Back to school means either buying lunch in the cafeteria or packing every/most mornings. For us, with a dairy allergy, we have to pack every single morning. I knew we'd run into some issues with "But I wanted...." and not eating, but it's turning into an almost every day issue.
Today they had a field trip, so everything needed to be disposable. I decided I would send a sandwich, pretzels, Teddy Grahams, and an all-natural fruit twist (looks like an over sized Twizzler, but tastes like a fruit leather). When I picked him up from school, he told me all about the field trip so I let him go on and on about picking apples and going through a "haunted" house.
Then I asked about lunch.
He told me ate the fruit twist, gave the Teddy Grahams to another kid, and threw the rest out.
I see two problems:
1) Throwing everything out. Completely wasted, perfectly good food went into the trash.
2) He gave his food to someone else.
Because he has a dairy allergy, I immediately told him to never give food to anyone or to take food from anyone unless he wants to feel sick a few hours after eating it. He apologized, but I don't know what to do.
It's a typical day to have him bring home more then half of lunch, not even touched.
What do I do? What would YOU do?
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Comments (9)
Why don't you let him help pick his lunch? Maybe he'll eat it if it's something he actually wants to eat.
I don't know how you can control it when you aren't there with him, and he's still so young he doesn't have the willpower to make wise choices.
I would also try getting him involved in picking out the lunches or in packing them in an attempt to get him to eat it. Do you know why he isn't eating?
I'm a little worried about him. First, he had the crying and sadness last week. Now he isn't eating. Is someone bullying him at school?
Here's some info on that subject, to help try and open him up about the subject so you can find out more without him feelings like you're "bugging" him.
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Warning_Signs_that_Your_Child/
@daydreams_nightmares@xanga - I ask every morning if there's anything he wants in his lunch, and he usually picks his drink and the 'crunchy' item. At the grocery store he's always pointing out things he wants, and some I will get and others I make a note of to be more 'surprise' items.
@sarahsmurfette@xanga - I didn't even think of those two together. I figured the crying before school was due to being sick because he hasn't done it since but maybe...? He said he had an apple (field trip was to an apple orchard) before lunch, but still, that's not very much.
Like others said, let him help you pack his lunch. Let him make some choices. Of course, don't say here's carrots and here's a fruit twist: pick the one you want. Give him a choice of carrots or celery (or whatever you want).
Cut sandwiches and fruit into shapes. Make the lunch colorful so it's fun to look at. Kids love to dip foods, so send some carrots or pretzels with hummus to dip them in.
Does he eat well at home? I'm right there with sarahsmurfette in thinking he might be getting bullied. Maybe some other kid is taking or ruining his lunch in some way and he doesn't want you to know about it.... I'd definately try to get him as involved as possible when packing lunches to see if he's more inclined to eat a lunch he makes himself. You could also try talking to his teacher about your concerns and maybe he/she can keep an eye out for him. Aside from him possibly wasting perfectly good food, is it too big a deal for him not to eat? Is it possible that he's just not hungry, so he nibbles or just chooses one item to eat? Maybe it's just a phase, and he'll start chowing down soon... We all worry so much about our kids' nutrition, and I'm not trying to downplay this situation at all, and hope I don't come off that way.
He sounds like the way i was in school... From about gr 1 on I would not eat at school.. I was one of the bigger girls, and 2 little girls in my class told me that i didn't need to eat lunch because i was fat. Yep, in grade 1! My mum found out about it and started sending me a couple of healthy snacks (whole grain granola bars usually) and that helped. I would definitely be talking to his teacher about it and see whats going on.
If he's eating well at home I wouldn't worry about it. Start packing him something that he can take to school and eat if he's hungry and if not ask him to bring it back home. As long as he has something he CAN eat I see no problem with it. If he's hungry he'll eat, that's for sure.
Where are the teachers in this?
When I was in grade school, we had to raise our hands so that the lunch attendants could check our trays before we were allowed to leave for lunchtime recess.I'm a pre-school teacher (with a lactose intolerance), why aren't your son's teachers watching their students to make sure lunches aren't being shared or making sure that kids are eating enough??
Let him get sick, and then when he does, explain that he shouldn't trade food because he doesn't know what's in the stuff he's getting. He might have to get sick once, or a hundred times, but it'll work.