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csherr80
23-05-2013, 02:52 PM
Hi

I am in the process of regsitering as a childminder and would like a little advice on what to offer children at lunchtime. I plan to include meals in my hourly rate.

I was going to offer children a cooked lunch including things like jacket potatoes and soup etc. however my own children very often want sandwiches at lunch time and I am not going down the route of making 2 different things!

I wanted to offer a hot lunch so that children get a main meal during the day or would sandwiches, jacket potatoes, beans on toast etc be ok

Any ideas?

smurfette
23-05-2013, 03:33 PM
Think you will get a variety of answers on this one, it really depends on what you want to do yourself. The problem with cooked meals
For lunch unless you are going to cook in advance and reheat or can leave in a slow cooker is that it then restricts what you can do in the mornings .. For me I have a school run to do just before 2 pm, and therefore the small ones need to be fed lunch around 1145, and in bed by 12/1215... If we go to a toddler group in the morning it's a bit of a rush so I don't offer a cooked lunch (told parents we do our dinner in the evening and not cooking twice! Never had a problem though parents are welcome to send a hot lunch to reheat) I offer things like pasta with tomato sauce and cheese, fishfingers, scrambled egg, beans, sandwiches etc

Occasionally I give them roast dinner or lasagna if there are portions left from our dinner, I either reheat next day or pop in freezer.. Most toddlers need to eat little and often so this with a snack in the afternoon does the Job for mine!

moggy
23-05-2013, 04:41 PM
It is cold lunch (12 noon) and hot evening meal (5pm) here.

Lunch- sandwiches usually or crumpets, wraps etc, sometimes scrambled egg, cheese on toast etc.

Evening meal- home cooked family meal with me, DH and our children too. Mostly pre-prepared during nap times and cooked at 4.30pm when one little one has gone home and others playing.

You do what suits you and your family. You can not keep everyone happy, if one family say they want a hot lunch and another family say they want a hot evening meal you will be cooking all day. You decide what you are offering and stick to it.

Nicola Carlyle
23-05-2013, 04:46 PM
It is cold lunch (12 noon) and hot evening meal (5pm) here.

Lunch- sandwiches usually or crumpets, wraps etc, sometimes scrambled egg, cheese on toast etc.

Evening meal- home cooked family meal with me, DH and our children too. Mostly pre-prepared during nap times and cooked at 4.30pm when one little one has gone home and others playing.

You do what suits you and your family. You can not keep everyone happy, if one family say they want a hot lunch and another family say they want a hot evening meal you will be cooking all day. You decide what you are offering and stick to it.

This is what we do as well! x

csherr80
23-05-2013, 05:12 PM
Thats great thank you. I think I will stick to sandwiches and quick lunches at 12pm depending on what we are doing and then a hot meal at tea time if they are staying in the evening. I plan to make some frozen meals that can be reheated/cooked from frozen such as spaghetti bolognese if I am short on time. That is pretty much what I do now anyway and I am keen not to spend all my time organising meals! :)

rosebud
23-05-2013, 07:06 PM
Hot meal at lunch time here unless we are picnicing (which is a lot in summer). snack / light tea at 4 - 4.30pm and our family meal at 6.30pm - but they've all gone home by then! I often save portions of the evening family meal and reheat or I bulk batch & freeze meals and just cook them as needed - things like fish pie, shepherds pie, etc freeze well.

I agree with others though do what works for you, some childminders don't offer any hot meals at all and still get work.

Daisy De
23-05-2013, 07:45 PM
Just wanted to say after reading Rosebud's reply, I am one of those childminders who don't offer meals.

After 20 years minding not offering food I can honestly say its never been an issue, I'm full and have had no one querying my decision not to provide food or going elsewhere because of it, parents have been more than happy to provide food.

I also have 2 big dogs and 2 cats another potential no no in the childminding world but again in my experience there are lots of parents out there who want their children to grow up around animals.

What I'm trying to say is what ever your setting offers there are parents out there just made for you. :D

SJ35
23-05-2013, 08:04 PM
I don't provide food either and it's never been a problem with parents.
I have too much to do without stressing about home cooked meals each day.
X x