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Just wondering if I could get some insight from those of you that have parents that provide some or all of their child's food.
1. Do any of you provide just snack or just lunch.
2. Do you offer different options and costs. Bring your own vs. bring some, versus bring none.
3. What were parents opinions on this.
4. Have any of you done food in the past and then switched, are you glad, do you regret it...
Any anything else you'd like to add, suggestions, opinions, anything is appreciated.
I sorta do both. I supply food and drinks for most children but if a child has a dietary issue, the parent supplies it.
I have had 2 children who were sensitive to dairy/milk so the parents supplied the first carton of milk. Once I know what brand they use, I buy it with my normal dc groceries. I bought lactose free yogurt for the one boy as well. The one I have now just needs a different type of milk but can handle small dairy intake.
I have a new child who started today who has a milk allergy so the parents are going to be sending the food every day. Once he is here a bit longer and I know what he eats, I will supply the snacks and the parents will just be required to send his lunch and his milk as he is only here 2x a week.
I don't charge any less for this and actually, just increased my rate and the new boy pays that. I know some dcp's don't like to have children eating different food but it doesn't bother me and I find it's an opportunity for learning. Once they go to school, most of them will have different lunches.
I don't mind doing the cooking for dc but I think parents supplying it is a good choice too. Especially these days with children and food allergies and children who are picky eaters.
I have the parents supply food.
I always have apples, milk, apple juice boxes, fish crackers, and fruit bars on hand just in case though.
I have worked in many large day cares that provide food and I found that children are very fussy and don't eat the provided day care lunch. Then they're grumpy because they're hungry.
The children eat a lot better when the parents pack it. I do ask the parents not to send sugar treats.
Parents at first want me to provide food, but after I explain it to them they're ok with it. They also get to see how much their child eats because I send home the leftovers. ex. crust from sandwich. And I let them know if I gave them juice box etc.
I provide all my daycare kids with food for the day and cater to food issues. Currently I have dairy and egg allergy children. I did want to comment on the last two posts though after reading through this thread.andQuote:
ceECE....I have worked in many large day cares that provide food and I found that children are very fussy and don't eat the provided day care lunch. Then they're grumpy because they're hungry.
Have you ever thought that maybe the kids are fussy eaters because of the caregivers...mainly parents, who cater to their wants versus their needs?? The children would not be picky eaters if they never had a choice. At a daycare centre in all likelihood the child is given a set amount of time to eat like the rest of the group and when time is up, time is up. I'd hazard a guess that when desert was passed around they would get that even if they had not eaten the main course. Picky eaters should be dealt with by teaching them to eat a varied diet and that they are not in a restaurant with options, and if mum and dad pack the same old food day in and day out, of the probable 4 or 5 items they will eat, they are probably part of the problem. Fussy eaters are usually a product of a parent giving in to a child in a power struggle where they allow the child to be in charge. Having the children eat all the same meal actually teaches them much better behaviour and healthier habits when it comes to doing as they are told, and developing a much more varied and likely healthier diet. I do know one of my daycare parents uses a back up provider and sends food their because the dcp serves nuggets and hot dogs where as I serve zero processed foods so in that case, if a dcparent and a dcproviders eating habits do not match up but you love everything else about them, then I could see this as a good option.Quote:
5LM...I don't mind doing the cooking for dc but I think parents supplying it is a good choice too. Especially these days with children and food allergies and children who are picky eaters.
I see your point bright sparks and even agree with some of it but I think picky eaters are a product of many different things and it will vary from child to child. I grew up with a sahd and he only cooked one thing for meals and if we didn't eat it there was nothing else. I am a picky eater to this day despite that. I did and still do choose to go hungry vs eating something I don't like. I also have issues with some food and their textures so I understand when children have these issues too.
There are times that children need to follow instruction but I don't think a child should be forced to eat something they truly don't like. I know that children need to eat something at least 10x before their taste buds will truly know if they like it or not and I do encourage my dck's to eat their meal. Dessert around here is usually fruit so they do get that but if it's a special treat like a cookie, they need to eat almost all of their meal to get something like that. I don't like meals to be a stressful time(I feel that opens children up to eating disorders and food issues) and if a child doesn't eat what I cook than yes, they do probably go away hungry as they are likely only eating the fruit and a few bites of the main meal. I do not cook different meals for the kids as I just don't have the time. If it came down to a child NEVER eating what I cooked than yes, I would ask the parents to supply the food. Thankfully, most of my dck's eat what I cook and they all know they have to at least try it before I will allow them to not eat it. I always give it to them even if I know they don't like though because I do feel that they need to try it every time.
You are assuming picky eaters are not eating healthy food by the sounds of your post. This isn't always the case though.
I do serve all meals and snacks. But I have my own two children that I am already making food for. Because of that, I feel it is easier to make one meal or snack for everyone, rather than make my children food plus serve up individual meals to the dcks. If I didn't have to provide meals for my own kids, for example once they are in grade school, I would consider having children provide their own food.
My main concerns with having parents provide their own food are the nutritional value of the foods being provided, problems with kids wanting what other kids have, and dealing with containers, etc that have to be sent home every day. Also sometimes we have picnic snacks and lunches at the park spur of the moment and might be trickier depending on what parents sent. Not insurmountable problems but would require some good communication with parents to set up guidelines.
For myself I prefer to make the children's meals. At the start I had one family ask if they could bring breakfast here for their children as they didn't have enough time. I agreed. All those poor kids ate was take out breakfasts or high sugar items. Never was there a healthy meal. I ended up asking the parents to eat before daycare just because it was too inconvenient for me.
To force a child to eat is very different than not offering an alternative. I do not force feed a child and I also do not offer an alternative. My meals are varied in texture and taste and picky eaters are very different than a child who doesn't like certain foods. A picky eater in my mind is a child who is fussy and fussy is something different than a child who just doesn't like certain things just like an adult who doesn't like particular things. I actually think from my experience that most picky eaters don't eat healthy as they are limited in what actual foods they will eat so aren't getting enough varied nutrients and also it is highly likely the foods they will eat to satisfy the parents need to see them consume something are the processed foods that pretty much any child will consume in large quantities. A picky eater in a child is different than an adult who doesn't eat certain things. They are different because they are for different reasons. A two year old child needs to be exposed to these foods repeatedly as you said, but the chances are, neither a provider or a parent is likely to cook this food 10 times and throw it away ten times. Long before that I think it is highly likely that most people give in and feed their child something they will eat. In all my experience with my own children and the many families I have dealt with, this is definitly the case. I get that we are human and some can stick it out and some can't and with busy lives, sometimes survival means taking the easy route.Quote:
Originally Posted by 5 Little Monkeys
More and more new parents these days, and definitly not all but still lots more than 10 years ago and prior, are so neurotic about food I find. They are terrified their child will starve so never stick it out long enough for the child to actually acquire a taste for a certain food and give in with something more appealing to their taste buds which is likely high fat, high salt and/or high sugar or unbeknownst to them msg which is hidden in labelling and highly addictive. At these stages of psychosocial development it is normal for the child to challenge authority, struggle to gain power and independently make decisions for themselves. That being said, they do not know what is best for themselves and it is up to us not to give in to them and teach them what they need to know and what is best for them. It doesn't need to be an argument or involve shaming or degrading behaviours. Just for the adults to be adults and be in control in an appropriate manner otherwise the odds are strongly in favour of a child becoming picky. I was always raised to think I was a picky eater. I now know that it was just that my mum is a terrible cook so no matter how much chewing, that food just wasn't going down. My parents would give me a bowl of peas and I had to eat them all before I was allowed my meat and potatoes so don't misread my previous post as someone who would be insensitive to the child when dealing with food, I would just simply play my roll to the fullest which is as a caregiver who knows what's best for the child, not the child themselves.
I have food issues now as food was heavily restricted in my house so I am an overeater because I now have control of the food in the house and it has become a problem now. I am also fussy about what I eat now but don't mistake me for a fussy or picky eater in comparison to a fussy or picky eater in a child. They are two different things and for very different reasons. I am a fussy eater now because I won't put bad things in my body and will only eat quality product. That is very different than a child who "just doesn't want to" eat it or doesn't like the way something has been prepared if a caregiver is a mediocre cook.
I have to provide food for myself and my own two kids too but still enjoy not having to worry about making up food for daycare kids too. But the food part of daycare is what I dislike the most, it is something I do because I must (everyone has to eat!). Don't get me wrong, it is part of my parent policy handbook that no junk is allowed and it is of concern to me that the kids have a healthy diet, but I am fine with putting that on the parent to take care of. I make sure my own kids eat a balanced diet.
I haven't had any problems with kids being upset that they don't get what the others have, they seem to accept this pretty easily. Also, you get into a routine of dealing with an assortment of containers.
Last summer I would give a heads up on days that I wanted to have lunch outside, or just chose to do it on days that worked with what food was sent.
Sorry Bright sparks, didn't mean for you to think I thought you force feed or are not understanding of picky/fussy eaters. I was just stating why I do what I do. For myself, I do offer the food time and time again and I know a few of the parents do this as well. I know some people have a hard time throwing food out so they don't do this but I am the opposite, I have no issue throwing food out(most of the time!) so it doesn't bother me if I give it to them and they don't eat it. As long as they try it, I am happy.