Hello!

My almost 8 year old brings her lunch home from school. Every. Single. Day. I’m at my wits end. She’s an extremely fussy eater so I can’t mix it up and give her more interesting lunches, it’s a sandwich or wrap. Which she is very happy to eat at home. I’ve tried reasoning, bribing, threatening no more lunches EVER. The few times I have followed through and not given her any, she comes home crying about how starving she is! Her excuses are things like not hungry, I forget, wanted to play etc. Don’t know what to do! Any suggestions?


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  • It is not unusual. Email the teacher.


  • My children always bought home there sandwiches every day from school and to be honest I cant blame them by the time it gets around to eating them at lunch time the sandwiches are terrible to eat So in the end I would just order them something from the school Canteen for lunch at least I know they are eating something.


  • does she get an afternoon snack? Maybe eliminate that and only offer up her uneaten lunch


  • Currently my teenagers always come home with a full lunchbox. Which I don’t mind as they will eat it after school. I don’t give them snacks till they finish their lunchbox food though, which they most of the time do. So I don’t worry.


  • Is it possible she is eating someone else’s food instead? If my youngest doesn’t eat at school she comes home starving. She’s very fussy too, won’t even go for a sandwich or wrap.


  • I don’t think being too busy playing is an excuse. Don’t schools have a set time at the start of lunch where kids have to sit and eat? My kids did the same. If they’re hungry enough, they’ll eat. I made sure they had good night time meals to compensate


  • My son was way too busy playing to eat I found if I have him lots of little snack foods, like cheese n bikkies, a piece of cake, frozen yoghurt, he grazed, but he certainly would not eat a sandwich! Little sausage rolls, and all sorts to tempt taste buds. From high school, he got lunch orders every day, at least he was eating!


  • My youngest used to do this. We made a list together with what they like in the lunchboxes (to be reviewed regularly) and I do every day something else, so they don’t get bored.


  • Yes, I remember doing this as a child. I hated soggy sandwiches but I don’t think that I was able to explain that to my mum. I also hated the lunchbox smell and room temperature food. (I was fussy). Talk to her about all aspects of her lunch. It may be something that you don’t expect.


  • Thank you for asking this question . It was as though you were speaking my mind. I will be trialling all these amazing tips.


  • Get her to choose items at store carrying her own basket. For school lunches. A new lunch box she can choose and atleast three things to choose herself she will eat.


  • I had the same problem and it happens only occasionally now. I have veggies cut into thin sticks, with crackers and small dipping containers. Break is a fruit salad so he picks out whatever he likes. If there is time in the morning I cut up everything and he picks out what he likes on his sandwich like “subway”


  • We use cookie cutters on the sandwiches so you get a few shapes. Variety always helps too. A friend of mine uses a tackle box for her kids lunch box and they get a small amount of a few different things. They don’t always eat everything, but I can tell they had a good stab at the food and aren’t starved when they get home. Hope a few of these tips help.


  • My Daughter often came home without having eaten her lunch and when I asked her why she said she either wasn’t hungry or she didn’t have time. We sat down and went through the whole “it’s very important to eat your lunch” spiel but sandwiches kept coming home. I started packing only a piece a fruit for fruit break, carrot sticks and cream cheese for recess and then got her to make her own sandwich for lunch. She didn’t have excessive food so she was probably hungrier and she had gone to the effort of making her own sandwich so maybe she appreciated the effort that went into making lunch. It worked for us…..she now makes sure she eats her sandwich/wrap/quiche for lunch and only comes home with containers


  • I was giving my son too much to eat and he didn’t have enough time to play. He is also a fussy eater and is quite happy to have the same thing in his lunchbox everyday (I think we are ones that stress that its not interesting). He doesn’t like sandwiches or wraps so he usually has a picnic style lunch (cucumber, carrot, capsicum sticks, cracker biscuits, cut up fruit (strawberries, blueberries, watermelon etc), a yogurt and a home baked treat (which he usually chooses) etc. I also have everything on one container so he doesn’t have to ask for help to open them or loose them. Goodluck


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