Pre School Doesn't Heat Food at Lunch Time

Same as our preschool.

I still sent in food I knew my son would eat. Chicken alfredo w/ broccoli, phad thai, carne asada, chimichurri rice, salads, soups, etc.

I just got it extra hot in the morning. It would be room temp at lunch time. He was a slow eater... his foods were OFTEN room temp even at home.

We tried a thermos, but it ended up being a pain... yet when sent in plain old ziplock twist and seal containers, they came back just as empty as hot from the stove food.

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I agree with a thermos, but I also want to let you know..

Kids will do a lot of things when not with their parents are around. They will eat things they have refused to eat.. Try new things, their parents would not dream they would try.. Especially when they see all of the other kids around them eating and trying new things.. So in reality, your child may just surprise you and be willing to eat whatever you send at whatever temperature it is presented..

When our daughter was in day care I was shocked that by the age of 18 months, she could pour from a pitcher, milk into a regular glass and then pass it on to another child!

She ate Lima beans, beets, Brussels sprouts. Bread with butter on it.. . all sorts of things I had tried to get her to try and she would not..

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i don't think the microwave suggestion would work, if the school/teachers wanted to heat food, they'd have a microwave. but imagine if 20 kids all needed their lunches warmed up? look into getting a spill proof thermos to keep her food warm... send yogurt with a little cool pack and a spoon? does she eat fruit? how about veggies? carrot or celery sticks with a little container of ranch or peanut butter? peanut butter with crackers? cheese sticks? this is just the first year of having to deal with it - there will be many more to come. maybe take her to the grocery store with you and let her pick some things out for her lunch box. sometimes kids are more willing to try things if they are "in control". beyond that, don't stress TOO much over it. try to make sure she eats a good breakfast and a good dinner - she will eventually fall into an eating routine that works for her.

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Yeah most schools are like that. I have got wicked good at heating stuff in a way that it makes it to lunch in a thermos and still tastes good.

Really, I am lucky, my kids would prefer good food over being cool because the best thermoses are the ones guys take on job sites.

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Get a kid friendly thermos. We have used Thermos brand that we bought at Target. They have worked well for us. Put hot water in it for about 5-10 minutes. Empty out the water and add your heated food. This will keep it warm for lunchtime.

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Get a thermos or two. In fact, they come in varying shapes and sizes. You can easily keep foods like rice, pasta, beans and some meats etc. warm. Most keep foods safely warm without reheating for up to 4-5 hours. You can find them at stores like Target, but if you're looking for really good quality and variety I strongly recommend going to a hiking, hunting and camping goods store like REI, Gander Mountain, or Sports Authority for example.

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I had the same problem! Our preschool is also highly recommended but does not "prepare" food, including warming it up. My little guy wont eat sandwiches at all, except PB&J, and peanut products are not allowed, LOL! I found thermos containers that will keep food warm up to 5 hours (or cold too). So all you have to do is warm it up in the morning and it should still be warm at lunch time. I found them in the back to school section, near the lunch boxes and backbacks, at Toys R Us last year. It holds like 8-10 oz or something like that, and it has worked great for mac n cheese, spagetti and stuff like that. I also found some at Walmart but they just are not the same quality as the Thermos brand. I suggest looking soon since the back to school stuff will go quick!!

And PS - buying a microwave is likely not an option for you. It is a licensing issue regarding preparing food, not a lack of equipment that is the problem.

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Kids want to eat what they see other kids eating. Something that you may have tried to give her and she refused will seem wonderful to her if "Susie", sitting next to her is eating it. I used to cut up cheese in to cubes for my kids, even grilled chicken, baloney. Also if the sandwiches are sliced in strips or triangles instead of two plain halves you'll be surprised at how she may find it easier to eat becuase the pieces are a better fit for her little hands. My grandmother always cut our sandwiches into least 4 peices - sometimes I'd but my kid's sandwich into 6.

Of course, you can also use a thermos - jsut more to do in the morning when you're trying to head out the door.

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Anything heated up hot in the morning and then put in a good thermos will still be warm for her for lunch.

:)

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My son's thermos keeps his hot foods hot. You may be surprised how well it works.

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I don't know of any preschools that will heat food at lunch time.

Buy a good themos. Each morning pour very hot water into it and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. Empty it out and dry. Then add your hot meal. It will stay warm well past lunch time.

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You might be surprised at how well your daughter does with your regular food at room temperature. I send rice & beans and macaroni and cheese cold and by lunch they're room temp - my girls eat them just fine. Another option is a quesadilla. And how about chopped up meat with a side of pasta? Those all are decent at room temp.

(my girls preschool does not heat food up either)

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for my kids if they want to bring soup or mac n cheese, I put it in one of those thermos type containers. They sell them at target. My daughter said her food is still warm at lunch time

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You can get a little single serving thermos thing to keep her food hot. My son has used these (and we just got a new one for Kindergarten because he, like your kid, likes hot foods).

They are in with the thermos products or in the school lunch section of any Target.

If you fill it with boiling water for a few minutes while you warm her food in the morning, then dump the water, add the food and close the lid, she'll be set!

Hope this helps.

T.

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you could offer to donate a microwave.

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This is the norm through school in this country, so my suggestion would be to teach her to eat more different foods. If you are thinking hot lunch once she gets into regular school I would look over the menus in your area, I know here they feed them nothing but junk food and salted veggies from a can, not what I want my kids eating!

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Send warm foods in a thermos.
http://www.target.com/Thermos-10-oz-Leak-Proof-Food-Jar/d...

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If it were me, I'd just buy a small microwave for the classroom. They aren't too terribly expensive, and then I'd know my child could have a hot lunch, (and score points from the teachers -- lol ).

But, in answer to your question, yes, you can get a thermos. My children take their hot food items in a thermos and it works great! Just make sure you buy a good one, and not a cheapy one at Walmart. The cheap ones won't keep the food warm long enough.

Hope this helps!

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned (or maybe I skimmed too fast) the Foogoo food thermous, stainless steel not plastic, and very good. Having said that, my son left his lunch bag on the train one day and I sent same food at room temp. He ate just fine.
All the best,
C.

I decided to help my K class by heating their food. Then parents began sending FROZEN meals. It took an hour to heat everyone's meal so I realized why the school would not do it. Plus, some foods burned, others were hot and cold. It was logistically impossible.
Our elementary moved all the microwaves to a back room because some moms came to school to microwave for their kids.

My daughter loves to take homemade soup to school. I bought a Thermos-brand soup container. It works great. I warm up the inside first with warm water before I put the food in & it keeps it very warm until lunchtime.

I have used used my son's thermos and wrapped his hot food in foil before putting it in the thermos. They now have food/soup thermos with wider mouths just for that. So try it before school starts and see how it works.

L.,
Spanish rice (we make our own recipe ; )

beans soaked 3 days & slow cooked
rice soaked 12 hours to 3 days & cooked as usual. Keep tabs on water.
peppers, green beans, spinach, green olives, a little salt, meat if you like (we use chorizo) all to taste. Tastes great cold (my son prefers it that way ; )

Per Nourishing Traditions, soak your beans 3 days. rice 12-48 hours.
Anything that keeps food warm is not going to be healthy - ie: leaches plastic/BPA into the food, or is cumbersome (glass/steel thermos). Pyrex is a nice heavy glass container (the little ones are nearly indestructible but pack accordingly!)

You really don't want to microwave anyway - it changes the chemical make up of the food. It's just not talked about, that's all. Sad. That's why food always tastes better coming from the stove.

Good luck!
M.

PS: I'm betting she's a great eater - of YOUR food ; )

I had the same problem when my son was daycare center age. He only ate hot lunches, and they couldn't warm up his food. (Eurasian household.) I'd make the caretakers hungry, because I'd send him with terriaki beef, marinated pork, bagel bites, and pizza rolls. What I did was invested in a soup thermos. We had a stainless steel thermos, but it was too big.) I'd heat up the thermos with hot water first, then line it with tin foil and put his food in there already heated up. Later on he started eating peanutbutter sandwhiches and pepperoni sandwiches.

I used to send hot things in a thermos. For instance, mac n cheese and soup. You could probably put rice and beans in a thermos and it would stay warm until lunch time.

Ha! Just today my day care provider asked how she was supposed to have warmed my son's noodles in peanut sauce that were packed in his lunch. (I've asked her not to microwave stuff for him). I told her we just eat it cold. She thought it was kind of strange, but when you are used to eating leftovers at room temp instead of warmed, they taste just fine! Beans and rice, noodles, etc.... we still eat all of that and don't warm it. I don't know how safe that is with meat. We're vegetarians.

I like the thermos idea, too. Ours didn't work that well but maybe I'll get another and try again since my kids eat a lot of soup.

Ditto Megan... buy a thermos. They come in different sizes, colors, ect. I recommend that you stick to stainless steel though. They seemed to do better at keeping things warm/hot better then the plastic ones I've had.

Or send stuff that you know she will eat that's cold - yogurt, fruit, crackers, granola bars, ect. I've even sent a bag of cereal with a little container of milk before.

Other then that.. personally I think you moms that find preschools that will heat the kids' food that is brought from home to be spoiled! LOL. Offering a hot lunch maybe, but think about elementary school... either the kids buy a mass produced hot lunch (and not always the healthiest depending on the area) or the kids take stuff from home!