Sending in food for babies - what do you do?

[TremoloGreen]

I'm about to have DD2 and will be returning to work when she is 11 months or so and would like her to go to the same nursery as her sister. We're really happy with the nursery for DD1.

The one thing I find a bit weird is that they don't provide food for babies under 18 months and ask parents to provide food and snacks up til that age. I am totally confused by this as we did baby-led weaning with DD1, so I don't see the need for different food for an 11- vs 18-month old. I may ask them if there is any flexibility on this, but just wondered if anyone else provides food for their child at nursery, and if so, what sort of things you send in. It seems a sort of madness that they are re-heating 10 or so individual meals every mealtime.

I could change both children to another nursery, which would also be nearer to home (current nursery is near the station which is handy for DH doing drop-off), but the fees are about 25% more per month and it would be a bit crippling for the two of them, even with the free hours concession. I feel I'd be better off sucking it up for the 7 months I would need to provide the food for, but I do find it so weird. Is it me?

[TremoloGreen]

Oh, to be clear, DD1 didn't go there until she was over 2, we moved to the area then, and she was with a childminder from 1 to 2. I prefer that sort of care for a baby really, but logistically it's going to be too tight with drop-offs and pickups to different places - we are rural so all childcare is in 'town' and DH has a long commute.

[HSMMaCM]

You could ask the nursery what sort of food they suggest (and why they do this). You could send both children to a childminder if that's what you prefer.

[drspouse]

Our nursery will order the cooked lunches that all the children have, for babies under 1, but we sent packed meals for our DC1 between about 10-12 months old. They would reheat things and there was a fridge so we often sent leftovers. He wouldn't have eaten a whole cooked lunch at that age.

However it is particularly annoying that they (like your nursery) have different rules/routines for different ages, now that we have a DC2. They seem to expect that DC under 2 will have two full meals at nursery, and allow for them to be refrigerated under 2 years, but oddly only heated up till 1 year (when they switch rooms), and then not refrigerated after 2 (so you have to send a cool pack or stable foods.).

But then (I hope you're keeping up) the 3+ room doesn't have a meal slot at tea time, just a snack slot right before pickup, meaning that DC1 is now not that hungry when picked up as snack is free eating. DC2 in contrast is still of an age when they seem to expect a full meal late afternoon, so all the other children are eating their packed teas, but we have to send a medium sized snack (at home DC2 would probably have raisins, a piece of fruit, or some breadsticks, but would eat those in 2 seconds flat and be left hanging while the other children ate).

DC2 is then famished at tea time despite having a tea eating opportunity at nursery, if we sent a packed tea with DC2 but not DC1 it would a) be annoying to make one and take it but not the other and b) DC2 would try and eat DC1's at home, or scream.

[swashbucklecheer]

My ds nursery provided all food and snacks for the children even when being weaned. We only had to bring in bottles of milk if required and breakfast if we wanted them to give ds that

[Pico2]

I wonder if it is an allergy thing. DD1's first nursery wouldn't give a food until you'd given it at home first. So there was a massively long list of foods to tick off before they could eat everything at nursery.

[cherrrycola]

My dc's nursery asked for food from home until 1year because they're more likely to have an allergic reaction then? Dc only went one day a week and was hoem for tea so I just sent a pouch of baby food and a dessert in for his lunch. If he was going every day for both meals I would have maybe pre made and frozen a load of meals then just taken a couple out every day which would be cheaper!

[TremoloGreen]

Pico2, yeah I wondered that too. Drspouse, that sounds crazy - I guess you must really like everything else about the nursery!

OK, so I'll probably do the freezer meal thing for one meal and send something cold like falafel, crudites, hard boiled egg etc for the other one. This is going to keep me busy but probably worth it for the 8 months if it saves me £££ of sending them to the more expensive nursery and disrupting DD1 who loves it there and is learning loads.

I will make it abundantly clear though that I'm very happy for her to have a small portion of whatever the 18-month olds are having and will pay extra if needed! Not been through the whole BLW thing with a nursery before... with my childminder, DD was the only small one so it was just a case of 'OK, we'll do it like this then'.

[drspouse]

It's my workplace nursery and it is lovely but we didn't realise the 3+ lack of tea till DC1 turned 3...

Are the 12-18 month olds in the same room as the under 12 month olds or as the 18mo+? If the latter they may be able to give her a toddler meal.

[eastmidswarwicknightnanny]

It maybe because under 18mths they just stick with baby normal routine so each baby eats anywhere between 11-1.30 for lunch n 3-5.30 for tea/dinner depending on routine so easier they have own individual meals from home.

Our nursery provides all food Inc my baby special foods due to cows milk protein allergy and they work around baby current routine

[Buttercup27]

Our childminder did this up to 12 months to safeguard incase of allergies.
I also did blw so just cooked extra at tea time and ds took this with him to the cm for lunch.