I'm all for healthy eating, but..........

[happydays1]

Of course we have treats and sweets or chocolate.

I bake cakes and various stuff for the children for after school. Sometimes we go to the shop and buy something "treaty" on the way home. Sometimes we have parties for no other reason than we want to!

I can't be doing with food police - gets on my nerves! I teach the children about healthy eating, everything in moderation and plenty of exercise and water.

There are no bad foods - just bad diets, bad eating habits and bad advice.

My own boys are fit and healthy, exercise well, eat well, sleep well. They have treats when they want them and, god forbid sometimes they have fizzy drinks too

Life is for living not for counting every calorie or morsel that your child puts into its mouth.

Im sorry but had to quote this. Very well said excellent couldnt have put better myself.
Children should be taught about choices and how to make healthy ones. Its not all about telling them what they cant have.
(This is my opinion, all entitled to our own)

[AliceK]

Of course we have treats and sweets or chocolate.

I bake cakes and various stuff for the children for after school. Sometimes we go to the shop and buy something "treaty" on the way home. Sometimes we have parties for no other reason than we want to!

I can't be doing with food police - gets on my nerves! I teach the children about healthy eating, everything in moderation and plenty of exercise and water.

There are no bad foods - just bad diets, bad eating habits and bad advice.

My own boys are fit and healthy, exercise well, eat well, sleep well. They have treats when they want them and, god forbid sometimes they have fizzy drinks too

Life is for living not for counting every calorie or morsel that your child puts into its mouth.

Here here . I agree totally. When I was inspected Ofsted could see a placemat I had made with a mindee showing different food groups for different meals and included was treats. She loved the fact that I was talking to the children about healthy eating, making healthy choices but ALSO having treats.
Everything in moderation in this house. I do have 1 mindee who isn't allowed anything chocolate, biscuits, crisps etc and I respect the parents wishes but on the eatwell plate doesn't it show a small portion listed as foods high in fat or sugar. Don't children need a certain amount of sugar/fat to keep them going? (or is that just my excuse )

xxxxxx

[snufflepuff]

I also agree with everything in moderation. We do quite a bit of baking so the mindees get cakes, biscuits, jam tarts etc. If they have crisps is the organix range. They always get a sweetie when we visit my Grandparents! Of course if the parents said they are not to have sweets/ choc etc i'd respect that.

I was very careful about what I gave my son when he was still a baby, he ate very well apart from the odd choccie button, and ate every bit of fruit and veg offered to him! But then he got very ill around his first birthday and he stopped eating, now over a year later he still hardly eats. So if I can get him to eat a few crisps or some oven chips or something else equally 'bad' it's a bonus and, in my eyes, better than him eating nothing at all.

[AliceK]

I also agree with everything in moderation. We do quite a bit of baking so the mindees get cakes, biscuits, jam tarts etc. If they have crisps is the organix range. They always get a sweetie when we visit my Grandparents! Of course if the parents said they are not to have sweets/ choc etc i'd respect that.

I was very careful about what I gave my son when he was still a baby, he ate very well apart from the odd choccie button, and ate every bit of fruit and veg offered to him! But then he got very ill around his first birthday and he stopped eating, now over a year later he still hardly eats. So if I can get him to eat a few crisps or some oven chips or something else equally 'bad' it's a bonus and, in my eyes, better than him eating nothing at all.

This is a genuine question. Why does everyone think oven chips are bad? I genuienly (sp?) don't get it. I guess if a child was having any kind of chips every day then that wouldn't be great but otherwise surely oven chips aren't bad.
My DD refused to eat any proper meal after her operation and all she would eat was chips at meal times. (she was only 13mths old) I spoke to her clinical psychologist as I was at my wits end and I was advised to chill out, keep offering her what everyone else was eating but to give her chips on her plate and not to worry. When I gave the psychologist a list of all the other foods she would eat in a day her response was "I know of children with a far worse diet than that". My DD has only just started to eat normally again 4mths ago after 2 years of living on virtually nothing for her main meals. She will now eat most meals.

xxxx

[snufflepuff]

This is a genuine question. Why does everyone think oven chips are bad? I genuienly (sp?) don't get it. I guess if a child was having any kind of chips every day then that wouldn't be great but otherwise surely oven chips aren't bad.
My DD refused to eat any proper meal after her operation and all she would eat was chips at meal times. (she was only 13mths old) I spoke to her clinical psychologist as I was at my wits end and I was advised to chill out, keep offering her what everyone else was eating but to give her chips on her plate and not to worry. When I gave the psychologist a list of all the other foods she would eat in a day her response was "I know of children with a far worse diet than that". My DD has only just started to eat normally again 4mths ago after 2 years of living on virtually nothing for her main meals. She will now eat most meals.

I don't think chips are bad, but then I also don't think chocolate is bad. Many people do though on both counts. I think theres a bit of a stigma with chips, perhaps from back in the day when they were always deep fried and covered in salt and vinegar?! But oven chips are just potato, nothing wrong with that!

It's good to know your DD is now eating well, gives me hope that one day my son might eat a 'normal' diet again!

[AliceK]

I don't think chips are bad, but then I also don't think chocolate is bad. Many people do though on both counts. I think theres a bit of a stigma with chips, perhaps from back in the day when they were always deep fried and covered in salt and vinegar?! But oven chips are just potato, nothing wrong with that!

It's good to know your DD is now eating well, gives me hope that one day my son might eat a 'normal' diet again!

Agree with it probably being a stigma about deep fried chips.
Try not to worry too much about your DS, easier said than done I know but believe me getting stressed about it and trying to make him eat won't work and may make things worse. As soon as I had an expert telling me not to worry I calmed right down and just accepted that that's the way DD was for the time being. Keep calm, give him what he will eat along with trying other things as well. He WILL get there in his own good time .
Good Luck xxxxxx

[snufflepuff]

Agree with it probably being a stigma about deep fried chips.
Try not to worry too much about your DS, easier said than done I know but believe me getting stressed about it and trying to make him eat won't work and may make things worse. As soon as I had an expert telling me not to worry I calmed right down and just accepted that that's the way DD was for the time being. Keep calm, give him what he will eat along with trying other things as well. He WILL get there in his own good time .
Good Luck xxxxxx

Thank you. I know I don't help myself as I get so stressed out over it- I try not to let him see that though, I just praise him lots when he does eat something. It's a viscious circle really, he doesn't eat well so he's always getting ill, and every time he's ill he eats even less!

[keatingschick]

Children should be taught about choices and how to make healthy ones. Its not all about telling them what they cant have.
(This is my opinion, all entitled to our own)

Sadly I have to, my 12 year old is type 1 insulin dependant diabetic. Diagnosed 3 years ago and so has known a life PRE "you can't have chocolate" so sometimes its a real battle.

Like I said I dont personally like sweet things or chocolate and so dont consider them a treat but she does, and if there was chocolate in the house she WOULD want to eat it no questions asked, I suppose its a case of something you can't have being more appealing, so I generally just dont buy them.
Recently I bought plain-ish biscuits because we were going to a childminding party, but it was cancelled and so they've been here, and she has been coming home from school every night and wanting them as a snack, and we've just been back to the diabetic clinic today and it became apparent that its had an effect on her. So the biscuits are going out of the window!!

She is allowed stuff IN MODERATION, but it tends to bring about huge "discussions" (remember she is nearly 13 and hormones are in full swing) as to WHY she is diabetic, who is to blame and why can all her friends have lunchboxes bulging with chocolate and she cant.

So...for me its a case of having to declare a no sweet/no chocolate area.

I'll be honest at times it has niggled me that parents will walk in with sweets for the child, knowing full well my own daughter can't have them, at the end of the day it is a medical reason, and if she had say a peanut allergy and I was asking them not to bring nuts into the house, that would be acceptable.

[Aimi-jo]

Of course we have treats and sweets or chocolate.

I bake cakes and various stuff for the children for after school. Sometimes we go to the shop and buy something "treaty" on the way home. Sometimes we have parties for no other reason than we want to!

I can't be doing with food police - gets on my nerves! I teach the children about healthy eating, everything in moderation and plenty of exercise and water.

There are no bad foods - just bad diets, bad eating habits and bad advice.
My own boys are fit and healthy, exercise well, eat well, sleep well. They have treats when they want them and, god forbid sometimes they have fizzy drinks too

Life is for living not for counting every calorie or morsel that your child puts into its mouth.

Well said!!
The only thing i dont do and will never do is fizzy drinks!! My mum gave my son cola when he was 2/3 I was furious, the poor boy had to go through fizzy drink rehab
I think at some point in there lives they are gonna come into contact with all of the above and if you never have these things! how can you teach them right from wrong.Everything in moderation!!

[sweets]

Are we self employed business people or do we work for ofsted?

yes quite rightly we have to be registered with them but do they have the right to dictate nearly everything we do?

As i have said in a previous post i have written permission from parents to give calpol if i think its neccesary, but i will always try and get hold of them first. thats good enough for me. Ofsted saying we can't do this is taking the choice away from parents which in my opinion is wrong, they are not ofsteds children.

i work in partnership with PARENTS not ofsted.

[Cazz]

Thank you. I know I don't help myself as I get so stressed out over it- I try not to let him see that though, I just praise him lots when he does eat something. It's a viscious circle really, he doesn't eat well so he's always getting ill, and every time he's ill he eats even less!

I know how you feel. My 3 year old dd doesn't eat much either (never has) - I've become aware how much less she eats compared to other children a similar or younger age since I've been childminding. I'm of the same opinion - it's better for a child who doesn't eat much to be eating something rather than nothing.

At her 2 and a half year health visitor check she was exactly on the average line for her weight so it seems that she just doesn't need as much food as other children.

She won't eat any fresh fruit and very few vegetables despite loving just about all of them when she was weaned. She got a nasty tummy bug when she was about 15 months old and her eating preferences were never the same again. She has smoothie drinks and fruit tubes so she's getting her fruit intake.

As I previously said, I give my minded children a few wotsits or similar at lunch-time - my dd knows if she eats her sandwich she is allowed a few of these and it would be unfair to give them to her and not the mindees. I have spoken to all the parents and they're fine with this. I give the mindees lots of fruit during the day and always offer to my dd in the hope she may decide to copy them one day.

She's not a huge fan of chocolate or sweets but does have them occasionally as a treat at the weekend. I tend not to give these to the mindees though apart from a special occasion. We do have a biscuit sometimes though.

I agree that we shouldn't be dictated by Ofsted as to what we feed the children. Most childminders are sensible and know about balanced diets - we have no control over what the parents give them at home as they don't have to answer to anyone!

[claireLouise]

We have sweets and chocolate at special celebration e.g birthdays, Christmas and Easter but only with prior consent from parents. I have a permission slip for baking and eating products at snacktime - always extra to sent home so parents are more than happy!

[keatingschick]

Are we self employed business people or do we work for ofsted?

yes quite rightly we have to be registered with them but do they have the right to dictate nearly everything we do?

As i have said in a previous post i have written permission from parents to give calpol if i think its neccesary, but i will always try and get hold of them first. thats good enough for me. Ofsted saying we can't do this is taking the choice away from parents which in my opinion is wrong, they are not ofsteds children.

i work in partnership with PARENTS not ofsted.

Do you know something yer exactly right Sweets. And to be honest I think thats why I dont feel THAT BOTHERED even though I have the dreaded visit next week.

At the end of the day I think that the 2 children I am now minding - well I've one leaving, but the 2 I will be left with are very likely going to be the last 2 I ever mind.

One is the child of my best friend and one I have looked after his older brother and sister.

At the end of the day, clearly both parents are happy with the way I work and happy with the care their children receive. Neither of then would know the EYFS if it ran up and slapped them daft (even though one of them is ACTUALLY a nursery nurse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! )

All that they care about is their children are happy and safe and that I am pretty much working in a similar way to how they do.

So, why should I give myself a week of sleepless nights and tie myself in knots over someone coming to my house.

It IS horrible we all know that, and the thing I used to think was its because our job is sort of "parenting" and I suppose if they judged us I felt it was our PARENTING SKILLS we were being judged on....and maybe since my 2 are 13 and 15 and pretty amazing kids, then I've decided that I'm not going to let some official come in and make me feel inadequate.

So yeah I agree Sweets......


Saying that towards the end of the week I'll be a bit of a wreck

[sweets]

Are we self employed business people or do we work for ofsted?

yes quite rightly we have to be registered with them but do they have the right to dictate nearly everything we do?

As i have said in a previous post i have written permission from parents to give calpol if i think its neccesary, but i will always try and get hold of them first. thats good enough for me. Ofsted saying we can't do this is taking the choice away from parents which in my opinion is wrong, they are not ofsteds children.

i work in partnership with PARENTS not ofsted.

i have written this post in the wrong thread! lol. it was supposed to be in the calpol thread!

[Ali56]

Of course we have treats and sweets or chocolate.

I bake cakes and various stuff for the children for after school. Sometimes we go to the shop and buy something "treaty" on the way home. Sometimes we have parties for no other reason than we want to!

I can't be doing with food police - gets on my nerves! I teach the children about healthy eating, everything in moderation and plenty of exercise and water.

There are no bad foods - just bad diets, bad eating habits and bad advice.

My own boys are fit and healthy, exercise well, eat well, sleep well. They have treats when they want them and, god forbid sometimes they have fizzy drinks too

Life is for living not for counting every calorie or morsel that your child puts into its mouth.

Hear Hear!!
I can't be doing with the food police either! 2 of my own children have issues with artificial additives and I really hate sacharin and asparatime, I don't have them in the house at all, that said though, I don't think theres anything wrong with a bit of choccy, cake or ice cream here and there! We very rarely have sweets. And they all love to bake (which is very educational of course! ) The children eat loads of healthy stuff and are all very active and busy. So long as parents don't mind then its fine with me!

[nicoleon]

i agree with everything in moderation but saying that, i dont give any chocolate or crisps etc. i find that the younger ones want to eat whatever the older ones eat and i would never give a young toddler salty or sugary foods. i let my schoolies have two biscuits each after they had some fruit and veg sticks but i've got one toddler who isn't allowed anything with any sugar or salt in and on the days that mindee is here, schoolies know to wait. as soon as mindee's dad turns up they come to me and ask for their biscuit...