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

[booomy]

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?

I also dont get what is so bad about an oven chip

I mean, mash a potato and its fine, boil it, even better, bake it in its skin and the Cinnamon and Gooseberry Yoghurt Mummies simply orgasm in delight. But to cut it into slices and put it in the oven is just NOT ON.

It's not just about sugar though is it.

Ok so cheese has a tiny amount of natural salt in it. Tomatoes don't contain salt and nor does flour .

I have nothing against oven chips. I suppose it depends whether they are "home" or "nursery" made or from a bag. Because those coming from a bag have lots of salt and the guidelines - at least here in Italy - are to avoid any salt in the first 12 months of a child's life.
If the oven chips didn't have any salt then fair enough.

YABU about the biscuit

I don;t know if YABU about the pizza and chips because I don't know how often they're served. But as numerous people have already pointed out, oven chips are just potato.

What kind of pizza is it? A previously frozen one with a million preservatives, or a homemade on with veggies and a whole wheat crust?

I was never happy with the food DS received while in daycare/preschool. Chicken nuggets, packaged macaroni and cheese, etc, although TBF it was always with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables on the side. I really didn't like it, but I had no options and had to suck it up. I tried to feed him as healthfully as possible at home to balance it out.

Home (nursery/playgroup) made pizza is perfectly fine.

As long as he is well cared for, I would let it go.

PS Oven chips are fine.

dreaming - 16 months! So right at that age! I love it when he has a growth spurt. He also eats anything and everything - we had a few days where he had everything at nursery, came home, 2 bowls of porridge, 2 custards, 4 petit filous, some of my dinner, some of DH's, a baby cereal bar, and then I resorted to a funsize milky bar! This was then followed by 9 oz of cows milk at bed time . And he's still ridiculously skinny. It was ridiculous what he was packing away. Bless - growing boys, eh?

Mozzarella contains more salt than ready salted crisps.

Bread is made with salt.

Tomatoes and flour are both more-or-less pure sugar.

CailinDana

No there's no salt in tomatoes or flour generally but tomatoes have sugar in them and flour is starch which starts breaking down to sugar as soon as you put it in your mouth.

No added sugar or salt is perfect and I'd be more than happy with what you prepare

So do you not give your children any bread or tomatoes then Poulay?

^9months with the only sugar being from fruit and yoghurt, then suddenly a biscuit with icing all over it??? You don't think that would hurt his head? He has never eaten it in his life, of course it's going to have some effect on him!!
^

Oh, OP. :o I can nigh on guarantee no child's head has ever exploded from a bit of icing. :) I can be as PFB as anyone else, but honestly, a biscuit will not kill him!

Ive just checked a bag of McCains Oven Chips.

0.03g salt per 100g.

Guidelines 1g a day.

I understand about tomatoes containing natural sugar and the fact that flour is almost entirely starch but if you're that restrictive then what can you feed a child?

CailinDana, of course I do - I'm not the one moaning about sugary biscuits though.

There is nothing wrong with sugar, in fact it's a necessary part of our diet.

Petit filou - 6.2g per small pot
snack pack sunmaid raisins - 30g
half a banana - 15g
1 choc digestive - 4.8g per biscuit

Jin everyone knows that these food contain sugar - there's nothing new there. It's not just about the sugar though, its about how healthy the actually food is. Bananas are high GI sadly but also high in potassium and other vitamins/minareals. Raisins have high levels of iron and potassium and are great for the digestive track. Petit filou I wouldn't touch with a barge pole but normal yogurt is good for the colon, it digests easier then milk, also contains lots of calcium and protein. On the other hand a choc digestive is made from wheat flour, oil, sugar, salt and a few more healthy/unhealthy ingredients. It's not the worst biscuit but it's not a healthy option either.

I don't think anyone is that restrictive - it's large amounts of unecessary added sugar that I get het up about

Like in petit filous and low fat stuff

I did say that later on skybluepearl

I definitely said that the sugar content I was posting was out of context

Yes poulay I appreciate what you are saying,however the OP doesn't want her 9month old baby to eat pizza,chips and biscuits regularly,she has said they offer this on a regular basis and she isn't happy.why is that so wrong?
I think to make comments about food choices and relate it to class is ridiculous.
We are very proudly working class in our house and eat healthily and have a very varied diet.we also have treats in moderation,and certainly when my twins were 9months old that didn't include iced biscuits regularly.if you were to give that to your children that's your choice,but I wouldn't make a comment about your 'class' or whether you were 'poor' because of the food you wanted to give your children

I don't think it's wrong but equally I don't see that you can dictate your personal PFB diet to them.

Hi Rodea thing is she said that he never has one, isn't allowed just one, and she thought one might blow off his head. It was a one off for the Jubilee and there hasn't been a suggestion they are given on a regular basis.

I actually agree with what your saying, and you sound to have the same approach as me. BTW.

The nursery have agreed not to give him any chips ( i am a defender of chips but did think they chose an odd method of delivery) They have agreed to give him no puddings just fruit, and there wasn't any suggestion that they are going to regularly give iced biccys. And the important thing is they did ask permission.

Bread also contains sugar- you need it to react with the yeast for it to rise. Any person who sits around counting calories, fat content or sugars needs their head read. Moderation is the key. Restricting children from eating certain foods in a place of interaction will result in the child eating those foods in large amounts and in secret. Why are some parents intent on making all food out to be evil and bad?

YANreallyBU

It sounds like the menu has been designed with toddlers in mind rather than babies. I would say pizza as long as not too salty is a good food for a child of 1 year plus. You could try it as finger food for a 9 month old but I wouldn't bank on them eating much of it. Oven chips are again OK for 1 year plus as long as not too salty. But I would say not with pizza and not mushed.

With the biscuit I would have let him play at baking and decorating it and then let him just have a small bit with his milk. I can see your concerns re sugar but think the activity sounds fun and it would be a shame for your DS to miss out completely.

Could you perhaps provide a packed lunch for your DS and then give him a bigger tea when he gets home? Or go through the menu with the nursery manager and ask them to substitute any meals you are not happy with with something else. I know I've asked for my DD not to have certain things that she didn't like although I've usually asked that she have the veggie alternative which won't work for you.