What's Up With the Lack of Time to Eat?

I let DD buy lunch the first Friday at school b/c she wanted to try the pizza. She told me by the time she stood on line and got her food she only took a few bites before she had to throw it out.

I thought maybe it took a while b/c it was only the 2nd day of school and they were getting used to the way everything runs.

I let her buy on a Thursday a week later b/c she wanted to get the chicken nuggets and fries. I told her to eat as fast as she could and if she wasn't full when it was time to go to recess to let the lunch aide know she 's not done and her mom told her to finish.

When she got home that day she said she ate only 5 out of 6 nuggets and didn't get to eat the fries. She told the aide what I tod her but apparently they don't care if your kid is hungry, it's more important to go to recess.

If they are so focused on healthy food and nutrition, shouldn't my kid be able to eat her lunch? She eats at 11:30 and doesn't get home until after 3:30. So she has to be hungry for 4 hours?

Does anyone else's school have this problem? I refuse to let her buy lunch anymore b/c they only get 20 minutes to eat. Why do they need 20 minutes of recess? I think like 10 is sufficient.

Re: What's Up With the Lack of Time to Eat?

It takes 5 minutes to get the kids lined up so 10 probably isn't enough, IMO.

My guess is she was talking to her friends (like my dd & ds did). I'd write a note to the teacher & ask about the lunch situation. The lunch monitors probalby need to prompt her to eat more than talk.

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I have the same issue with DS. Last year (he was in K) and this year he is coming home with his lunch barely eaten. He claims that he has no time to eat. I know that he has 30 minutes of recess and 30 minutes for lunch. He tells me that he doesn't have time to eat on the days that he is buying lunch and also on the days that he brings lunch. I know that he is a slow eater and when I ask him what he does during lunch he says that he talks to his friends So maybe with your daughter its a combination of a couple of things?? I still think that the kids should have more time to eat though. Last year I spoke with his teacher and she spoke with the lunch aide just to "remind" him to eat. This year its been a little this past week...DH and I keep reminding him that he needs to eat during lunch. If our reminding him isn't helping, then I will talk with his teacher about it.

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DD brings her lunch but complains she never has enough time to eat. Several other parents said their kids the same. She comes home with less than 1/2 of her lunch eaten. I could only imagine what would happen if she didn't bring it. I would pack you DC's lunch so she doesn't lose that time getting the food.

What's Up With the Lack of Time to Eat?

I would pack. 10 minutes in the lunch line when they only have 20 minutes to eat just doesn't work. Our school is 25 minutes to eat 25 for recess.

also we pack snack for the afternoon. Does your child's class have snack?

Message edited 9/29/2012 7:37:03 PM.

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My DDs bring lunch and they STILL tell me there is sometimes not enough time to eat! They have 45 total of lunch and recess.

What's Up With the Lack of Time to Eat?

can you join her for lunch one day and witness it?
luckily my kid's school is so organized. he is in line for 2 minutes.
K teacher takes their order, lines them up in order, they go through line and lunch ladies have their trays ready.

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We were warned at K orientation that for at least the first half of the year kids should bring a lunch because waiting on line plus the general slowness of eating at that age is a bad combo. From talking to friends 20/20 is a pretty standard time frame for lunch and recess.

DD doesn't have lunch until almost 5 hours after school starts, so I have been packing a heavier snack (which they eat in the classroom so I feel like the teacher can keep them on track better) and a lighter lunch.

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My DD (in K) says the same thing! I have packed lunch for her every day except for Friday bc she said she wanted to buy and it and she has complained she hasn't had enough time to eat everything! She even comes home with snacks unopened which is a shock bc she loves her snacks!! I am trying to make things easier for her to open to try to make it quicker for her to access.

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Thanks everyone!

I guess this is a problem all over. DD's school only gets 40 minutes for lunch and recess, not long enough to get both done, if you ask me.

I'll have to look into lunchroom duty, but I don't think it's an option or else it would have been brought up at the PTA meeting.

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We had the same issue when they started school. As time goes on it will get better but not wonderful, lol. Also they will let the kids stay longer if they are not done, but then they are missing recess which they really need too. Not sure how every school handles this though. I do send in a good protein rich snack for them in class so I know they will at least have that so they won't be starving when they come home.

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I know my DD also only has 40 minutes for lunch + recess. I did have the pleasure of volunteering for lunch duty a few weeks ago. I can tell you I was shocked by how long it took the kids to get their lunch from the cafeteria. After seeing that, I try to discourage DD from buying. She does insist on Fridays because she wants the pizza. Most days she also comes home with some of her lunch uneaten. I don't worry too much b/c she has lunch 3 hours after breakfast, then has her snack a couple of hours later, then she's home and gets another snack. I'm on the Shared Decision Making committee and I'm going to bring this topic up at our first meeting of the year.

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DS's school does Recess then lunch.
He constantly says there is not enough time. I personally know that DS is a talker and that has a lo to do with it. I pack lunch 3/5 days a week. Lunch is at 1pm though and he gets out at 3, somedays he comes home starving

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20 minutes isn't enough, whether or not they buy lunch. Children talk with their friends and aren't focused on eating.

At my my kids school (at a small Catholic school, so I am not sure how feasible it would be at a bigger school), if they buy lunch, the orders are taken that morning and when they get to the cafeteria, they do get on the lunch line, but they essentially walk through to pick up the meal they ordered, give the lady their lunch card and are on their way eating. Plus, in the past few years, the school actually made the starting time in the morning 10 minutes earlier, and added that 10 minutes to the lunch period. So now they get 30 minutes to eat, 30 minutes for recess. My kids never complain.

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She will learn how to manage her time when it comes to eating.

When DS was in pre-k, he ate lunch there and I would send it in. The first few weeks he would bring home half his lunch and complain about not having enough time. He quickly learned to manage it.

Now, he is in 1st grade and I let him buy lunch when it is pizza Friday's. He only had finishing issues the first week of school. He had to judge his time and learn that he needed to eat otherwise he would be hungry.

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My son is also having an issue with not having enough time to eat. From what information he tells me, he likes to go outside with the first group of kids they take. I thought that sending in lunch for him was better but he bought on Friday and said he loved it & said he ate everything. He has never lied to me about what he ate. I think he is getting used to having to eat quickly.

I believe that some of the issue is that some school use recess time as a way to satisfy state requirements for # of minutes of physical activity per week. I'm not wild about that idea.

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This happens in my DS's school too. I can't stand it. He contantly has to rush. I try to pack every day but occasionally he wants to buy. I stress when he does although I know I shouldn't.

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20/20 is pretty typical. I don't think the lunch monitors can hold her over b/c 1. there is another group coming in and between H1N1, MRSR and allergies, tables need to be wiped down. or 2. Your school does not have the prescribed amount of PE and they count recess as part of it.

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I work in an elementar school and I see lines down the hallway on yummy lunch days. I can totally see kids not getting to finish their lunch. Honeslty, Id try to get your child to brin more. I know it stinks, but I dont know what else you can do. Theres really NO way she can sit there and finish because she needs to stay with her class. Someone is assigned to watch them. They also need to make room for another grade to come in. KWIM? It stinks. I go through it here too. My child wants to buy every single day. I find Im going broke this way too lol. Bringing is better!