Seriously I can't see the problem. I pack three lunches everyday, they are healthy, well balanced meals.
They always contain wholegrain bread, fruit, cheese or yohgurt, some vegie sticks, rice crackers or a treat like a caramel crown biscuit (which is one of the few treat biscuits not jam packed with nasty chemicals). I have three very big strapping lads that eat me out of house and home, and this is sufficient for them. They eat a large breakfast, play lots of sport during the day & they need little more than this & a snack after school untill dinner. They are not fussy eaters because I don't allow them to be.
As for canteen lunches everyday that is not on here either. It is easy to pack wholesome lunches for the winter months.
My kids have canteen once a week, and know its a treat rather than the norm.
As for cool, I don't care a toss about cool, my kids are cool by just being confident in themselves (they are more interested in wolfing it down to get to the footy oval or the cricket pitch as are all their friends). I would be gutted if they lost their confidence in themselves because some annoying child said their lunch sucked!!! They are going to need thicker skin than that to get on in the real world.

So its only actually 2 days per week that you have to be responsible for feeding your own children? I can see how tough that would be. All that preparation and the onerous task of having to feed then again at night, and the pesky containers to deal with! I can see why you need assistance - this is a lot for you to cope with.

And for what its worth my 13 year old DS has always taken his lunch to school - he tells me its actually uncool to use the canteen! And he would much prefer the healthy home made food DH and I send him with - he even likes the containers.

M

I am amazed at how many people think that packing their own child's lunch is such a drama.

If you have enough time to post a thread such as this on a forum, then you have enough time to make a couple of sandwiches. Honestly, I think that the CC providing meals was a luxury and not a right.

As for 'the masses have to suffer because of the minority' type of comment, my goodness! It is FOOD. One meal a day at that. Heaven forbid you having to cater for your OWN child.

Does anyone else find it amusing the types of threads that go bad in EB?

I am sitting here giggling about the sheer volume of indignation expressed in some of these posts about school lunches of all things

I am doing something tricky on eBay and keep getting errors so this is providing light relief.

You know with healthy school canteens a requirement in most states these days, buying lunch isn't really a 'treat' anymore. If you have a decent canteen, it will cost you more, but won't impact on your kids diet if you select well.

Totally OT but..

Annabanana - how do you get ur sandwiches to not go soggy?! Not that im at the stage of preparing lunch for school yet but i make DP a sandwich most mornings and its always soggy by lunchtime he says! Of course hes a pig so he still eats it...but any suggestions would be lovely

Dad Again, you are coming across as very lazy to me. Its not that hard to pack a decent lunch. Our old daycare provided lunch and this one doesn't, and to be honest, I prefer knowing what they are eating, and that it has been prepared to our standard.

If its too rushed in the morning, do it the night before. Really, really easy.

Chelbean, I can't answer for Annabanana, but for me, the big trick is to put lettuce on each piece of bread, then layer the fillings between the lettuce. It stops most fillings from making the bread soggy. For one of my kids - the picky one - I put the sliced up tomato in the box separately and he adds it himself at lunch time.

Ok good suggestion - so perhaps I can make DD's lunch whilst sat at my desk waiting for code to compile or deploy, and then I can have it sent to the CC centre via courier

Of course we will deal with it, we will manage, we'll buy bigger school bags and more plastic tubs, we'll find ways of coming up with a lunch system to complement the myriad of foods already supplied for snacks each day - but I'm still disappointed that the... (takes a minute to select a phrase) Intollerant, controlling, dictator like attitudes with regards to diet in our CC centre should force me to do this.



oh and for the record "diertary isses", "disease" ... surely thats just a semantics argument?

Fuzzypeach & Jojonbeanie.
Brilliant.

I'm surprised they have done this as well. The centres I've been to, parents whose chn couldn't eat certain foods bought in their own child's meal. Advantage of that is it's only a couple of meals for the centre to re-heat.

Now the CC workers will have to be even more observant as they have no idea what may be in a child's lunch box, will have to open all the boxes and I agree with DA, meals will become less healthy.

Typical daycare meals when I worked normally included rice, potato or pasta, mince and vegies. Reasonably balanced comparedto what many parents will start sending (check school lunch boxes).

Sure it is. Until someone's child dies because YOURS can have peanuts.

I can see where you are coming from DadAgain.
Ive recently befriended a couple that have just migrated over from England.

She was honestly perplexed at her DS having a s/wich with fruit etc for lunch. To her thats an afternoon snack. Yes her DS had hot lunches (or dinners as she calls them) provided by the school everyday.

Shes slowly getting used to it though as Im sure you will too!

Our centre is quite strict about what can be sent in. Though I am stunned at the number of 2 to 3 year-olds in DS's section that get sent in with baby food in jars...

I haven't read all the replies just the OP.

I find it really difficult to understand why parents find it so hard to pack their own children's lunchboxes? And why so many of them pack them with complete crap.

It is not hard!
No daycare my kids have ever been too have supplied lunches.

I pack two lunchboxes everyday (go buy yourself a Tupperware sandwich plus keeper and then you won't have a whole stack of little containers)

Here are some ideas on what to put in:

Fruit - watermelon, banana, apple, mandarin, whatever!

A Sandwich - ham & cheese, vegemite, egg, chicken, cream cheese, plain cheese, salad etc etc
Use different types of bread for variety
Salad wraps are also great

Cheese and biscuits - I just dice some cheese up and put with rice crackers

Pikelets, muffins or fruit bread - I make up batches of pikelets and mini muffins and have them ready to go in the freezer, let me know if you want recipes.

Popcorn - my kids love it!

Sultanas or dried fruit - just buy the boxes of the stuff and put a handful in, works out cheaper this way.

yogurt or custard

A whole boiled egg - this is the best thing ever, all you have to do is boil it for a few minutes, peel and put in box, and it's so healthy.

And a water bottle.

Anyway I hope I have helped. I think its great making my own kids lunch, that way you know what they are eating!

This is hilarious.

People actually caring that other peoples children buy their lunch at the canteen.

Surely there is something on TV.

Semantics? OMG - are you on drugs? Think that old quote along the lines of "Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience" rings very true on this occassion so I'll bail right about here I think. Cannot believe you put the VERY serious issue of allergies/intollerances & diseases down to freaking "semantics".


Still waiting for my apology though in between your wait for your code to compile or deploy FWIW.



Dani

Sorry your offended.
Sorry you thought I was attacking you personally
Sorry you thought my use of the term 'nazi' in its commonly used sense of a 'narrowminded, controling, dictator within the given social context' was inappropriate - of course I'm not suggesting over-defensive parenting is akin to politcally motivated genocide.. any more than Seinfield was implying that the over-officious Soup chef was, or that Grey Anatomy script writers believe a strict Medical Registrar is.. etc etc

..and once again - I'm sorry your child has dietary issues cause by a disease... (I'll happily take up the semantics debate in anoter thread if you want to - but its off-topic)

Enough?

Nicole, I`m amazed at the bagging you`re getting for 'allowing' your teenagers to buy canteen food. You have stated the canteen only serves healthy food so why are so many people getting their knickers in a knot over such a trivial issue? Smacks to me of a teensy bit of jealousy that you can actually afford for your children to be able to do this.......

Oh I dont. It's the "cool" aspect I find funny.

My sandwhichs never go soggy. Air tight container!
My 12yr old especially loves Lebanese wraps. Marinated chicken, lettuce, tomato and a bit of cheese. Delish!

I can honestly say I would be a little peeved if my creche suddenly asked me to provide all meals and snacks.

I chose it for a few reasons, once small reason was they provide healthy and nurtitious snacks and meals throughout the day. We also pay a bit more than the other creches in our area at this one and I like the convenience factor of it.

its not that I am too lazy, I have to make my other 2 dds lunches each day as they are at school (on the days they dont get lunch orders) so it wouldnt be too much fuss, but still I like the convenience of not having to worry about one more child. I like that he has a cooked lunch at creche, he sometimes has cooked lunches at home with me too, I like that he gets to experience a variety of foods that are different to what I cook (and i do cook a lot, I LOVE cooking)

V. happy with that thanks DA. Can you please save the semantics 'debate' though, that's just a tad out of order - especially coming from a non-allergy parent. Either that or if you feel the pressing need to upset even more people on EB go and launch your 'debate' in the "Allergies" forum where MANY Mums there take the topic a whole lot more seriously than other parents that may simply frequent the WDYT forum.

It's at http://members.essentialbaby.com.au/index.php?showforum=152 if you were feeling particularly brave.

Mellie5, I have 4 children, 3 are school age. It costs me about $25.00 per day.

QUOTE

I can honestly say I really can't see my kids sitting in the playground, taking out their little containers of individually packed salad items, and laying them ever so neatly on some bread and proceeding to eat them, hillarious Oh you have a lot to learn about teenagers

Sorry, I had to have a chuckle at this too!

A limited amount of time is provided for lunch at DD1's highschool (too limited IMO) ... and I guarantee it would be a rare teen who'd bother taking the time to 'prepare' their own sandwiches as described by a PP.

Nine times out of ten, it'll go in the bin and they'll scab half of somebody else's lunch. (Saying this from experience as DD1 often comes home complaining that she only got half her chicken and cheese sandwich cos a good friend found her lunchbox full of 'rabbit food' and ditched it. )

On the canteen thing, its got nothing to do with being able to "afford" it. Everyone can afford it if thats what they chose to spend their money on.
It was the "COOL" thing.

Ahhh yes, I am serious, I wouldn't say it if I wasn't



I'm sure I could too.

Perhaps I'm just lucky that my kids eat healthy food I provide?
My 12 year old son certainly couldn't go the day without food, lol! So, his certainly doesn't go in the bin

Nah Mel, it's because her kids want to eat at the canteen every day.
Apparently at their school you wont fit in unless you eat at the canteen.

Maybe a little of both. I can afford it, and if the kids really wanted to take their own lunch, they are big enough to make it themselves.

ETA:
That's exactly right Angela, I have way better things to do with my time

What about parents who work long hours and once they pick up the kids at 6/6.30 pm and have to go home, etc., they probably don't have the time to cook a well balanced hot meal in time before the child goes to bed at a reasonable hour and rely on the hot meal at daycare. I know my sister did when her eldest was in daycare 5 days a week for long hours.

When my DD went to daycare one day a week I would pick her up at lunchtime and not once did I come across the same hot meal twice. The cook always cooked something of variety and because all the kids sat down to the meal at the one time I think it encouraged the children to try different things not served at home.

I sort of see where the original post is coming from. Maybe the daycare centre are trying to cut costs and this is one way of doing it by saying that some parents have complained.

I truly sympathise with people whose children suffer food allergies and gastro-intestinal disorders - it must be a real trial to find appropriate foods and monitor what they consume outside of the home...

The thing that struck me though after reading MyRascals list of absolutely yummy foods (I had to go grab a mandarine mmm) was that if schools/childcare centres etc restrict 'common foods' as noted in the OP, then that beautiful list of food would mostly be banned:

Fruit (phew hopefully no worries here)

A Sandwich - ham & cheese, vegemite, egg, chicken, cream cheese, plain cheese, salad etc etc Use different types of bread for variety Salad wraps are also great (no cant have bread cos there may be children with wheat/gluten intolerances and no cheese in case of dairy allergy)

Cheese and biscuits - I just dice some cheese up and put with rice crackers (again a big no-no... dairy, wheat, gluten and possibly traces of nuts...)

Pikelets, muffins or fruit bread - I make up batches of pikelets and mini muffins and have them ready to go in the freezer, let me know if you want recipes. (they will have to be wheat free, egg free, nut free... just in case)

Sultanas or dried fruit - just buy the boxes of the stuff and put a handful in, works out cheaper this way.

yogurt or custard (again banned because of dairy allergy and egg allergy)

A whole boiled egg (a definate no-no in case there is an anaphylactic kid to egg)

Is there an equal median to keep the allergy-mums happy and not affect the non-allergy parents? I do not know the answer - but this new 'allergy-generation' really appears to be impacting everyone!

Make him do it the night before

Bananafishbones, I'm not entirely sure you have a clear idea of the requirements. It's highly unlikely that any centre/school would need to ban a list as comprehensive as that. If they did, it would be to save the life of a child or children and I'm sure we'd find ways to cope.

I'd go into much more detail, but I'm sure there's someone with much better knowledge who'll do a better job....

LOL< well maybe he could make his lunch the night before then

All I can think about is the episode of Mr Bean when he's sitting on a park bench preparing his lunch. The hot water bottle............

ok well if they banned my list we would be completely buggered.

It would be easier to quit work and keep them at home

I know what you are talking about Dad again.

My Daycare Centre gives the children hot lunches and I think it is great. DS is often too tired when he gets home to want a full hot meal and might just have a sandwich and yoghurt for dinner.
There are some foods they offer which I don't want DS eating and they just give him something else. They have been great.

Perhaps instead of cacelling the lunches, they could use it as an opportunity to create a healthier menu and for those who only want to use organic all of the time bring their own lunch?

Why should everyone miss out, perhaps they could offer the option to either bring your own or they will prepare lunch for them?

I know my DS at 18 motnhs will only eat what everyone else is eating anyway, so I'd hate to be there at lunctime with them all sitting around the table together wanting to eat each other's lunch!

Sorry, just popped in to see why a thread went to 7 pages in 3hrs .

That's simply laziness too. We both work FT and the three of us sit down to a helathy, hot meal every night. It requires some forward planning but nothing overly taxing.

No offence Nicole, but I just can't see the point in shelling out $125 a week for my kids to fit in and feel cool. There are much bigger lessons to be learnt by not following the cool crowd IMO.

It's not only about fitting in and feeling cool. They do fit in, they have loads of friends and they are cool. No offence taken

Bananafish....





I just wish to clarify that there are MANY "allergy Mums" that don't expect anything to change on the back of their own childs allergies/intollerances/diseases.....the minority are giving the rest of us a bad name. LOL

For me with my youngest it'll just always be a case of me providing everything for her, tough. I would NEVER expect other kids to 'suffer' on the back of my child's issues. That said I must say if I was an airborne anaphalactic Mum that may well be different IYKWIM...but I'm not so can only speak for myself.


ALL most of us allergy Mums ask for is to hammer the message home to your own kids from a ridiculously young age that food is NOT to be shared under ANY circumstances - ever! When the kids are at CC (and just because they do have allergies +++ I don't think they should be excluded on the back of their health either) it's do-able because a member of staff watches them all like a hawk - what happens come school time though? Sure there will still be a teacher around but this is where us allergy mums want to feel safe, IYKWIM? Of course our own kids will know that nothing is to cross their lips that hasn't been put in their own lunchbox but what's to say at 6 yrs old peer-group pressure may win over and then it all goes pearshaped. Mine is coeliac and in the grand scheme of things if she ate something with gluten in it she won't die, nowhere near it. She'll be on the toilet for 3 days and possibly have a monster gut ache but with an anaphylactic child it's all so different. That's why the NO SHARING rule is such a vital one and why it should be taught really early.


HTH,

DadAgain,NO. That sux. Stupid vocal minority. I have not read all replies but I'm assuming it was a minority and I'd expect a small deduction in fees if I had to provide all meals.

QUOTE

All I can think about is the episode of Mr Bean when he's sitting on a park bench preparing his lunch. The hot water bottle............

Exactly what I thought of too!

AnnaBanana, I don't suppose your 11 year old is silly enough to go without food all day! I was explaining that a common practice if the kid can't be bothered compiling his own salad sandwich is for the other kids to share their lunch with each other! I have no doubt that he'd be savvy enough to snaffle his friend's sandwiches to keep his energy up once he'd ditched yours!

I don't know why you guys are all getting up Nicole - she's not hurting you by letting her kids buy lunch, what's your problem? No way in the world could I afford for my kids to buy their lunch instead of making it, but if it's nice food then I can see why the kids would enjoy it.
When I was working pre-kids I used to enjoy buying my lunch rather than taking it - choosing what I felt like at the time and getting it made fresh etc.
Dad again, DS's ccc provides all meals - vegetarian, multi-cultural and healthy. We are not permitted to send food and even birthday cakes must be ordered - he eats all sorts of things he wouldn't eat at home and it is a lovely shared experience for the kids. It would be no great hardship to send lunch instead but I would certainly miss all the good aspects of the way it is now.
tigerfilly

We have savory scones and fruit for lunch atm.

I don't know how 'normal' school kids do it! Mine like to snack and because they're at home they can.

15 Year Gap, LOL! How many 12 year old boys do you know?

They eat and eat and eat. EVERYTHING, all the time!
I can't see any boy in his class sharing food. They'd be more likely to gnaw their own limbs.

tigerfilly, No-one is getting UP her. My son used to nag with the "Such and such is allowed to buy his lunch every day, why can't I" line. I see it as a life lesson

Not bagging you just curious.
Nicole, you said you have way better things to do with your time than to make healthly lunches for your kids.
What could possibly more important.....
I know this is a bit off the OP but.....
Seriously if anyone thinks that School canteens/Daycares can better healthy, homemade lunches your dreaming.
Jump on the site "Additive Alert". Simple things like the bread, pizza bases, meats, prepackaged hot meals (like the lasagnes & macaroni based meals)pasta sauces, noodles, hotdogs, pies,( etc are chockers full of stuff that is otherwise banned in other countrys. Most yohgurts are chocked full of the color 160b that is banned in most other countries.
It is a very interesting web site & worth every second of your time to go through it. Simple things like choosing one brand over another can eliminate over 10 different dangerous chemicals. (a simple example Kraft peanut butter is loaded with nasty's. d*ck Smiths is chemical free.)

Well lets see....

I have 4 children ranging in ages from 15 to 3. I also have a husband. My 10 year old DD is a SN kid, so lots of extra time goes towards her, both in the home and out. The kids do various extra curricular activities. We run our own business from home, a rather busy business. We have homework, assignments, play time, and time for DH and I, a whole heap of other more exciting, fun and sometimes necessary things to do, rather than spend time making things that are going to end up in the bin the following day. No, it's no more than most people do daily I realise. But you know, after what we have been through, I have come to realise that there are more important things in life than making my kids lunches everyday. I have also come to realise that whilst there are lot of valuable lessons to teach my kids in life, this is one that doesn't rate high on the need to know scale. They do know that you cant always get what you want, regardless of how much you whinge and whine. Nope, I have to say, I would much rather sit on the lounge and read a book to my little ones, listen to my 10yo read to me, play cards with my older kids, and even just sit there and hug them for the amount of time it might take me to make their lunches. :ife is way too short to be worried about making sandwiches IMO.

Luckily, I don't have kids with additive issues, so really no need to go looking at any sites. I am happy with my kids diets, they are all happy, healthy, active and perfectly normal children. As I have mentioned previously, I would rather give them money, knowing that they are going to eat something of their choice, something that they actually feel like and will enjoy everyday, than spend money and time making soggy sandwiches that will end up in the bin.

Also consider the fact that once kids get to high school, they don't put their bag in one place for the day and leave it. They move from class to class every 40 minutes or so, lugging around a bag full of books, textbooks, calculators, pencil cases and whatever other paraphernalia is required everyday. So squishing a lunchbox big enough to accommodate what they would need can be a bit tricky as well, I am sure it can be done though. WHen you have fussy eaters, sometimes it is just easier to let them buy what they like.

So,is that a good enough reason, or do I need to do a bit more justification?

Just callm e a dreamer

Oh God Nicole just tell 'em to swivel. I love the tinly veiled "Oh but I'm really just curious" crap they all sprout off.

You continue to spend your money how you see fit my girl, it is YOUR money and YOUR children after all. I hear you on the picking your battles side of it, some things it's just easier (and nicer!) to let go through to the keeper hey?

Like I said in my post buying canteen food from the school MY child goes to this provides somebody with a job and one of the main reasons I'm happy to support the canteen. Christ everybody is making out you order traveller pies, hot chips and a coke day in day out for your kids. *groan* They wish! LOL

More on the uncool at senior school. My teenage son explained to me that at his school the kids are usually very busy at lunch times with things like band practice, sports training, drama, chess etc. So they dont have time to go to the canteen. He says most kids would rather eat their lunch while they are doing or organising their extracurricular activities. He says the only kids who have time to stand in the queue at the canteen are the kids who dont do extra activities and they are considered uncool at his school. The coolest kids are the busiest kids. (Maybe it is an oddity of the school he attends - I am sure Dad Again would tell me this is some kind of private school perversity )

I also choose to send a packed lunch with my child because I think it sets him up with good life habits. I think people should be more responsible for preparing the food they eat and making sure it is good for them. It gives him an appreciation of quality food and of the care that has gone into providing it . Learning how to become self sufficient at choosing and creating a good diet is an essential life skill.

M.