food - have you got strict limits for the kids?

[Blackhorse]

I spoke to a friend of mine today and her 2 girls are at nursery...she said that they always come home really hungry and thirsty in the evening (she has spoken to the nursery about this already) and I think she told me they have a set amount of food per child per day..if they are still hungry there won't be any more...

so I was wondering how you deal with this with your mindees. Do you (within reason of course) give them as much food as they want??
Or do you give them say one sandwich plus 1 piece of fruit and that is it?

thanks

[Deb]

Where is the unique child there? Treating each child as an individual? It is difficult to gauge tho, some would eat you out of house and home, you have to say 'no' at some point.

[huggableshelly]

I have no set limit though i do say no to extra chocolate, cakes or biscuits 9yes i know all unhealthy food but they are children not animals on rashens lol)

if one wants an extra sandwhich I make it, extra fruit yep they can have as much as they like 9saves putting it in the bin).

when I worked in a nusery it was ... a tablespoon of mash, 2 fish fingers and a mix of veg, there were no spares to have for seconds ....
this is the same in schools too, schools cook to order to save on waste and to ensure all children get what they have requested. My own two children were always hungry on school dinners, same on school packed lunches so they take their own packed lunches.

As a childminder we can offer more to satisfy the child, snacks are on offer too and drinks are usually (as far as I've seen) available at all times. other establishments are restricted to drinks time ... due to vast ammount of cups hanging around i guess!

[haribo]

i dont have strict limits at all , i treat them as id like my own to be treated and that means as an individual with their own needs . obv. there are limits as to amounts of food but arent we supposed to offer unlimited supply of drinks ??

[PixiePetal]

No limits on healthy foods here. I just like food to be eaten sitting down not walking about getting everywhere yucky.

Fruit in my house is a 'freebie', available anytime kids are hungry within reason - not 10 mins before lunch for instance.

My own kids have always been 3 meals a day, snack morning and afternoon and fruit inbetween if needed. Drinks anytime too of course.

[sarah707]

I think you have to get to know the child well... some will eat until they are sick while others have small appetites and are hungry other days.

I try to offer enough without overdoing it... what upsets me is when children have had a good, nutritious meal, often with extras of milk pudding or fruit... then when parents come they moan they are hungry and ask for chocolate and sweets.

Ah well, I try to remember all I can do is my best

[PixiePetal]

I think you have to get to know the child well... some will eat until they are sick while others have small appetites and are hungry other days.

I try to offer enough without overdoing it... what upsets me is when children have had a good, nutritious meal, often with extras of milk pudding or fruit... then when parents come they moan they are hungry and ask for chocolate and sweets.

Ah well, I try to remember all I can do is my best

I agree with needing to know the child well. Mine have all been with me for a while now and I know the one who might just try and push his luck! He doesn't have many sweet treats at home and will always try and wangle a biscuit - he gets offered fruit and suddenly not hungry

[Twinkles]

Hmm...tricky one. The other day I gave the children shepherds pie for tea ,with veg. Then they had a piece of apple,banana and satsuma each. Then a yoghurt , then a piece of cake.
About half an hour later E told me she was hungry ! When I offered her toast she didn't want it, she wanted the bunch of grapes that hadn't been offered
I think they get fed well but I do draw the line at continuious eating ( even if it is fruit ) as I feel some of them will eat for the sake of it.

[Zoomie]

Awww, I felt terrible this week, asking mum if what mindee ate was normal.

he seemed to be hungry all the time .... but only healthy stuff.

Anyway, reassured me that it was okay to offer him a final breakfast (had one at home, one at me, and then some fruit) until snack.

I feel that it is important that children, especially if they are to start full time school soon, learn to go at least a few hours between food.

JMO, of course

[haribo]

i dont let them snack all day long , but make sure theyre satisfied at mealtimes and some kids do have bigger appetites , you learn to spot which ones eat for the sake of it lol

[Lady Haha]

I agree with needing to know the child well. Mine have all been with me for a while now and I know the one who might just try and push his luck! He doesn't have many sweet treats at home and will always try and wangle a biscuit - he gets offered fruit and suddenly not hungry

Yeh, I get that one all the time too!

I had one mum say that her child was so hungry after she picked him up from me that he was shoving handfuls of cheesy pasta into his mouth at home........well, he doesn't eat like that here! He will pick at his food and still be sat at the table long after everyone else has finished. Luckily, mum is understanding and we both came to the conclusion that tea time at my house is too early for him and he just isn't hungry then, but he is by the time he gets home. So we have agreed to think of what he gets here as a 'snack'.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

My little ones have had breakfast before they come to me but they quite often have a piece of fruit when I have mine. They either have another piece of fruit or a biscuit for snack at 10.00 as we have lunch around 11.30 as I need to do a nursery run. They will either have a cooked lunch with pudding or a sandwich, carrot/cucumber sticks, raisons, yoghut, cake and drink. Most of the time they don't get through it all but if they do occasionally they have crisps. We have ice cream when we come home from school and tea is at 4.30. If they are still hungry they are offered fruit or yoghurt but they always decline this, so not hungry at all.

Back to your friend - maybe she should put a diary in the childs bag and ask them to write down what the children are eating and drinking.

[mushpea]

is your freinds child eating what they give him or is he just picking at it? i had a child that would only eat two mouthfuls of his tea here then go home and raid the cuphords, after speaking to mum we agreed that if he didnt eat his tea here then there would be nothing else and it worked.
breakfast they eat at home then we have a mid morning snack then lunch , after school its one peice of fruit (10grapes) or 2 bread sticks then dinner then home. if they dont eat lunch then there is nothing till teatime and if they dont eat a reasonable amount of tea then no dessert.

[Louise_Oaktree]

I have one after school child who is NEVER full. I used to do a hot meal and he still went home for a 2nd tea so now we just have sandwiches

[tigger]

I have one lo 19 mnths who is only ever happy when eating and she eats more than my 5 yr old !! Boy she can eat for any country and still be hungry. On the other end of the spectrum I have two that are so fussy that I just don't know what to feed them. Whatever they have they will maybe have one mouthful if that say they don't like it and then have two yoghurts for pudding even mum is at a loss of what to give them. I think you have to play it by ear.

[flora]

No limits here, one of mine eats for britain he is small and skinny, looking at what he can pack it away I am not sure where he puts it

I am lucky I know my lot q well. I give enough so that the dogs or the chickens don't get too many leftovers and the mindees are not hungry