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A mum has been left furious after her four-year-old’s teachers slammed her for sending the youngster to school with an unhealthy lunch.
The mum-of-two said her daughter is very fussy and would live on chicken nuggets if given the choice and that she had made her lunchbox as healthy as possible.
‘I would be thrilled if she considered eating half of this stuff at home,’ the mum said.
A mum has been left furious after teachers told her the above lunch was not appropriate for her daughter
She was even more frustrated by the fact the teachers had spoken to her young daughter about the issue, causing her to become upset.
‘She came home very upset with me for not packing healthy enough snacks,’ the mum said.
The lunchbox included air-popped popcorn, apple, strawberries, a sandwich, crackers, pretzels and two yoghurt pouches.
The problem appeared to be with the inclusion of the processed meats – namely two slices of devon cut into hearts and some small pieces of cabanossi.
‘She doesn’t eat either of those outside of preschool, two days a week, and doesn’t eat it all. So in a seven-day period she is eating MAYBE eight small pieces of cabanossi and two slices of devon.’
The teachers were also concerned the mum chose to send two yoghurts instead of two different kinds of dairy.
But parents rallied behind the mum when she posted her complaint on Facebook and asked for honest feedback on the food she had sent along with her child.
‘Looks good to me. Does she eat all that food? I know my daughter wouldn’t. But if she eats this I think your doing an amazing job and I don’t know what their issue is,’ said one mum.
‘Personally I think you should go tell those teachers to shove it since when do they have a say what you feed your child.. people do realise kids can have vegetables and fruit at home,’ said another.
Others said they also have fussy children and understand the struggle with making them eat a broader variety of foods.
One mum shared her child’s lunchbox and said it is very similar and she has never had anyone complain
‘All the best, I throw in foods I know my kids don’t like every now and then and sometimes they get eaten, sometimes they just complain and tell me not to pack it again but can only try,’ one mum wrote.
‘I keep the battle about eating veggies for at home where I can monitor it. I still put some cherry tomatoes in his lunchbox that come home 90% of the time uneaten, but for the 10% it’s worth it,’ said one teacher.
Another said her kids also love chicken nuggets so she makes her own by crumbing some chicken breast and cooking it at home.
Another mum said her kids also love nuggets so she makes her own with chicken breast
Some said parents shouldn’t slam teachers for ‘doing their job’ and looking out for the welfare of children in their care.
‘They are trying to teach kids about healthy eating so they can grow into adults who make good choices,’ one woman said.
The mum said she realises devon and cabanossi are high in sodium and should be considered ‘sometimes’ food but that pre-school was the ‘sometimes’ occasion.
A woman claiming to be a dietitian also commented on the post and said the lunchbox looked ‘great’.
What are a dietitian’s rules for the perfect school lunchbox?
* Include a diverse range of colours and flavours in the box in order to make sure they are getting nutrients from all different areas.
Jaime recommends that parents include a diverse range of colours and flavours in kids’ lunchboxes (pictured)
* Include one new riskier thing each day, like raw mushrooms or green beans. When they’re in a different environment, they might eat it.
* Peel down banana skins to include bananas in lunchboxes without them going bad. This means little fingers can open them.
* Don’t worry if they want the same sandwich filling every day; you can be more adventurous with their foods elsewhere.
* Avoid nuts by looking for packaged snacks that include things like vegetables and seeds like pepitas.
Source: Jaime Rose Chambers
‘I’m a dietitian and I am so over the judgment of teachers about kids lunchboxes. Mums are doing their best to find foods that will nourish their kids during a long day, that their fussy little people will eat, that doesn’t cost a fortune and will keep in school bag for seven hours without giving their kids food poisoning.
‘The last thing we need is unqualified & judgmental teachers telling parents off for their choices or even worse, telling children that their lunches aren’t good enough,’ she wrote on the post.
The post was edited to thank the other parents for having her back as she revealed she never thought she would be someone to het ‘lunchbox anxiety’.
Source: dailymail
