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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To change nursery because of menu options

304 replies

Confusedwithcake1 · 23/02/2017 17:11

So I'm returning to work soon and my LO will attend the local nursery for 2 days a week when 11months old. When I chose the nursery I was happy with the care, location etc and at the time I was happy with the menu options.

Fast forward now and I've looked at the menu options and now I think I want to look for a new nursery. Specifically because they serve cake as a pudding (wasn't on previous sample menu)

Don't get me wrong I love cake and know that LO will eat cake at parties but I was just hoping that a nursery setting would provide something less junkie.

My DH thinks it's fine as it's only 2 days a week but I'm not so sure as it seems unnecessary for a 11month old.. so aibu to try and find a new nursery based on one sample menu that lists cake as a pudding?

OP posts:
NerrSnerr · 23/02/2017 18:52

'No wonder there are so many fat kids if people think cake twice a week is ok lol'

We don't even know what's in the cake though do we? Would yoghurt be ok? What if the yoghurt has more sugar in than the cake?

EmeraldScorn · 23/02/2017 18:54

This is taking "precious" to a whole new level!

tigersinthedark · 23/02/2017 18:54

And those 'no added sugar' baby yoghurts i.e. little yeos have 9.2g sugar per 100g.

I havent got anything against Yeo Valley by the way, its just that their information is readily accessible on their website

Thegirlinthefireplace · 23/02/2017 18:55

Most yoghurt is crammed full of sugar too...

Of course fruit is also full of sugar, if sugar is your concern...

Thegirlinthefireplace · 23/02/2017 18:55

Ok just caught up and just seen the sugar in yoghurt things been done. I posted half way through reading thread 😳😳😳

hibbledobble · 23/02/2017 18:56

Have you asked what the cake ingredients are? It may not be at all 'junkie'. For example it could have fruit and no added sugar.

For 2 days a week yabu.

Pancakeflipper · 23/02/2017 18:57

Cake is not junk food (well mine ain't - we've just made my choc chip loaf into our by adding banana and custard and it was bloody yummy).
Everything in moderation

Astoria7974 · 23/02/2017 18:58

Most yoghurts, even plain ones, are crammed full of sugar. Fruit too has a lot of sugar and acid - can cause tooth decay. You need to as a parent find out what your child eats at school and ensure they don't eat too much sugar in the evening, surely? Its your job to manage their diet not the nursery's.

Ragwort · 23/02/2017 18:58

I'm not that precious about food - err .............. I think you are. Grin.

ShowMePotatoSalad · 23/02/2017 18:59

If you don't want your DC to have cake just send with their own dessert or just say "please don't give them cake". Simple.

Why would you change nursery over something so small and easily solved? YABU.

LapinR0se · 23/02/2017 19:00

My child is at nursery in Switzerland and every day they have a 3-course lunch plus a snack at 4pm which is often cake-based. She is thriving, a perfect weight for her height and loves food

chatnanny · 23/02/2017 19:00

I make a lot of cake with healthy ingredients such as bananas, apples, carrots etc I would really feel offended to have them termed "junk food"!

umberellaonesie · 23/02/2017 19:03

School dinners have a proper pudding everyday. It is a 3 course hot meal at ny children's school.
I cater for the family with that in mind. And they have light suppers as already eaten the main meal at school.
If it was between two nurseries the one offering a wholesome balanced cooked on the day meal would trumpeven if it included a proper pudding. As it would save me doing a proper dinner.

SnugglySnerd · 23/02/2017 19:08

I'm just thinking back to when I was at primary school in the 1980s, we had pudding every day at school e.g. chocolate concrete, jam sponge & custard etc. My parents talk about having a great big stodgy school dinner followed by a great big stodgy pudding e.g. spotted dick, jam roly poly etc with custard. This was every single day. Plus we took in our own break time snacks which were usually crisps or penguin/club biscuits. There were not the problems with childhood obesity then that there are now.
Takeaways and eating out were very special treats for birthdays. We walked everywhere and played out a lot. I suspect these have more bearing on obesity now than having a couple of pieces of cake a week as pudding at a meal time.

tigersinthedark · 23/02/2017 19:17

Seeing as I am trying to avoid writing an essay on a roll have a few more sugar containing foods just for comparison

Banana, peeled but uncooked
12g sugar per 100g

Apple, Braeburn
10g sugar per 100g

Strawberry, uncooked
4.9g sugar per 100g

And finally one of those Ellas kitchen green pouches has 10.7g sugar in a pouch.

Serialweightwatcher · 23/02/2017 19:18

I really don't understand this food nonsense nowadays - years ago people had three meals a day, including puddings of all descriptions and very rarely got fat. I honestly think a lot of todays obesity is the fact that kids don't get enough exercise and graze between meals and are not out and about like they used to be ... a balance of food is good, not bad dependent upon what type of food it is

ThatsSoFetch · 23/02/2017 19:19

Well Im a Childminder and we regularly have cake! We even have little tea parties with cake and biscuits - and role play with please and thank you! I think you are being ridiculous going against your choice of nursery because they serve cake!

yummycake123 · 23/02/2017 19:26

YABU. A bit of cake twice a week won't do your LO any harm. And I wouldn't change nurseries just because of this...

Our nursery offers cake, fruit, custard, etc... It varies every week. If cake is the only thing that bothers you, could u ask nursery to offer LO fruit instead? There are a lot of kids with different dietary requirements (at least in our nursery) so I'm sure they would be happy to swap cake for something else?

PlugUgly1980 · 23/02/2017 19:29

My 3 and 1 year old both go to Nursery full time, and have done since 9 months old. Under 1's didn't have cake or biscuits, just fruit, yoghurt, jelly etc for pudding. When they turned 1 I was asked if they were allowed cakes and biscuits. They probably have homemade cake or biscuits 2 or 3 times a week as a pudding and maybe biscuits as a snack too, but this is balanced by loads of fruit and veg and all home made meals. I saw a post not long ago where someone was outraged their child had jam sandwiches for tea...mine have the occasional jam sandwich tea at Nursery too. I like a sensible balanced approach which is what they get at home.

ArcheryAnnie · 23/02/2017 19:29

I think if "they give cake to my child twice a week" is the worst thing you can dredge up about a childcare option, then the best thing you can possibly do is run towards that childcare option throwing money at them and begging them to take your child.

(YABU.)

Sara107 · 23/02/2017 19:32

The nursery we used served pudding every day. The menu was planned so that across all the meals and snacks served during the day that the children would get roughly the recommended amount of fat, protein, carbs, milk,sugar, fruit + veg etc. So sometimes the snacks seemed pretty odd, eg grapes with sausage roll. Pudding would be something like rice pudding, or fruit and yoghurt, or something with custard. Or a cake type thing. It was all cooked daily by a cook, and she would make a birthday cake for afternoon tea for anyone who had a birthday. The birthday child could choose if their cake was chocolate or pink ( don't know if that was strawberry!) and their slice was decorated with a couple of smarties. All part of a balanced diet, but you can always opt out of whatever parts of the nursery catering you don't like, and send in something from home instead.

Peanutandphoenix · 23/02/2017 19:32

tigersinthedark that's all natural sugar that is found in fruit that's not added to it. Op a little bit of cake twice a week isn't going to do your LO any harm but if you really don't want them having cake then ask the nursery if they would give them fruit or yogurt.

tabithakitty · 23/02/2017 19:36

I'm quite surprised they offer cake. Our nurseries only ever have healthy food and snacks. I know cake is not terribly bad for them, but I would say it's for parents to provide treats and puddings at home. I do give my DD treats including cake but it's nice to know that it's not in addition to treats she gets at nursery.

CoffeeBreakIn5 · 23/02/2017 19:37

I wouldn't base my nursery choice on what they serve for desert, it might be that LO becomes used to being offered cake twice a week that she's not bothered by it. Sometimes taking away the novelty factor works wonders. Overall, I don't actually think that you're being unreasonable really if there is another nursery with a more suitable menu, it is a factor to consider.

I initially came on to say YABU and PFB and FFS it's only cake - then I remembered that with DS1 I cried when my childminder told me she'd given him a chocolate mini roll. It is a big deal when are new to it all and feel like every food choice you make is the difference between being healthy and obese. Being in control is what convinces us that we are being good parents, it's only with time that we realise that small deviations from our plans don't always lead to catastrophe.

OP, you sound like a lovely mum.

tigersinthedark · 23/02/2017 19:38

I know its all natural sugar, the point I was making is that sugar is sugar is sugar regardless and even 'sugar free' options still contain sugar.