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Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
Topi-Jan
member
Daycare Moms--I need a reality check
Topi-Jan
member
I rarely post on the bump (and I'm totally new to this board), but I've read a lot of helpful posts and am hoping to get some perspective on this from more experienced parents.
The short version: My son just turned on this week. We are trying to see how long we can go without giving him sugary snacks like cookies, etc. He'll eventually get plenty, I'm sure. We just want to see how long we can avoid them.
Last week I found him eating a Nilla wafer at school, apparently not for the first time. Later, there was mention of them giving him goldfish crackers and, sometimes, fruit loops.
For his age group, parents provide all of the food. They have a daily sheet where they record what he's eaten/drunk all day long. They have never written cookies, crackers or fruit loops. I usually send cheerios, fruit, cheese, earth's best snackies, etc for snacks.
So, would you be mad that they are giving him these snacks at all? Would you not care about the snacks but be mad that they haven't written it down/notified you that he's eating them? Would you just shrug it all off and not care either way?
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Re: Daycare Moms--I need a reality check
Our old daycare was the same way. We provided all the food but they did give snacks. They did not write them down though. They didn't wright down anything for the toddler room though. Only that she ate all her meals.
I wouldn't be upset by it. I would just make sure to tell the careprovider in charge that you would prefer he didn't eat those things. That you provide him w/ the snacks you would like him to eat & if they could comply with that.
Personally? I wouldn't care. Thats just me though.
I would be mad that they did not notify you. What if your DC had an allergy?
Do you know where these other snacks are coming from? Other kids' lunches, or the daycare's own supply? If they're the ones giving your son the snacks, they probably don't think it's a big deal. I would just mention that you're trying to keep him off sugar (although Cheerios have some sugar you know!) and ask them to stick to what you're sending.
I was upset about this too when DD started getting snacks the other kids ate. We didn't think it was necessary for her to have those things. Well, lo and behold b/w her 15 month and 18 month well visits she lost weight. She went down to 8%. I recently read an article that said not to worry about that at this stage. Kids need carbs to grow.
I would however be upset that your LO is eating this and they aren't tell you about it. What if he had a reaction to something and you didn't know he'd even eaten it?
::sneaking in from 6-12::
I think any time they're not communicating with you, especially when it comes to food, it's a cause for concern and might be a good reason for you to mention it to the teachers or director.
We had the same thing at my day care where they let the babies taste melted (not hot) butterscotch chips. DD was only 3m at the time. It wasn't so much that my kid ate sugar (although we are trying to avoid it), but the fact that there was no heads up that food would be involved so parents could opt out.
For me, I don't think it's the snacks that are the issue as much as not knowing he was getting them. Many of my friends would be really angry that they were feeding him food that they didn't provide (since their policy is that we provide the food). Like I said, he will eventually eat all of it (my own eating habits aren't exactly a shining example). I think I'm just mad that I didn't know about it.
This is why I need the reality check to see how other people would react.
Please get over yourself!
i would be VERY mad because they didn't tell me. LO is not in daycare but i did work in them. i always told moms everything the child ate and made sure not to "share" snacks. it may have been an accident?? maybe your LO grabbed someone else's snack...but they should still tell you!
allergies are a big concern.
is he eating your snacks too? how many snack do they get a day?
Wow, thanks for so many quick replies as I was writing my own!
To clarify, the school or the teachers themselves are providing the snacks, not other parents or from other kids' lunches.
I appreciate all the input. I didn't know if I was being to extreme by being upset with the lack of communication. I wanted to check with others before I decided what to say to them, if anything.
I definitely don't think you're being too extreme! Trust me, they've had crazier mamas screaming at them for things a lot less minor. Just bring it up casually - when it happened to me, I just said "Hey, I saw you guys did butterscotch (blah blah blah)...next time there's a food activity, would it be ok if you let me know ahead of time? We're just not ready to give her certain foods yet."
It was really well-received, no one got mad, and the did in fact call the next time there was a food activity.
As far as allergies. I'd think that any parent w/ a child who has allergies would notify the school of them. This way they didn't eat anything they shouldn't.
Also keep in mind that kids are kids. If they see Suzy having a nilla wafer & they are eating a slice of cheese or nothing they will or might get upset. The teachers are probably just trying to keep it fair for all the kids.
My H would be more upset than me, but the bottom line is, if you're sending snacks for your kid, they should honor your wishes and give him those snacks. We send cheerios, wheat crackers and cheese sticks, so I do know where you're coming from. I would want to know how many of the other snacks he gets before I complained. If it's just once in a while, then it's probably not worth my effort. If it's every day and it's large quantities of snacks, I would get annoyed.
Is your son eating the snacks you send, too? Is it possible he's just hungry and then give him the extra snacks b/c he sees the other kids & acts hungry?
I don't understand the purpose of this response, since it in no way answered the question. It's sad if you read the OP to imply that if you fed your child nilla wafter and fruit loops you're a bad mom. I also feed my child goldfish and nilla wafers and it would never dawn on me to think the OP was calling me a bad mom for doing so. I hope you can gain some confidence in your parenting choices.
To the OP, yes I'd be upset they were feeling my son something that I didn't send and that they were not letting me know it or getting my approval before hand.
Same here (except DD IS in DC). We don't send food, but if I did, I would expect that would be what they would eat.
LOL. He is. That's part of why I'm asking!