Snacks at daycare

I have to start this post by saying that we are generally very pleased with our daycare. It's a very small "center" with only 4 infants in the infant room (which is where my two are now), 7 kids in the toddler room, and 30 kids in the preschool/headstart. The meals aren't always as healthy as I'd like (too many corn dogs, etc. for my taste), but they generally seem balanced with protein, veggie, fruit, dairy. I have asked that the girls don't get "juice" for snack. I put juice in quotations because I think they call Kool-aid juice. We just want them to have milk or water for snacks. Today they got "juice" for snack accidently because the director was covering for the regular teacher and didn't know my girls don't get juice. It was blue-raspberry something or other which tells me it was probably Kool-aid not really fruit juice. I wasn't thrilled about it, but it was an accident, so not the end of the world. The thing that is bothering me is that they seem to be getting more and more dessert-like snacks. This morning's snack was a chocolate chip cookie and the afternoon snack was an Oreo. I'm really not a sugar Nazi. I give the kids some snacks with sugar. I made banana bread this weekend and I've been giving them that for some snacks or dessert. I give them Nutrigrain bars (the generic version) and that has sugar. But those snacks don't seem as dessert-like to me. Am I overreacting about this (I have a tendancy to do that)? Should I say something? Am I going to come across as the "high-maintenance Mommy"? What do you think?

 

I agree with you and I am by far not a sugar-Nazi!! I think two cookies and Kool-aid is ridiculous for (relatively) new 1s. Unfortunately junk is cheaper than healthier stuff which is probably why they are serving it.

 

I think it's a reasonable thing to be concerned about. As you said, you aren't a sugar nazi, and you're willing to roll with it if it's an accident or just happens once in awhile. But if it seems to be happening more often, it's definitely worth talking to the director about. Maybe the cook has been sick or something.

 

Can you take your own snacks? I used to do this when mine were in daycare and it was the only way I knew that they would get fruit or cheese or anything healthy for a snack. They were always giving them cookies and fruit loops and other junk. I am way less restrictive now about such things, but then it would really upset me, esp when I would take a snack and they wouldn't give it to them. Our daycare didn't provide lunch so I didn't have to deal with that.

 

QUOTE(*Sully* @ Apr 1 2009, 05:19 PM) [snapback]1254866[/snapback]
Can you take your own snacks? I used to do this when mine were in daycare and it was the only way I knew that they would get fruit or cheese or anything healthy for a snack. They were always giving them cookies and fruit loops and other junk. I am way less restrictive now about such things, but then it would really upset me, esp when I would take a snack and they wouldn't give it to them. Our daycare didn't provide lunch so I didn't have to deal with that.


No. We have to have a doctor's note if we can't participate in their food program.

 

I would be really upset!! Now I'm also not against sugar snacks every now and then but 2 cookies in a day from a daycare is not okay!!
I would definately say something, and if it's a "food program" that you pay for with your tuition then I would find out more about that. Kool-aid would not be okay with me either, especially in the Infant room!! My best friend is a director at a daycare/pre-school and I know they have some meals that aren't very healthy but that's just crazy to give cookies as snacks twice in a day!

I think you have every right to complain, I'm sure you're not the only parent there that would complain. I wonder how many other parents know about that!

 

QUOTE(Beth*J @ Apr 1 2009, 05:37 PM) [snapback]1254886[/snapback]
No. We have to have a doctor's note if we can't participate in their food program.


I'm pretty sure if my ped knew what they were feeding them (cookies and kool-aid) I'm pretty sure she would give me a note for a low-sugar diet, or to bring your own food. It might be worth asking...

 

I would say something. They are your kids. You should have say in what they are eating and what they are not eating.

Dianna

 

On one hand, you are paying them to take care of your kids, so they should do what you ask. On another hand, you are putting them in daycare, so they arent going to get "special treatment" KWIM? WHat if every mom had a preference about what her kids snacked on? All 41 kids would get a different snack?

 

I agree that it's not ok. I'd definitely talk to them about it, and maybe talk to other parents who leave their kids there to see if they can support you too.

 

Saw this in the "new posts" list.

I am the kitchen person at one of my centres and shop for/prepare snack at another. Our meal plans have 2 snacks a day and one has to be a fruit or a veggie and dip (light ranch dressing)

We never have oreo or chocolate chip cookies. Maybe on a special day we'll have junk but our regular snack is offered. Our "dry" selection is ritz and cheese whiz, graham crackers and cream cheese, trail mix, arrowroots, bran crunch cookies (so good!), social tea biscuts, digestives (you may not know these but they are "grandma cookies" basically)

We've never had corn dogs for lunch. We do have hotdogs and fries but they are steamed all beef dogs and oven baked fries. We have an outside caterer who does it (we've had the same company for 20+ years) Here is a sample of our menu PDF file Its actually the week we are on. (ignore the snacks, each centre does their own planning in that) It costs $2.50 a day. We also cater to no drink preferences without a note and specific food requests. (no dairy meals, pork free, vegatarian, no egg)

I think you could mention to the day care that it may be an idea to swap out for a fruit or veggie every day and that way the sugar intake would be down. I don't know what the meal set up is there but you could offer to look into bulk buying/sale buying for the centre to lower costs of "good food"

 

wow- kool aid and cookies- Im no health nut by any means, but I just don't think these things should qualify as "snacks" maybe "treats" but not snacks. I say get the Dr's note, with obesity becoming an epidemic the Doc should side with you....

 

i am kind of a health nut, i do admit that. but i don't think anyone would agree that today's snacks are ok for growing children... i think you should think of a nice way to say something. i hear you about not wanting to sound too high-maint, but then again, they are your kids and these people are taking care of them.

gl!
~~jl

 

Well, I planned to talk to daycare about this issue today, but I ended up staying home with a kid with a fever, so I guess I'll have to wait to talk to them. My DH doesn't really think I should make this an issue, but it's been bothering me.

Here's another little tidbit: The "juice" they accidentally got yesterday turned their poop green. :bad: The daycare girl told me this when she told me they were accidentally given juice. She said it was some kind of blue raspberry juice. Who gives babies juice with so much artificial color in it it turns their poop weird colors? Really. I'm not a health nut. I just can't understand some of these choices.

 

QUOTE(Beth*J @ Apr 1 2009, 05:57 PM) [snapback]1254846[/snapback]
I have to start this post by saying that we are generally very pleased with our daycare. It's a very small "center" with only 4 infants in the infant room (which is where my two are now), 7 kids in the toddler room, and 30 kids in the preschool/headstart. The meals aren't always as healthy as I'd like (too many corn dogs, etc. for my taste), but they generally seem balanced with protein, veggie, fruit, dairy. I have asked that the girls don't get "juice" for snack. I put juice in quotations because I think they call Kool-aid juice. We just want them to have milk or water for snacks. Today they got "juice" for snack accidently because the director was covering for the regular teacher and didn't know my girls don't get juice. It was blue-raspberry something or other which tells me it was probably Kool-aid not really fruit juice. I wasn't thrilled about it, but it was an accident, so not the end of the world. The thing that is bothering me is that they seem to be getting more and more dessert-like snacks. This morning's snack was a chocolate chip cookie and the afternoon snack was an Oreo. I'm really not a sugar Nazi. I give the kids some snacks with sugar. I made banana bread this weekend and I've been giving them that for some snacks or dessert. I give them Nutrigrain bars (the generic version) and that has sugar. But those snacks don't seem as dessert-like to me. Am I overreacting about this (I have a tendancy to do that)? Should I say something? Am I going to come across as the "high-maintenance Mommy"? What do you think?


My kids got Oreos for snacks one afternoon, and I did raise an eyebrow, but it was just once, and generally the food and snacks are very healthy. They usually just do cookies or something on Friday afternoons, so I can deal. If it were everyday, let alone multiple times a day, I'd have a problem.

ETA: My kids get juice at daycare with snacks, but it's all 100% juice fortified with calcium. And we do hardly any juice at home, so that doesn't bother me.

 

I'm not a health nut or anti-sugar, but I can't imagine giving babies kool-aid. Really? There is NO nutritional value to Kool-aid. My girls have cookies and rice pudding and ice cream on occassion, but snacks around here are fruit or bread (pumpkin, banana, oatmeal) or crackers (including the occassional graham cracker) or applesauce. I would absolutely talk to the director and like a pp said if I told my pedi, she would write us a note in a heart beat. GL!

 

Im far from a health nut, but I do also pay attention to what my kids eat at daycare.

My kids started a new daycare in January, and I havent exactly been thrilled with them, but its definitely only temporary. I recently questioned one of the teachers b/c my kids were telling me that they have hot dogs, and it seems like ALL THE TIME. The teacher said that they had been rotating the same 5 meals b/c their kitchen was being renovated and those meals were EASY. She said I was the first to ask/question/complain about it, which surprised her. None of the 5 meals were very healthy, and the fact that they were eating them EVERY week..ugh.. I contacted the daycare my kids have gone to all their lives prior to this, and spoke w/ the director and she said as long as they are meeting certain criteria then it was ok. . so there wasnt much I could do. Luckily that only lasted about a month. Supposedly things are better now.

Morning snacks at my kids daycare are breakfast type foods. .cereal, pancake, waffle, muffin. etc. They will have oatmeal cookies in the afternoon sometimes, but usually crackers of some type or cheese, apples, etc.

I would definitely say something to them.

ETA: KoolAid? Really?? Wow. I wonder if thats even allowed. I know my kids get 100% juice and milk at daycare. Sometimes if they have a holiday party or something, parents bring in HiCi type juices or Capri Suns. . but thats once in a while on Fridays for a celebration. And NOT in the infant room.

 

I would say something. KoolAid is terrible and I can't believe they would give that. I give my kids apple juice so I'm not against juice but that isn't juice. Cookies once in a while is ok I guess but twice in 1 day is not right. I would have a talk with the teachers.

 

Definately say something! Our daycare serves crap at least 2 snacks a week (like cookies or rice krispie treats). I was appalled because I would never give those kinds of things to my kids (and I am as far from health nut as you can get, but my kids LOVE healthy foods - they would rather have carrots than a cookie and I would like to stay that way as long as possible!)

I asked if I could bring my own snacks and they said no. So I told them that I wasn't okay with their choices, and if I couldn't bring my own snacks they had to offer another option. They typically offer the kids leftover fruit or veggies from lunch or cheese and crackers. Though they have once or twice "forgotten" and given them cookies only to have my kids give them back. So instead of getting them what they are supposed to have they just had them skip snack. Needless to say that didn't go over well... The kids threw tantrums to the point where they went to the kitchen to find something they could feed them.

If you are uncomfortable with anything that happens at daycare you need to speak up. You are your kids advocate. If you don't speak up who will?

 

Yes, yes you have every right to be upset - I would NOT be happy at all if a daycare was feeding my kids cookies for snacks - honestly, how hard it is to give them a box of raisons, some dried fruit, or some fresh fruit, veggies, cheese - anything but cookies! I say talk to them and let them know that you would like snacks to be something with nutritional value! I am not a sugar-freak myself, but I want to keep my kids away from this stuff for awhile yet - IMHO they are still too young to be eating that stuff multiple times/day!

 

That is interesting. I run a daycare in my home and I am on the state food program, which means I have to submit my menus three months in advance, they approve them and I go from there. I can only have juice that is 100%juice, so we only have apple juice in the morning and milk in the afternoon. I also can only serve a cookie once a week. This daycare obviously doesn't have guidelines that they have to follow. I would just talk to them. I love sugar, but am the same way as you. Too much is too much.

 

I talked to our regular day care girl (the day they got the cookies was her day off) about this yesterday. She said she was really glad I brought it to her attention because she wasn't aware that they'd been given the "juice" or two cookies. She talked with the director today. They made a list of acceptable snacks for the infant room (I haven't seen it yet, but I'm sure it will be much better). The director also said she will be talking to the cook about menu choices.

I think there must be some guidelines they have to follow since they are a HeadStart preschool, but I don't know what they are. I also don't know for sure that they are giving Kool-aid, but that's what it sounds like to me since it is Blue Raspberry flavored.

 

I used to work in a YMCA day care. Our director tried very hard to have well balanced healthy food on an extremely tight budget. Our "juice" unfortunately was the frozen concentrate fruit punch but we watered it down to cut the sugar. Milk was offered with lunch, but "juice" was offered with the morning and afternoon snack. I'm trying to remember all the snacks. One of my favourites was crackers with sandwich meat and cheese, we also had fruit, jello with fruit, raisins, veggies with dip etc. A real treat was ice cream or popsicles for the afternoon snack. This happened about once every 2-3 weeks and it was more often the ice cream instead of the popsicles.
If a parent had a concern my director would have done her best to address it. I had one no-juice kid in my room and he got water instead (parent's request). It was no big deal.