daycare menu versus home menu - organic foods

yepyepsms · May 2013

A couple of weeks ago we started making the switch to buying/eating organic foods and paying more attention to labels, eating fresh food versus processed, etc. My son is just starting to eat the daycare provided food (up until a couple of weeks ago we sent purees to DC and were feeding him finger foods in the evenings and weekend meals but has now rejected purees at DC) I'm torn because DC doesn't offer organic. They do a good job of serving well balanced meals, but most are processed (ie.e chicken nuggets, canned veggies,, fruit cocktails, etc.)

For those of you that eat organic at home, do you pack your LO's food? Or do you have them eat the DC food and stay organic at home? I am still exporing my approach/views on this obviously. For us it's not realistic to have a 100% organic lifestyle, so I am thinking we will take the 90/10 or "best you can" approach, just can't decide if I should let the DC food be in the 10 percent, or "control" that as well.

Share your thoughts/stories?

alstumb@gmail.com · May 2013

We don't eat organic, but I work in a daycare. From what I've seen, most people that do eat organic end up just having their kids eat our food. By the time the kids are in the toddler room, they generally want to eat what everyone else is eating. We have had parents send in their own food, but we require a doctor's note to bring in your own food and not all doctors will write a note for that.

dizzycooks · May 2013

smdukes:
A couple of weeks ago we started making the switch to buying/eating organic foods and paying more attention to labels, eating fresh food versus processed, etc. My son is just starting to eat the daycare provided food (up until a couple of weeks ago we sent purees to DC and were feeding him finger foods in the evenings and weekend meals but has now rejected purees at DC) I'm torn because DC doesn't offer organic. They do a good job of serving well balanced meals, but most are processed (ie.e chicken nuggets, canned veggies,, fruit cocktails, etc.)

For those of you that eat organic at home, do you pack your LO's food? Or do you have them eat the DC food and stay organic at home? I am still exporing my approach/views on this obviously. For us it's not realistic to have a 100% organic lifestyle, so I am thinking we will take the 90/10 or "best you can" approach, just can't decide if I should let the DC food be in the 10 percent, or "control" that as well.

Share your thoughts/stories?

I send DDs food to daycare and I have a doctors note that she is to get food from home unless otherwise noted by me or DH. We aren't 100% organic, we are organic when affordable, but we do not eat processed food and avoid sugar, salt and HFCS.

Daycare food does not even come close to those standards and I can't justify breakfast and lunch 5 days a week plus 5 more snacks as a small part of her diet. It's the majority. Occasionally I ok tacos, pasta or pizza for her because then she gets a warm meal and I know those are things she loves that I can't send her. It's never more than 3 or 4 times a month. My concession has been that she gets milk at daycare. It's hormone free, but not organic.

I already more lunch for DH and I every day so it's not really anymore work. I just have to make sure that hers is ok cold because they won't reheat.

jules607 · May 2013

I teach preschool at a daycare and my daughter also attends school there. The menu sounds similar and I just let her eat it. We eat healthy food at home, so I try not to stress too much.

Do you ever have an opportunity to give feedback to the school? Every year we can complete an anonymous parent survey. I requested some healthier options on the survey less canned fruits/veggies, more fresh, etc. and I saw some immediate changes. Not organic or anything, but less processed foods at least.

AsOctoberFalls · May 2013

alstumb@gmail.com:
We don't eat organic, but I work in a daycare. From what I've seen, most people that do eat organic end up just having their kids eat our food. By the time the kids are in the toddler room, they generally want to eat what everyone else is eating. We have had parents send in their own food, but we require a doctor's note to bring in your own food and not all doctors will write a note for that.

This. I don't work in a daycare, but we're in the exact same situation. I actually have tried to send DS's food before (I had to get a note for it - I wanted him to eat bland foods because he was recovering from a stomach bug), and he wouldn't eat it and cried for what his friends have. I suppose he'd eat if he got hungry enough, but the daycare food isn't going to kill him. I was raised eating a very healthy diet and went totally off the deep end with my own diet as a teenager/adult, so I don't think how you eat as a child necessarily has a lifelong effect on your relationship with food. (I'm trying to correct my own diet now, but I still feed DS much, much healthier foods than I eat myself).

I hate that I have to get a note to bring in food for my own child. Argh. I think it has to do with USDA regulations. The daycare gets government money, so they're VERY strict about the food. Even though they serve unhealthy junk, it meets government standards (which is another post entirely).

laurakaz13 · May 2013

We eat organic (for the most part) at home. We're not sticklers for it, but I figure if it's available I'd rather buy organic.

Daycare does not allow outside food, so this isn't an issue for us. I'm happy that she gets balanced meals there. I don't think she'd be happy having to eat something different from the other kids though, so I wouldn't do it.

yepyepsms · May 2013

Thanks so much everyone - I didn't even think about the fact that he'll reach a point where he wants to eat what everyone else is eating. Excellent point to consider. Also, I need to ask the director if they do a survey and if not I'll provide feedback on the menu. Appreciate all of your input, this has been helpful!

frazzlecg · May 2013

I have a 28 month old. She was in one of those family daycares. The woman was strictly instructed to feed only what i bring. She kept disregarding it and looked at me with contempt when I addressed it in a friendly matter four times. It wasn't that the food was not organic...I found chips in her clothes, she was caught feeding her fruit loops and ice cream. I didn't want to continue paying someone who wouldn't follow instructions.

I took her out and put her in a licensed daycare. She's been there three weeks now. I didn't need a doctor's note. Unlike another daycare, I didn't have to pay a fee to bring my own food either. The teacher's assistant at first complained that my daughter wanted to eat other kid's food. They wanted her food too so I'm sure it was plain curiosity. I said, tough, if she doesn't want to eat my food she'll eat when she gets home. Besides for that one complaint, I haven't heard anything else and she's been a voracious eater there. I'm very pleased. I was willing to consider that she may want what others were having, but I didn't want to give up that easily either and it all worked out anyway.

I don't know if down the line she will not want to eat the food I pack. Naysayers say I'm setting her up for disaster where she'll rebel, but who's to say? I say while I can control things I'll keep the organic food. Don't feel discouraged to stand up for what you believe in. Daycare is way more than 10% of your child's diet and will shape the way he eats from then on. Your child will not be exposed to toxic chemicals and hormones and will one day realize the love and perserverance that you put in regardless of his food habits as an adult.

Edited to add, I don't feed her 100% organic. I do organic when possible. Certain foods like apples and spinach I will just avoid unless I have the money to buy it. It depends on the need. You don't really need to buy organic mangoes, bananas or avocados like you would other produce.

dizzycooks · May 2013

I will add that I make sure I send a WIDE variety throughout the week. I do feel some added pressure to make sure the meals I send are 'superior' in quality and variety if I am going to make a stink about what they serve. I don't think there is a variety on their menu.

I am consistently amazed that the staff don't recognize the food I send. They write down everything she eats (?) and one day is said strawberries and cream. It wasn't cream, it was yogurt which I mentioned when I picked her up. They were shocked it was plain yogurt and didn't realize a kid would eat that. I've also sent things like spinach balls and mango and they didn't recognize what it was and wrote it down as a question mark.

So far DD has expressed curiosity about the other kids food, but we just remind her to keep her hands on her own food and home and expect she'll do the same at daycare. Whether its for from home or not, I would hope the staff work to make sure the kids aren't eating off each other's plates

laurakaz13 · May 2013

amy052006:
I will never buy the "just let your kid eat the daycare stuff even if it sucks, because they want to eat what other kids eat" line.
Um, tough.
Not to mention, what if there is an allergy? My kids might want to eat strawberries like the other kids at he table, but maybe they can't because they are allergic. Daycare would figure that out. Well, consider my kid allergic to crap.
10 of the 21 meals a week is way more than 10% -- there is no way I'd be ok with them eating junk that often. I am sure that is the only option some people have, and that sucks. But it also doesn't mean anyone needs to just suck it up and deal with it if they do have options.

None of the food they serve at my kid's daycare is "junk". It's just not organic. I'm fine with this. Did anyone say they were fine with their kids eating junk? I don't think so. Did you read any of the replies?

dizzycooks · May 2013

I would classify what my daycare serves as junk more often than not. Pretzels with cheesy dip? Hamburger hotdish? French fries? Nilla wafers? Flavored yogurt? Yes. I call that junk. These all meet government standards and are part of a large national chain.

buckeyebaby2011 · May 2013

The foods that most daycares serve and call "balanced meals" is the main reason we went with a home environment for our daughter. Both her childcare providers serve organic, mostly homemade food and serve veggies and fruit at every meal for the most part. I didn't want her to get used to eating what I consider junk, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and the like.

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