RE: Need suggestions on starting 1st grade

[Guest guest]

Kathy - we have done this in two phases.

In kindergarten and the beginning of first grade, 's snacks

were " scheduled " every 90 minutes or roughly thereof (the teacher

met with us to figure out where easy breaks were in the classroom

schedule). I pack (still do) a collapsible insulated thermos bag

with small snacks. I would pack ziplock bags with let's say " 6

pringle potato chips " . The amount of each snack should be enough

that a child can eat in about 5 minutes, no more. So don't give him

an entire granola bar -- give him half. Make sure to mix up the

snacks into some carbos, some protein and maybe a yogurt or other

dairy (if he can have dairy). Fruit is tough because it is high in

sugar, unless you do a banana.

So let's say he eats breakfast at 7:30am. School starts at 8:15am.

So the first snack could be 9am. Next 10:30am. Then lunch at noon;

then one more snack at 1:30pm.

It is VERY important that the snack bag be kept at his desk. Now,

you can handle this two ways, depending on him.

in kindergarten and the first couple months of kindergarten,

had the scheduled snacks. The teacher would quietly walk by

and just remind her that it was time to eat a snack. Then

opens up the snack bag and PICKS a snack she wants. The teacher

would quietly watch. The goal is that you don't want to make it a

control issue.

What happened with us is that 3 months into first grade or so,

came to us and said that she wanted to eat when she wanted

to eat. " Mom, sometimes I'm not hungry at 9 but I am hungry at

9:15am. " So we have a deal that as long as she comes home with most

of the snacks eaten, we'll trust her to do it herself.

It is important that he NOT have to leave the class to eat, etc.

Also, to start off, I would AVOID someone monitoring him at

lunchtime. The great thing about the snacks is that you'll get the

extra calories into him. If you find that he doesn't ever eat

lunch, you can try a different way. But let him be a normal kid to

start off.

I hope this helps!

> Hi. I rarely post but I do try to read the messages often. My

son's

> name is . He is 6yrs old. We live near Chgo. I need some

advice.

> will be going to 1st grade next year. His IEP meeting will be

> coming up soon and we need to put information about how many

snacks he

> should have and at what times. He gets on the bus at 8:30 and

school

> starts at 9:00, lunch from 12:05-12:25, school ends at 3:35. It

seems

> like he will be gone an eternity even though it is 7 hours. I am

so

> concerned that he won't get enough to eat. He takes forever to eat

> lunch at home. Some days he has to have several remimders to keep

> eating. Other days I sit with him and feed him so he can finish. I

> would love some input on what others have done when you crossed

over

> from a 1/2 day of school to a full day. Will he need someone to

> monitor his snacks and lunch? How many snacks should he have

during

> the school day? He eats a small amount in one sitting. He weighs 31

> lbs and is 40 in. This will be our biggest challenge to cross. I

> thought he could start lunch 10 mins before everyone else so he

could

> be done by recess. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. He

> doesn't have a feeding tube.

> Thanks

> Kathy

[Guest guest]

Hi Kathy,

You might want to request that the school nurse be present for your

IEP meeting. She will be am important ally in making sure eats

and drinks. The law says you can invite anhyone to an IEP meeting who

is a part of his care. The school may object but legally they cannot

deny your request to have her present.

What we did was to put food in small containers and told his teacher

and nurse that he had to drink at least x amount of juice and eat at

least one container of food at lunch. Anything else was a bonus. We

also insisted that he be able to eat at anytime and not just

designated snack times.

As the year progress what happened was our son ate and drank the

minimum but then would eat when he got home. So his routine is now,

he gets home, eats while watching Cyberchase (PBS math cartoon). Then

he gets to play outside for a while and then in for homework, dinner

and bed by 7:30 or 8 PM. Often hislate afternoon meal and dinner turn

out to be one meal but he eats a lot then.

This just how it has worked for us. I think you will have to

experiment some yourself.

By the way, my son is in second grade and he is approaching 45

pounds. He has gained almost 6 pounds in the last year despite eating

very little at school. After all, to him, recess is much more

important than food.

I hope this helps.

Ken M

> Hi. I rarely post but I do try to read the messages often. My

son's

> name is . He is 6yrs old. We live near Chgo. I need some

advice.

> will be going to 1st grade next year. His IEP meeting will be

> coming up soon and we need to put information about how many snacks

he

> should have and at what times. He gets on the bus at 8:30 and school

> starts at 9:00, lunch from 12:05-12:25, school ends at 3:35. It

seems

> like he will be gone an eternity even though it is 7 hours. I am so

> concerned that he won't get enough to eat. He takes forever to eat

> lunch at home. Some days he has to have several remimders to keep

> eating. Other days I sit with him and feed him so he can finish. I

> would love some input on what others have done when you crossed over

> from a 1/2 day of school to a full day. Will he need someone to

> monitor his snacks and lunch? How many snacks should he have during

> the school day? He eats a small amount in one sitting. He weighs 31

> lbs and is 40 in. This will be our biggest challenge to cross. I

> thought he could start lunch 10 mins before everyone else so he

could

> be done by recess. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. He

> doesn't have a feeding tube.

> Thanks

> Kathy

[Guest guest]

I am having the same concerns, Tor will be starting kindergarten in the fall.

Now during preschool I send in an extra snack and she will usually get one or

two before dinner.

/mom to tori rss 5 and gina 2non rss Ny

Need suggestions on starting 1st grade

Hi. I rarely post but I do try to read the messages often. My son's

name is . He is 6yrs old. We live near Chgo. I need some advice.

will be going to 1st grade next year. His IEP meeting will be

coming up soon and we need to put information about how many snacks he

should have and at what times. He gets on the bus at 8:30 and school

starts at 9:00, lunch from 12:05-12:25, school ends at 3:35. It seems

like he will be gone an eternity even though it is 7 hours. I am so

concerned that he won't get enough to eat. He takes forever to eat

lunch at home. Some days he has to have several remimders to keep

eating. Other days I sit with him and feed him so he can finish. I

would love some input on what others have done when you crossed over

from a 1/2 day of school to a full day. Will he need someone to

monitor his snacks and lunch? How many snacks should he have during

the school day? He eats a small amount in one sitting. He weighs 31

lbs and is 40 in. This will be our biggest challenge to cross. I

thought he could start lunch 10 mins before everyone else so he could

be done by recess. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. He

doesn't have a feeding tube.

Thanks

Kathy