Menu question

[playfelt]

I go with the wing it method. That doesn't mean I don't plan but basically I plan the night before based on what is left over from our supper, what I have in the fridge, and how much time I want to spend prepping either that night or the next day. At the same time if we are having lots of fun with a morning activity or it is taking longer than planned and lunch approaches I know I can have grilled cheese with fruit and veggies on the table in under 15 minutes.

When I did post a menu it was just the lunch meal as in what the grain, meat, veggie fo the day was. The snacks were not posted.

Now I don't post and normally don't tell and parents are ok with that. They trust that they were fed appropriately. The know from the interview that it is a combination of what they should be eataing and what they will eat and that the onus is on the parent to raise their child as a good eater - ie don't expect me to waste broccoli and mango on your child if you ony give them peas and banana at home.

[kidlove]

You may also find, as others stated above, "the parents dont really care what their kid eats as long as its healthy" I found that with ALOT of my families. For a while I had "anal" parents or kids that seems to have "tummy issues" so I would write on a dry erase board what we had for the day, just to help inform the parent, if there were issues later in the night, but even then, the meals were not "pre-planned" just wrote down what they had after the meal was served to help inform the parents.

[Sandbox Sally]

I just did a month menu for the first time and I am LOVING it. Not only does it help with the daycare, but it helps with planning my own family meals too, as I DO serve my dinner from the night before to the daycare kids the next day. It took me for-cockadoody-ever to do it out, but it is well worth it. Grocery shopping has been easier the last two weeks, too.

[cfred]

I've begun doing menus now as well. So far, it's okay. I shop every 2 weeks and not making a tonne of money in this line of work, I follow specials. I do the menu for one week at a time so for the second week, as groceries are getting a bit low, I can meander through what we have left and top up where I need to. The kids all eat foods we'd eat in our own family (roast, chicken, mild curries, various pastas and sauces) rather than kiddie foods, so that helps too. There shouldn't be a problem with just listing 'fruit' or 'veg' rather than specifics. I've found some parents want to know in advance as they plan out their meals and don't want to double up....seems to happen more than I thought it would.

[happyheart]

I'm just starting my second week, so take me with a grain of salt LOL. I created a beautiful menu and posted it, and gave the Moms a copy. They were delighted. I think it was important because one of my babies is vegan, so his Mom was very thankful that I had developed a vegan meal plan. Since I am not vegan, this was an education on my part, but now that I have a few favourites, it's not hard. I'm not doing dinners (that would be way too much work!) and since fresh fruits and veggies are already a staple, adapting a few lunch ideas was easier than I thought. My other children actually loved the vegan mac and cheese and declared it very cheesy. My hubby didn't even complain!

That said, not sure how long I can keep up the actual menu in that much detail! I think I'll switch to putting "fruit" instead of apple slices. I planned grapes, then found they didn't look that good in the grocery store and switched to pears etc. I'll probably simplify my menu and just list the lunch entree specifically, and just write "fruit, veggies, crackers" etc. instead of being so detailed. A lesson learned Week One already....

I think thats amazing you make vegan meals for your client. If any of my clients have special dietary requirements they have to provide themselves!

[Momof4]

I agree. One of my contract policies states that any specialty food must be provided by the parents. However, I did have a little girl with a nut allergy and I read every label on every bread and cracker product, etc. to be safe for her but her parents provided the soy peanut butter for everyone instead of regular peanut butter. It wasn't bad at all since I cook almost everything from scratch. I have a little boy in care now with a lactose allergy and his parents bring his milk and cheese. It isn't in my budget for money or for my time to prepare specialty food.

[gcj]

I"m more with the wing-it ladies. As often as possible it's our night before's leftovers or whatever else I have in the fridge. I try to tell the parents a day ahead what we'll be eating tomorrow. If I'm having a SUPER organized week, they may even know 2 days ahead by their daily journals. On some days at 11:45 I throw on some rice and stir-fry a bunch of veggies....or anything else that easy that is healthy!
This is year is tougher now planning dinner, daycare lunch, hubbie's lunch and my 2 kids school lunches. Sometimes my dinner just doesn't stretch that far.