Mum Accused Of "Starving" Child After Friend Sees Her Lunch

Woman Accused Of “Starving” Her Child After Friend Sees Her Lunch Box

A mum has turned to popular parenting forum mumsnet for advice after she was told she’s “basically starving” her child by a friend who saw the contents her lunch box.

The user wrote that her eight-year-old daughter is of normal height and weight and consumes one mini pitta, six mini breadsticks, a dessert spoon of hummus, dessert spoon of guacamole, a bowl of strawberries cut up and a frube.

“That’s fine isn’t it?” she wrote.

“For breakfast she had a bowl of plain yogurt and loads of berries. She will most likely have an afternoon snack usually cheese or a piece of fruit and dinner is normally casserole/fish pie/jacket potato and soup or similar.

The mum also wrote that her daughter has a glass of milk before bed and doesn’t ever complain of hunger.

“Friend was aghast and said her kids at 18 m old ate more than that,” she added.

Some commenters said that the portion seemed small.

“My 7 and 9 year old would still be ravenous after that! It would fill the 2 yr old though as long as you added some cheese or ham!” one wrote.

"It does sound more like something a 4 year old would eat rather than an 8 year old," another said.

"My toddler would starve on that!" another responded. "There is nothing substantial there. Where is the protein? ...My friend is very skinny and is obsessed with keeping her child skinny and feed her hardly any thing too."

But some were more supportive of the mum, pointing out that she would know her daughter's appetite best.

"Ignore your friend. Your DD [dear daughter] would let you know if she was still hungry. If that's how she normally eats with no complaints and weight is fine then there's nothing wrong with that. However that wouldn't be enough for my almost 3 year old. He's a ravenous creature and food doesn't seem to go anywhere on him!"

“It sounds fine - possibly on the small side but if she’s ok with it then it must be ok!” one said.

“I don't think it sounds like much either tbh, but you know what's best for your daughter's eating habits...so…" wrote another.

For the record: the Australian Dietary Guidelines advise that girls age four to eight should consume 4.5 serves of vegetables and legumes, 1.5 serves of fruit, 4 serves of grains, 1.5 serves of lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs nuts and seeds and 1.5 serves of dairy each day.

Lauren Williamson

Lauren Williamson is a digital writer, editor and social media fiend who's a huge fan of tackling new wellness trends, eating her way through foreign countries and getting worked up over politics.