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

[choceyes]

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.

[ChippingInToThePumpkinLantern]

It is one meal/snack out of approximately 35 a week.

One out of 5 in the day.

I really don't see how you can call it a significant portion of her intake.

[choceyes]

yes white bread better for under 12 months I think becasue of the fibre. But wholemeal is inherently more nutrious than white anyway, so after 1yr I think wholemeal is better.

I am going to ask for their meal plan from the manager and then just say that I'd rather DD didn't have these things and I will provide an alternative if necessary. They were OK when I said no sugary puddings when DS started, and I always gave him fruit.
I'm not trying to challange their healhy eating policies (although if she tries to defend jam sarnies and tinned hoops nutritional values then I might!), just to say that personally they are not for my DD.

[foodtech]

Would just like to point out that white bread is not empty calories or lacking in nutrients. It contains:

protein (needed for growth), calcium (needed for growth of strong bones and teeth), vitamin b (needed to help with the release of enegey from carbohydrates) and folic acid (needed to allow iron to be absorbed and prevent folic acid deficiency anaemia).

All of which are required for a healthy balanced diet. Also contains carbohydrates which young children need for energy. F xx

[EvilVampireFrog]

I love jam sandwiches. They are not for children, they are too damn good. On the MOST plasticky white bread you can find, please. drools

Nothing wrong with it as part of a balanced diet, not completely devoid of nutritional value, you can live on peanut butter and jam sarnies - I used to at Uni

[MumblingAndBloodyRagDoll]

You'll have to chill. When we allow our DC into the world without us, we are allowing others to input on their health and well being..that begins at nursery and school....unless you want to homeschool and not work,you just have to accept this.

WHen I let my DC go to play at their friends houses they eatfood and watch TV that I don't...but they're learning about the world.

Spghetti hoops once a week is fine...and if you then want to give her hot dogs well do so! You're not going to fail as a parent because the nursery isnt offering perfect food.

[choceyes]

Middle-class malnutrition...haha! Just cos I don't like jam sarnies and hoops on toast.

I'd rather they get their fats (yes they are essential) from things like what another posters DD's nursery gives out, like mackerel, goats cheese etc. And at home we have plenty of oily fish and cheeses, avocado etc, so it's about the right kind of fat.

Can't believe that wholegrain is not digestible by humans. Did we always process our starches before eating them?

[LaWeasel]

Um. Yes that is the point of fiber, you don't gain any nutrition from it, it effectively cleans out our system when we eat it, which is good, but if you eat too much you get diarrhea and the other food you are eating is not digested properly so you can become difficient in other areas of your diet.

Small children and babies can only handle much smaller amounts of fiber than adults can, if your child eats plenty of fruit and veg they probably don't need any other sources of fiber at all.

But go ahead, be smug that your child's diet is superior.

[loveglove]

I can't imagine a two year old sitting down to a "nice" snack of mackrel on avocado with goats cheese.

Spoon of caviar on the side too.

[choceyes]

yes but the husk from the grain is removed to make white bread, and the husks has lots of vitamins and mineral as well as fibre.

I don't think some people totally get what I am trying to say here. I am talking about a 14 month old...not a 3yrs old, not a 5yr old, not your teenage daughter who goes out to play at others houses etc etc etc. A baby who knows nothing about treats.

[foodtech]

LaWeasel is correct. the whole point in fibre is it goes right through as and removes waste from our bodies. this is why lots of children get diarrhoea if they eat too much fruit & vegetables. F xx

[Astronaut79]

It's not a jam sandwich, it's a butty jam.


Ds isn't allowed spaghetti hoops because they are wasted on a toddler. We generally eat a healthy, vegetarian/fish diet in our house, but I would sell my mother for spaghetti hoops on toast.

[choceyes]

loveglove - maybe if the 2yr old weren't introduced to sugary food at an early age, he knows no better, so he probably would sit down to such a meal.

[foodtech]

All the husk contains is fibre. Nothing else. White bread contains all the carbs, protein, vitamin B and folic acid the same as wholegrain just without the fibre. Sorry. F xx

[BeyondLimitsOfTheLivingDead]

I understand fully, my DS is 12 months. I just disagree, thats all.
Plus its not a "treat" per se, its a slightly more unhealthy meal than she would normally have. Its not in addition to a meal.

[loveglove]

I don't think jam will make a difference.

Mackrel and goats cheese are such strong flavours I just can't imagine a two year old liking them. Although I spose some will.

[hardboiledpossum]

Yanbu. In my experience most nurseries have appallingly unhealthy menus. Definitely not what I'd chose to feed my children.

[upsylazy]

What is going on at the moment. Last week we had the healthiest lunch box competition and now this...all this panic about jam sandwiches and the sugar content of frubes. The world economy is going down the pan, climate change is escalating. Please get some perspective.

[DogsBeastFiend]

I'm very tempted to ask the OP if she feeds her children meat and say that if so she's not really in aposition to pontificate about the healthiness of other food items.

But I shan't because that would be stirring it. :o

[ChippingInToThePumpkinLantern]

You are talking about (at most) a slice of white bread and either a smear of jam or a spoon of spagetti once a week for a snack, after a healthy lunch at nursery - you need some perspective.

[ChippingInToThePumpkinLantern]

DBF - you and me both

[MrBloomsNursery]

Hang on OP, my DD was given jam sandwiches at nursery when she was around the same age, and as she's developed her own tastes, she now has an aversion to sickly sweet foods like honey and jam. She refuses to eat them and prefers marmite or cheese. So just because you're DD is eating jam sandwiches now, it doesn't mean she will think of them as a "treat" in the future. They're certainly not my DD's idea of a treat.

You're being silly. I think you have received a majority answer here, but you're still refusing to listen, or even accept that you may be slightly over reacting.

[MollyTheMole]

YABU there is nothing wrong with jam sandwich and hoops (not at the same time obviously) as a snack to keep kids going.

The flapjacks you refer to will be much worse

[squeakytoy]

A LITTLE BIT OF SUGAR IS NOT POISON

fucks sakes... most of us here grew up on jam butties and spaghetti hoops and survived...

where have all these neurotic panicking food phobic flappers come from?

[MummyOfHnS]

YANBU.

Everyone is entitle to bring their child up on whatever diet they wish providing it isn't cruel or harmful. Not wanting your child to consume weekly jam sandwiches is certainly not cruel or harmful, and is definitely the healthier thing to do. Your 'baby' is a toddler now but IMO the longer healthy diets are given to our children, the more likely they are to continue it when they are older. You give a child a taste of the unknown (sugar etc) and they will only want more and this IMO causes problems!

[minervaitalica]

Small children need fats and simple carbs but not from processed crap like spaghetti hoops. You can get fat from plenty of other sources like dairy products, oily fish like mackerel, olive oil, meat... Not difficult.

Actually I do think my DD eats better at nursery than I do - and so she should given she is learning "how to eat" as well as growing.