Jam sandwiches at wraparound care

At four years old you are regularly lecturing them on “good” food and “bad” food? Instead of simply setting a good example for them to follow and learn by practice?

And we wonder why children grow up with food issues.

Your poor children.

I get teaching about healthy eating but it’s a jam sandwich. You sound like you’re the sort of person that demonises food into good and bad, which creates really poor food dynamics.

I’m laughing at the fact you seem to think cheese (a processed animal by-product, and likely the cheapest brand for cost efficiency) and ham (another processed animal by product, and again, likely not ‘quality’ ham) is any healthier than jam!

Yes this reminds me of the pack lunch pupils who swapped their dainty cottage cheese and cucumber sandwiches made with energen rolls for jam or cheese doorsteps as soon as they reached school. 😂

IME they often get the kids to make the sandwiches themselves, which can be a fun activity and I imagine much easier and safer for a 4yo to spread jam than slice or grate cheese

@JBeanGarden I agree with you, it's not ok to eat jam sandwiches everyday.

To all the people telling you that you are overacting: no wonder the majority of UK population is overweight if you think this is ok!

I| think you need to appreciate that they're likely to have kids who are vegetarian/vegan/allergic/intolerant/Muslim/Jewish etc and jam is a cheap alternative that covers all bases.

It's not their fault your child makes that choice every day and they're not doing it to tempt her!

I'd argue jam is as healthy an option as cheese and ham is an officially recognised grade 1 carcinogen so what would you rather her have?

Its sad that so many pps dont understand, OP. But so many having a go at you is even worse.

It isn’t bedtime, its 3-315 in the afternoon and the child has another meal before bed time. It is entirely normal to have something like cake or a biscuit or bread and jam as a post school snack, followed by a later dinner and always has been - long before the advent of mass advertising or the hysteria over the latest food fads or widespread weight issues.

The school is not “concealing” what they are offering. The OP knows the offering, she described it in her own posts. The school has not responded to agree to the OP demands that they change the offering. I would imagine the only way to change it is to significantly increase costs - more staff and more expensive snacks which may put the service out of reach for many parents.

If the afternoon snack is a major problem then the most sensible thing to do is to send in an alternative from home.

From the portions I have seen at other wrap around settings its a small snack to keep your child going..I find it.hard to believe a child getting a sandwich at 3.30ish is too full to eat dinner at what 6 or 7? Cheese and jam are the staple foods I've seen offered at these settings - they dont make alot if any money and have to cater for so many dietary requirements there are limited quick choices

Is a jam sandwich the pinnacle of nutritional excellence? No. Does it matter if they're eating well the rest of the time? No. Emailing three times about this, Jesus

This sums it up perfectly.

I also don’t understand how the child can be stuffed with jam sandwiches so will not eat their tea. Surely, it’s a snack, I imagine half a jam sandwich would be sufficient?

Decades later I still remember my after school snack at home, 3 crackers with a cube of cheese on each. For a ‘special treat’ now and then pickles would be added. I was then sufficiently hungry by tea time to eat it all. I can’t remember what we gave ours as an after school snack, but it wasn’t any quantity where they wouldn’t be hungry and eat their tea!

There's absolutely no need for this. The OP didn't ask for advice on their childcare or their working hours.

Some parents have to work. If you don't, then good for you. This doesn't give you the right to stick your judgy nose in where it wasn't asked for.

How awful that you work in an after school club but judge parents for using it.

I work in an after school club and it's meant to be a snack not their tea, also I feel very sorry for the children who are stuck in breakfast club then after school club as well when only 4 years old?! It's such a long day for them, I think a jam sarnie should be the least of your worries.

Welcome to Thank Christ I Don't Work In Education episode 4,732. Is a jam sandwich the pinnacle of nutritional excellence? No. Does it matter if they're eating well the rest of the time? No. Emailing three times about this, Jesus.

When I read stories on here of people claiming their dc never have sweet things and will always choose the healthy option, it reminds me of a story my Granny used to tell.

There was sugar rationing at the time, but in their street there was one lady who used to crow that they didn't need their sugar ration. Her children had never had anything sweet, and if they had didn't like it. They never even asked for sweet things...

In the street they were renowned.
After school and holidays they'd be round at all the other houses, begging for sweets/cake/jam etc. They weren't above sneaking it out of cupboards if they found an empty kitchen.

If ever any exasperated mother spoke to their mother, she'd deny it because "they don't like it so it's not them" - or dismiss it as jealousy because her dc were "so good".

I suspect that also they're either very young or else they're like the secondary school dc I see on their way home from school swapping their sim back into the non-smart phone and hiding the smart phone away to keep their parents happy.

And me. I also don’t think jam is as bad as plastic ham and crappy cheese.

I know it seems like a big deal, but it's really not. It's a jam sandwich.

Many parents would kill for decent, reliable wraparound care.

Frankly, if my daughter's school provided ASC that ran as late as I needed and offered a snack, I would let them feed her all the jam sandwiches they like

I think it's unkind and sneering, which is why it got my back up.

Other shopping outlets are available. Your view of dementia as diabetes of the brain must make for some interesting discussions at home.

I never buy my kids sweets, tend not to buy much sugary foods, but even if there are treats in the house, all 3 of mine will come in with cucumbers. We educate ours to know what's healthy and what's not and they make the choice for themselves.

Nothing wrong with a piece n jam and even better when it’s home made

That's an unfair and unkind comment. Not true at all. I don't know why some people post in AIBU if they just want a thread of people agreeing with them and don't really want opinions. It's pointless.

I'm with you. We try not to ear upf but do have the odd exception. Jam is not only full of sugar, it has all sorts of other stuff in it and whilst on its own wouldn't be as bad, with a cake is too much sugar for a 4 year old. As for people saying why are you talking to a 4 year old about nutrition etc, I have a 4 year old and we always talk about what's healthy and what ingredients are in food that's bad, same with my 7 and 8 year olds. People are so conditioned to just accept that the food we eat is ok in moderation, but in actual fact 90% tesco is poision. Even the bread they put the jam is is so bad for you. Also dementia is diabetes of the brain!!!

I expect the OP's child is the kid that will just jump on all the sweets and sugary food at parties because they have their diets rigidly restricted at home. This is not fostering a healthy relationship with food OP.