Do you provide meals and how do you do this.....

[vix84]

Hi, I have been providing all meals for an extra £2 a day, and used to do the cooked meal in the evening, but soon got fed up of parents turning up as Id dished up, so switched to doing it at lunch time.
Im off on mat. leave till Sept. so decided I would only provide a cooked meal at lunch time, and parents would provide a packed lunch and snacks.
But now I may have a boy after school, but am now thinking Ill have to do a cooked meal in the evening again, but this is a real pain, as the child may a) have a packed lunch at lunch time, and b) he would have to take in a lunch box to school, and I dont think they go in fridges etc.


How do you all do your meals etc? I just hate doing the school run, rushing back to get tea ready for 4:30/5 and then I have to cook again an hour later for me and oh!

[yummymummy]

Been there done that got the t-shirt! I always asked that parents sent packed lunch for my daytime little ones and cooked tea for after schoolies and i'm so glad that I no longer do after school!
If it wasn't that one liked something and the other didn't, it was a rush to get one to dancing, tutor etc and either feed double quick before or no time after! I also found it awful if one stayed only a short amount of time and others longer so that some stayed for tea and some only had a snack. Sometimes the mum of my short stayer would meet me in the park for collection and although I had brought along a drink and snack for her child as usual I had packed picnic tea for the others as intended to stay after she'd gone. Well she never went! so it was awful giving the others tea when nothing for her child, made me seem just mean!
If you really don't want to do a cooked tea stick to your guns, the parents will find a way around it and sometimes it seems a lot of hassle for only one, it would be different if there were lots of them.:thumbsup:

[flora]

After school is a bit of a rush. I find being organised is the key. My two that stay for tea are picked up at 5.40/5.45 so Tea is at 5pm. I have 3/4hr to get it when we get back from the bus stop so not too bad.

I eat with the kids and so does Nige, seem to work ok for us.

Offer whta you can fit in with your routines etc etc and as said, stick to you guns.

Good luck!

[NikNak]

I know where you are coming from! I really hate after school time. Its the worst part of the day. I have to cook for sometimes one and occasionally two mindees plus my own two children. I have tried different approaches to the food issue. Firstly you have to make it very clear to parents what time dinner is served (I did this recently by the form of a newsletter) and request that if it is a day where the child is eating at yours then the parent needs to pick up at suggested time. I serve all mindees food at 5pm and tell parents it takes an average of half an hour to complete meal, Parents should understand this request after all they are getting a fed child(less stress for them!)and it is dissruptive for the children if parents are hanging around(and very annoying for you!).

I charge a set rate of 25p for breakfast, 75p for lunch and £1.50 for evening meal.

I find the best way is to cook large quantities of the childs particular favourites that can be bagged up and put in the freezer and taken out on a daily basis. You only have to put it in the microwave then.:idea: I buy those steam in the bag veg for convenience if you need to add a veg to a dinner. I cook things that are economical and easy such as various pasta bakes, fish pies, spag bol, cottage pie, etc. I get the recipees of childrens recipee ideas on the computer. I also get a load of the ready meals from the supermarket and freeze them for those days when you are really tired or stressed etc and dont tell anybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek: You can get some great bargains like buy three for the price of two! If the parent hasnt the time to feed their own child then they should be grateful that someone else is!

There Iv had my little rant and feel better now!!!!!:) Hope this helps.x

[vix84]

Hmm, seems Im not the only one who has parents turn up and hover around during tea time! Oh doesnt get in untill 5, and its a bit early for us to eat, or sometimes I have a cooked lunch with mindees and oh has to fend for himself!

Im also thinking ahead to when my baby will be weaning, Id rather give him a cooked meal lunch time when there is more time and finger food for tea. I think I will just have to tell the after school mindee that I unfortunatly wont provide a cooked meal, he either has sandwiches and pudding that I can provide for an extra £1.50 a day, or brings in a packed lunch. So hell have to have a cooked lunch or a cooked dinner when he gets home with a sarnie to keep him going.
If I loose out on an after schooler then so be it I afraid!

[caza]

So does everyone provide a cooked meal for their mindee during the day? Also does everyone provide an evening meal before the children go home? If for example your working day finishes at 5 o clock that seems too early for the children have tea.

Sorry to barge in on this post just this is something I have been thinking about. Whether all parents expect their child to have a cooked meal or if they are satisfied with breakfast, cold dinner and snack during the day? Oh and finally does everyone charge extra for their meals or is it all included?

Sorry think I should have started another thread instead of invading this one :blush:

Caroline

[angeldelight]

I provide breakfast , lunch and tea

I charge £1 extra for each meal

It can be difficult though and I dont get much time in the evenings

If it is after school children a lot of parents dont mind if they only have a cold tea - sandwiches etc because they get a cooked lunch at school

For those that are with me the whole day I tend to cook a hot meal for lunch because its easier

Angel xx

[mrsb]

I never thought of charging extra for meals:eek: :blush: :blush: :blush:

When I had 2 girls full time I would provide breakfast, cold lunch and cooked tea. Now I only have 1 all day and others after school, the all day one is sent with a packed lunch and the others just have a snack after school. I am changing my hours though in september and the mum actually offered to bring food for a cooked meal on one of the days what will just be a put in the oven or re-heat job which is fine by me :)

[Mollymop]

I charge £1.10 for lunch, which consists of something cold, similar to what you may find in a lunch box or salad, etc. I never cook hot food at lunch time as I think the children will have a cooked meal when they get home.
I do cooked dinners at tea time but only after 6:15pm at £1.50.

[Pauline]

All my fees include meals, if they don't have a meal with us then the fees are no cheaper, it is their choice.

I provide whatever they need when they are here because I find it suits me best than having parents bring packed lunches.

I do breakfast, hot meal and noon and sandwich tea. If a child was at school I would recommend that the parent let them stay school dinners, I wouldn't offer to provide a hot meal in the evening as that would mess up the routine for the other children and it is difficult, like has been said, to provide some with one meal and some with another, then go on to make another hot meal for us later.

When caring for a lot of children you really have to do what suits you best, you can't always pleased everyone - so please yourself ;)

[jaja]

I provide tea but i charge for it, but its a pain in the bum!!!!! child a is a funny child and his parent is even fussier, she decided on meals and then complains when she turns up early and hes not ready to leave.

ummm i am going to provide cold meals soon.xxxx

[breezy]

I'm very lucky the two sets of parents whose kids I have after school both collect between 5.30 and 6 and both ask me not to feed the kids as they enjoy having the family together round the table for an evening meal !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:clapping:

[sarah707]

I provide tea and I ask parents not to come when their child is eating as it disrupts the whole table.

Some days I can have 8 or 9 of us eating including me and I do not feel it is fair to have a parent knocking on the door when we are all sat talking etc.

I have one parent who ignores my wishes, the rest all understand.

I do not charge extra for meals :D

[fionamal]

I provide snacks, breakfast and a hot lunch in my fees.

If the child is going to be here until 6pm then they will also get a dinner.

I try where possible to not do dinners as it causes no end of problems with my 2 kids and then having to cook when hubby gets in.

At moment all my kids are away by 5pm so its great as we can sit down for a family meal at 5.30/6pm

[Lincsminder]

I don't charge extra for meals it's included in the fee. Those here at lunch have a cold meal eg sandwiches and then we sit down together with the after school children for a cooked meal at 4.45- 5pm and mindies go home at 5.30 - 6. In the colder months we have a lot of stews pies etc then in the summer it is mainly salads, jackets or quiches.

[vix84]

Origionally I said I would supply one cooked meal and a snack within the fee's, and if they wanted me to provide the cold meal and snack and creakfast, it would be an extra £2 a day, as it stands I provide all meals for mindee's.
I am available till 6, and one mindee goes between 5 and 6, and the other anytime between 4 and 6, so as a rule now I offer tea (cold tea) at 4:30, so normally both have eaten before they go, then if they are hungry later at home they will pick at a meal with parents, or have toast etc.
I prefer to offer a meal to all at 4:30 then I know atleast they have had something.

I always felt that it would be too late to expect children to wait untill they have got home to eat a meal, especially if they dont get picked up till 5:30/6.


I am offering as of September:
The cooked lunch time meal within fee's, and parents are to provide snacks and a packed tea, after-schoolers can either bring their own packed lunch, or I can provide a sandwich etc. for £1.00 extra - does that seem reasonbable to you all? Was thinking of £1.50, but seems a bit much for a sarnie and fruit/yoghurt

[caza]

Another daft question I'm afraid :rolleyes: Sorry they just keep popping into my head :o Does everyone do their childminding food shopping separate from their own weekly/monthly food shop? Is it easier to do the 3 separately? I presume you can claim for the food that you provide to mindees at the end of year?

Caroline

[vix84]

I do it all together weekly, as we all normally share the food, quite often I eat with the children what they are having. I keep the reciepts, then if for instance I buy bananas, and the children use half, I work out half the cost of the bananas and put that down in the expenses.

It is a pain going through reciepts thinking roughly how much the children use etc. but you soon get quick at it!

They arent daft questions, I didnt have a clue when I started!

Dont forget to include cleaning products, toilet roll etc.

[sarah707]

Another daft question I'm afraid :rolleyes: Sorry they just keep popping into my head :o Does everyone do their childminding food shopping separate from their own weekly/monthly food shop? Is it easier to do the 3 separately? I presume you can claim for the food that you provide to mindees at the end of year?

Caroline

At my last course the advice was to work it out for a month with receipts then use that figure for an average for the rest of the year, adjusting it obviously for big eaters or if prices go up hugely like they are now :D

[Heaven Scent]

All meals are included in my fees except for 1 meal for 1 child on a Wednesday and that is because the mum griped so much that she had to pay to hold the place open for the child while she went to Play group all day wednesday and insisted that she would be here by 4.30 every day to collect. I was pre warned by other childminders in the area who all said she comes late most days and she has never been to my house much before 5.00.

As I serve tea at 4.30 I give the child a tea and charge the mum £2.00 extra for that tea - only so much because some weeks its a cooked dinner and to try to put her off bargaining with me again in Sept when according to the playgroup mum has plans of sending her there 5 full days.

I do breakfast till 8.30 for arrivals 7.30-8.00 - its usually weetabix or porridge and yoghurt and fruit juice and a hot chocolate in winter they can have toast too if they wish but as the two who mainly have it are little they usually have the cereal and fruit juice which I dilute a little and give warm in winter,

Cooked dinner for lunch everyday except wednesday because it suits me better to do it in the evening then but its usually a very quick meal or something from the freezer this is usually followed by a pudding and or fruit and yoghurt and served with water.

Then in the evening they have sandwiches or pizza or soup or salad etc with a pudding and or fruit plus milk or water.

They also have a choice of milk or water with their morning or afternoon snack which is fruit for 1 and then bread sticks or veg sticks and dips or crackers or something small and light.

There is also water freely available throughout the day but they don't often have much of that as we are usually out and about but they can help themselves to it if they wish.

I hope this has been of some help.

[son77]

I have just stopped providing a cooked dinner & now only provide breakfast & a cold lunch.

I finish work (or am meant to) at 5.30pm so not too late to eat with their parents at home.

Tea time was just to much hassle.

[SimplyLucy]

I must be really mean as I don't provide any meals at all!

My 6.30am starters, bring boxes of cereal to keep in my cupboard, I provide the milk and fruit if they want that after.

I ask all mindees to bring packed lunches.

My 18 month mindee has his tea at 4.30 so mum provides his tea, normally pasta, cottage pie etc to reheat, sometimes a tin of sausages and beans.

I have 4 children of my own aged between 4 and 9 so doing extra meals would be a nightmare! They don't have their tea till 6 so I can eat with them.

I do provide all snacks with no extra charge.

All my mindees parents seem happy with my arrangements. I may reconsider as my own children get older I guess.

[devoncm]

I do provide meals and only charge extra for cooked tea, as i only have one mindee after school at moment this isnt too much a problem, and as ive got 3 of my own children sometimes 4 its easier to cook something straight after school as mindee comes by school bus around 4 i usually have enough time to get something together for 4.30 sometimes he eats really quick others extremly slow so i like to give enough time to finish as he gets picked up between 5.30 and 6 so the extra time after he gets to play-usually dancing to cbeebies tv, me and oh usually eat later but that depends on his shifts

[Noodles]

At the moment i dont have any mindees who stay late enough for tea as i am finished by 5 but i do not offer a cooked tea as a rule. A cold lunch is provided at no extra cost. If parents want any different they provide it :)