I recently had a conversation with a worried parent: their kindergartener isn’t eating at school.  The lunchbox, so lovingly packed, comes home without anything being eaten—-not even the snack!

This parent is worried that their kiddo (who is a selective eater) is going through their day with an empty belly and that learning may be impacted.  Fair enough—if you’ve ever worked with me you know that I’m a big fan of eating something before heading off to school (this fuels your brain and fires up the region in the brain that is responsible for problem solving). 

Younger kiddos with small tummies need to refuel every 3 hours or so.  So not eating lunch or snack is kind of a big deal. This kiddo is having meltdowns as soon as they come home—they are hangry!

After more than 20 years of working with kiddos, I’ve learned that there are several reasons why they may not eat at school:

• The cafeteria is loud, busy, too bright and unfamiliar.
• The amount of time allotted for lunch is too short (~20 minutes)
• Lunch is one of the very few times that kids get to socialize and they may be busy talking to their friends.
• They may be in a hurry to get outside to play and close up the lunchbox once they see other kids head outdoors.
• They may be too nervous to eat (especially really young kiddos).
• Rarely does the cafeteria have adequate seating.  Lunchroom benches often mean dangling legs and no trunk support.

So what can parents do? 

• Talk to your kiddo’s teacher.  Share with them that your child is struggling and that eating is hard for them.
• If possible, observe the lunchroom—what can you see that the school may not be aware of?
• Pack foods that are familiar and comforting to your kiddo. AND can open themselves–they may be too shy to ask for help.
• Be sure that the lunchroom staff also knows about your kiddo’s eating difficulties so that they can support them, not unintentionally make it worse. 
• BONUS thought: Remember my blog a few weeks back when I wrote about my participation in my kids’ school Wellness Team? My final thought to you was to enhance the school experience for all the kids.  Here are a couple of ways that you can do this:
  • Offer to choose some gentle music to play in the cafeteria.  Not with the intention of getting kids to be quiet, but rather to bring the atmosphere down a bit.
  • Advocate for recess before lunch (builds hunger and means kids don’t need to rush to get out on the playground. Read more here.)

Reach out for a Parent Coaching Call if you’d like more support.

Snack Idea: Pita chips, cucumber slices & red pepper hummus

Please feel free to share this with someone who may like to learn more about feeding kiddos!