Shocked at what parents send kids for lunch!

[nwdisgal]

You're lucky the kids are able to bring treats on field trips. We have the nutrition police where I live. Kids can't bring in sodas, chips or cookies at all for a field trip. If they do, the food is thrown out. The school actually sends out notices before field trips informing the parents not to pack these items. I think there has to be a balance somewhere between the two extremes.

 

[DVC Sadie]

I don't know but this kid eats NOTHING! My girls are shocked when we go for dinner and all he ever orders is a hamburger and fries. I have never seen him eat a salad of any kind, no potatoes other than fries, nothing. Thanksgiving dinner I did see him eat a biscuit and some turkey.

I had to respond to the mayo sandwich. My 13 year old used to make herself mayo or ketchup sandwiches all the time. She still will eat ketchup sandwiches once in a while...she is a very weird child!

When I was a child I loved mustard sandwiches. How crazy is that, huh? I thought my mother was going to kill me when she saw my sandwich. Too funny.

 

[Planogirl]

You're lucky the kids are able to bring treats on field trips. We have the nutrition police where I live. Kids can't bring in sodas, chips or cookies at all for a field trip. If they do, the food is thrown out. The school actually sends out notices before field trips informing the parents not to pack these items. I think there has to be a balance somewhere between the two extremes.

I would hate that. It's not the school's business what I pack for my child's lunch. As long as my son behaves and does his work, that's all they should be concerned with IMO.

 

[FreshTressa]

I would hate that. It's not the school's business what I pack for my child's lunch. As long as my son behaves and does his work, that's all they should be concerned with IMO.

I do agree with this..it is not the school's job to police what kids eat. That is just more government interference, and they are not always right!

 

[Planogirl]

For some reason, I feel a lot better about those meals than I do "frozen french toast sticks", Pop Tarts, and Fruit Loops. I guess I have a problem with *candy* for a meal.

It's funny that you would mention Fruit Loops. Our son never liked breakfast much but I always made sure that he ate some kind of fruit. On vacation, if the hotel had a breakfast buffet, he got the fruit and some Fruit Loops. This sugary stuff became a big vacation treat for him even though he usually only ate a few. I think it was the idea more than anything.

I shouldn't talk though because I loved Cocoa Krispies when I was a kid. My mother would only get them once in a blue moon though.

 

[Christine]

It's funny that you would mention Fruit Loops. Our son never liked breakfast much but I always made sure that he ate some kind of fruit. On vacation, if the hotel had a breakfast buffet, he got the fruit and some Fruit Loops. This sugary stuff became a big vacation treat for him even though he usually only ate a few. I think it was the idea more than anything.

I shouldn't talk though because I loved Cocoa Krispies when I was a kid. My mother would only get them once in a blue moon though.

Oh, we love our Fruit Loops here too!!

 

[poohandwendy]

I will admit to an occasional bowl of froot loops...btw they are not called 'fruit' anything. I think they were not allowed to continue using the word 'fruit' because of the lack of actual fruit content. (that may be an urben legend, though) But the name really is Froot Loops.

My favorite is apple jacks....

 

[maggs]

I have four kids (two still at school) and all of them have packed lunches. I only give them wholewheat sandwiches and fruit or carrot sticks. The result is they dont ever want or eat junk food. They really dont enjoy the food they get at their friends' houses as it is usually fries with everything or processed food. I despair for the food that some kids eat at school and at home sometimes.
I am a great cook too - learned at my mothers knees and allow my kids to cook too. Mine love brussell sprouts and spinach too. A treat for them is always a healthy option. Educating our kids about food and nutrition begins at home.
This petition ran in the UK last year and was widely supported ny parents - this one was for better school meals.

http://www.feedmebetter.com/

Maggs

 

[jodifla]

I have four kids (two still at school) and all of them have packed lunches. I only give them wholewheat sandwiches and fruit or carrot sticks. The result is they dont ever want or eat junk food. They really dont enjoy the food they get at their friends' houses as it is usually fries with everything or processed food. I despair for the food that some kids eat at school and at home sometimes.
I am a great cook too - learned at my mothers knees and allow my kids to cook too. Mine love brussell sprouts and spinach too. A treat for them is always a healthy option. Educating our kids about food and nutrition begins at home.

Maggs

And if your child NEVER at the fruit or carrot sticks? Would you force it down his throat?

 

[chasbos]

I have to admit that my kids lunches are not very nutritious most days. But I figure they eat a warm breakfast before they go to school and a warm meal for dinner when they get home.

As long as they get enough in their bellies at lunch to hold them over - they will be fine.

Our school has microwaves in each classroom and they can take pizza's ect. and have something other than a sandwich - which helps alot (my kids HATE snadwiches and who can blame them).

If I had to pack a lunch every day I would scream!

I always lived next door to the school and went home for lunch (so have never had to take my lunch) DH on the other hand was always bussed to school and ate out of a brown paper bag for 13 years (and he still hates the thoughts of taking sandwiches to school).

So he is always on the kids side when they want microwavable Kraft Dinner and stuff like that.

Unless these kids looked very malnoursihed, I would not worry about what someone else's kid ate for lunch.

 

[lyeag]

My daughter is pretty picky and doesn't like most of the hot lunches offerred at her school, so I pack quite a few lunches for her. She usually has pb and jelly sand, (Or a thermos of soup) a small bag of chips or some other small treat, and a piece of fruit or fruit cup. She buys milk from the school. I don't have a problem with sending a treat, but I can't stand Lunchables. Have you ever looked at the nutritional information????

 

[maggs]

And if your child NEVER at the fruit or carrot sticks? Would you force it down his throat?

Of course not and believe me I had a child who almost died because he wouldnt eat for the first few years of his life. He remained in hospital being fed by NG tube and no one thought he would make it. He vomited and vomited and was at deaths door for months. I made a point about surrounding your child with good food and doing your best. I had to feed him chips to allow him to survive.What you do is using your food knowledge do the best you can. Please dont be aggressive . I was arguing with no one and simply stated how things were for my family. I am lucky that my son survived and that food having been such a big issue, no longer is. I have not read all the thread so I will now as I reckon there has been some heat!

Maggs

 

[FreshTressa]

I'm going to get flamed for this...but I think the food attitude I had towards my kids makes them less picky than some of their friends.

It is true...there are a handful of foods my kids hate, and I do not make them eat them.

In fact, I have never "made" my kids eat anything.

When they were toddlers and in my control, I did not feed them processed foods or sugary foods.

All they were offered were nutritious things. Some they ate, some they didn't.

It is still like that. At most mealtimes, I put only healthy foods in front of them and only if they ate their healthy foods were they offered a 'snack'

Between meal snacks are almost always just fruits and vegetables or nothing. I think this is where the big disagreement is. Most healthy kids will not starve themselves and I would rather they did not eat than that they put stuff that is dangerous and damaging in their bodies just to feel artificially full.

They get plenty of sweets at holidays and at parties, where I don't have the same rules....plus we sometimes have dessert for kids that finish their meals.

They have learned that they don't feel good when they eat junk. When we went to hershypark, I told the kids they could buy any candy bar they wanted. My son chose a giant hershey bar....which he later threw up. He is pretty good at policing his own food.

My daughter actually has a friend of hers at school eating healthy with her.

I do not claim to be perfect. My 7 year old daughter is already worried about getting fat. I'm sure my kids will need psychologists by the time I am done with them.

But, I have never had to force my kids to eat anything. They choose healthy foods because they don't have a lot of other options. They don't throw their sandwich away, because if they did, they would go hungry. If they had cookies, I'm sure they'd eat them first, then throw the sandwich away because they would be full.

This is what I do with my kids, and it works for us. It may not work for you and you are free to feed your kids whatever you want.

I used to have a weight problem, and type 2 diabetes is rampant in my family and the kids have seen several relatives die recently due to complications. So I'm probably overly sensetive to nutrition than other parents whose kid's bodies can handle more sugar.

 

[JennyMominRI]

I have 3 good eaters and one picky eater... They like awide variety of things..Spicy Mexican food, Sushi,, all kinds of cool stuff.. It's because I fed them nearly everything when they were small,even things I don't like myself.. I think in many cases picky parents make picky kids.. My friedn refused to feed her kid anything she didn;t like herself..As a result the kids don't eat much of anything..Of course this isn't always true as is evidenced by my 4th kid is very picky.. I do think a huge part of what and how kids eat is formed in those first 3 years or so

 

[luvdzny]

LOL, I always send lunchables for field trips. My kids are very healthy eaters at home (there is nothing they will not eat) and I think it is no big deal if they get a sugary, fat filled treat for a few lunch days of the year... I guess it would be different if they were inactive, overweight or unhealthy eaters.

I could have written that reply myself!!!! My kids always got Lunchables for field trip lunches. It was supposed to be a fun day, so I sent a "fun lunch."
We don't always eat a healthy, balanced diet at home either. I cook what my family likes, I don't really think that anyone else should be concerned with what our family eats. My kids are not little anymore, the youngest is 17, but they are all healthy, the health problems that DD has have nothing to do with her diet. I think that if kids appear to be healthy, not neglected or abused it should not matter to others what they eat.

 

[GEM]

I had to write a note to my DD's kindergarden teacher so she wouldn't be shocked at the fat content of my daughters lunch and snack everyday. My daughter is underweight she has lost weight over the last six months so her doctor has told me to up the fat content. She has for snack whole fat pringles chips, a small brownie, and her special chocolate milk which I make with don't gasp, half and half! For lunch she has a PBJ sandwhich, yogurt, a donut, and an apple. Mind you with this crazy food plan she only gained 1/2 a pound in the last 6 weeks! On this kind of plan I would have gained 50 pounds for sure!

That sounds like us! DS was born at 1lb and 7oz, and now, at almost 3 years old, he only weighs about 22 pounds. He's on a very high fat diet! For lunch at his Mother's Day out program (which he goes to 2 days a week) he gets a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich on wheat bread, a sippy cup of drinkable yogurt mixed with heavy whipping cream, some kind of fresh fruit, and string cheese. Of course, he doesn't eat most of it. Our problem is that our son LOVES healthy stuff more than anything. His favorite foods are tomatoes, grapes, carrotts, oranges, and green beans. That would be a great diet - if he wasn't so TINY already! So, I'm probably the only mother in America saying, "OK. No more green beans until you eat some of your chicken nuggets and french fries."

So, yes, he does eat his share of junkfood. He gets frozen french toast sticks for breakfast pretty often. And he gets fried fish sticks for dinner, or meatballs, or fried chicken nuggets, etc.. He gets peanutbutter and crackers with honey for a snack. He eats and drinks a lot of yogurt, which is high in sugar, I know. He even gets cookies when we can get them into him. And he has a big glass of chocolate milk (again, made with heavy whipping cream) before bed each night. We sneak butter, cheese, mayonaise, and oil into everything we possibly can. And, we're grateful for every bite he eats! As his doctors and nutritionists have told us, the important thing righ now is that he's EATING period. Of course, he doesn't get coke or anything like that, and won't for a VERY long time. He doesn't get any juice, either. Not because it has too much sugar or whatever, but because it takes up room he needs for higher calorie stuff! (He does get some water, which he LOVES - but we have to really limit how much he drinks.)

Please don't waste your time judging what you see kids eating at school. You have no idea what their parents might be struggling with, what their eating habbits are like at home, whether what they're having that day is a special treat, etc.

And, while I'm ranting, I still think a special treat every once in a while is a good thing. It's a rite of childhood! I feel sorry for some of my friends kids who NEVER get anything sweet - no candy in their Christmas stocking, no chocolate bunnies in their Easter baskets, no icecream in the park on a hot summer day, no freshbaked chcolate chip cookies right out of the oven on a Saturday afternoon . . . I think it's sad. Sure, you can't eat that stuff all the time, but a little bit of sugar every once in a while or a lunchable on a field trip isn't going to hurt anything.

OK. I'm done now.

 

[jodifla]

I'm going to get flamed for this...but I think the food attitude I had towards my kids makes them less picky than some of their friends.

It is true...there are a handful of foods my kids hate, and I do not make them eat them.

In fact, I have never "made" my kids eat anything.

When they were toddlers and in my control, I did not feed them processed foods or sugary foods.

All they were offered were nutritious things. Some they ate, some they didn't.

It is still like that. At most mealtimes, I put only healthy foods in front of them and only if they ate their healthy foods were they offered a 'snack'

Between meal snacks are almost always just fruits and vegetables or nothing. I think this is where the big disagreement is. Most healthy kids will not starve themselves and I would rather they did not eat than that they put stuff that is dangerous and damaging in their bodies just to feel artificially full.

They get plenty of sweets at holidays and at parties, where I don't have the same rules....plus we sometimes have dessert for kids that finish their meals.

They have learned that they don't feel good when they eat junk. When we went to hershypark, I told the kids they could buy any candy bar they wanted. My son chose a giant hershey bar....which he later threw up. He is pretty good at policing his own food.

My daughter actually has a friend of hers at school eating healthy with her.

I do not claim to be perfect. My 7 year old daughter is already worried about getting fat. I'm sure my kids will need psychologists by the time I am done with them.

But, I have never had to force my kids to eat anything. They choose healthy foods because they don't have a lot of other options. They don't throw their sandwich away, because if they did, they would go hungry. If they had cookies, I'm sure they'd eat them first, then throw the sandwich away because they would be full.

This is what I do with my kids, and it works for us. It may not work for you and you are free to feed your kids whatever you want.

I used to have a weight problem, and type 2 diabetes is rampant in my family and the kids have seen several relatives die recently due to complications. So I'm probably overly sensetive to nutrition than other parents whose kid's bodies can handle more sugar.

Your underlying assumption is that if you just keep offering them healthy foods they'll eat it.

With kids with sensory issues, it isn't always so.

DS loved fruits and veggies when they were pureed. But once we moved to table foods, he stopped eating them.

With DS already underweight, I'm not about to make food a battle, or coerce him to eating things by holding out treats if he'll eat his brussel sprouts.

 

[C.Darwin]

I had no idea what other parents sent kids for lunches. Pop..in first grade!

Oh the horror! Children getting a treat on a field trip. Lighten up and stop judging other parents by what you see in their kid's lunch boxes. I hope your superior attitude didn't offend the other parents there.

 

[poohandwendy]

Someone previously mentioned that cheaper foods are better foods and junk is more expensive. I wanted to comment that is not really true. Fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meats, poutry and fish are definitely more expensive to buy than filling yourself with processed junk. Little debbies snacks come to mind as a good example.

Not saying that no one should eat junk ever, just pointing out that getting full on the right foods is generally more expensive than less nutritious foods.

 

[Cindyluwho]

Oh the horror! Children getting a treat on a field trip. Lighten up and stop judging other parents by what you see in their kid's lunch boxes. I hope your superior attitude didn't offend the other parents there.

ITA!! How dare the OP be concerned about helpless children being fed nutritionless crap by their parents. The next thing you know she'll be calling CPS when she witnesses someone beating their kids. How dare she!!
Yes, it could very well be that the kids were given fun snacks because of the field trip. And maybe they feed them just fine on other days. The OP didn't say she knew for a fact that the kids ate like that all the time she just stated that she thought it was outrageous what she saw them eating ON THAT DAY!! I know there's plenty of folks on here that think it's very OK to feed your kids soda pop, etc. I've been flamed plenty for saying I think it's absurd to set your kids up for health problems by feeding them a lame diet. Your kids, your rules - you just pay their health care costs when they're older so my insurance rates don't skyrocket.