3years olds serving there own hot food?

**TRACEY1969** · 18-10-2011, 01:12 PM

A parent has just rung me to ask if 3 year olds are allowed to serve there own hot food. She has just had a phone call off another parent who she knows and they have reservations about this and rung me to ask me as i have her mindee after nursery. I told her to ring the nursery and ask for some details as i can't see them letting mindees into a kitchen to help themselves and to find out the full facts before taking action as they were planning to ring Ofsted. What age do you let mindees serve there own hot food up on a plate themselves?

**mama2three** · 18-10-2011, 01:15 PM

depends on the meal but some of my main meals I do a big bowl of veg that the children help to serve onto their own plates ( a bit like in some restaraunts , main meal on the plate and pots / veg in dishes) . My 2-3 year olds can do it with a little help. maybe this is whats happening at nursery?

**Mouse** · 18-10-2011, 01:17 PM

I think they need to find out the full details first. I can't imagine 3yr olds are in a kitchen taking food out of an oven and serving themseves, but I think it would be prefectly OK if the food was in serving trays & they helped themselves, with assistance if needed.

**LChurch** · 18-10-2011, 01:18 PM

I don't even let my own serve up hot food!

**Velleity** · 18-10-2011, 01:25 PM

My sons five and has just mastered getting ketchup out of the bottle without squeezing it all over the floor/himself. It's going to be some time before we advance onto hot meals

**little chickee** · 18-10-2011, 01:46 PM

Without the full facts its hard to comment.
I agree that 3 year old should not be taking things out of ovens or up at the cooker.

if they are sat at the table serving themselves out of bowls, plates then i think thats fine.

Im all for a bit of supervised independance!

**ChocolateChip** · 18-10-2011, 02:04 PM

I wouldn't be letting mine ladle out hot stew etc, but I can see where it can be beneficial to allow them to choose their own veg from bowls, etc. and tbh by the time it's on their table it's probably cooled a bit. I always dish up the younger ones food and let it cool for a few minutes before putting it on the table anyway.

Definitely agree that the parents really need to find out the full facts before going in guns blazing. It could be that the nursery is just trying to help their children learn to be independant, make choices and encourage healthy eating and have fully risk assessed this activity and the benefits of it to each individual child

**Pixie dust** · 18-10-2011, 02:53 PM

In my old nursery setting the children served themselves from serving bowls and Ofsted loved it as it was promoting independence. This even encouraged the most fussy of eaters to have a little as they were doing it themselves. A member of staff would supervise.

**Nature'sKids!** · 18-10-2011, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Pixie dust

In my old nursery setting the children served themselves from serving bowls and Ofsted loved it as it was promoting independence. This even encouraged the most fussy of eaters to have a little as they were doing it themselves. A member of staff would supervise.

What ofsted said re independence are my thoughts too.
Don't see much difference in serving yourself from a bowl or "buffet" style set up under supervision to then eating the same hot food at the table. It's still 3 yr olds handling hot food one way or another!

onceinabluemoon · 18-10-2011, 04:37 PM

I don't see a problem with them lifting the food out of a bowl on the table onto their plates, 3 seconds later they're going to have the same food in their mouths so if its hardly going to be too hot for them to eat/touch IYSWIM

**Playmate** · 18-10-2011, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by onceinabluemoon

I don't see a problem with them lifting the food out of a bowl on the table onto their plates, 3 seconds later they're going to have the same food in their mouths so if its hardly going to be too hot for them to eat/touch IYSWIM

this was exactly my thoughts

**sarah707** · 18-10-2011, 05:58 PM

We often put food in the middle of the table and supervise the children to serve themselves - from about age 3 upwards.

As others have said it promotes independence... and you'd be surprised how well some of them are able to cope even when they appear to have everything done for them at home.

However it can take a lot of practice with some children

**The Juggler** · 18-10-2011, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by Mouse

I think they need to find out the full details first. I can't imagine 3yr olds are in a kitchen taking food out of an oven and serving themseves, but I think it would be prefectly OK if the food was in serving trays & they helped themselves, with assistance if needed.

just what I was going to say

if nurseries have the capacity to do this, then I think it would be a good idea.

**singingcactus** · 19-10-2011, 10:51 AM

When I used to provide hot food for my mindees they always served themselves, family style. As soon as they could sit at the table out of the high chair they do this - from 12/18 months on. It's not going to be scalding hot food, it's going to be slightly cooled and laid out at the children level and fully supervised.

**Beccles26** · 19-10-2011, 12:11 PM

The nursery I used to work in had a policy of children serving themselves, the cook would bring in bowls of the food and the children would walk up to the table, serve their food and then go and sit down, it was a nightmare and took ages to get thru dinner especailly when we sometimes had 26 kids

but think its an ofsted thing.