few of the coloured sweetie manufacturers using natural colours now, i think fruit pastilles, chewits, fruitella, maoam, starburst and tutti fruities, but don't quote me on that because we don't buy them often. fruit pastille ice lollies are still full of sunset yellow and other nasties though. we have to be careful of colours, but coke (coca cola, not cheap stuff) is fine, the caramel colours don't have an adverse effect on spud. has to be part of a meal though, coke on its own is a sugar rush regardless of which colours are added.

i've found that allowing the bad colours on friday night and saturday rather than banning them completely has made spud more aware of what they do to his body, and to decide for himself that he very rarely wants them. they're not illicit, just something his body can't cope with on a weekday if he's to function well at school and not end up in detention. i suppose it's similar to alcohol, my husband can't handle it on a weeknight :D

[likabu]

fruit winders? .

Sorry, I have only skimmed the thread, going back for a proper read now, but what are fruit winders please?

Lisa

[jellyhead]

made by kelloggs, it's like a fruity chewy thing, flat and rolled up. i don't know how to describe it lol! http://www.kelloggs.co.uk/products/product.asp?id=78
they are like sweets, but contain some squished fruit.


here's the second link that came up when i googled - tooth rot award! http://www.foodcomm.org.uk/parentsjury/toothrot.htm

[Rachie B]

ive never bought them ive always thought of them as sweets rather than a fruit alternative ?!! do some kids really have these instead of fresh fruit !!!!

[funky-footprints]

probably some parents think of them as healthy ! probably the same lot that thing junk food adds should not be on tv before 9pm as it influences thier grovery purchases ? ? ? my two have had them at nannies house, couldnt exactly flip over it as it was only the once ! thankfully my daughter thought them gusting !!!

[jellyhead]

my son likes fruit winders :o not every day, and they are in the treats box.

today i went to asda and i bought (oooh, we play this game on long car journeys lol!!) a great stuff pack of fruit for £1.18. it's 4 little individual pots of fruit, 1 of kiwi, 1 of pineapple, 1 of mango (i'm having that one!) and one of melon. expensive for what it is (only 240g), but good for when you're feeling lazy. i bought it because the school trips require a carrier bag for the packed lunch, with a bottle of water and everything in a disposable container. they just throw the rubbish away. he usually takes his fruit in a plastic pot, avent via cups at the moment and i don't want the lid throwing away.

anyway, these are little lunchbox sized packs, maybe other children will start bringing them into school, mind you they are hidden away in the fruit and veg aisle, not all parents venture up there!

[joannasmum]

joannasmum ..be prepared for the fact that your daughter will in the future go to birthday parties, or got to tea at a friends house and you wont be there, normally those children that are never allowed 'rubbish' swamp thier plates with the 'rubbish' first, its quite an education having 5 years old home for tea !!!!
My husbands sister isnt allowed anything bad yet unsupervised she is an absolute sod !!! a little in moderation never harmed anyone !!!

I know that when she get older we will have to relax the rules alittle but currently I'm in control of her diet so I'm not keen on people that are supposed to care about her going against me.

[Spendless]

my son likes fruit winders :o not every day, and they are in the treats box.

today i went to asda and i bought (oooh, we play this game on long car journeys lol!!) a great stuff pack of fruit for £1.18. it's 4 little individual pots of fruit, 1 of kiwi, 1 of pineapple, 1 of mango (i'm having that one!) and one of melon. expensive for what it is (only 240g), but good for when you're feeling lazy. i bought it because the school trips require a carrier bag for the packed lunch, with a bottle of water and everything in a disposable container. they just throw the rubbish away. he usually takes his fruit in a plastic pot, avent via cups at the moment and i don't want the lid throwing away.

anyway, these are little lunchbox sized packs, maybe other children will start bringing them into school, mind you they are hidden away in the fruit and veg aisle, not all parents venture up there!Are they called 'dole' jellyhead? If they are I have bought one today for Mr Spendless cos we have a real problem with his packed lunch for the following day when he is away o/n and it costs us a small fortune in food from services. I won't let DS take my avent cups and lids either when he goes to his holiday playschemes and takes a packed lunch with him:D

I let the kids have the smarties and it didn't have the usual effect. I tipped them out and the colours are now 'wishy washy' compared to how they used to be. I thought then perhaps they are telling the truth not just fudging the facts over the colours:D . Never thought of giving coke as part of a meal -good idea. Didn't know about the lollies though perhaps I'll arrange a night out and feed the kids coke and lollies beforehand to get my revenge on husband constantly watching footie;)

[jellyhead]

is world cup widowhood getting to you? :D

i've seen (and eaten) dole pots and these are different, they are not in syrup, they have an expiry date of 2 days away (i should have checked that when i bought them lol!) and are just chopped fresh fruit. nothing else added. it's part of asda's 'great stuff' kids range. i haven't seen them before and i am in that aisle every week.

i bought the dole pots while i was pregnant and constantly munching fruit, i also bought 'fridge fruit' which is a big tub of peach slices in syrup. i realise that buying it fresh and chopping it myself would have been cheaper, but there's also the convenience/i'm starving aspect of it - people with no willpower want instant gratification so if the fruit's not already peeled and sliced for them they will reach for the hobnobs instead :rotfl:

[susiesue]

kids back at school tomorrow:j and have both decided they want a packed lunch. as they are both fussy eaters, i need some good ideas as to what to put in. they both HATE salad, but DS will eat carrot sticks and sliced cucumber. DD won't eat anything she suspects as being healthy!:confused:

HELP!!

[getcarter]

My son lives on cheese and marmite sanwiches on the 1/2 and 1/2 bread, a banana, a yogurt, a little choc bar and a drink.

Os on pitta pocket with ham or turkey.

[Rachie B]

get over to OS lots of ideas :)

make lots of HM goodies

flapjacks / muffins / brownies
then some fruit
yogurt
filled pitta / wrap / bagel etc if bread is too boring
make your own dippers with cream cheese and mini bread sticks etc

[C_Ronaldo]

a banana sandwhich, would they like tuna or sardines

[robnye]

try getting them involved in actually making the food........
ie pasta dishes... try them out at normal dinner time, then ask if they would like it in packed lunch....

[MortgageMamma]

My son's just moved to a new day nursery where all the children take packed lunches. His old nursery used to provide hot dinners. I like the idea of packed lunches as I know what he's getting and I've made it myself though.

The problem is, he won't eat sandwiches, just removes the filling and leaves the bread:confused: . I've tried pittas, tortillas, white bread, brown bread, rolls, fingers and milk roll. But still won't eat the sandwiches.

I desperately need some ideas of what to put in his lunchbox (doesnt need to be mega healthy, just filling!) So far I've come up with tuna pasta, which I've made tonight, but my minds just blank!

I'd be very grateful for suggestions.

MM

[Scarlett1]

what about a current bun, will he eat it as its sweet ?

would he eat cubed cheese, salad pieces, sliced ham, chicken roll etc

you could make a mix up of the above in a little container, what about crackers, a little bland but you could smear dairylea cheese on it.

[nats3006]

how about making him some rice with peas in etc etc!! or a mini salad!!
kids are so hard to please!! mine is 2 and half and another on way in 4 weeks so got it all to look forward to again!! they also do darylea lunchbox type things with little crispy bread designed to make your own maybe they might be a bit better!
nat

[elaine373]

Mine like crackers with humous. pitta bread filled with salad.cous cous with cold chicken.pasta with tuna.

[Scarlett1]

what about rice cakes with humous (sp?) smeared on it.

DD likes wafer crackers with a slice of chicken roll and a triangle of creamed cheese.

[Rachie B]

pizza whirls- http://www.netmums.com/lc/food/recipes/picnic_pizzawhirls.php my son loves these and will eat veg in them that he wont usually ;)

adapt the filling to suit :)

or what about a piece of quiche if he will eat it,rice cakes topped with peanut butter or cheese spread ?

[djdido2]

mini breadsticks and a blob of dairylea. alot cheaper than those dunker thingys.

[Iona_Penny]

bread sticks?, cheese straws? I used to cut the sandwiches into stars with a pastry cutter I had and put a slice of brown on top and white on the bottom; they looked good. Perhaps you could suggest to him they are not sandwiches but 'starbites' any good?
You can also buy giant pasta shells, perhaps you could fill 3 or 4 with his favourite filling. Beware of putting spready things on crackers as they go soft and yukky!

[astonsmummy]

Hi my ds is in nursery that doesnt provide meals, he doesnt eat sanwiches either, so i send him in with tuna pasta, tomato pasta which they reheat, spaghetti bologneise macaroni cheese (all leftovers from the night before) and sometimes ravioli from a tin.

[plane_boy2000]

You may think this is abit cruel, but we have just had the same problem at pre school with our eldest - he is sent with a packed lunch, and his school send back what hasnt been eaten so we can see. ANyway he stopped eating the sandwiches and just ate all the other stuff like yoghurt, fruit etc. Yesterday I sent him with just sandwiches and nothing else. Needless to say all the sadwiches were gone, and now we are starting to put the other stuff back in as long as he eats the sandwiches.

Does he just not eat them there, or does he really not like them and will not eat them at all?

How about a slice of quiche (think spelt wrong!) pizza slices, pot noodle.............

[littlemissfrugal]

think about what you would give him if out for a picnic or daytrip - my friends little one only has crisps on sandwiches, not ideal but she eats them.

[patchwork cat]

rice salad,pasta salad, cold pizza. Home made lunchable. Dips with carrot sticks and bread sticks. Think buffet food. Let him take the bits of the sandwich - cheese, cold meat and potato salad or a roll- it doesn't matter if he doesn't like it as a sandwich if he will eat it deconstructed. rice and pasta salad can be made differnetly every day with a different meat, veg/fruit and dressing mixed in.

[MortgageMamma]

Oh thanks for all these fab suggestions! thanks! thanks! thanks! I'll definately try them all

I've just remember his likes "eggs in shells" (hard boiled eggs), so a tuna and egg salad will be ok. He also likes those mini low fat sausages a baby new potatos with cheese. I'm going to give him samosas and spring rolls too as he likes them - I'm also going to disguise sandwiches by cutting them out as suggested - if all else fails I will have to bring him home for lunch and take him back again !

[Motherof1]

My daughter also removes the filling.....and leaves the bread. In her old nursery they had a cooked lunch everyday but I have realised that she has become bored of sandwiches...I sometimes give her dairylea dippers, fruit bar and biscuit or sometimes tuna pasta.....she seems to enjoy that....good luck and if you find anything else that works for you please share....thanks.

[Contains Mild Peril]

If he eats pasta and rice salads then a tub of salad will do nicely as the main part of his meal. There are plenty of variations, e.g. you can use yoghurt instead of tomato-based sauce/ dressing. Give him plenty of fruit as well and you won't go far wrong. Quiche and carrot or celery sticks with dips as have been suggested are also good. Does he like oatcakes?
I have a big collection of tubs (originally containing things like pasta sauce and coleslaw) which I save for re-use. When my son took packed lunches, I sometimes put things like grapes (which would otherwise get squished) in plastic tubs so he could take them to school.

[ella2002]

Pizza
Quiche
Cold sausages
Pasta salad
Rice salad
Potato salad
cheese cubes
bread sticks
dips humous etc
dried fruit
yogurt
fruit

Would put an ice pak in his lunch box if his having cold meats etc

[ella2002]

vegetable bits pepper, cucumber, carrot with a cheesy dip

[bobsa1]

On Saturday kitchen Tanya Ramsey made ham & cheese muffins (I think) something like that might be good.

[matphil]

How about:-
Chichen nuggets
Mini Kievs
Sausage rolls
Mini burgers
Cheese strings
Cheese triangles
Muller rice
Cocktail sausges
Scones
Mini pancakes
Few slices of French stick.

[Rachie B]

On Saturday kitchen Tanya Ramsey made ham & cheese muffins (I think) something like that might be good.

ooh she made them on This Morning aswell they looked well scrummy!

my kids love savoury muffins and flapjacks aswell as sweet so def a good idea :)

[oops a daisy]

my DD would eat a slice of bread and a baby bel cheese - but put them both together and call it a sandwich and she will turn her nose up at it :confused:

[MortgageMamma]

Thanks everyone! I should have perhaps learned all this stuff years ago having had three kids!

All three are picky eaters, the youngest (age 2 1/2) went through a stage for 3 weeks this summer where all he would eat was yoghurt for breakfast, coleslaw and cheese for his lunch and scrambled eggs for his tea. It wasn;t until we went on holiday and ate out that he snapped out of it!

[nats3006]

good luck with it all and least u got lots of receipes to try out now!!
nat xx

[CharleneUK]

My girls like roasted chicken wings, which can be eaten cold, or chicken drumsticks.

[hobo28]

One of our kids is like that. With 4 kids, I cant afford 4x school dinners so they all have packed lunches.

We still have problems where some days she just makes up a random excuse as to why she didn't eat it. Yesterday's was she didn't like Chicken Tikka but I know for a fact she does.

Another time it was because her sandwich wasn't cut in half. The next day OH cut it in half and it remained uneaten. When asked why, her reply was that she wanted a full sandwich! To say she got a roasting was an understatement!!!!! LOL :D

[MortgageMamma]

One of our kids is like that. With 4 kids, I cant afford 4x school dinners so they all have packed lunches.

We still have problems where some days she just makes up a random excuse as to why she didn't eat it. Yesterday's was she didn't like Chicken Tikka but I know for a fact she does.

Another time it was because her sandwich wasn't cut in half. The next day OH cut it in half and it remained uneaten. When asked why, her reply was that she wanted a full sandwich! To say she got a roasting was an understatement!!!!! LOL :D

Bet I can guess which one of your four that was hobo28!:rotfl:

[nic82]

Something else that might work...pitta bread pizzas.

You can get a packet of 6 Tesco Value pitta breads for something 24p (can't remember exactly, but they're v. cheap!). Either blend a tin of tomatoes or use tomato puree for the topping, then chop ham, mushrooms, peppers, onion, pineapple, etc. to put on the top (maybe your son could help "decorate" the pizzas...might encourage him to eat them the next day if he "made" them). Sprinkle on some grated cheese and grill for a few mins.

They are really nice cold.

[gregg1]

bread sticks?, cheese straws? I used to cut the sandwiches into stars with a pastry cutter I had and put a slice of brown on top and white on the bottom; they looked good. Perhaps you could suggest to him they are not sandwiches but 'starbites' any good?
You can also buy giant pasta shells, perhaps you could fill 3 or 4 with his favourite filling. Beware of putting spready things on crackers as they go soft and yukky!


nothing wrong with breadsticks. My daughter also refused to eat sandwiches. She takes cream crackers with butter on (they stay crisp wrapped in foil), breadsticks, plain naan breads. It might not sound very appetising to us but I for one think its better than her stuffing her face with a chicken burger from the school canteen. We do balance it, she always always takes two pieces of fruit with her (and eats them), a bottle of water and usually a bag of snack apricots. She always gets a proper cooked meal when she gets home so I am not too worried about the "breadsticks"

[Irishmummyof2]

I have one dd in school, who is very fussy and won't take a school dinner which cost £2.00 a day.
So she has a packed lunch, we started off with a ham sandwich, a peparami, (sp?) a piece of fruit, a yoghurt and crisps. Watever in the lunch also had to cover for at snack time and she is not allowed to eat the crisps till lunch. She also brings a bottle of squash.
I want to ditch the peparami (sp?) and crisps but wat can i replace them with, bearing in mind it has to be healthy and cheap.
Thanks

[Rachie B]

my son like tortilla chips as an alternative to crisps,i sometimes give him a dip too in a little lidded pot ,sometimes mini bread sticks instead of the tortilla chips

what about cold sausages cut up into pieces ? better than pepperami !
savoury flapjacks,piece of HM pizza

also instead of crisps i sometimes give savoury popcorn or pretzels too,lower in fat than crisps :)

you could make your own vegetable crisps,beetroot,sweet potato & carrot are yummy

have a look on the OLd Style board for loads of fab ideas :)

[looneyleo]

You could include some dried fruit. Apricots are always a good one to start with. I find if you cut them up really small and mix them with raisens the kids eat them quite easily. if you leave them whole and they aren't used to the texture they tend to get rejected. There are also rice cakes, crackers, breadsticks and if she is old enough she could try some nuts and seed mixes which are healthy. I know it might sound a little silly but my DD loves to take dry cereal as a snack like a small bag of cherrios. There are lots of different types of fruit out there that you could try to give a little variety and variation to the box rather than just apples and bananas...good luck...

[Rachie B]

You could include some dried fruit. Apricots are always a good one to start with. I find if you cut them up really small and mix them with raisens the kids eat them quite easily. if you leave them whole and they aren't used to the texture they tend to get rejected. There are also rice cakes, crackers, breadsticks and if she is old enough she could try some nuts and seed mixes which are healthy. I know it might sound a little silly but my DD loves to take dry cereal as a snack like a small bag of cherrios. There are lots of different types of fruit out there that you could try to give a little variety and variation to the box rather than just apples and bananas...good luck...

my youngest is the same,in fact he prefers it dry than with milk on :confused: lol

[SammyD]

A little pot of houmous with breadsticks and cut up veggies? My oldest loves this. Dried fruit and nuts are also a great idea as suggested by other posters, but make your own mixes up rather than buying pre bagged. My son loves pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds etc with dried apricots.

Also have you thought of using pita bread to make "pockets" to stuff with fillings, or tortilla wraps - useful for variation.

[Irishmummyof2]

Thanks, She loves cereal and thts something i've never thought of.
She doesn't like dried fruit unfortuantely and only the best of both for bread.

[jellyhead]

not really a crisps relacement but i've found cheap pineapples this week and spud has taken a big tub of it to school for lunch.

veg crisps are yummy, i haven't made my own but i bought some lol! would a sausage roll be better than pepperami? i don't really know what pepperami is, some sort of sausage thing?

spud tells me that toher kids have all these goodies in their lunch boxes but as he struggles to eat a sandwich and fruit i've never added any treats, aren't i mean!

[victory]

My son loves cheese crackers or even the plain crackers, those cheese strings, babybell, pitta bread with cheese in or ham, frubes xxx