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So I new 4 year old dcb starting in morning, which I was totally cool about, until I mentioned it to my husband, and he was all "oh no you are gonna need vegetarian butter, check all food contents, not give jello (not that we ever have jello). But my question is am I over simplifying this by saying we will have home made mac and cheese etc on the 2 days he is here or is my husband right (oh no!! Lol)???:blink:
That will totally depend on the family so ask. Some exclude all animals products. Others include milk and/or eggs and especially for children. If it is true vegetarian then you will need to exclude milk, cheese, look for dairy in breads, crackers, breading on chicken nuggets etc. Yes geletin is an issue so jello, some yogurt but then that would be off because of dairy anyways. There is a becel margarine that is dairy free I had to use with one of my daycare kids that had an allergy to milk. Milk is in a lot of foods. It is also in a lot of my baking - muffins especially.
I cater to these specific diets and it's not hard at all. Don't worry....and you don't have to serve mac and cheese every day that he's there. There are tonnes and tonnes of vegetarian foods that you can make easily. They're cheap, healthy and everyone can eat them. Look at simple things like spaghetti, tofu, stir fries, french toast, pancakes, muffins and fruit, eggs and toast....loads of meat free meals. I would suspect that they are likely going to want a reasonable protein replacement with the meals. I've been using quinoa, eggs, cheese, TVP (textured vegetable protein in spaghetti sauce), tofu, beans and lentils, etc. If the family stated that they're vegetarian, I would almost suspect octo-lacto (egg and dairy ok) but ask. Usually, if people are off animal products all together, they'll indicate that they're vegan.....that's a whole other ball game. But gelatin, I believe, is an issue right across the board, so watch for that on your labels. Astro yogourt is gelatin free :)
If you need a few recipes, pm me and I can pass some along.
If they show up today and say no cheese, just steam some rice and veggies for lunch.
They should have gone over what their child could and could not eat in the interview.
When you have a moment make a list of what you normally sever for lunches and snacks, also listing the condiments. Have the parents look it over and tell you what they will allow and what they will not. Also ask the parents for a few recipes that they use.
Be sure to come right and specifically ask about dairy and eggs as that is what will make the difference on how much of the regular daycare diet the child can eat. If they are on the list then a scrambled egg or omelette can be used as his protein for the meal. IF they are not allowed then much of the other foods you normally serve will also be off the menu for him because they contain a dairy product (don't forget casein and whey) or egg product.
For eggs in baking there are substitutes you can use to have the same effect but not for eating of course.
are they vegetarian or vegan? there is a dif. and if it becomes too much for you to handle, ask the family to provide all food and snacks. I wouldn't mind having a child that needed special diet, due to lifestyle or religious beliefs, but I would ask for the parents help to provide for the child what the parents desire. def would not turn my normal routine upside down for one child, and would be leary to take a child with any allergies (requiring special diet) due to safety issues, but if the parents were willing to pack the lunch each day and provide a list of what the child can and can't have, no big deal. i did have a parents come to me for care who was raising her child on a no nitrate diet!!!! that was a little extream and I had many concerns, luckily for me it didn't work out. those kids couldn't eat much of anything. felt bad for them. :)
If I parents of a vegetarian child wanted to register here, with such specific needs, they would have to supply the meals for the hole day. Yep bring the lunchbox everyday. But sadly I wouldnt change the rate so... !!
The first child who signed up with me is vegan. I almost turned him down because it seemed like too much trouble, but he is an absolute joy! I did have to do some research, but we've got it figured out now and it's all good. Lots of fresh fruit and veggies, steamed rice with veggies, pasta with vegan cheese sauce, potatoes mashed with vegan butter, soy milk and soy yogourt, crackers. It would probably be more difficult if I had to feed him dinner, but lunch and snacks are pretty easy now that I'm more familiar with what is available.
Just to clear up, there is no such thing as "a true vegetarian". Vegetarianism has evolved a lot and there are many variations now. No animal products is vegan and actually to be a vegan is not simply dietary. It's a way of life. My son is vegetarian through his own choice and if you are making home made non processed meals then it is no more difficult then cooking for meat eaters. If anything it's easier as cooking times are dramatically reduced and you make larger batches without the fear of them going bad as quickly.
As others have said you need specifics from the parents. Rather than a casual chat, ask the parents to make a list of everything the child CAN NOT eat and post it on the fridge. My son wants to be vegan as he has chosen this lifestyle for humane reasons and I have tried to support him as much as possible but have had to put my foot down with a few things. It's not that he couldn't get sufficient nutrition being vegan even as a 10 yr old, even though most people would argue otherwise, but with a busy schedule I don't want to have him undernourished if I don't have time to make him a well balanced meal at every mealtime. He drinks fortified unsweetened almond milk and he eats fish. You want to try getting supplements in a 10 year old for the omegas and DHA lol
There are lots of soy meats, tvp (textured vegetable protein)and tofu which cook in minutes and take the place of meat. It isn't that much more difficult to make a separate pan, although in a daycare it's different having more people to cater for. Also one of the biggest protein packers for vegetarians is beans. You can purée it and add it to EVERYTHING.
A couple of warnings though.... There is a term in the vegetarian community known as "Junk food vegetarian" This is someone who eats lots of cheese. It can be "the automatic go to" but is super unhealthy in regular and large doses. A couple of meals a week but not every day. Why not ask the parents to give you a list of meals they usually make for him.
Lastly, I recommend that you charge a higher rate as it does cost more money to buy the alternatives and while it isn't difficult to prepare, when you have other kids to think of and have to spend more time, it's something they should pay extra for. It's not like you are making a family meal and maybe you have 1 of 2 of your own who can entertain themselves while you prepare. Most people have 5 or 6 plus there own and don't have that extra 5-10 minutes to devote to making a special meal. As the mother of a veggie kid, I wouldn't expect to pay the same rate and would have no problem paying an extra few dollars as a premium to be able to have my child's dietary requirements catered too.
Becel have actually got a vegan margarine available at most big grocery stores and the other one available that I recommend is Earth Balance. Becel is required by law to test on animals though due to the ingredients where as Earth Balance doesn't have to. Earth Balance is available at most if not all large grocery stores like Metro, Superstore, sobeys, fortinos etc.
We're running daycares, not restaurants. I plan my menu for the week as I make up my grocery list and I have some picky eaters but I've learned what they like and don't like so I adjust the meals accordingly. However, I've had a little one with peanut/nut allergies in care and I did read labels carefully but since I cook everything from scratch it wasn't a big issue.
I now have a lactose intolerant child in care and it's a bit of a pain because I can't make my home made mac n cheese or other casseroles with milk in them. So I made a policy that states that specialty foods must be provided by the parents from now on. I learned another lesson. You should get on top of this before you become exhausted by trying to accomodate this client.
I use Earth Balance myself. I'm not vegan but making more vegan choices for health. That stuff is really good! Every once in a while, it even goes on sale :)Quote:
Originally Posted by bright sparks
Thanks everyone - well u made it through my first day with him lol. It was fine. Turns out he's more the unhealthy kind who eats cheese a lot. Mum wasn't too concerned with butter or even jello as he has eaten it before! More just they don't like to kill animals for their own means- but according to dcb he has eaten meat that died of old age:laugh::laugh: I will have a word with the butcher in sobeys see if he has any that died of natural causes. I just gave scrambled eggs, whole wheat toast, and beans as all my kids love this anyway. Plus he only comes 2 times a week so I think I can make this work as we don't always have meat with each lunch!!! And he was a lovely little boy no trouble at all!!!!!!!! (hope that lasts):unsure:
I am glad everything worked out for you. :)
I have it in my contract that any "special" dietary needs equals the parents supplying the food.
However, it does sound like I could work with this family, as it appears that they are vegetarians in name only, if you know what I mean.
"Meat that died of old age"?? Peeing myself laughing over that one! :D
Soooo, if a cow gets hit by a truck it's ok to eat? Hmmmmmmmm! :eek:
Loll ok I have no more comments, that last one is pretty good ;) ;)
Yes that does not sound like a very 'committed' to being vegetarian family at least for the 'child' ... however I have had clients where the mother was a total vegan by choice including not wearing clothes or footwear and so forth made from animals however respected both her husband and her children's right to choose their own moral compass around consuming animals or animal byproducts ~ so dad and the kids ate meat when dad was the one cooking dinner and they were allowed to eat meat here.
I agree with Cfred that IME cooking vegetarian is really quite easy ... we have a 'vegetarian' meal at least once a week here with a protein being served that is not 'meat/animal' related such as tofu stir fry or legumes in a soup/stew/chili or what not.
I currently have a child with Celiac and two children with a dairy allergy and I accommodate both without challenge and everyone able to eat the same meal so I am not dealing with a 'why does Johnny get to have X while we are having Y' debates ~ takes some creative thinking sometimes for sure but not too much challenge.
For example I still make my 'homemade mac and cheese' for them but use gluten free quinoa pasta or brown rice pasta and I replaced the milk with almond milk, butter with the Earth's Best and cheese with a non cow's milk source... just do not buy that Dalya brand cheese replacement it tastes like ASS but there are some vegan cheeses out there that are actually not too bad and melt nice and creamy ... fortunately both my little dudes are ok with 'goats milk cheese' at the moment so I can use that thankfully and in the past when it was only 1 child with the allergy what I have done is just taken the dairy allergy child's noodles and put them aside and tossed them with the Earths Balance butter replacement and than topped with some of the more expensive 'cheese substitute' grated on top and made everyone else the normal mac and cheese recipe.
I think meal prep for a group while accommodating food allergies is like everything in life it you just need to be motivated to want to do it and than it just takes practice to get a groove that works for ya ~ my last centre I worked at made all their own baby food in the kitchen and on top of that 'accommodated' food allergies / restrictions as long as they were not 'anaphylaxis'. So when I use to cover to cook in the kitchen you could be dealing with cooking for 20 infants in varying stages of 'adjusting to table food' plus up to another 20 children's varying food allergies and restrictions needing substitutions out of 100 or so children you were cooking for so I kinda got a groove for the 'group cooking' while checking that everyone's dietary needs were met ... so now doing it for 1 or 2 kids out of only 5 seems like a piece of cake!
We are a vegan family and serve plantbased meals at my dayhome. The parents are surprisingly in love with our menus and always ask for recipes! I care for a one year old and that mom always sends a big jog of cow's milk for the little guy, which of course I serve him.
Plantbased food is way quicker, easier and cheaper to serve - and good for you! Don't get scared off because of a little green eater. I wouldn't stress too much either - you aren't a restaurant. If moms want certain menu served, they should send it along.
Good luck!
I don't cater to dietary needs whether they are allergy based or life style based. I provide one meal. Done. If someone does have dietary needs, they provide all food from home.
I do not cater to any dietary preference. I include all meals and snacks, so what I serve is what is to be eaten. It is part of the program they sign up for. I know it can be 'insensitive', but if I made every kid a meal how the parent asked, I'd be making 7 meals for 7 kids. If a parent asks me to leave something out, I can for sure do that, but I won't be adding a substitute. Only substitutes I make are for infant formula. It takes me 20min/day to make a meal for the group, and if I changed it for everyone, it'd be about an hour - that is time taken from interacting with the kids!