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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Daycare moms: Question about menu at school
Well, DS is getting ready to start eating some lunch items from the daycare, and I was letting my BFF look at the menu and she said it did not look very nutritious. What kind of foods does your daycare serve on the menu? Maybe I need to continue packing his lunch, but he is really getting tired of puree's. I am going to try and copy adn paste his school menu in my post. Hopefully it works. The things that are highlighted are things that I would let him have right now. What are your thoughts. Maybe I could buy him a mesh feeder for some of the fruit that they serve.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | |
| Breakfast | Pancakes w/ syrup 2% milk | Breakfast tacos 2% milk | Cereal w/ toast 2% milk | Pigs in blanket 2% milk | Waffles w/ syrup 2% milk |
| AM snack | Grapes | Apples | Cantaloupe | Bananas | Oranges |
| Lunch Week 1 | Spaghetti with meat sauce/ green beans/ fruit milk | Hot dogs w/ chili/ French fries/ fruit/ milk | Mac and cheese/ peas/fruit/ milk | Frito pie/ corn/ fruit/ milk | PB&J sand/carrots/milk |
| Lunch Week 2 | Chili mac/peas/fruit/milk | Soft tacos, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese/corn/fruit/ milk | Beans and weenies/crackers/ fruit/ milk | Hamburger &rice/green beans/fruit/milk | Grilled cheese/carrots/fruit/ milk |
| PM Snack | Cookies and juice | Cereal mix and juice | Cake ad juice | Gardettos and juice | Brownies and juice |
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Re: Daycare moms: Question about menu at school
Yeah, the cookies, cake, etc., aren't great. Maybe you could send fruit for those afternoon snacks too? The lunches aren't perfect, but they're trying to appeal to the tastes of many toddlers, who are notoriously bad eaters. I have a great eater and sometimes I have to offer him several different things at a meal - I can't imagine trying to please a class full of them with one meal choice!
I am a little surprised to see PB&J on the menu. Aren't most places nut-free these days?
Looks similar to our menu. Our school is a part of the states Lunch Program and recieves reimbursments for food. In order to be a part of the program their menu has to meet certain nutritious guidelines. They also have a nutritionist on staff. If you have concerns talk to the director about it.
Our PM snacks are more likely crackers, animal cookies, cheese, less sweet stuff than on your menu.
It doesn't look too terrible. Not organic and wholesome, but about what I was brought up on.
The PM snack looks like the worst of it. Maybe send in something healthier for that one? It's amazing that AM snack is so healthy and PM goes in the opposite direction.
Mass produced meals tend to have lots of sugar and/or salt in them. That's why we send DD in with lunch every day.
If you decide to go that route, how is DS with finger foods? There are lots of healthy alternatives out there. DD eats lots of whole wheat pasta with reduced suger sauce and lean meatballs, steamed mixed veggies, PB&J on whole wheat, fruit salad, pizza on whole wheat tortilla (current favorite), Gerber bitter biscuts, cereal bars... mostly organic stuff. It's a bit of a challenge but rewarding to know she eats well every day.
GL!
met DH 1995 ~ married DH 2006 ~ completed our family 2008
Life is good!
The menu at our daycare is similar--and it's geared for more of the "big kids" than the ones just starting on table food. DS's room usually gets something else other than the things that are considered choking hazards, chocolate chip cookies, etc. Unfortunately I never know ahead of time b/c it's whatever is leftover from earlier in the week.
I'm not a huge fan of the foods that they offer, but it's not that bad...
these were the things that stuck out to me too. I don't love our daycare menu, but they tend to do less afternoon sweets. They also tend to do lunches that look more like a traditional dinner (meat, veggies, fruit, bread - no chips or things like that, no pb&js) than what I see there. I would speak with the director if you are concerned - I was bothered by the 6-12mo baby room serving froot loops as a snack, so I asked if they would be willing to switch to plain cheerios. the director made the switch with no complaints.
thanks ladies. I did highlight the cake and brownies, but I was thinking every once in a while, but not every week. But I see your points about the sweet stuf, so I will take that off. I can definitely still send his snacks to school, he loves applesauce. I think, as a pervious poster said, the mneu is really geared toward the bigger kids. So I just kind of have to pick and choose what all he will get off the menu.
Thanks again for your help.
Maybe I'm super anal, but I wouldn't be happy with that menu. At all. Hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, cake, cookies. I mean that stuff is OK occasionally, but I wouldn't serve it to my kids on a consistent basis.
It doesn't look particularly nutritious to me, but I'm kind of picky about that stuff. We are fortunate that our daycare has a chef onsite who prepares lots of kids' favorites in healthy ways.
The things that stand out to me are the cookies, cakes, juice, and gardettos. Lots of sugar and salt. Also, I could understand feeding mac & cheese or hot dogs and fries occasionally, but it seems like they serve them pretty frequently. Can you talk to them about providing your own snacks or meals? Also, shouldn't they be serving whole milk to children under 2? Some of the things they serve seem like they would be hard for a toddler transitioning to table food to eat.
Looks similar to ours, but without the cake and brownies and cookies. That's weird!
In Jack's room (12-24mo), they break the food up and cut it all into small pieces before giving it to the kids, and the teacher told me one time that she pulls the breading off of the chicken nuggets because she wouldn't want her toddler eating it. Maybe the teachers would be willing to work with you, but I don't know if they'll let you bring in outside food... ?
I hate our daycare's menu and it is somewhat similar to your's. But DS only goes 2 days a week until I find a new job. I do not like DS eating processed foods. I think your menu isn't great at all for the younger ones that don't really have many teeth yet. I would hope that they wouldn't give things to your child that he obviously can't chew.
I told daycare no sweets or salty foods.....yet they still give him some. I think they do have brownies once a month and maybe cookies.....but not on DS's days.
Also, are you doing whole milk? I would ask for DC to have whole milk until 2 yrs old if that is the route you are taking.
I agree. But it seems like the norm, apparently. I shouldn't even be in here, because I don't have a daycare kid, but curiousity got me. DD doesn't eat most of that stuff.
I didn't read all the replies, but wanted to add my $0.02.
I have a degree in nutrition and spent time in school lunch programs during school. Like a pp said, they are required to meet guidelines (no more than 30% calories from fat, specific % of certain vitamins, etc.) and have a dietitan on staff, or at least on contract. Even when they are serving things like hot dogs and pizza, they are low fat alternatives, not regular. And if I remember right, programs typically only get reimbursed for 1 snack, which is probably why the afternoon snack isn't so great. Or maybe they're doing a healthy version of that (replacing fat with fruit purees, etc.).