tween boy not eating much

[Anonymous]

what might be the causes of a teenage boy to skip lunch daily? He said because he's not hungry. Breakfast is also light (<300 calories) as has always been. Used to eat a big lunch, but started to bring home barely touched lunchbox recently. Weight has always been in the 30~40%.

[Anonymous]

I fear a burgeoning eating disorder. Please get a grip on this now. Tween boys are developing ED at a growing rate. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

[Anonymous]

My son did this a lot in MS, I'd often find his intact sandwich in his lunch bag that evening. Could your DS possibly be buying lunch at school? I used to check the online cafeteria purchases and see if he was getting anything.

But my DS (now 15, been in the 50% for weight) often eats little during the day during the week. He's in his big growth spurt (started late) and you'd think he was eating all day long, but he isn't. Doesn't eat breakfast before school, sometimes eats a fair amount at school for lunch, sometimes very little (he's at a private and it depends on what they're brought in for the day), but loves a huge dinner. This is a kid who always favored Thanksgiving over Christmas, because he'd much rather have a giant late meal than a lot of gifts.

On the weekends he wavers between eating a few snacks during the day and a LOT at dinner, or he'll make himself a giant breakfast, then eat nothing the rest of the day until dinner. So I'd say if he's eating enough calories overall, it doesn't really matter the time of the day. I assume he's eating a lot when he gets home?

[Anonymous]

He might have an early lunch or may be busy socializing at lunch - some middle schools have a really short lunch period and no other time for socializing. Is he hungry when he gets home? If he is, let him eat a meal then and maybe have a smaller or later dinner. It's not necessary to eat lunch at a specific time of day.

My DS has always been like this. Sometimes he's not hungry, sometimes he forgets about eating, sometimes he's tired of his lunch options.

[Anonymous]

He might not be hungry.

[Anonymous]

Is he on any medications? Some adhd meds taken in the morning kill the appetite at lunchtime. In any case, you should probably plan for 3 meals outside of the school day. Something when he gets home and a late dinner?

[Anonymous]

Maybe he's vaping and nicotine is suppressing his appetite.

[Anonymous]

Is he eating something else instead? Sometimes friends share their junk food with my kids and I'll find a complete sandwich (that I lovingly made for him) along with a crumpled candy wrapper (that I did not give him).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is he eating something else instead? Sometimes friends share their junk food with my kids and I'll find a complete sandwich (that I lovingly made for him) along with a crumpled candy wrapper (that I did not give him).

+1

[Anonymous]

- As other posters said, he may be eating something else. He may be getting food from friends or buying it somewhere, especially if he takes a healthy lunch but has access to junk foods.

- He may not have time to both eat and socialize. He might be prioritizing play, chatting, etc over eating his lunch.

- He really might not be hungry. Before puberty, my DS went through phases where he ate a lot and other phases where he ate very little.

Questions: is he hungry when he gets home? Or is he happy to wait until dinner to eat?
How are his weight and body composition? Any major changes?

[Anonymous]

OP, is he a tween like in your title? Or a teen like in your post?

I would have different answers for an 11 year old tween compared to a 16 year old high school student.

[Anonymous]

Is this a one time thing? Maybe he’s constipated or has a mild stomach bug

[Anonymous]

Does he have friends? Is he avoiding the cafeteria?

Is his weight dropping? If it isn't, he's eating something somewhere.

[Anonymous]

I have a tween son who doesn't eat a whole lot, and goes through phases where his lunch goes partly/entirely uneaten. Sometimes it is because he gets bored with what I send. Other times he is talking too much, and because he doesn't have a huge appetite anyway, he isn't motivated to prioritize the eating over the talking.
If it is a temporary thing, I might give it more time. I would also make sure to have a focused conversation with him about why he isn't eating and ways to make his lunch more appealing.

[Anonymous]

Op here. Thank you all for your suggestions. He’s 13, after school appetite is normal. Didn’t buy lunch or eat others. Might have had small candy snacks from vending machine. This skipping lunch started a Few days ago. I can’t ask him much in fear of him just throwing the food and lie. Will monitor more closely.