Middle School Lunches

[Anonymous]

My 12 yo son refuses to buy school lunch and if left on his own sits through lunch talking with his friends and not eating and then will come home and eat a big meal. This throws off sports, dinner, etc. and so I’m happy to throw together a quick lunch for him most days. Problem is, he says that no one brings lunch, the bank container is babyish, etc. What works for your middle schooler? Is it true that no one brings lunch? If they do, what do they bring it in? Trying to do my part and not send 5 plastic baggies a day but also don’t want to cramp his style. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Probably depends on the school. My understanding is in my sons school a lot of kids brought lunch because the lunch lines were horrible and there was no time to eat otherwise. If I were you, I would be concerned that my son was doing something he should not be doing at lunch. And suggest he take some sort of easy to eat snack in his backpack.

[Anonymous]

I send meat sticks, granola bars, and/or onigiri along with a water bottle and a travel mug of a protein drink. Easy foods to pack and consume. If I send actual lunch - even to all-day camp - it just comes home uneaten or he eats it on the way home. Lunch at my kid’s school is ridiculously expensive, so that’s out this year unless he decides on once/week which I’m ok with. Some kids eat full meals but mine just doesn’t. He’s always ravenous when he gets home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I send meat sticks, granola bars, and/or onigiri along with a water bottle and a travel mug of a protein drink. Easy foods to pack and consume. If I send actual lunch - even to all-day camp - it just comes home uneaten or he eats it on the way home. Lunch at my kid’s school is ridiculously expensive, so that’s out this year unless he decides on once/week which I’m ok with. Some kids eat full meals but mine just doesn’t. He’s always ravenous when he gets home.

+1

I just send reasonably healthy snack stuff. The kids are busy talking with friends. With no recess etc, and friends in different classes, lunch is sometimes the only part of the day they see each other.

Mine eats a ton- a meal, basically, when he gets home. Often dinner leftovers from the night before, or he will make grilled cheese or quesadillas, eggs, even a hamburger sometimes. Fine with me as long as he cleans up after himself. We eat dinner later these days- usually after sports- and he is always hungry again.

[Anonymous]

What’s a bank container? Older son brought lunch, so will middle school DD. There’s so many kids and it’s quicker to bring. They only buy if they forget their lunch. They bring anything from Tupperware and leftovers to a bunch of bars and random snacks.

[Anonymous]

My middle school takes lunch to school. Majority of kids eat the school lunch since it was made it free to all. But it is typical public school fare. She has a couple friends that also pack, so that helps. She takes a planetbox. Probably not “cool” if that is your child’s concern, but mine doesn’t seem to care. She takes a turkey sandwich, dinner leftovers, sometimes a BP sandwich, sometimes cheese and crackers. Always a fruit, vegetable, pretzels, some nuts.

[Anonymous]

My middle school son eats similar to what he ate in elementary school. Sandwich, fruit, something salty, water

[Anonymous]

My kid ended up taking the same thing basically every day: half an everything bagel (toasted, dry), a single serving bag of chips, a single serving bag of freeze dried strawberries, fresh fruit in a Tupperware container (melon, grapes, berries, etc...), a drink of some type. Usually a trail mix or almonds or something sweet. Very rarely he would swap the bagel for a deli chicken/lettuce sandwich.

Towards the end of MS he would eat a heftier breakfast (fruit, eggs, toast, oatmeal, bacon, milk, etc...) and a meal-snack when he got home before dinner.

Now in HS and playing a sport. Said "I will take sandwiches and snacks now."