School lunch ideas for kids with appetite suppression on adhd meds

[Anonymous]

My 5yo recently started a low dose of a stimulant to treat his adhd. It has been very helpful behaviorally. However, he is not hungry at lunchtime (when the short acting were trialing is wearing off) and he has apparently been emotional not wanting to be unlike his peers and not eating.

I obviously just want him to eat. I make sure he eats a big meal before and after school and before bed, but is there anything that worked for other parents to help the appetite suppression, at school in particular? Is this a normal side effect we should live with or would another drug be better?

[Anonymous]

Maybe stop feeding him so much before school so he’s hungry at lunch time. You could also wait until he gets to school before giving the meds, ask the doctor.

[Anonymous]

I'd be more worried about him being emotional about this. What does that look like? He's upset because he's not hungry?

[Anonymous]

I think OP is looking for suggestions of something the child can eat even if he’s not feeling hungry at lunch. For us, the answer was chocolate milk.

[Anonymous]

Popcorn, pretzels, grapes - something snack like that he can munch on but isn't super filling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe stop feeding him so much before school so he’s hungry at lunch time. You could also wait until he gets to school before giving the meds, ask the doctor.

This seems like a good suggestion.

[Anonymous]

He eats 3 big meals already. Why does he need a 4th meal? He's probably just not hungry. His appetite doesn't sound suppressed, he sounds well fed.

[Anonymous]

I’ve had students who brought something like a bento box with each section filled with snack items, like grapes or cheese. It seemed like a fun lunch. The other issue is that it’s boring to sit for thirty minutes if you aren’t eating, so ask the school if he can color or have some small fidget at the table. I used to bring books to lunch for the kids.

I’d try to encourage him to drink enough, so chocolate milk or something else appealing in a fun thermos might help.

You can also explain to him that his doctor wants him to eat the way you have outlined for his health and to keep his energy right for school, and that doctors are smart and know what’s best. I think he’s likely bored at lunch. Ask him.

[Anonymous]

We have the same problem. I typically send my second grader with an apple sauce pouch, a yogurt drink, a cheese stick, a small granola bar, and something like seaweed snacks. I tell her to try to eat the dairy first (since it doesn’t hold up as well) - if she gets to the other stuff at school, great - if not she eats it in the car on the way home. I don’t try to push any foods she’s iffy about - I figure I just need to get *something* into her at lunch and I can concentrate on protein/fruits/veg at breakfast and dinner.

[Anonymous]

I think OP is looking for suggestions of something the child can eat even if he’s not feeling hungry at lunch. For us, the answer was chocolate milk.

Yup. My ADHD kid is much older than OP's (high school) and on school days, he still has a chocolate milk, string cheese, and a bit of fruit.

[Anonymous]

Chocolate milk, yogurt, bag of popcorn or chips or animal crackers or granola bar. Thats pretty much it. Dont make a big deal out of it and just encourage him to eat what he can.

Dont take the terrible advice to feed him less... he isnt eating because of the meds. So he needs the calories before the meds kick in. This is very normal for adhd kids. Huge breakfast, two bites for lunch, and whatever you need to make up for nutrients in the evening.

[Anonymous]

I've been packing my kid a snack box for the last 10 years. Some turkey cubes for protein, cheese cubes, crackers, grapes, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. For my son, the key has been something small that he can eat a bite or 2 of frequently. He's 13 now. The portions have gotten slightly larger but not much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think OP is looking for suggestions of something the child can eat even if he’s not feeling hungry at lunch. For us, the answer was chocolate milk.

Yup. My ADHD kid is much older than OP's (high school) and on school days, he still has a chocolate milk, string cheese, and a bit of fruit.

+2 We also utilize meal replacement drinks like Boost Extra Protein. They're highly desired by my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think OP is looking for suggestions of something the child can eat even if he’s not feeling hungry at lunch. For us, the answer was chocolate milk.

Yup. My ADHD kid is much older than OP's (high school) and on school days, he still has a chocolate milk, string cheese, and a bit of fruit.

This. Mine is in MS. We try to get him to eat as much as possible for breakfast, cross our fingers that he'll drink chocolate milk and have some fruit at lunch, and then a bigger dinner and snack at home.

[Anonymous]

This seems pretty obvious, but why are you feeding him so much at breakfast?? Maybe just give him a granola bar at breakfast and then a bunch of healthy snackable items for lunch