I’ve lost track of how many days my daughter’s lunch box comes home and there’s hardly a difference from when I packed it that morning. I know she doesn’t have much time at school to eat her whole lunch, but I know that there’s other problems that lead to the uneaten lunch, like that she’s an incredibly slow eater. Oh my goodness, if we let her take her time at breakfast with no encouragement (or reminders), I’m pretty sure that she’d sit there and nibble her breakfast away for thirty minutes.
No joke. No exaggeration. It happens at dinner.
Marci Chatting It Up With The Ladies
She’s also very chatty. This picture was taken at four years old and totally reflects her love to talk with the girls. Or boys. She just enjoys conversation.
Now, she’s not a huge eater to begin with and we’ve scaled back what we give her by a lot. If it’s not a leftover school lunch day, she takes the Planet Box that we packed full for her brother last year so I think I forget how different their appetites are. My son, on the other hand, eats more than I do and has even less time to wrap up his lunch because he helps the teachers prepare for recess.
Patrick’s Full Lunch
So, this is where we’re at: a small variety of food. Or some of her favorites like mac and cheese or mexi bowls. My daughter is so thin and we’re always trying to put some weight on her but the reality is that I can fill that lunch box up each day and it won’t be eaten. I can’t bare to waste the food so I just cut back and feel a little better knowing that they have a morning and afternoon snack so she’s at least not going hungry.
Marci’s Little Lunch
And even though she loves all these things, half of this still comes home. How do you ensure your kids eat a healthy school lunch?
2 Comments
I have the same problem with my daughter (5). She constantly brings food home, only to walk in the door ravenous and devouring 5 clementines before I even know what’s happening.
At our school the year had started where recess happened first, followed by a 30-minute lunch. It was a trial period, and unfortunately, it is now back to lunch followed by recess, which means the kids are rewarded for shoveling in half their food and saying they’re finished. The result is a lot of wasted food and hungry students.
Regardless, I try to encourage her to eat. I can’t do much else. I let her have some say in what gets packed, and I know if she’s had some choice in the process, the things she chose will usually get eaten. And I sigh. Frequently.
I sigh frequently too, Shaina! I do wish we had recess first. Up until last year, the kids who didn’t finish their lunch could sit on a side bench when the next grade came in so they could complete their meal. We’ve had a few changes in recess process which means kids have to all leave the lunchroom and go to the playground together for security purposes. My husband just wrapped up his required five lunch duties and he said there’s a ton of kids that don’t finish their meal…and most of it ends up in the trash so the parents never even know!
For my daughter, eating is crazy low on her list of priorities so for now we just try to provide the healthy foods that she likes. Sounds like you’re taking the same approach.
And then we sigh.