Question for childminders about food for mindees

If it is from the reconmended body they recommend that training is redone every 3 years but i have yet to see it written down anyway stating that it has to be done.

Alibubbles - just wanted to know who said you have to do the Food Hygiene course every three years? This is news to the minders in my area!

Hi everyone!

Food in my house is:

breakfast - cereals (branflakes, weetabix, cheerios....readybrek..) and/or toast and/or fruit
lunch - always sandwiches but different fillings, and lots of fruit. sometimes a cake or biscuit or crisps but not often.
snacks - humzinger, apple, homemade biscuit...

dinners I've done recently:
spinach and tomato lasagne (homemade)
spaghetti bolognese (homemade or lloyd grossman)
cottage pie (homemade)
jacket potatoes and tinned spaghetti
fishfingers, steamed broccoli, chips, and quiche
homemade burgers, homemade chips and salad
chicken kiev and mashed potato (fresh kiev)
chicken curry (homemade)
pizza (homemade - inc bases - or shop bought)

It changes a lot. I always feel guilty at using processed or jars of food as I like cooking homemade, but it's not always possible due to time restraints or if I don't feel well or if we have a busy day.
Once, I had a family round for an interview and they stayed too long. I gave the kids sausages and chips from the chippy as we had NO time to cook and felt immensely guilty. When I said so to mum, she looked at me like I was insane and said sausages and chips aren't junk! But to me they are.

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This could end up with me having yet another "permission to do ..." form for parents to sign - my minding parents supply their own home-made babyfood for me to reheat!! I don't remember any advice on food hygiene course about babyfood. The parents of my minded babies don't use tins/jars, so not sure how to sort this one out. Is this something OFSTED are not going to be happy about?

Now I'm in trouble ...

Alibubbles - sorry don't think I explained it properly.
What I mean is that when you do your food hygiene course they advise you to ask parents of babies not to give you homemade food to reheat. If they are going to supply food for their baby it is safer for them to supply baby tins or jars.
Of course if childminder is cooking and can give baby fresh pureed food this is fine but unfortunately not always convenient.
Hope this explains it a bit better, it's purely a safety thing.

nzshar - don't worry, I don't do meals for my mindees (unless they've forgotten to bring theirs!) It's something I never started when I first registered, and I definitely don't want to start now because I wouldn't live up to the standards of everyone else!!

I said I was a bit anal

But it's because of my tummy - not because I'm crusading for the children......

I fear i shall never be able to live up to some of the standards of childminders/nannies on this board

Though i try and do as much as possible "home cooked" food for ds (and eventually mindees)I will admit to having chicken nuggets,fish fingers and oven chips in my frezzer as well as tinned spaghetti and soups in my cupboards. I dont make my own ketchup and give dairylea,pink panther biscuits and cherrios as snacks willingly.BUT... i always make sure Ds has at least 5 helpings of fruit and veg a day he has at least one serving of meat/fish....I dont serve ANY puddings etc...only fruit as afters...thoughchocolate buttons are given as a treat if dinner is eaten well

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Stramash - instead of sending homemade food to reheat we are encouraged to ask parents to supply tins/jars of baby food.
I charge £1 - £1.50 for evening meals and if mindees are with me all day do not charge for lunch or snacks.
For £4 a day I would expect my child to receive good quality homemade food with fresh veg and choice of fruit.

No - just give him a weeks notice as he needs to buy in the special skins - they are delish

Do you have to order a certain amount as i would be interested in doing this as i by my butchers special sausages as well.

They are his superb speciality sausages - pork and apple - not artificals all organic with special skins - just tiny

What is in these special sausages - just extra meal and not horrid stuff?

I have sometimes been accused of being a bit anal about my food and the amount of care I take with it.

I do accept that I am st the far end of the spectrum....and there are a lot of differences between childminders.

But I make my own bread, pizzas, soup, pasta sauces, chicken nuggets, tomato sauce etc I have just sucessfully negociated with the local butcher to make cocktail sausages, especially for me - he doesn't make them for anyone else

If you are concerned about the ready meals - i would discuss it with your minde and say that you are concerned about the salt and see if you can provide your own meals - it maybe not ideal, but it is a better choice.

Sorry was having that meeting which went well. i charge 75p breakfast, 150 for lunch and 200 for dinner and i am very proud of the food that i do serve as it is from all different countries and the children try things that they normally do not at home.

Bump for Jelly to reply (I'm £1.50 per evening meal req'd)

sorry terrible spelling,meant to say stated

has your dds been with her for a while? i have a policy ststing that my food is home cooked and details what sorts of foods will be given. if she is only giving ready meals she should be making it clear to parents.is there a reason she can't have mindees in kitchen sitting at table and highchairs etc?

Not arguing with you feelingold just saying that I think it is ridiculous. Like when DD was 9 months and Brewer's Fayre refused to heat her homemade babyfood or to allow me hot water to put it in because of the potential danger. They would however heat up bottles which could have been made or stored incorrectly. And they did serve me custard that was so hot that when DD pulled the dish onto herself I had to run into the toilet and run her arm under the cold tap and meanwhile was scalded through my jeans. Sorry off the subject rant there.

The problem with homemade food it that should the child get food poisoning from it the childminder would get the blame for not reheating it properly, but what it the parent had already reheated the food or not cooled it quickly enough or left it out a room temperature too long or ....the list goes on.
I agree it seems so ridiculous but it's just another thing to add to the list of things we shouldn't do (we are advised not to do it, not that we can't do it).

i cook every day fresh veg and meat,beef stew (mon)they made own pizzas(tues)spag bol(wed)roast chicken (Thurs) shepards pie(fri) this is for my mindee and my own family.