Kindergarten Hot Lunch vs Brown Bag

My son is a picky eater. We would go through the lunch calendar when it came out and circle the days he wanted to eat at school. The other days I would pack his lunch. It was fun to see his choices change. If he had a friend eating something from school, the more likely he was to try it the next month. It seems like there is always something on the menu they might like (whether it is junky or not). He isnt going to starve. And they usually have an afternoon snack too.

My daughter started out getting hot lunch everyday, and had the choice of hotfood of the day or peanut butter jelly sandwhich with sides. She picked peanut butter jelly sandwhich about 75% of the time. And my daughter is not a picky eater. Then about half way through the year she begged daily to bring a lunch from home she thought that was cooler.

Like I said my daughter is totally not a picky eater but weirdly didn't ever want to eat hot lunch. I'm glad I made her in the beginning of the year though because she got used to how to go through line and do it all by herself as well as using her 4 digit electronic pin #.

My daughter was in all day kindergarten last year and I was a volunteer at lunch. So I saw how lunch went alot. Most kids enjoyed their hot lunch and scarfed it down. Then there was a a few that picked at their lunches no matter what it was and didn't eat anything and would throw they're unopened food away that mom sent.

As far as being hungry at the end of the day we had a huge problem with that. My daughter would eat breakfast at school at 9:30am, have morning snack at around 10:30am, and lunch at 11:50am and would come home just starving and crabby. I really wished they would have had their snack time at the end of the day. I guess it's state law or mandatory that all kindergarteners have "milk" time and the teachers would collect money to give them crackers or something to help get them to drink their milk.

We're in district 191 and I never had a problem with the lunch menu and found it to be pretty darn healthy or the same foods we eat at home with a variety. My daughter always had fresh fruit, the choice of salad bar or PB J sandwhich, my daughter's favorite was the little baggie of raw carrots, she munched on those almost daily.

I plan on sending linch half the time and having her get lunch the other half. If I send it I know she's eating healthy but if she picks it up she may try more new things.

Good luck to us on getting our picky kids transitioned!!!

I'm dealing with the same thing. I am going to send food, and just go over the menu with him ahead of time so that he can decide whether or not he will eat it. For mine, most of the lunches are going to be a waste, and he'll just choose the same old, same old anyway. Generally, kids are not at lunch very long, and there is not an adult hovering over them to "just try it." It just seems like a waste to do the school lunch thing.

I was a Kindergarten T.A and I was with the kids during lunch. Knowing how short of a time most kids get for lunch, and how much they like to talk during this time, I would start by packing his lunch. This way he can sit down and start eating right away, without standing in the lunch line. I would tell him to bring home anything he doesn't eat, and don't "bother" him if he brings a lot home. At least this way you'll know what he does/doesn't eat. With hot lunch, he'll just throw away whatever he doesn't eat. I would ask him what he wants in his lunch, such as a main part of the meal (sandwich, cheese/crackers...), fruit/veggie, and something fun, but not too unhealthy. You can make it fun with fruit kebobs, cut-out shapes...If he insists that he wants hot lunch and you're not sure he'll eat it, start with letting him choose one day/week. Hope this helps.

I think that my daughter is a picky eater too. In my experience, if other kids are eating it...she will at least try it, and most likely, she'll like it. It's the peer pressure thing already. She is in a daycare setting and her classroom has 14 other kids. They all eat together just like a lunchroom setting. There have been times where I know she eats things that I can not get her to try it at home...much less eat a lot of it. I know that it's because of the other kids at school. If I were you, I'd mix it up a bit until you get an idea of how hungry he is after not eating his lunches. It might be a non issue.

J.,
You've already received alot of great advice, so I'll keep mine short. My son finished Kinderdarten last year & I have a 4th grader too and they're both fairly picky. We go over the lunch menu for the upcoming month (you can find them on the school website) and they get to pick a few things they really want to eat - it's easier to do once they've seen it at school. The other days they take a lunch instead & it worked out perfectly! Best of luck!
H.

My 6 year old just finished kindergarten this spring. She is a VERY picky eater. The school gives a pretty detailed lunch menu plus they have a la carte items every day (I think a salad bar too with lots of fruit?) We would send a bag lunch on any questionable days and encourage her to have hot lunch on days when the main course was something she liked. The school is pretty good about balancing "weird" foods like quesadillas or turkey wraps with normal kid foods like french toast sticks or chicken nuggets. People told me that she would give in to peer pressure and eat what other kids were eating, but she did NOT. They also said if she gets hungry enough, she will eventually eat it, which she does NOT. (hope this applies when she is a teenager and gets peer pressure) She ate what she wanted when she wanted to and is slowly opening up to new foods, very slowly. She liked the freedom of being able to get a few a la carte items in the lunch line, even on days when she brought a cold lunch. She never did go hungry because there was always something there she liked at least a little. We were very nervous about her going hungry, so I feel your pain!

I am a first grade teacher and can say first hand that students do not always take what is offered to them. I try to encourage my students to take fruits and vegetables, but they often only take what they like,such as the main entree and the dessert, and end up hungry during the afternoon since they did not eat everything that was offered. My nephew is starting kindergarten this fall, and my bother just asked me the same question today. I told him that I would start by packing his lunches because not only is he guaranteed enough food to eat, you is also able to check how well he ate by what is left over when he gets home(until he gets to the age when he begins to trade food items with friends!) So, I agree with beginning the school year with cold lunch, and watching the menu for meals that you are sure your son would eat well.

I worked in a Preschool for 3 years. Several children ate hot lunch every day but a greater percentage packed their own lunch. Overall, the children who brought their own lunch ate better. I had many kids throw away most of their hot lunch because they didn't like it. These children begged to bring their own lunch but their parents just didn't have the time to pack them one (so they say). My daughter went with me to work and she ordered hot lunch about 6 times a month. We just looked over the menu and she would decide when she wanted hot lunch.

If your child is picky I think I would start with a lunch. He/she will tell you if they want hot lunch once they see what everyone else is eating.

My daughter likes taking her own lunch. This way I do know what she is eating and she usually picks out her sandwich, veggies, fruit etc.

I used to teach young children. Some of the picky eaters would sit down with the lunch calendar each month and pick out the days they wanted to eat hot or bring cold lunch. They would mark on the lunch calendar, then hang it on the fridge so everyone would know wether was a hot or cold lunch day. This made a nice balance of try new and bring own.
Best of luck with the new school experience!
:) M.

My son is not a picky eater, but I know that a lot of the foods are processed and not all that healthy. I plan to send my son with a lunch. I have a good friend who is a teacher who recommends that I pack a lunch. I know I won't always have time, but I'll do the best I can.