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View Full Version : Snacks and choices - please advise!



Cazz
27-02-2011, 10:55 PM
Please could you tell me what you offer the children for snacks - is it always fruit? And do you always offer more than one choice?

The majority of the time I have my own 3 year old dd, a 2 year old mindee and a 1 year old mindee. Up until now I've been chosing a fruit for snack (normally just one) and sitting them at the table and giving them some each on a plate but I think I may be doing wrong because I went to a RAG information meeting and the binder says that to get a green rating "A variety of healthy choices are offered at all meal and snack times".

Does this mean that I should be getting several different things out and letting them choose themselves what they have? This could either produce lots of waste or they will just stuff themselves silly!

And how do you do this at meal times? I cook the same main meal for everyone but I swap peas for baked beans or sweetcorn etc depending on the children's likes and dislikes - I think it's pointless giving someone peas if you know they're not going to touch them! I offer a different dessert each day or yogurt or fresh fruit (they can have fresh fruit as well as dessert or yogurt if they want). I ask them which they would like - should I be putting all the choices on the table?

Also, I have a 5 year old after school child - he is really reluctant to eat fruit. Mum said that he wouldn't eat fruit after school and could I give him a biscuit as he's always starving by then. Is this okay? He doesn't come out of school until 3.30pm so he has his snack at 3.45pm as soon as we get in. I only let him have one biscuit as we have tea around 4.30pm. The younger children have their afternoon snack about 2.45pm before we go and collect him - even they say they don't want fruit again sometimes!

Any advice and hints gratefully received!

Heaven Scent
27-02-2011, 11:30 PM
We are only cooking for small numbers in a restricted space of time so its unreasonable to expect us to offer them a huge variety - I cook the same stuff for all children unless I know they are allergic or really do not like something and i get that information from the parents - I've not really had little ones refuse to eat anything I've offered them- I don't usually give a big choice and no I don't always provide fruit - sometimes snack might be toast or crackers with cheese spread or some cherry tomatoes chopped up - I do let older ones make their own orange juice - you could always chop up a banana and mix with mini orange segments etc!!

Heaven Scent
27-02-2011, 11:33 PM
We are only cooking for small numbers in a restricted space of time so its unreasonable to expect us to offer them a huge variety - I cook the same stuff for all children unless I know they are allergic or really do not like something and i get that information from the parents - I've not really had little ones refuse to eat anything I've offered them- I don't usually give a big choice and no I don't always provide fruit - sometimes snack might be toast or crackers with cheese spread or some cherry tomatoes chopped up - I do let older ones make their own orange juice - you could always chop up a banana and mix with mini orange segments etc!! oh and offer just milk or water and offer diluted Pure fruit juice with one main meal that way you are offering a good variety - bread sticks and hummas is good too for a snack

mushpea
28-02-2011, 06:59 AM
when i cooked the meals they all go the same, no choices although i did allow them to take part in choosing meals for the week so I new i had meals they liked and they where healthy choices too

as for snack time i put the fruit bowl on the table and they choose what they would like when they have all choosen I take the fruit bowl away,,, after school again its the fruit bowl then when they have eaten their fruit they can have a biscuit or a 2nd peice of fruit.
with the 5yrold I would offer him the same and if he didnt eat fruit then there would be no biscuit,,, dont see why he should be treated any differently to anyone else unless of course he has an allergy . my son wont eat fruit after school so he makes himself a banana smoothie instead, drinks this then has a biscuit, i am happy to offer the other children this if they ask as its still a peice of fruit .

lauren1979
28-02-2011, 07:03 AM
Mine are all little...my own 2, 3 and 2, plus mindees of 1 and 9 months, I give them all the same snack, but will cut up the fruit etc so they sort of have a choice, as in they can leave what they don't want!

A lot of time they have breadsticks with houmous...so the choice is dipping or not!

The Juggler
28-02-2011, 07:33 AM
i don't offer high carb snacks as most of mine eat like birds and so would never eat lunch if their mid-morn snack involved toast etc. I do offer crumpets/toast after school though as it's longer to tea time.
:thumbsup:

onceinabluemoon
28-02-2011, 07:40 AM
We usually have 2 different types of fruit/veg to choose from, but I also offer mini cheddars and cheese, or breadsticks and dips sometimes. It's not always fruit.

As for mealtimes they all get the same but I try to make things they all like. We also have 'trial times' when we make something together and then try it. If they dont like it there is something else on offer.

WRT the non fruit eater, how about carrot sticks or cucumber sticks, or dried banana, fruit flakes etc? I wouldn't offer a biscuit before tea but thats just my personal choice

miffy
28-02-2011, 07:42 AM
I offer the children a choice of fruit so either ask them what fruit they want or chop up say apple and banana and let them take pieces off a big plate. The same with toast or fruitbread.

I know what the children like so don't tend to get much waste.

I don't offer a choice of main meals that wouldn't be practical but I do make sure there's at least 1 vegetable on everyone's plate that they like.

Don't worry too much - I'm sure what you're doing is fine

Miffy xx

jumpinjen
28-02-2011, 07:58 AM
You could choose two or three fruits that are different and give each child a portion of each, then there is 'choice' on the plate. I also offer cheese cubes, crackers with cream cheese on, brown toast, carrot sticks, pepper rounds, small pieces of raw cauliflower etc as a mix up with fruit. I encourage all the children to try one piece of everything, to broaden their tastes. If we have baked then we have that at snack time instead. I have older toddlers and three/four year olds though so they need a more energy dense snack to get through the day!

Jen x

Noomie
28-02-2011, 10:18 PM
It's tough when you have to budget and plan meals so that you have the right things in on the right days.

Snacks: Rice cakes (with honey on) and raisins, biscuits and milk, bread sticks and dip (cheese spread / salsa), pita bread with dip, pineapple and cheese kebabs, multigrain hoops and dried fruit, cheese, tomato and crackers. hot chocolate.

I usually rotate these things. The kids can ask specifically for these things but once they run out, they have to choose another thing.

But putting a 'range' out... Too hard, too wasteful. I do ask what sort of things that they would like to have the next week though. So they have input into next week's menu (especially the dinners they have).

Also during the day, they can decide what they want to have on their sandwiches, wraps or pitas (what ever is on offer that day). Some days I do a packed lunch before hand if we are going out so choice is based on what I know they like.

So many fussy kids!!!

Mookins
28-02-2011, 10:24 PM
i only offer snacks as dont do meals so the snacks i give are usually chopped apple, orange segaments, rasins and a cracker (dry)
they all have a little of each in their own bowls and they eat whatever of that they want

all these i can eat if they dont so no waste:) and healthy nibbling for me:laughing:

xx

babs
28-02-2011, 10:31 PM
lunch time i give them a choice of what they want .. ie sandwich filling tell them whats on offer let them choose then offer veg sticks again they choose yoguct or fruit afterwards. choice of milk ,water,fruit juice. ages 3 1/2 and 4.

snack time with younger ones: i cut up grapes, strawberries , banana,apple,pear,pineapple,blueberries cucumber,carrots,cheese chunks.etc dont give them all this pick 2 maybe 3 each day and share it out. also they have crumpets, pancakes, scones,toast. tbh one lo eats anything and i never get full rd of toast to myself always have to share even if he has his own lol...

sophiestars
28-02-2011, 11:41 PM
For snacks I have made a 'snack choosing board' which is a cheap white board from Tesco with 8 laminated photos of the various snacks that I offer, velcro'd onto it, so they can be rotated according to what I've got in that day! I took the photos of the various snacks over a few weeks (for fruits I show them chopped and whole on the same plate in the photo) and printed them with the words underneath. So I have photos of all the fruits I offer, plus rice cakes, malt loaf, breadsticks, etc etc.
Out of the 8 photos I stick on, each child chooses one and then all the children get to have a bit of everything. Which also means they they get to try something they may not have chosen themself.
My ofsted inspector loved it and said it was the best snack time she had seen for ages (luckily that day I had a 3 year old who had chosen strawberries so the children could then help with chopping - extra brownie points!) There is also very little wastage, if any.

magicminding
01-03-2011, 10:41 PM
oooohhh I like this idea - will pinch this, but laminate a sheet of card, and use velcro, thank you.

snacks I offer
malt loaf
crudites (raw veg)
cheese and crackers
bread sticks
poppadoms with cucumber
crumpets
rice cakes
every now and then we have prawn crackers as a treat
sometimes we like crabsticks, prawns and slices of ham in mini rolls (ie ham rolled, and sliced in 4)
oat cakes
In the summer ice pops
after school I am more than happy to offer a biscuit, I think that we've been active all day (especially the schoolies), and one little biscuit is not going to hurt them