Kid not eating his lunch!

[Zonny]

I'm sure I can't be the only one experiencing this. DS is five, started school this year, and we send lunch in with him. The problem is, sometimes the lunch is still in his bag when he gets home!

Last night he said he wanted an egg salad sandwich. Fair enough, I sent an egg salad sandwich. He got home, he's still got an egg salad sandwich, which got tossed into the composter. At least he 'fessed up first, as soon as I got home he said he was sorry for not eating his lunch.

I've bought some of those Stouffers Express mac and cheese frozen pasta that are on sale at Superstore this week, those are great and he loves it, but not something I want him to have every day.

He usually does eat his snacks (usually fruit/veggies/cheese), so tomorrow I'm going to try a 'snack lunch' - just more snacks than usual with no main course.

What do you all do? No peanut butter allowed here, and sandwiches don't seem to be a big hit unless I have a turkey or a ham around (we don't buy deli meats).

[marstec]

Welcome to my world. My children are all older and there is still one excuse after another of why they didn't eat their lunch!

A few suggestions: make sure you aren't sending something that has a strong odor. Stuff they'll readily eat at home might not be acceptable for them at school. My one son ate Goldfish crackers for several years of elementary school and he managed to survive. Get him to list a few things that are acceptable...children don't mind having the same thing for lunch. Always include a couple of things you know he will eat.

The most frustrating part for me was the time I wasted making the lunches and the food I had to throw away.

I would resist the urge to just include all things processed (probably what a lot of the other children have in their lunches)...you want them to get used to nutritious food, not junk.

If all else fails, rest assured that they will not starve, and will ask for a snack when they get home. Sometimes they are so distracted by what is going on in the classroom that they run out of time to eat, if you can believe that.

[Zonny]

I'm with you on the junk, and on throwing away food. I hate that I spent time making him a sandwich (that he SAID he wanted), and I hate seeing it tossed away uneaten. Food is expensive, makes me mad to waste it!

Good point on the odour, maybe that's why he tossed the egg salad today and the tuna last week.

DS sees commercials for Lunchables now and sees his schoolmates have them (and worse!) and wants them too. But I've deemed that a NO, there's nothing good in those, but I have expressed a willingness to make homemade ones. For example, at Thanksgiving, I can easily cut turkey into nifty shapes and cheese to match for a lunch. We don't do much processed food here, except for crackers and such.

I've considered sending him to school with NO lunch and see how he likes that! But no, probably won't do it, his teachers would think that's abuse.

I guess I was looking for other folks who share my pain, so we can moan together.
Thanks for that!

[ottawagurl20]

Does he go full day or half days? My DD goes half days and I have noticed that she only eats one or two things from her lunch because she is a slow eater and they dont have enough time to eat.
Today I sent her with bottle of water, a sandwich,baby carrots, and raisins and all she ate was her carrots and raisins.

[vibrantflame]

I share your pain. My oldest son went into JK this fall, and he eats all his "sides", but rarely eats his sandwich, even when it's something that he usually loves (like jam). So I've been trying to make sure his snacks are nutritious, usually a fruit of some sort and a veggie of some sort, with maybe cheese or crackers or something also. That way I know that at least he's getting nutritious food even if he doesn't eat his "main course". It's tough because I don't know why he doesn't eat his sandwich, and he won't/can't tell me...

The first two weeks of school I went all out making him all kinds of different "main courses" like Italian Parmesan corn cakes and grilled cheese sandwiches, etc. then I gave up because they just got thrown out lol

[urouj862]

my 5 and 7 year olds do that too!!!

I hate it when all the kids ask for is processed junk because thats what they see at school, but i told them from day 1 - if mommy says it isnt healthy , then you can have it. Sure once a week i spoil them with a processed cheese sanwich (which is always eaten) but it really gets on my nerves when i hear them talk about "other" kids lunches , which is mostly lunch ables, hotdogs, chicken nuggets, bologne etc...

A huge reason, i think, is because they are already so full on all the snacks they eat, that by the time its lunch time, they arent hungry enough!

[virtualsadie]

Oh have I got an idea for you! What's always worked for me and the picky eaters (which has also been myself he hee hee).... variety, small portions. It's not about a big honkering sandwich all the time or these ready to eat full of processed bleh stuff.

Try getting a tupperware that has several little compartments and in those compartments put a variety depending on the kids likes/dislikes and make it easy so they just reach in and grab and nibble, no wrappers.

Babybell cheese or other good quality cheese cut into small pieces, grapes, wheat crackers, raisins, fruit pieces (cut small) apple, tangerine, banana, mango, veg pieces (cut small) carrot, red pepper are hits usually, pieces of cubed meats or boiled egg cut in quarters (chicken breast cubes, turkey, little meatballs). If you have a bread eater then a slice of nice bread or a little roll already cut in half and buttered. They'll make their own sandwiches and love it. I also like to add a trail mix of seeds/cereal/raisins/and a little treat like a few smarties/rosebuds and put that in a separate container. And those little cartons of individual milk or tropicana orange juice.

Hope that helps you.

[Zonny]

Oh have I got an idea for you! What's always worked for me and the picky eaters (which has also been myself he hee hee).... variety, small portions. It's not about a big honkering sandwich all the time or these ready to eat full of processed bleh stuff.

Try getting a tupperware that has several little compartments and in those compartments put a variety depending on the kids likes/dislikes and make it easy so they just reach in and grab and nibble, no wrappers.

Babybell cheese or other good quality cheese cut into small pieces, grapes, wheat crackers, raisins, fruit pieces (cut small) apple, tangerine, banana, mango, veg pieces (cut small) carrot, red pepper are hits usually, pieces of cubed meats or boiled egg cut in quarters (chicken breast cubes, turkey, little meatballs). If you have a bread eater then a slice of nice bread or a little roll already cut in half and buttered. They'll make their own sandwiches and love it. I also like to add a trail mix of seeds/cereal/raisins/and a little treat like a few smarties/rosebuds and put that in a separate container. And those little cartons of individual milk or tropicana orange juice.

Hope that helps you.

Yep, that's pretty much what we do. We're letting the sandwich idea go for now; today he got just snacks and didn't die of starvation. Thanks for all the replies!

[ninna]

Oh have I got an idea for you! What's always worked for me and the picky eaters (which has also been myself he hee hee).... variety, small portions. It's not about a big honkering sandwich all the time or these ready to eat full of processed bleh stuff.

Try getting a tupperware that has several little compartments and in those compartments put a variety depending on the kids likes/dislikes and make it easy so they just reach in and grab and nibble, no wrappers.

Babybell cheese or other good quality cheese cut into small pieces, grapes, wheat crackers, raisins, fruit pieces (cut small) apple, tangerine, banana, mango, veg pieces (cut small) carrot, red pepper are hits usually, pieces of cubed meats or boiled egg cut in quarters (chicken breast cubes, turkey, little meatballs). If you have a bread eater then a slice of nice bread or a little roll already cut in half and buttered. They'll make their own sandwiches and love it. I also like to add a trail mix of seeds/cereal/raisins/and a little treat like a few smarties/rosebuds and put that in a separate container. And those little cartons of individual milk or tropicana orange juice.

Hope that helps you.

I'll second that motion. What great advice you gave!

One of my kids is a picky, SLOW eater. We're also against processed meats and have a no PB rule at school.

I always seek her opinion about what she wants in her lunch so that I avoid sending something she doesn't like. After doing that, I pack whatever we're gonna pack but in smaller portions and with lots of variety/choices

It doesn't have to be a BIG honkin sandwich as someone else mentioned. You can literally cube up all the sandwich ingredients in a 4-compartment tupperware bowl and they can grab and go and nibble and still get the same they would from a sandwich.

Miss Picky in my house also bagels, veggie wraps, cold salads like bean salads or vegetable salads or a thermos with hot soup.

I avoid the tuna and egg salad because of the smell (peers are unforgiving about stinky lunches) as well as anything that might "look" unusual. I'm not sure my now 9 year old has yet forgiven me for the pear applesauce I put in her lunch 2 years ago. It was a pale green colour and I hadn't foreseen where the classmates might go with their imaginations.

[ishyx0x]

my 3 yearold goes to preschoool form only 12:15 to 2:45

and i have also tried giving her a sandwich for a few days..
but it was never even touched..
now i just give her sum carrots/ fruits and some cheese..
still comes home with half of the stuff ..
but its only a few hours.. so she doesnt get hungry much

[LoRaOz]

I ran into this problem today My dd's school is trying Subway Wednesday for the month of October and Pizza Day Friday's until the end of school. Now my dd does not want to eat her lunch unless it's Pizza! Today she only at a few cookies, that I sent as a treat. I have done the babybell cheese thing but she has also decided that she does not like them any longer! GRRR. I can not afford Pizza and Sub's all the time! My dd also informed me that she does not have enough time to eat. According to her she only has 5mins Which I know to be untrue. Anyways good to vent. Thanks

[aoffman]

Same issue here, my 12 yr started jr high this year, which means no more microwave. I've stopped sending sandwiches completely. Right now he's getting a salad, fruit cup and some cheese.

[Zonny]

I've stopped providing the main course (sandwich, etc.) and just give snacks, that seems to be working. Today he has a babybel cheese, a yogurt, an apple and a bowl of mixed fruit. He asked for all that fruit BTW - I bought a new apple gizmo at Stokes that slices the apple into a spiral and removes the core, he loves eating 'slinkie apples.' And I just started making melon balls, which are a huge hit! So he's got a mix of melon balls and grapes in one bowl, and a slinkie apple in the other.

We've also signed up for pizza/sub twice a week, so he'll get a main course those days and I'm sure he'll eat those.

[janetta]

My mum use to pack a hot lunch for me when I was little.
Whatever we had left over (pasta, rice, etc) and put it in a thermos container.
Cheese and crackers with veg on the side was well received
as were bread sticks in marinara sauce (lots of veg hidden in it, lol) and chicken fingers/nuggets.
I liked chicken salad sandwiches or with crackers.
Tea sandwiches!! cucumber and cheese, egg salad (just make sure not to over cook them..or they'll stink), blt w/cheese, cream cheese and tomato..
Wraps are great too! Stick a chicken finger or two in it along with veg and sauce.

I find that kids like finger foods and foods where a dip of some sort is involved.

[marstec]

Zonny,

janetta's post jogged my memory about an idea. Do a google search for children's bento box style lunches. If you search for images, you'll get all sorts of fun ideas for lunches.

I'm not sure I would go to such lengths, but it might be worth a try if lunches remain a struggle. In case you didn't know, the idea comes from Japan...I wasn't surprised to see Hello Kitty represented, not that your son would be interested (lol)...I did see a sandwich cut into the shape of a car, that one looks promising.