Do you pack your child's lunch if they can buy lunch at school?

[Anonymous]

It is hard enough to feed my kids breakfast and dinner while working. Their preschool provides lunch and they seem to eat pretty well at school now.

Wondering if other parents pack lunch if lunch is available to buy. If you do pack lunch, do both parents work?

[Anonymous]

Yes, I pack lunch. The food is healthier and tastes better, and it's cheaper.

[Anonymous]

I'm a single working parent, and DD and I pack her lunch together. The school lunch is vile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a single working parent, and DD and I pack her lunch together. The school lunch is vile.

Did your DD attend preschool/daycare? Are school lunches in public school worse than daycare food?

[Anonymous]

Yes, mostly because the lunch line is long enough that it leaves very little time for my kid to eat. Obviously healthier also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, mostly because the lunch line is long enough that it leaves very little time for my kid to eat. Obviously healthier also.

This is our issue too! The line takes too long and my kids are slow eaters to begin with. If they especially request something then I let them buy but usually the line process is enough to make it undesirable for the next couple weeks.

[Anonymous]

Yes, but only because I'm pinching pennies. I think the school lunch is fine nutrition wise.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Because packing a lunch is healthier and easier for my child (no line, etc.). As is, she barely has time to finish her lunch.

It takes me 2 min max (usually just a sandwich & milk box & fresh veggies or fruit) to assemble in the AM before we head out to work. I do it while getting breakfast ready and I'm already in the kitchen.

[Anonymous]

Yes, due to food allergies. The school has told us they cannot provide a lunch for wheat allergies.

[Anonymous]

Agree with others on most points.

1) School lunches are vile. My children won't eat them.
2) On the rare days they did before they went off them completely, they complained about the line and how little time they had to eat.

I disagree with the notion that packing your child's lunch is cheaper. Not if you're packing healthy. School lunch is $2.25 or something like that. By the time I pack a yogurt, piece of fruit, some grape tomatoes, and a main of some sort, I've probably spent more than that.

[Anonymous]

Bottom Line YES.

Why?
If you are talking about public school lunch, it is:

1. Gross and not worth the money, even if it's $2 and some change. I thought there was supposed to be some healthy initiatve, but not sure what happened to that. BTW, I can make this comment because I, first-hand, ate or tried to eat the school lunch at my daughter's elementary school. YUCK!!! Not only did I not have enough time to finish my food, but I did not want to eat the food on the tray. Gosh, I thought they stopped giving vegetables out of those jumbo value pack cans. Guess not!

2. I want my kids to actually eat a satisfying and healthy lunch. I say that with respect to time and quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I pack lunch. The food is healthier and tastes better, and it's cheaper.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree with others on most points.

1) School lunches are vile. My children won't eat them.
2) On the rare days they did before they went off them completely, they complained about the line and how little time they had to eat.

I disagree with the notion that packing your child's lunch is cheaper. Not if you're packing healthy. School lunch is $2.25 or something like that. By the time I pack a yogurt, piece of fruit, some grape tomatoes, and a main of some sort, I've probably spent more than that.

Meh, it depends. Today my child took black beans & rice in a thermos, an apple, and some yogurt in a Tupperware container.

I don't think it cost more than $2.25.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but only because I'm pinching pennies. I think the school lunch is fine nutrition wise.

Where does your child go to school? School lunch is definitely not fine nutrition-wise in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

It depends on the menu -- DD checks to see what the school is having that day and if she doesn't like it, then we pack a lunch.