Bans at Pre-School

[paradise lost]

How do vegan kids cope at a no-nuts place!? Or little nut-grubs like DD who is full of a cold ATM but swinging on my arm yelling for pine nuts

This all sounds great to be honest. For most of us mums (certainly everyone who's posted) we feed our kids healthily anyway, so it makes little difference (tiny bit more hassle). But imagine the toddler from the Maccas every day household - they'll be getting SO much more healthy food for the days they're at CC! That's brilliant!

Our toddler group (not CC i know, but in the same area) provides the food for the mid-group snack (and is FREE - living in social deprivation is pretty good afterall!) and usually they have some fruit, some veggies, some dairy and some carbs. Last week it was banana, cherry tomatoes, cheese and crackers. There is always water to drink. DD is ill just now and has had colds on and off for the last 3 weeks, so her meals have gone out of the window and she's getting by on 6 biggish snacks a day instead. It's SOOOO frustrating when they won't eat - i feel your pain Caro. Between the ages of 2 and 4 all i would eat was apples, peanut butter, yogurt and cheese. Nothing else. I gained about 2kg in those 2 years but i grew like a weed and did ok so try not to fret, i'm sure your DD will be fine.

Bx

[Phteven]

I think that although we worry lots that if we offer them regular healthy meals & snacks they will eat what they need. Often if we're low on something we have a craving for a food that will supply it (I need lots of antioxidents which is why I need dark chocolate often rofl) and I think that children's bodies have the same ability. Yasin will often turn down meat for ages and then suddenly he'll decide to eat it for a while then just as quickly he'll go back off it. I assume (with no scientific reason) that he has gained enough of whatever it is that meat is providing (B12, protien?) and doesn't need it for a while.

[paradise lost]

That is DEFINITELY true here Dach. Since she's had a cold DD has taken to taking the raw onions and garlic bulbs from the veggie tub and nibbling on them. Onion i can get with but GARLIC!? It burns! But she seems to love it. But both are very good anti-fungal and for respiratory problems and she's ben run down and had a cough for a few weeks now.

[MantaRay]

Caro, I didn't used to eat as a child. Apparently until age 4 I would eat nothing but bananas and my parents thought I was going to starve. I'm fine now (depending on who you ask LOL!).

When Jack was a fussy eater (well more so than now, Tom already eats more than Jack in terms of variety and quantity!) I was advised not to worry if he didn't eat and that fighting over food would make it worse. Of course he was younger than your DD, but have you tried just letting her not eat? It's hard to do believe me I know!

Chloe, I always thought that kids will eat what they need to. But I did see an interesting thing on tv the other day where they said that kids prefer sweet things as a kick back to the past when berries and things that tasted sour could kill them. So they have more taste buds than adults and this gives them a preference for sweet over savoury. Not sure how true it is, but it is an interesting theory.

[Phteven]

I think it's such a primal instinct as mothers to feed our offspring that it's hard not to react when they reject a lovingly prepared meal.
I've used every ounce of self-control I have not to fight over food with Yasin. If he doesn't eat what I put in front of him I try not to react and just take it away and I try not to offer anything else for at least an hour. If he starts playing with it not eating it I take it away too. I just keep offering and he eats what he wants and I eat what he doesn't want (I'm growing fat on scraps lol).

I'm thinking now that its paid off because the woman who looks after his room at child-care says she wishes all her children would eat like him.
He gets his own fruit and yogurt out of the fridge now so I have to keep an eye on him or he'll pig out on that and not eat anything else.

[visitor1]

At Chelsea's FDC they say no cordial or biscuits, sweet food.

If i pack her water she wont drink it (but at home she will) so i pack kids juice. I want her to drink something and if that works then ill do it!

I pack her 2 arrowroot biscuits but the carer will only ever give her 1.

other then that she gets yoghurt, sandwich, and fruit (which again carer wont even give her the half an apple i pack, but 1/4 of it...).

[MantaRay]

Hugs Caro, I know how hard it can be when our kids don't eat. I hope it resolves soon for you. Maybe once she starts kindy and sees other kids eating more variety she'll be more interested? I know Jack has alway eaten things at day care that he wouldn't eat at home. Even when he was at his fussiest.

[rolymogs]

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[christy]

Funny you should say that Rolymogs... when Matilda went through all the allergy testing we were finding it hard to find any bread with no preservatives & no milk solids. We found one white bread which had added iron with no preservatives or milk solids. When we first got it home she was asking "What is this??" She'd never had white bread before. We called it cake bread & now she has cake bread sandwiches for montessori.

[rolymogs]

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[christy]

Wonderwhite

[rolymogs]

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[smiles4u]

Hi there DACHLOSTAR

.... Is the book u av kinda newish (publication yr ??) ... As I'd b interested 2 find it !!

Av u seen it say in a book shop or supermarket ? (I understand u got it on eBay... Gee, I love eBay 2 )

Thx heaps & kind regards Lorelle (smiles4u)

[{sarah}]

After reading our preschool policies yesterday getting organised for Alexzander to start next week I'm quite surprised at all of the restrictions you guys are talking about! Our preschool is community based & gets funding from council & DOCs so they have to go by DOCs regulations. There are very few restrictions on food - no chocolate, though they can have a choc coated biscuit or choc muffin and no fizzy drinks and that's it. As far as I know there isn't a nut policy in place but the children aren't allowed to share their lunches anyway. There are recommendations on what they can have in the info pack we were given at orientation day.

As for other things, they have the usual hat policy and a no superhero capes policy.

[Rouge]

ooooo only just found this thread.

I think bans are a great idea, as IMO it promotes healthy eating. And it also stops children asking for things they wouldn't normally have as a result of what is in someone elses lunch box. Our kinder/preschool has always had a healthy eating policy & a no nut ban.