AIBU to think this is a bit mean for a snack

[Tailtwister]

I need some perspective on this, as I don't know if IABU or not. DS changed to a school nursery last year and I've been surprised at some of the things the children have received as their mid-morning snack. For instance, today they were offered an oatcake with jam on it (1) and some milk. I was under the impression that nurseries were expected to provide some fresh fruit too. The children in the class range from 3-5 and imo need more than 1 biscuit to sustain them until lunch. Sometimes DS comes home to say he's had 1 digestive biscuit!

AIBU? At his previous (private) nursery they would get some fruit and something like rice cakes with mackerel pate. What is the norm and would I be reasonable to raise this with the nursery? It doesn't seem in line with healthy eating guidelines to me.

Sounds absolutely fine to me although most do offer fruit/veg as well. They're only there for three hours until lunchtime.

Is it like normal school nurseries where they are there for 3 hours a day?

I think an oatcake and some milk is fine for that period of time.

Gawd, its ages since my DS went to nursery but I reckon there will be a massive difference between snacks offered at school nursery than a private one.

Oatcake with jam on sounds quite nice. I don't think DS was ever given rice cakes with pate on at his nursery, the biscuit sounds more familiar to be honest. If DS has a good breakfast then surely a biscuit will take him through till lunch? Can you not send him in with some fruit to eat?

Doesnt seem like much! My DS nursery do things like rolls with ham or egg or cheese and carrot and piece of fruit/veg and a smalll fromage frais. They have recently started giving them pasta and pesto which the majority of kids do not eat!

We're not allowed to send in snacks. It's a school nursery, but some of the children are full-time. The usual hours are 8.30-12 and then 12-14.45. I suppose it's the content on the snacks which bothers me more. Surely it's better to provide a piece of fruit rather than a biscuit and just as easy?

That sounds more like DS's previous nursery midastouch.

it all comes down to money I imagine....much cheaper to just get some biscuits in than have fresh fruit all the time.....plus less wastage etc etc.........do they ever offer fruit??

Just make sure he has a good breakfast and he will be fine on a biscuit and milk till lunch :)

Wow, midastouch that sounds like lunch in our house! I haven't come across any nurseries who give them that much for snack, you'd get all the parents complaining that they didn't eat at lunchtime.

It's variety that's important in the diet, I would have thought an oatcake would be slow releasing with energy which helps them get through the last part of the morning.

Seems about normal to me. DD is at a standard preschool and they have fresh fruit or veg plus either a cracker, biscuit or breadsticks. DD avoids the fresh stuff like the plague. On the up side, she eats her lunch on preschool days with no arguments!

If they've had breakfast, it's plenty. Besides which, normally she's so busy playing that food is the last thing she cares about. By all means mention having fruit or veg, but otherwise it seems ok.

And the jam will give them a nasty sugar spike. Ask them to ditch the jam.

midastouch you are describing lunch I presume as that is no way a snack.

I've no experience of school nursery I'm afraid. I'd expect fruit and/or vegetables for snack times, but that's only because it's what the nursery I send DD2 does (and what we do at home). Morning snack is a variety of fruit with a drink of warm milk and afternoon snack is a variety of vegetables.

I'd prefer an oatcake to fruit. Slow release carbs, plenty of fibre, less sugar than fruit etc etc etc

I'd prefer cheese on it if I was being really fussy

My DS nursery do things like rolls with ham or egg or cheese and carrot and piece of fruit/veg and a smalll fromage frais. They have recently started giving them pasta and pesto which the majority of kids do not eat!

Thats a ridiculous amount for a snack.

Children don't need large portions of food, especially not for a snack when they will be having their lunch a couple of hours later.

I think their idea of fruit is a handful of raisins Betty. I agree it's probably a money thing. It's a private school nursery, so they set their own fees so to speak. I suppose that comparing it to what we were paying for before, it does seem like they're taking the p*ss a bit. He does eat well at breakfast and I don't think he's going hungry as such, but I do feel they could make more of an effort than just opening a packet of biscuits.

Yes, I suppose from the energy point of view an oatcake does make sense. Maybe if there was some cheese on it and some carrot sticks or something alongside?

In what way is handing out a few bits of fruit making more of an effort than opening a packet of oatcakes?

Fruit is a lazy snack sometimes. They should try to provide a variety through the week. Giving kids a bit of manky apple seems to tick everyone's healthy eating boxes but it's not that great

Oatcake with cheese and carrot sticks sounds perfect :)

Might go and have a rummage for one myself

I was just thinking the same thing myself Jins!

Assuming a child has had breakfast before nursery, say 8am before a 9am start, do they really need a bigger 'snack' mid morning? A biscuit and some milk sounds fine. Lunches for young children are usually around midday and end is usually 3ish. Just fill your DC up at breakfast and I'm sure they won't starve.

Young children sometimes need a small snack between meals, fair enough. A rice cake and jam seems perfectly ok for that.
Is it really such a good idea in these times of obesity to programme our young to expect a constant grazing diet? Surely they should be moved gently towards a 3 meal, plus SMALL snacks diet anyway, which is exactly what is on offer here?

You say you're worried about sustaining him til lunch time, but an apple probably has fewer calories than an oatcake with jam on.

And no, healthy eating guidelines does not mean that every snack has to be fruit.

If most children are ft, then they will be having a substantial hot lunch at 12, so they don't need much in between. And they may have found that when they had more at snack the children didn't eat as well at lunch.

Ds didn't go to nursery at his (private) school, but certainly in reception they had maybe a quarter of apple for morning snack, and lunch bang on 12 (3 veg, 1 fruit in the set meal for reception and y1), so they weren't starving!

I think that is a mean snack, yes. My 2yo DS would be an absolute nightmare on that - he'll easily demolish a whole peanut butter sandwich for morning snack, then a big lunch. He obviously isn't eating too much because he's right on his growth curve. His nursery usually do something along the lines of cheese on toast with milk, which seems much more appropriate. Toddlers are not adults and this talk of setting them up for obesity if they eat little and often is nonsense - they have small stomachs and high energy needs! One low-fat biscuit for three hours of playing is definitely pretty meagre.

I work in a nursery and snack is a very small meal, in fact, it's just a snack.
We try to provide a variety of nutritious choices, as advised by the EYFS.
We had houmous with breadsticks and carrot/cucumber sticks this afternoon. This morning it was toast.
Tommorrow will be cereal in the morning and fruit in the afternoon.
A handful of raisins sounds fine as a snack to me- as does an oatcake with jam.
I am at the children possibly dropping from starvation because they have not eaten for a couple of hours.