fussy eater started school - dinners/packed lunch advice please.

[amberliam]

Really need some advice, hoping someone can help me.
!

My son is 4 and has been a very fussy eater since he was about 10 month old. I've struggled for years with his eating, at his worse he would just eat toast or pasta. It has improved dramatically over the last few weeks though. He started school last week and this week he is there all day, we've chosen school dinners in the hope that it will help improve his eating further. Anyways, Monday they had toad in the hole, he told me he tried 1 sausage which I was happy with as he hasn't touched them since he was prob about 2. However he kept mentioning that some of his friends had sandwiches and he wanted a lunch box. Anyways yesterday he was hysterical in the morning when I left him and at home time the teacher came to me and said he ate nothing and was still sitting there going into next lesson so didn't even get to go out and play. He came home saying he doesn't want school dinners. Last night he wet the bed, I'm convinced its related as he was wetting the bed every night for about a week before he started school but stopped a few days after he started and he was saying he didn't want to go and was scared so I'm guessing it was stressing him out.

Today he was again hysterical this morning. He has lots of friends and is fine when I pick him up all he say when I ask him is that he doesn't want school dinners so I think this must be what is upsetting him every morning. Now, do I carry on persevering or do I give in and let him have a lunch box? I don't want him to be upset or scared to go school and its stressing me out as I am worrying all day about him and how he is.

 

[hattiehippo]

Let him have a lunch box. He's got enough to deal with at the mo without that on top. You can always try dinners again when he's more settled or he may change his mind with watching the other kids eat.

Mine is a fussy eater and starting school tomorrow. We have a deal where he will try the dinners for Thursday and Friday and if he doesn't like them he can have packed lunch next week.

 

[rosie272]

I would give the lunch box too, put things in there that you know he definitely will eat! What I've been doing is looking at the school menu online and if I know charlie will like something then he gets lunch money but if not then it's a lunch box. Hope he gets on better soon, it's not nice to be worrying about that.

 

[bellaxo]

My daughter is fussy too and she started reception last week and I put her on packed lunch. I was considering the school dinners as they're free now but decided that she'd be better on packed lunch because at least I'd be able to see exactly what she ate as I could just look in her lunch bag. She fibs sometimes about what she eats at her childminders so I knew she'd probably fib about eating her school dinner too. Also I looked at the menu and I knew she wouldn't eat most of the food on it, so decided it wasn't worth the hassle

I'd just try packed lunch with him and see if it helps!

 

[Jchihuahua]

My daughter has packed lunch. She is quite a sensitive child and also a fussy eater and I just felt that letting her take a packed lunch would just make things that bit easier for her when this is all so new and strange. I am hoping she will want to try school dinners at some point but for now I am happy for her to take a packed lunch.

 

[aimee-lou]

I would also just let him have the lunch box. My eldest just started and so far is loving the school dinners (although they keep putting carrots on his tray and he hates carrots! lol) - but if he really detested them I certainly wouldn't force him. You could always try again as now they're free he can have them if he wants them. Maybe try again after half term once he's fully settled in. I have the menu on my wall and I tell Earl every day what he'll have and I've told him to tell me if he really doesn't like what he's given and he'll then take packup on those days in future.

 

[OmarsMum]

Omar doesn't touch food at school, I tried packed lunch this year but he cried when he was offered his food at lunch time, he eats a good breakfast at home, I'm not making an issue out of it, I take snacks with me for the drive back home from school, this is his 2nd yr & he's ok

 

[Kate&Lucas]

Aww bless him, I agree with the others to give him the packed lunch.

Lucas is pretty fussy, most of the time he'll only eat beige food or things that come pre-packaged. I send him in with a packed lunch and give him a few options of what he can have before I put it together, then I show him in the morning and remind him what he's having for lunch that day. I also tend to overfill it a bit, so he can pick and choose Touch wood he's been pretty good with it so far.

 

[aimee-lou]

Omar doesn't touch food at school, I tried packed lunch this year but he cried when he was offered his food at lunch time, he eats a good breakfast at home, I'm not making an issue out of it, I take snacks with me for the drive back home from school, this is his 2nd yr & he's ok

I was like this when I was at school. My mum and my teachers would be going spare, but I really wasn't hungry. I would then eat the contents of my lunch box on the way home from school! lol I did this every day from being 5 pretty much, apart from the 3 years I was at boarding school. Even now I'm rarely hungry at lunch time, and don't eat anything major until dinner time.....it much just be how my body works.

 

[jd83]

I'd just pack his lunch, if that's what he's wanting. My son's pretty picky, too, and I'm already anticipating this when he starts school next year and will have a meal at school...He gets a snack at preschool, and has already refused several snacks because he didn't like them.

 

[RachA]

I'd give him the packed lunch if that's what he's asking for. Then you can keep an eye on what he's eating.

We are going down the opposite route-Esther really only eats pasta at home but if she's at parents etc without us there she will eat most things. So we are hoping she'll eat at school. We already know most if the children are having the school dinners so she won't feel left out. We've also agreed with the staff at the school that I'll be informed each day what she's eaten (as she isn't able to tell us herself)

 

[northern_me]

My DD will only eat something if she sees someone else eating it. Maybe ask him what the kids at his table are eating for their lunch and try to pack something similar?

I struggle with this every day. They get pizza and garlic fingers brought in every Friday so I know she will eat that. She usually takes soup in a thermos, a flatbread sandwich or a homemade lunchable type thing. I was packing yogurts, applesauce etc and she wouldn't eat it. I asked her why and she said because she didn't have time, or they were going outside for snack time and she couldn't play if she had a spoon with her. Those are things to consider too. Food that they can open easily and consume quickly are usually winners.