How can you make sure your child eats properly at lunchtime? Lots of parents worry about what their kids eat when they're away from home - particularly when they have to pass the enticing counter of the local newsagent or chip shop on the way to school.

Explain the importance of eating properly, what a balanced diet is and why it matters. A junk food ban will just make the 'forbidden' foods more attractive. Avoid using food as a reward. Allow treats but if you don't want him eating crisps and chocolate bars, don't have them at home.

Chips with everything?
If he only takes chips in the school canteen, don't get angry or he'll stop telling you other things about school. He may opt for chips because he doesn't know, or can't see, what else is on offer. Tell him to ask the dinner ladies for help or - if that's embarrassing for him - read the school menu together so he knows what he can choose from. Don't assume he's rejecting healthier choices. Unfortunately, chips form the bulk of some school menus.

Packing it in
If your child hates school dinners, or if you're not happy with the choice at school, ask if he can bring a packed lunch. If the answer is 'no', then provide a nutritious snack that he can eat in the playground. Make sure he has a good breakfast and offer him something to eat at the school gate - healthy options like a sandwich or fruit.

Won't eat at lunchtime?
Maybe it's not the food - there could be other reasons. Your child might not like queueing up in the canteen, the dinner ladies might shout at him, or it might be 'fashionable' amongst his friends to turn their noses up at certain foods. Sometimes a child can dislike something that wouldn't occur to you - for example, certain schools have 'slop-bins' for unwanted food that can be very off-putting.

Talk it through and try and solve the problem together. Don't nag and remember skipping the odd meal isn't a sin. If he's otherwise healthy, happy and energetic, and you know that he eats well at home, don't worry. Your child eats over 1,000 meals a year - only 175 of them will be school dinners.