help with mindee please

[samkeddy]

Hi all,
one mindee comes and from 1st thing complains "im hungry" but yet never eats any of her dinner, mum supplies food an we've worked together at swapping and changing the meals but always get the same "dont like it" "im tired" "not hungry" etc, but 5 mins later back to been hungry!!!! we have snacks at 10am and 2pm and she eats those.

Im afraid its driving me crazy!!

Health visitor told mum a yr ago to stop giving snacks allday so she would eat her dinner, but she has never snacked allday here! (although she often turns up at 7.30 with sweets and always leaves raiding her snack bag.

I beleive she probably still just snacks on whatever she wants at home, she is 3yrs and 2months and still has a baby bottle at home and goes in pushchair or gets carried places, she seems to always get her own way at home and spends alot of her time sulking at mine as cant have her own way! I think she's babied and given into too much and it shows in her development she's quite babyish, although the intelligience is there underneath!!

I'm sure many of you will have had children similar and am looking for any advice anyone can offer!!!!

Thanks
Sam x

[sarah707]

Some children prefer to graze rather than eat main meals.

You can go 2 ways - you can go with the child and give healthy food in small amounts regularly through the day or you can insist on main meal times.

Whatever you decide you must speak to parents first because at the end of the day she is their child.

Don't get upset about it though, many children can get funny when it comes to food - it's one of the few things in their little lives over which they have control.

Hth :D

[samkeddy]

Some children prefer to graze rather than eat main meals.

You can go 2 ways - you can go with the child and give healthy food in small amounts regularly through the day or you can insist on main meal times.

Whatever you decide you must speak to parents first because at the end of the day she is their child.

Don't get upset about it though, many children can get funny when it comes to food - it's one of the few things in their little lives over which they have control.

Hth :D

The grazing rather than eating full meals is whats playing on my mind, but feel stuck - as my 2 under 5's eat at meal and snack times and i dont really want them snacking allday, but i feel that if this child isnt snacking healthily during the day then surely im neglecting her as she isnt eating!!
Thats why i wanted her to eat her meals so much, mum wants her to eat her dinners too but doesnt seem concerned over snacking etc

[FussyElmo]

What is in her snack bag?

[samkeddy]

What is in her snack bag?

all sorts, healthy and not.
Normaly her sandwichs or spag, 3 yogs, a sausage roll, a bag of crisps, a bag of fruit flakes, 2 oranges, a banana, a small choc bar and a bag of mini bscuits of some kind!!!

she has breakfast and tea at home this is for 8am-3.30pm

[FussyElmo]

all sorts, healthy and not.
Normaly her sandwichs or spag, 3 yogs, a sausage roll, a bag of crisps, a bag of fruit flakes, 2 oranges, a banana, a small choc bar and a bag of mini bscuits of some kind!!!

she has breakfast and tea at home this is for 8am-3.30pm

If she is eating all that as snacks probably why she wont eat her main meal.

Why dont you try a board with pictures on so for example

9-10 free play
10-10.30 snack with a picture of toast for example
10.30 11.30 acticity
12-1 dinner

Then she knows what she is supposed to be doing /eating through the day it will work for all the children.

I would probably ask the mum to reduce the snacks is she sending as its alot for one 3 year :thumbsup:

[samkeddy]

If she is eating all that as snacks probably why she wont eat her main meal.

Why dont you try a board with pictures on so for example

9-10 free play
10-10.30 snack with a picture of toast for example
10.30 11.30 acticity
12-1 dinner

Then she knows what she is supposed to be doing /eating through the day it will work for all the children.

I would probably ask the mum to reduce the snacks is she sending as its alot for one 3 year :thumbsup:

I agree its alot and have mentioned to mum that she only really needs 2 snacks and her dinner, but if anything she just keeps sending more and more!!
She doesnt eat it here she knows that we only eat at snack times and she picks what she wants (although i sometimes take the unhealthy stuff out of choice as i cant offer the others the same) i send her home with the rest, but still wont eat meals :-(
I hate to think shes not getting enough grub shes so skinny:(
Plus its so difficult to tell my kids they need to eat their dinners when i know she wont be eating hers!!!

[sweets]

i don't believe in this constant snacking that children seem to do nowadays. thats prob why we have a generation of overweight children! I was brought up to not eat between meals and im sure its better.

I do give my mindees snacks because thats whats supposed to be the right thing to do nowadays, but they are small snacks like sharing a banana between 3 or a small plain biscuit, they then eat their dinner. We go to one toddler group where snack is provided, its usually toast or platefulls of fruit which my mindees tuck into but then wont eat their dinner when we get home.:(