I’m worried about my child starting school in September and that he won’t eat any lunch. 

If you’ve got a child starting school in September, now is a great time to start preparing them for school meals.

Some of the things you can be doing now are to:

• Explore more new foods with them 
• Prepare foods they already eat in different ways so they get used to the same foods looking different (they won’t make it like mummy does at school!)
• Ask the school for a sample menu and talk to them about what sorts of food to expect at school as well as adding any that are new to your meal plans so they can start to become familiar
• See if you can find pictures of school halls at lunchtimes so they can see how the room will look and are familiar with the environment
• Support them to be able to use their knife and fork independently
• Don’t let your concerns show, they may not be worried about school meals until they see you worrying about it
• Be reassured to know that many children eat better away from home and with their peers
• Remember that they aren’t going to starve if they don’t eat much lunch at school – though yes they’ll be hungry and need a decent, sustaining snack after school!