School Lunch Help!

[carriesmom]

I need some help from you more experienced mommies. My oldest started kindergarten this year. I pack a lunch for her. I noticed the first two weeks of school that things were coming back uneaten. So I took her shopping with me and she picked out things she wanted. Today, nearly the whole lunch came back uneaten! She ate a graham cracker sandwich and her chocolate milk!

When I questioned about why she wasn't eating, she first said that they won't let her go to the potty until she is done eating. But I pushed a bit further and she tells me she doesn't eat a lot so she can go out for recess.

What can I do to get her to eat more lunch? Her lunch is at 10:50 a.m.

[rach3975]

When my kids have had the very early lunch shift, there wasn't a lot I could do to make them eat. They just weren't hungry that early. They also had snack time in the afternoon, so I made sure to send something filling (but quick to eat) for snack and offer something when they got home.

[Sarah8914]

ohhh I have no solution for you... that stinks though. So do they have recess right after lunch? Or as soon as the kids are done? That's the problem really! Our school has a set amount of time. Stuff used to come back home (and sometimes still does)... but it would be because she ran out of time or didn't want to eat it. I hope you can figure something out!

[joelsgirl]

Jack did the same thing when he went to Kindergarten. I decided not to stress about it. I gave him a healthy breakfast and a healthy snack when he got home, and he was fine.

[navaja77]

My son ate lunch at school and he said you have to finish a good portion of your food before they will let you out for recess. I'm not sure if they do the same for kids who bring lunch. Either way, he's still famished when I see him after school so I'll usually have a snack and drink for him :)

[~*Liz*~]

I do the same, snacks sent in and then I have a lunch waiting for when they get home.
I did manage to get them to eat more by adding "fun things" by cutting their sandwich with cookie cutters and adding a frozen yogurt cup for fruit dipping but I still get things that come back every time.