Food and drink sent with child..

I mind a lovely 2 yr old mindee, nice family etc but quite often the mindee arrives with a bottle of squash (watered down). First of all I know ofsted like us just to provide water to little ones which is what I like to do and do strictly with my own child. It creates tantrums from my child because he sees another child with squash and then understandably wants the same.
Also child often arrives eating a snack (very healthy one but still..)
It creates some issues I could do without but I just feel so uncomfortable broaching the subject with the parents because it's their child, their rules (I know I know but you know what I mean!!) kind of thing.
Has anyone had a similar issue and how dyou thin I should handle it?
Thank you x

I allow children to have squash at meal times although it's been years since any parent has asked for this. Because children bring their own food they are used to eating or drinking different things at lunch. A new child did bring squash recently but I would never give it to him because he was happy with water. I told mum but she still sent it every day.

Regarding snack. It doesn't happen often, but occasionally children arrive still eating breakfast
I hate it because then all the other children want food too.

Explain to mum the issues you are having and remember that you choose how to run your setting. You can choose to only serve water. If the child won't drink it then you would need to discuss with mum.

Thanks, what annoys me is that the kids happily drink water so why parents even bother to bring squash I don't know!

Don't worry about Ofsted. They want you to provide a mainly/generally healthy diet and can overlook the odd thing like juice or a pudding.

It's a tricky one because the parent will have no idea that they are causing conflict! Is it just your own child that it causes issues with - it usually is childminder's own child, lol. Only you can decide if you want to say something or drop heavy, polite hints. Maybe you could start by saying "You do know he happily drinks water here?" Do you take the juice off him as he arrives? I would be tempted to send it home still in the bottle.

I've never been in that position but a childminder friend used to have a child arriving with jam and toast and it would be all over their hands, face and coat. The parent would lift the child out of the buggy and the child would be touching everything with her jammy hands. The childminder didn't feel comfortable asking them not to do it but she did start greeting them at the door with a wet flannel and cleaning the baby up before mum could get her out of the pushchair. The parent never got the hint though.

Sometimes hints never seem to get through! If the parent is willing to listen just explain the situation if not do what you have to that fits in with your setting. I had a boy (6) who used to arrive with a big bag of sweets/crisps/chocs before we set off for school. He lived with his grandparents so they spoiled him, didn't do him any favours and he used to 'buy' his friendships with other children by giving them the above. I left it until he was really settled then spoke to nan about it and she said keep everything here for all the other kids. In that way she could still spoil him and I was the bad cop! It worked though and I usually had a carrier bag of stuff left at the end of the week so I didn't have to buy any for the next week - result!

Do you provide food?

I do and I tell parents that due to being classed as a food business I need to monitor all food and their allergens and therefore I don't allow children to bring their own at all.