About toddler group snacks?

[youcankeepyourhead]

I wanted to mention/discuss with you my concerns about some toddler groups snack options.

I went to a group last week - at snack time, they gave the children: crisps, biscuits and juice (squash that's full of sugar). I changed the juice for water and gave my child the snack I'd brought with me (cheese sandwich and quartered grapes)

It does not teach the children healthy eating nor does it show a good example to parents. I believe that these groups should be offering fruit, raisins, rice cakes, milk or water.

Am I the only mum who thinks these unhealthy snakes are unacceptable? So my question is, do you think it's acceptable for these groups to offer our children unhealthy snacks?

No ones forcing you to go to the group?!

I go to one with cut up orange, banana, raisins and breadsticks with water to drink.

I wouldn't go to one offering snacks I didn't approve of.

It's no biggie really. Provide an alternative or skip the group. It's not a stress. It's only a biscuit and squash with a couple of crisps. I think you're really over worrying when you think crisps are dangerously carcinogenic. You would have to eat a serious amount of quavers to be in danger of cancer.

I run a toddler group, and the snacks are a source of constant debate. We provide fruit (orange, apple), pancakes, cheese and biscuits, as well as juice. There are several factors:

1. Preparation. We are all volunteers, and most of the team are ladies in their 80s. We simply don't have the time to chop up loads of fruit. Biscuits are easier to handle. So we do a bit of fruit, and then the biscuits and pancakes. We'd love to do toast, but it's just not feasible to make. We provide water instead of juice if asked, but it's much easier to fill all the cups at the start with the same thing.

1. Cost. We charge £1.50 per family per morning. That has to cover food (children and adults), electric, heating and buying new toys. Biscuits are cheap and keep for ages. Fruit is expensive and can't be kept from week to week.

1. Parental preference. We have some parents who actually prefer their kids to get biscuits and juice. They think a group is stingy if they serve fruit and water. Parents who are more concerned about healthy eating tend to be happy enough to bring a cup of water and their own snacks. The fact is that we have to keep numbers up, or we won't survive, and that we therefore have to cater to what most people are happy with.

However, we would love it if someone said they'd bring a load of chopped up fruit some week. Or if a couple of people offered to make toast. We'd probably let them in for free that week, to be honest (as long as it was agreed the week before). You could try approaching the organisers and offering your services. Or at least raise the issue in a nice way.

Yep, you're right it's not easier. I could save myself 5 seconds a week and £1 a term by not pouring squash into the jug.

Oh,and op, those grapes (quartered or otherwise) and bread are also full of sugar

Call me old-fashioned, but I thought these groups are for children to play and for the parents to socialise. Not 'teach the children healthy eating. or show a good example to parents'. You do that at home.
Playgroups and nurseries, yes I wouldn't expect biscuits (except occasionally, perhaps when the children bake). But if you go once a week I really don't think it's the end of the world.

The toddler groups (and the playgroups) in my immediate area have a rota where each week a different parent brings (and prepares) reaonably decent snacks for the kids.

It's a pain being on a rota - but if parents can't be arsed with that, then cheap dried or long-lasting stuff will be bought by whichever poor souls are on the committee, so they can buy the necessaries at the start of term and not have to worry again - on behalf of the ungrateful fuckers who turn up and never offer to help.

I volunteer at a playgroup and sometimes it's a thankless task, setting up, doing teas/coffees/snacks, clearing up cups, putting away toys and cleaning up. Costs per child just about covers the renting of the hall, heating, and wages of the playgroup leader.

Biscuits and water is one way to make my life easier. Parents are welcome to bring their own snacks for their children though!

Fucking hell!

When I took my two to toddler groups (10am to 12noon) they got a beaker of squash or water and a digestive biscuit. The adults got a cup of tea or instant coffee and a plain biscuit or maybe 2. All for £1.00 per session. What a bargain!

The babies/toddlers had breakfast at home beforehand and lunch at home afterwards. There wasn't actually any need for a snack in those two hours!

Lumps of cheese and oatcakes?!? What planet are some of you on, honestly?

I don't know who is running the group but I'm sure they are doing their best. I used to take mine to Stay and Plays at SureStart centres and they had big bags of fruit to cut up. I doubt they do that any more since the cuts. If it's privately run without getting funded, or a Sure Start that's suffered cuts, it will be hard for them to have the time, or resource, to manage better snacks. Perishable things are tricky and things that need to be prepared.... when would the play group leader get the time to do it?

In the nicest possible way, if you don't like it (I wouldn't) can you suggest an alternative? If the parents took turns for 3 each week to bring some cut up fruit, that would probably work, if there are regulars that is. I would far rather bring some cut up apples one week in 3 - or even every week - than this

I run two local toddler groups with another childminder friend, as childcare providers we have a healthy eating policy that we apply at the group as well as our own settings. Our usual snacks include fruit and vegetables plus a choice of juice or water. We do have biscuits too but they are mainly for the parents to have with their cuppas. I wouldn't be happy with the snacks you describe, could you suggest that everyone pays £1 per week entry and this pays for the healthier snacks?

YANBU I totally agree with you. I have always had an issue round this. Now DD is 3 my issue is party bags! I will NOT give my DD haribo, sherbet, chewy rubbish at all.

I'm not saying I'm perfect and she has the perfect diet but I do worry about teeth! DD will only drink milk or water (even at day nursery where all the other kids drink squash - she is the only one!). I allow little chocolate treats but she never has sweets/crisps/squash even now!

Raisins and fruit are full of sugar too!

Most of the toddler groups I went to had toast as a snack.

BelfastSmile - you've a committee of people who are not the parents of the kids attending?? How the heck did you get people to do that??! I'm really impressed at your committee and their generosity.

I have to admit at my group we are currently using up the left over crisps and biscuits from our Christmas party donations before they go out of date.
Normal healthy food very soon. :)

All the one where I used to live provided water and toast/crackers

We moved and the new groups served biscuits (mostly digestives) and sugar free squash. I was horrified, then got over being all pfb and let my ds gave a biscuit twice a week.

I am aghast at the sense of entitlement some people have. It's somewhere for you and your child to socialise. Take your grapes and water and suck it up.

Why are snacks needed anyway? I never had a problem with a jammy dodger when mine were young but I never really got the importance of it - is it really necessary at all? There's presumably water in the tap and if parents know their kids get a dip about that time they can bring something along? Faffing about with a range of healthy foods seems ridiculous for a session which probably only lasts 90 mins.

Is a cheese sandwich more 'healthy' than a biscuit or a couple of crisps? Processed bread, processed spread and processed cheese? I don't think so but then I don't analyse once a week snacks so I could be wrong.
And squash is usually watered down far more than the recommended 1 part squash to 4 parts water. Maybe half a teaspoon of sugar per drink? Is it worth getting hung up about this? It's not as if it's every meal of every day. And low sugar alternatives are to be avoided at all costs.
To use a well-worn MNism it's a snack not crack.

still waiting for someone to explain how squash is easier or cheaper than water!!!!

I've been to lots of playgroup type things through work and have seen a mix of water/squash/milk and fruit/veg/breadsticks/biscuits/toast but this is the first time I've heard of crisps. Breadsticks are as easy to prepare and as cost effective as crisps.

Having said that if I otherwise liked a playgroup I would try to either bring my own snack/steer dc to plainest looking biscuit/or see if I can help set up some kind of parent buying fruit rota.

I would consider squash a healthier option than either milk or water, and would be upset if my child was offered milk. I think it is perfectly reasonable to offer a child a biscuit, to be honest. Nothing wrong with rice cakes, except the price! Fruit? well, it depends what fruit, and how it is stored, served, etc. I think there are legal implications there. And raisins - a definite no-no in my book.

blue14 how is squash healthier than milk or water?

so is it a playgroup session or a restaurant that we are talking about ???

Raisins and crisps are only okay as irregular treats. They are both proven to be poor choices with regards to tooth health.