help with on-his-own lunch for 3 year old

[hillview]

No specific meal suggestions only that it is just a week. Most kids don't eat much the first week they are eating with other kids for the first time or first time in awhile. Too much distraction etc. If you look at threads in September you will see a lot of chatter about kids not eating at school.

I'd go with small amounts of stuff he can easily snack on and assume that he will be hungry after school.

Good luck!

[BabbyO]

My DS doesn't have the sensory issues that your's does, but maybe try the regular left over foods (including grilled cheese) cold. My DS actually prefers his lunch left overs cold. I'm thinking strips of hamburger could be cut up and dipped into ketchup, strips of chicken, pork, beef. DS eats foods like this all the time.

I guess I'd try experminting at home now when you have the time to figure some of it out. I think you're smart to think about it now. It also could be a good chance to get your DS used to slightly different foods.

Also, my DS LOVES having a special lunch bag/container that holds all of his lunch. So even if he wouldn't eat something normally at home, sometimes he'll eat it at school just because it came out of his lunch bag/container.

GL!

[Dr C]

Agree with PP that he will likely eat better at school than he does at home. It may be the best feeding therapy that $$ can buy!

Ideas:
Hummus or ranch dressing as a dipping sauce (with crackers, pretzels, veggies if he would eat them--you can send a couple to try)
Cubes of cheese
hummus on a mini bagel
fruit--blueberries, strawberries, or grapes are easy, or a banana
yogurt smoothie
we often send leftovers from the night before esp if not too messy, such as:
chicken pieces (can be dipped in ranch or BBQ sauce)
tortellini or other pasta
hamburger (with or without bun)
cubes of stir fried tofu
pasta salad
a slice of pizza
Yes, the above are all served cold

NC daycare regulations are pretty strict and require that you send one serving of protein (meat, cheese, soy, etc), one serving of starch, and 2 fruit/veg. This provided me with a good guide for how much to send. For example a typical DS lunch would include a mini bagel with cream cheese/hummus OR cheese and crackers OR a container of leftover chicken and a container of goldfish crackers (protein + starch), and two small containers of either fruit or veggies (or 1 large fruit like a big banana).

[Tondi G]

Do you have a thermos? We love our little funtainer thermos. We do leftovers in the thermos often. Just heat em up good and hot.... and warm the thermos before you put the food in it..... should still be warm for lunch.

Mac n cheese
pasta
chicken teriyaki and rice
soup
rice n beans (mine like to scoop it up with tortilla chips)

Other thoughts for lunch

Cheese n crackers
bagel and cream cheese
cereal (does he eat cold cereal at home? maybe pack milk in a thermos and dry cereal in a container (or baggie then you need to add a small bowl in the lunch box)
Pizza (you can send a slice or if he will eat it make little english muffin pizzas)
bean and cheese burrito

[Mommy_Mea]

I have this page bookmarked when I need to get inspiration for lunch ideas. Nothing fancy, but just gets me out of my rut!!

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/201...lunch-roundup/

[happymom]

I would try feeding him leftovers cold at home- he may surprise you and not mind. Also, like PP's said- its only a week, so try not to worry. As for September, well that's 4 months away and he may have made a lot more progress by then. Also, I just wanted to mention that I teach 4 year olds and peer pressure really can be magical for some kids!! I have a child in my class this year who in the beginning of the year was being fed by a GI tube only- she wouldn't put a morsel of food to her mouth. 9 months later and she is eating small amounts of food, which is truly a miracle for her. Of course therapy contributed a lot to this, but the peer pressure was a big factor as well.

How about some pancakes? Kids usually like them cold and thats easy to just pick up and eat. Could he feed himself cottage cheese with some berries in it?

Also, not sure what his exact feeding issues are so this may be irrelevent, but have you tried using weighted silverware at all? http://www.ehow.com/info_7975962_wei...-children.html