Aoife Hearne: How can I encourage my son to eat his lunch?

Pic: iStock

My son is in first class and rarely eats his lunch. At most, he’ll nibble on the sandwiches. He says he’s not hungry and just wants to play with his friends at lunchtime. I cut the sandwiches into quarters and chop the vegetables into sticks. Is there anything else I can do?

Most families will encounter this stage at one point or another. Just when children move out of the food refusal stage, they experience the conflict between eating or playing at school. It’s not unusual for children to pick playing over eating most of the time.