school dinner

[aims1202]

My 4 year old has just started school, he goes in the afternoon and they have lunch as soon as they get there.He has settled in well and likes going.
For the first week they all had packed lunch, my boy ate everything i gave him no problem. He has always been a good eater and eats fruit and veg.
This week they have started school dinners, which is what he is having. The thing is he has refused to eat anything at all. I know he likes what they give him as he eats it at home but he wont touch it. He just sits there and says he doesnt want it.
If he did this at home i would just ignore it, not say anything and just take it away. But i think the teachers are trying to persuade him to eat it, which is probably making it worse. What can i do? I cant really tell them what to do.
I want him to have school dinners as i dont pay for them and they are very good.

[Psychick]

If you spoke to his teachers and explained he is more likely to eat if they left him to it, they would do just that. At the end of the day he is your son and you know him best. He probably isnt eating because of the new routine of having school dinners and usually the child eventually starts eating without giving it a second thought so dont worry about his lack of eating them, but do speak to his teacher.

[aims1202]

I wasnt really worried at first but his teachers seem to be and i feel that they want me to give him packed lunch. It has been for the whole of this week now that he hasnt eaten a thing and I have said i want to keep trying as i think he will do it eventually. They said its ok but i dont think they do think its ok!
I will tell them to leave him alone though, thanks.

[andrea81]

I'm going through the same thing, my son had packed lunch first week of school and I then tried him with dinners. The teacher told me that all he did was push the food around. He then asked me for packed lunch and said he just wanted mammy's food!

I think it might be a little bit of seperation anxiety on my son's part even though he has settled in really well in class. It's as if he wants a bit of home with him! I gave into him this week, but i'm trying to ease him into having dinners again, it's so much easier!

I agree though, they should try backing off and leaving him come round to the idea himself. the teacher should listen to you, you do know best!

[aims1202]

Thanks for that, i was thinking it was only mine doing this, as all the other children are eating no problem. I think you are right its having a meal made by someone else and that looks a bit different.
I think hes just realised today that its not that nice being really hungry, hes eaten a massive dinner tonight and then said i am going to eat school dinner on monday, all of it! Every day this week he would keep saying i'm not going to eat any school dinner!
So maybe next week will be different.

[meltoadhall]

is there a particular reason why he cant have packed lunches apart from them being free? some schools have the option of sandwiches instead of a hot meal.
probably confused him a bit when he started with packed lunches and now is on dinners

[zoi-faye]

my son has just started school till 3 and is now having the lunch thing.... i paid for school dinners the first week and he was coming home straight after lunch starving (he was just going till one at the time) i asked at the end of the week and they said he just wasn't eating it.... he eats everything at home and has always been a good eater.... i have decided to try alternate weeks of packed lunch and dinner...., i think it depends what there friends are doing aswell.... i think they just need to get used to someone else feeding them.... and thanks for the advice on wetting the bed