Healthy Drink for Kids

Water.
In my opinion, if they are filling up on a drink, they are not getting what they need.
I know its not easy, but keep pushing the healthy foods.
No matter what "drink" you get, I guarantee it will be loaded with sugar and should not be given on a regular basis.

If he doesnt have time to eat it at school, tell him to bring it home and that can be an after school snack.

If he gets used to "liquid lunch" he's going to develop a taste for it. Meal replacements like Boost or "instant breakfast" drinks or even (to an extent) drinkable yogurts will fill him up for sure -- but he will never really learn how to time his eating and get his real foods eaten in the time allotted. I agree with the person who said to visit him at lunchtime. Watch for these things to get to the real root of the problem:

How long do they have for lunch, really? Does he have to wait to eat while other kids, who buy school lunch, get their food, or can he go ahead, sit down and begin eating while they are still in the cafeteria line? (Assuming here he's in school, not a preschool or day care.) He and other lunch-bringers should be allowed to get started while other kids are in line. If he purchases "school milk" to go with his lunch, stop! That really slowed down my child's kindergarten lunches because she had to wait in the loooong lunch line with the lunch kids just to get her carton of milk, and that wait often consumed much of her short lunch period! I quickly learned not to have her buy anything in the lunch line, even milk, and sent everything she would eat or drink.

Is he so busy being social, or just being distracted by other kids and noise, that he is unable to focus on food? Cafeterias are hugely, screechingly, horridly noisy most of the time and that would put anyone off food. And if he's young, he may still be so excited to be at lunch and off the leash for a few minutes that he may simply not focus at all on eating. That's typical.

Does he possibly have trouble with the foods being sent - For instance, do some foods you pack require a spoon, and you figure he'll get one in the lunchroom? He may not be able to get one soon enough or at all. This came up at my child's old school; sometimes she could not get the attention of the adult "table monitor" for the entire meal because it was so crowded, and kids were not allowed to get up and fetch their own spoons etc, so often "spoon food" that she had opened got pitched out uneaten when she ran out of time and never got a spoon!

These are the kinds of things that parents may never know are going on unless they visit the cafeteria during lunch and really observe things. The school may also have overwhelmed adults who are in charge and might need more adult volunteers during lunch hours -- something you can consider doing.

But back to the drinks -- seriously, if he has the equivalent of a milkshake (Boost) or smoothie (even a healthy one) daily, he's going to develop that sweet tooth, and getting him to eat balanced foods at lunch will be more of a struggle, not less. Go for finger foods he can open totally on his own and eat without utensils, and don't over-pack for lunch. Do go and observe.

Does his class have a snack time? Does he eat then? If not -- talk to the teacher. Even in sixth grade my child's class has snacks outside lunchtime.

he really doesn't have time. at least he wouldn't at my kids school - they have 15 minutes most days.....sigh. have lunch with him once or twice to see if there's something else going on.

don't cave - you don't want him in the habit of using liquids for his diet. send water to drink. plus, even the "healthy" drinks are full of sugar. Think milk - have you looked at the sugar content that occurs naturally?

we have settled on a really good breakfast and a fairly substantial after school snack. I have one that has figured it out - not really a good thing that he can eat more than his dad would eat for lunch in 15 minutes but at least he's not crabby when I get him. I have one that can't/won't figure it out. she finishes her lunch after school on the way home.

he won't starve although he probably is crabby by the time you get him!

talk to his teacher - can she provide some time during quiet reading or worksheet time to eat? this isn't the first kid she's had that is struggling with this. she should be sympathetic and have some strategies for you.

Talk to the teacher about helping him focus on eating. One of my girls is easily distracted and forgets to take bites. We have to remind her at home. Sadly, there's no one at kindergarten that can do that for her. So we send foods that are easy to eat - not as much chewing required. And I create a great snack that she can eat in the car on the way home from school.

I'm with everyone else - stick with what you're doing. The best drink is water. Everything else has sugars, fake stuff, and doesn't teach good eating habits.

Make him fruit smoothies and juices

I send those yoplait yogurt smoothies. They in the yogurt section. I send a straw in his lunch box and I am pretty sure it fills my son up. I also send the squeezable apple sauce, seems easier to eat than regular apple sauce.

Orgain. 16 grams of protein (not soy!), organic, no synthetic sugars and they taste great. I get them off Amazon.

Can you buy the small, 8oz water bottles and then "squeeze" some lime or lemon into them for a little extra taste? Sometimes after all the sugary juice boxes and juices, kids palates don't like the taste of water. I've done this with my kids and they love it. You can even mix it up with a lot of different fruits depending on what's in season - we've done it with peaches and raspberries and strawberries too. We try to use a reusable water bottle too to save on buying the disposable ones all the time. Good luck!

I would not just put in a smoothie (an easy drinkable snack) because
you don't want him to fill up on emply calories & not have real food.

Having said that, you can add to his lunch w/a mini homemade strawberry smoothie (put into one of those new tiny water bottles once you drink the water....save them for this).

Or buy tiny smoothies they sell in the stores refrigerated section

Updated

I would not just put in a smoothie (an easy drinkable snack) because
you don't want him to fill up on emply calories & not have real food.

Having said that, you can add to his lunch w/a mini homemade strawberry smoothie (put into one of those new tiny water bottles once you drink the water....save them for this).

Or buy tiny smoothies they sell in the stores refrigerated section

Milk. The regular kind, not flavored.

Yes, PM me. I'm a nutritional consultant. You won't find anything on the store shelves but there is something outstanding you can buy on line if you are referred by a consultant. Let's talk a little more and I can advise you.

Maybe a Naked fruit boost?
Or a healthy, low sugar, high protein meal bar?
Protein sticks with you longer - so maybe just half a pb&j? or a boiled egg?

Have you tried Buddy Fruits squeezable fruit? It's not a meal replacement, but at least he would get his fruit in quickly and then have more time for his other food.
I think it's a travesty that our schools are limiting kids meal time to 15 minutes.