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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think I should have control over what my son eats at nursery?

325 replies

booomy · 01/06/2012 11:23

My 9 month old started nursery this week. There has been a few issues but the food has shocked me! It's a sure start centre with all 1's from ofsted.

The first day I went in, the babies (15 of them) were being spoon fed smushed up chips and pizza! I was really shocked, and the next day had a bit of a to-do with the senior leader about DS not having chips. Pizza is fine as long as its home-made bread with tomato sauce cheese and veggies. No harm in that. But in my mind it's weird to be feeding babies as young as 5months chips, even if they are oven baked!

I also said I didn't want DS having dessert. He soon learnt that after dinner was dessert and started refusing his food, so we cut it out. They made a big fuss about it (example is fruit crumble & custard/ice cream). But after speaking to the head teacher, they just give him bits of fruit from snack time (melon, strawberries etc) that he's fine with!

Fast forward to today (jubilee party). The babies were baking (if you can call it that) when we arrived. I plonked DS in the music area, which he loves and he sat there occupying himself. One of the staff asked if he could make a biscuit with icing and I said no! They were really annoyed at me :( they said before lunch they were having milk and biscuits, and DS would feel left out. I said I really didn't want him to have one. If he felt left out then he could have a small bit of a plain one. DS has never had anything with refined sugar before. if he ate a biscuit with icing then i think he'd either have a headache or be bouncing off the walls!

Would you let a 9 month old have a icing biscuit? An odd treat is okay, but not for babies. If he was 3 or 4 and wanted one its different. Do you think i'm within my rights to ask for him to have fruit instead of a dessert?

OP posts:
lesstalkmoreaction · 01/06/2012 18:12

I haven't read all of the replies but due to the fact that this is within the surestart centre then they have to follow a healthy eating policy so ask to see it and see what they allow. It should be quite detailed with regard to salt and sugar, fat etc of food. Recently I was pulled up for offering raisins by the visiting dentist as they are so high in sugar that they are worse than some sweets and have had to include them in my policy as to why they are now an occasional snack food.

OhNoMyFanjo · 01/06/2012 18:22

Grin @ WhosPickleisThatOnion

Francagoestohollywood · 01/06/2012 18:22

Well I suppose us Italians will make do with other delicious fares in alternative to lasagne and chips ( which is actually quite a good idea, though a bit too heavy on the carbs side!).
Pizza and chips on the other hand is now rather popular here in Italy too.

WhosPickleisThatOnion · 01/06/2012 18:23

With mayonnaise! Mmmmmmm.

OhNoMyFanjo · 01/06/2012 18:23

Pizza and chips on the other hand is now rather popular here in Italy too.

There you go op, he had an Italian meal it's official Wink

WhosPickleisThatOnion · 01/06/2012 18:33

You in Italy fanjo? I would be the size of a house! I love all Italian food ( just even more with chips on the side )

Francagoestohollywood · 01/06/2012 18:38

No, it is me who is in Italy. PIzza with chips on top is popular in takeaways like Spizzico.

WhosPickleisThatOnion · 01/06/2012 18:39

Mmmmmm sounds dirty and very nice!

seeker · 01/06/2012 18:40

Look, I realise that criticising nurseries is one of those things thatnyou're not allowed to do on mums net. But I refuse to believe that anyone would be happy with their 5 month old being spoon fed mushed up pizza and chips. It's bizarre,

The biscuit thing is a bit bonkers, obviously, but seriously? spoon feeding 5 month old babies mushed up pizza and chips??????????????

TheGrandOldDuke · 01/06/2012 18:41

Mushed chips sounds grim.

But I'm more disturbed by the craze at the mo of children not being allowed puddings. Unless you don't allow them out to run around and insist they sit warning TV all day, a balanced diet is fine! And that even includes the odd cake and biscuit!!!

Littleplasticpeople · 01/06/2012 18:43

If it was a one off then yabu, but otherwise I think yanbu. These are babies that are still being weaned, they should be having non processed foods as much as possible IMO. If this is on a rotated menu, it's a bit much I think. I think the mushing it up is the biggest issue- pizza is a finger food, if they can't cope with that then they shouldn't have it.

Not sure how I feel about the biscuit. There's certainly no need for it, but I know both of mine had had biscuits by 9 months!

WhosPickleisThatOnion · 01/06/2012 18:44

9 months!

WhosPickleisThatOnion · 01/06/2012 18:46

Anyway the nursery are doing what she asks, no chips no biccie and she was happy with the pizzas credentials at the end.

kilmuir · 01/06/2012 18:48

Don't children that age suck on chips, why the need to mash them?

WhosPickleisThatOnion · 01/06/2012 18:49

I can't talk about chips any more it's driving me crazy! I want some! I want to suck on one!

exoticfruits · 01/06/2012 19:11

The Italians will be the next obese nation if they start eating chips with pasta and pizza.
I am generally the first to accuse people of being pfb, but I wouldn't want my baby fed pizza and chips.

Rubirosa · 01/06/2012 19:19

The things that would bother me about this nursery are:

They mash up pizza and chips - bizarre

They "don't have time" to let children feed themselves - what age are they allowed to self feed? How much time do they allocate for meals?

They won't respect your request not to give him egg.

My ds had a similar egg intolerance as a baby and his (SureStart) nursery had no problem with giving him an alternative meal. In my nursery we variously have children on no sugar/no dairy/no gluten/no fish/vegetarian/halal diets again without issue.

PineappleBed · 01/06/2012 19:20

YANBU it's not about banning good forever so they gorge on biscuits like forbidden fruit it's about introducing things steadily. A 9 month old has no concept of a treat in the way an adult does and that's a good thing as associating treat with biscuit is what made me weird about food. Their tummies are so little at this age that you want to make what little they eat good. I wouldn't be happy with iced biscuits or mashed pizza (why mashed? Just why).

The egg thing is weird too. They're happy to work with your pudding preference but not his egg intolerance?

Maybe go and visit some other places? Or look into a nanny share or cm?

bigkidsdidit · 01/06/2012 19:23

I agree Seeker. All these posters saying you are precious and pfb if you don't want your baby eating mushed up pizza and chips - would you seriously be happy giving that to your child for lunch? And you pay a nursery for professional child care - their food standards should be higher, not lower.

WhosPickleisThatOnion · 01/06/2012 20:14

I would let DS eat a chip and home made pizza with veggie sauce, yes. Its potato, bread, cheese, and veg at the end of the day. I would question mashing it, should be given as finger food.

Up to anyone else if they don't.

It was just the bit about the biscuit which I think was on the OTT side. Only in thinking it would send him crazy,and do something to his head, again if someone else wouldn't give a biscuit up to them.

Confused about egg thought.

bigkidsdidit · 01/06/2012 20:15

Oh I agree about the biscuit Grin

WhosPickleisThatOnion · 01/06/2012 20:17

DS had pizza in nursery today with spaghetti and chips, and for pudding.... SMARTIES COOKIE!

Now that's a bit wrong!

seeker · 01/06/2012 20:19

Grin at people always saying "veggie" sauce- aaa if that somehow makes it more virtuous.

WhosPickleisThatOnion · 01/06/2012 20:21

It does! I put veggie sauce on Kebabs and it makes them healthy.

Deadsouls · 01/06/2012 20:54

Okay...so mushed up chips and pizza is quite disgusting and a bit lazy of the nursery. What do they serve for the rest of the week?

But I think OP YAB slightly unreasonable about the biscuit business. I say this as a mum who didn't let DS1 eat any sugar for 18 mths. I made him sugar free, wheat free, dairy free cake for his birthday. Makes me laugh now...and I feel more relaxed about it. Obviously he is older but I also have a younger one and I don't think once in while it hurts.