tired of making lunches already

[Frangipani Lou]

I forgot to add that a part of my practice nowadays If a child doesn't come with much everyday food( healthy stuff) that I request( in a friendly way) families pack some more everyday food to broaden the choices for their child. I also link it to the educational program and document the children's learning around self care and wellbeing. After all, it's my responsibility to teach the children, the parents are adults and don't need me in their faces telling them what they can and can't provide for THEIR child to eat, that responsibility of deciding what food is provided falls squarely on the parents shoulders.
I'm glad DD's FDC educator feels the same, although DD only gets healthy foods in her lunch bag and if she gets a 'treat' it might be some multigrain organic zatar corn chips once in a blue moon because that's what I love to eat at the mo!

[HotI]

when it comes to date balls and chocolate balls, especially if they look similar, it could cause issues. Child A wants chocolate balls at kinder - mum says no, they're not allowed - child B brings date balls. kinder teacher allows it, because it's healthy. Child A kicks up a stink (maybe to teacher, maybe to mum - and it goes back to the teacher and makes them justify apparent different rules). our kinder are ok with savoury muffins, will accept fruit muffins, but prefer not to have anything that may be deemed "cake-ish" except for kids birthdays.

This is one of the arguments that the teacher had. And i do kinda get it. But there will be foods on the 'acceptable' list that i won't give to my kids, and they just have to suck it up. I can fill sandwiches or muffins with heaps of non-preferable foods or send yogurt filled with sugar every day and they might be ok, but date balls filled with chia seeds and goji berries blah blah are not ok. And if i want to give my kid a treat of home made pizza or similar, or if i am just struggling and in order for my child to arrive at kinder with food for the day i want to send them with (*non-allergy) alternative food it would be nice if my child wasn't told she can't eat it.

And dd is confused by the messages she is getting, as demonstrated yesterday when i was cooking some bacon to add to her sandwich. "i don't know if we are allowed to have bacon. does that have nuts? noone else has brought it". So, she is not keen on taking 'grownup' food in case she gets in trouble cos other kids don't.

i'm probably still getting into a routine, and hopefully in a few months will have worked out a good rhythm and will laugh at my stressing.

*just making it clear that i'm not talking about the allergy food rules.

[Tegam]

It is so hard hotI. In my dd2s class she has a child allergic to out of the normal foods, like kiwi fruit etc. she is anaphylactic, there are others with nut, egg (more well know allergies) this girls mum gets upset that the school will say no nuts/eggs but haven't included what she is allergic too. The school says they have to draw a line or kids won't get anything to eat..... But boy that must be hard when your child doesn't have the 'right' allergies.

They get the kids to eat separately, they they wash they hands.....

It does get easier. My kids eat most things but have ended up with a pretty boring routine of what they take in their lunch boxes, I've found that the mixing it up and trying new things actually causes anxiety. Same old same old until one of them ask for a change makes shopping/planning easier and morning packing a breeze

[Bloom]

I was like you HotI at the start of last year. It seems like such a chore, a struggle, another thing to be done with no end in sight! But I found my stride, now I just whip up lunches like brushing my teeth. I hope you find your stride too after a month or two.

One thing I do, it that I make up a lunch box for my at home kids as well, while I'm doing the kindy lunches. Saves me having to prepare food twice. Plus it is fun for the at home kids and if we go out, I"m all set!

[AnyDream]

Aside from allergy-related issues, I think the amount of control schools and kindies wield over children's food is getting ridiculous. Sometimes knowing I had a special little treat in my lunchbox made a difficult day at school just that bit easier. Food is for nutrition and enjoyment - not to give small children something to obsess over.

YES - this!!

My eldest DD is nearly 10 years older than my youngest & the restrictions on acceptable food quadrupled during that time. Of course if there is a child at risk of anaphylaxis then absolutely YES those foods must be banned. But straight up allergens? Ummm, no.

Add to that, our 2nd kindy had a no-food wrapping clause, which is probably all well & good when you're a SAHM who can whip out to the shops everyday & lovingly prepare tasty fresh morsels just before you leave to drop your child off. But when you're 2x working parents & you're dropping your kid off at daycare at the crack of dawn, not so easy!!

Really, the no baked goods rule doesn't make sense. If it's to prevent allergens, there are as many of those (or more) hidden in innocuous looking bought foods. If it's about keeping sugar & fat & empty calories out of lunch boxes, then formulate some meaningful guidelines for parents to follow. There is a world of difference between a savory veggie muffin and a slab of mud cake. Provide lists of suggested foods, eg "Instead of .... try.... ". Teach concepts like dietary balance, or adding veggies to your snacks.

But the whole notion that child A should not bring or eat their nutrition-packed homemade food because child B might see them and think "why cant I have [horrible empty calorie] food?" is ridiculous - and counterproductive too. Child B needs to see what healthy food looks like, how it does look different to highly processed food, or you're not really teaching them anything at all about healthy eating, are you?