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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to question nursery as to why they are serving jam sandwiches to babies?

539 replies

choceyes · 17/10/2011 14:11

My DD is 14 months old and goes to nursery 3 days a week.

I won't know whether I am being precious or not, but it annoys me that occassionally she gets given jam sandwiches and also tinned spaghetti hoops on toast for her afternoon snack. I would never give these things to her at home. She always has healthy stuff, no treats at all, cos she is not a big eater, so I don't want to fill her up with junk.

My DS, 3yrs, is also at the same nursery, but there's nothing much I can do to stop him eating jam sarnies, as he would want to eat what his friends eat. and as he eats fairly well most of the time he can afford to have the occassional junk.

The nursery lunches are fine, and they also do fruit, chesse, crackers, tuna sandwiches for afternoon snack , so this probably happens about once a week I guess (i mean she gets either jam sarnies or hoops on toast maybe once a week, the rest of the meals are fine).

I dunno really. I was talking to a friend about it at the weekend and she was appalled at the jam sarnies, so got me thinking maybe I should say something to the manager.

I'm not in anyway a health freak, and against giving kids sugar, but not at 14 months, it's too young for me. And the nursery serves them to kids above 12 months I think.

It's just there is NO nutritional value in jam sarnies. I@d rather they gave her a flapjack or something (and they sometimes for the older ones dessert), which although has sugar, has got good things in it too.

OP posts:
AKMD · 17/10/2011 14:31

Hmm, still working on those cross-outs!

TandB · 17/10/2011 14:32

An occasional jam sandwich for tea wouldn't bother me as long as the rest of the food was generally healthy and good quality.

Booooooyhoo · 17/10/2011 14:35

fair enough. i can understand that.
personally i know i am setting a good example of a balanced diet at home (including treats)and that the nursery ds goes to have got a great menu (dont think they have jam sammitchs though Grin) so even if they did have hoops or jam one day, it wouldn't bother me. i think it's ok for other people to treat my children. i know some people dont like that though.

Original poster
choceyes · 17/10/2011 14:35

thanks for the replies.

I know a jam sandwich will not kill her FGS, and I wasn't saying that.

Like AKMD said I just think nurseries should be offering nutrional foods, NOT treats, which should be left to the parents to offer at their discretion.
As I mum to 2 DCs and working part time, I might be too tired/not got the ingrediants one day to cook her a healthish dinner and might have to give her something less than a well balanced meal. But if she's already had jam sarnies that day, well that makes it difficult for me, cos then I have to offer her a healthy meal at dinner time.

OP posts:
DuchessofMalfi · 17/10/2011 14:36

My children love spaghetti hoops, and jam sandwiches, as a regular occasional treat.

DD used to be given jaffa cakes as a snack at her nursery. She loved her time there, and DS will be going there too. I don't have a problem with "junk" food - everything is fine in moderation.

dearheart · 17/10/2011 14:36

AKMD "IMO the nursery should be setting the gold standard of healthy eating and leaving 'occasional-only' food to the parents. Jam sandwiches and spaghetti hoops are not essential parts of anyone's diet. "

I agree. But I would just tell the nursery that you don't want your child having jam etc. I did and it wasn't a problem.

Francagoestohollywood · 17/10/2011 14:37

What's wrong with the occasional jam sandwich (normal snack in at least 1/2 of the world)?

However, spaghetti hoops are vile, I'd complain about those.

NormanTebbit · 17/10/2011 14:38

It's a fecking jam sandwich. You are being precious.

Mine often have half a jam sandwich for playtime at school, my two year old sometimes has them as a snack too. None of them seem to have grownhorns yet.

Also spaghetti hoops are an excellent snack. Little ones need plenty of calories.

AKMD · 17/10/2011 14:40

I'd honestly prefer to send him in with a lunchbox covering all the meals he needs while at nursery than to fight it out with the manager over him not having Cheerios for breakfast with the other toddlers, tinned fruit salad for his mid-morning snack and fish fingers, baked beans and waffles for lunch. It's a good nursery but their menus are Hmm

Sweetpea5 · 17/10/2011 14:41

Yanbu. Why people think jam (packed full of sugar) and white bread are part of a balanced diet I will never know. Why eat crap food in moderation, why notjust not eat it at all? And the starving children argument - why does that mean other people should fill their children with unhealthy food? If we had no choice then fair enough, but we do. As for not doing any harm, apart the sugar content which has no nutritional value and is harmful to health, do they brush her teeth right afterwards? Sticky jam on baby teeth is really not a good thing.

We are in the middle of an obesity epidemic in this country (one third of children are obese, not just overweight but obese, by year 6) yet people on here frequently tell other people they are being precious and so on for trying to make sure their kids eat healthy nutritious food and not rubbish, and crap jam sandwiches are nutritionally rubbish food, lets face it.

Jam sandwiches here are not a treat as someone suggested above, nor are they something quick and easy to make in a hurry/panic, they are being planned out and included in the weekly menu.

OP as the comments above show, you will probably get the 'oh pfb' looks or whatever if you raise this, but as someone else suggested, maybe send in a sandwich for your dd on jam sandwich day. Shes your child and I think you are very right to care about her diet. Good luck:)

GypsyMoth · 17/10/2011 14:41

Ah,so you want nursery to do the healthy eating bit cos YOU can't be arsed and want to feed her crap yourself!!

Get it now!

NormanTebbit · 17/10/2011 14:41

And it's not like a jam sandwich is her main meal

CharlotteBronteSaurus · 17/10/2011 14:41

I'm with you OP
yeah, a weekly jam sandwich isn't going to kill her, but it just seems a bit lazy to serve up junky stuff at a nursery which presumably has full-time kitchen staff.

convenience foods are fine, but I want to have the convenience myself of occasionally serving up a Crap Tea, and I would feel like I couldn't do this if the dc were not eating well at nursery.

Original poster
choceyes · 17/10/2011 14:41

RitaMorgan - well yes I probably would say no puddings if my DC was going to your nursery!
Infact when DS started there they were giving foods like that to under 2's (sugary puddings after lunch). I said I don't want him having them and I provided fruit instead. But after a few months, after a review, they stopped giving pudding to under 2's, so I think they knew it wasn't a good idea (they were due for an OFsted inspection too).
But the occassional sugary item for tea time seems to have remained.

Sorry about the "baby" in the title, it was misleading, but I have seen them giving sarnies to 6-12 month olds as finger food, whether they were jam or not i don't know.

OP posts:
RitaMorgan · 17/10/2011 14:41

choceyes, I think you should give yourself a break! Not every meal has to be perfectly balanced, you don't have to "cancel out" a jam sandwich with a perfect evening meal.

beanandspud · 17/10/2011 14:42

When DS was 14 months it would have annoyed me too but I had very bad pfb-itis

I guess you have a couple of choices:

  1. Just put up with it and say nothing
  2. Let them know that you don't want your child having jam and/or sweet stuff
  3. Ask for a copy of the nursery menu and send your own snack on jam sandwich days

If you have a good nursery they will be happy to go with your request.

troisgarcons · 17/10/2011 14:43

one third of children are obese, not just overweight but obese, by year 6

Where are all these children? becasue I never see them, one or two maybe, but I've yet to see a flock of fat kids trundling their way to school. They must be all congregated in one particular area.

Original poster
choceyes · 17/10/2011 14:45

ILOVE TIFFANy - I think I said before I do not feed my DD crap, and would not even if nursery feed her healthy food all day. YOu have completely misinterpreted what I have said. Your comment really angers me actually.

OP posts:
cheeseandmarmitesandwich · 17/10/2011 14:45

I think if you relinquish control of your kids to someone else you have to accept the way they feed them, the activities they do etc. I don't think it's fair on either your child or the staff to request that they are treated differently. If you don't like it send them somewhere else! I say this as a part time working mum btw whose kids go to nursery.

cheeseandmarmitesandwich · 17/10/2011 14:45

I think if you relinquish control of your kids to someone else you have to accept the way they feed them, the activities they do etc. I don't think it's fair on either your child or the staff to request that they are treated differently. If you don't like it send them somewhere else! I say this as a part time working mum btw whose kids go to nursery.

Original poster
choceyes · 17/10/2011 14:46

and thanks charolottebrontesauraus - you got my idea there.

OP posts:
Ragwort · 17/10/2011 14:46

Totally agree with Ginge - there are millions of children starving to death in this world and we get obsessed about a jam sandwich?? It won't matter in the slightest if your DD has a jam sandwich for a snack and a chip butty & fruitshoot (or whatever you want to give her Grin) the same evening for tea. Some mumsnetters seriously need to get a sense of perspective over what their precious darlings children eat.

Is it just me - I never see this sort of attitude in RL but only on Mumsnet !

Original poster
choceyes · 17/10/2011 14:47

I pay them well to look after my DCs. Both their emotional and nutrional well being, so yes ofcourse I have a say how I want her to be fed.

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 17/10/2011 14:47

You said as a mum to 2 Dc and working part time blah blah...... And on you went. I re read it!

Organise yourself better then!