AIBU to say this is not enough food for my DS?

[GrannySquares]

My DS is 3 years old and is a very energetic but he really enjoys his food. He eats quite a lot because that's all he asks for so of course I do give him it and it is always healthy like cheese sticks, fruits etc. He goes to CM during the week and he absolutely loves it there but I feel like she only gives him very little food. A typical menu is for breakfast he has cornflakes, a snack will be an apple, and lunch is a sandwich. After, a snack will be a biscuit and a pear and dinner is whatever they have there. When he comes home, he is starving and he asks for food so I give him more dinner which he demolishes and he will also have pudding for after. Surely he shouldn't be coming home starving? I am paying a separate fee for him to have meals so why is he coming home, ravenous? Is he just greedy? He love going there and she's such a lovely lady so I'm going to feel bad if I ask her to feed him more

And yes, plus milk with all meals and snacks

That sounds fine to me, my 2.5 year old barely eats anything and that’s still fine (HV has assured me).

They need very little. If he’s hungry just give him something? It doesn’t mean he’s not eaten enough during the day.

Sounds like typical day for most people. He has three meals and snacks. I'm not sure what you expect really

there is nothing wrong with cornflakes as cereal

Well I was toddler sitting today and my charge has had

Porridge with mixed berries, crushed nuts and a drizzle of honey. Made with full fat milk. Water to.drink.

Small banana, one oat cake with cheese at around 10 am (( breakfast was 6.30isj ))

Lunch was baked sweet potato topped with tuna and butter. With cucumber, cherry tomatoes and spinach on the side. Bowl of strawberries.

Just had another oatcake with butter.

Dinner chicken drumsticks. Cous cous mixed with feta, olives and onion. More salad veg on the side. home made rice pudding for dessert topped with fruit.

Supper may be a couple of oatcakes with butter if needed.

Your childminder isn't giving enough nutritional food. She's being lazy. And I wouldn't be happy paying for food like that.

And I wouldn't be happy paying for food like that.

I suppose that really depends on how much she's paying and what the agreement was.

How can you possibly know that without knowing what was in the sandwich and the dinner???

Honestly op, don't let people stir up trouble where there may be none. Just initiate a conversation with her.

Those meals don’t meet nutrition regulations for child minders where I live. You have to hit protein, dairy, fruit and vegetable in every meal. So a sandwich would need to come with some carrots, an apple, and a glass of milk to qualify as a meal.

Depends on what he’s up to as well. DS eats much more at nursery because he is tearing around in their garden with his friends for most of the day - he’s active with us and goes to the park and swimming etc, but he’s not literally running around for multiple hours in the day.

He eats two weetabix with us, second breakfast at nursery an hour later (toast or cereal), fruit snack mid-morning, a cooked lunch which he apparently wolfs down and often has seconds, and a light tea (sandwiches, yoghurt, cheese and crackers, etc) around 4pm. Box of raisins or an apple on the way home, then another cooked meal at home. He’s 25th centile for weight, so not fat.

He’s hungry
Whether or not on paper it looks like he’s had enough is neither here nor there
He’s hungry and needs addressing

I’d ask about portion size. If reasonable, then I’d simply pack additional food to be served by the CM
If not reasonable then I’d be asking for more food

My 3 year old has a massive appetite and is just legs (very jealous ha!)

At nursery he has cereal (usually weetabix) and then toast, a hot dinner so bologanise/pie/stew etc served with veg, they serve a portion and then allow the children to take more if they wish, then its a dessert of usually sponge/custard or ice cream, an afternoon snack which can vary from cucumber/carrot sticks and a dip, to a small sandwiches, and then tea which varies from beans on toast, to sandwiches and soup followed by fresh fruit. They serve water all day and milk with breakfast and afternoon snack.....the portions are generous and he will eat mostly everything and then come home wanting whatever we are eating.

Yet when he is at home, he has breakfast of toast, cereal and a banana, sometimes a biscuit mid morning, dinner of sandwiches/beans on toast etc, a snack of fruit or and then tea of whatever are having, today its fish and potatoes with vegs...and at home that is enough usually.

I think they do burn more energy at daycare settings, and of you have a hungry child anyway the amount of food does sound a bit on the lean side. Maybe ask for a food diary just to see what he is definitely eating and then approach if it still seems to be lacking.

It’s all very subjective - our CM’s kids were terrible drinkers so she never seems to give ours (who drinks a lot) enough and this is her first job. I’ve had a little word after she was coming home and having a beaker straight away and usually another very quickly afterwards and it’s improved a lot. So if I were you I’d speak to her first and see if it improves

The Cm’s response will be fairly telling re her approach as a whole
If she gets defensive / angry - I’d be looking elsewhere

That wouldn’t be enough for my DD or even my not yet 2 year old DS

3 meals and 2 snacks sound okay when you say it, but it depends entirely on what those meals and snacks consist of.

My kids would not be satisfied with a single bowl of processed cereal for breakfast, nor a single white bread sandwich for lunch.

We tried to serve protein at each meal at least whole grains like whole oat porridge, eggs and toast, cheese and yoghurt with lunch etc. Plus plenty of fruit and milk throughout the day. They are not overweight and are active.

Nothing outrageous or particularly exotic but sounds like a lot of empty carbs from the CM.

Wow people feed their kids loads

Try*

I’d stop paying for food for a couple of weeks and send food with him. See how he goes. If he polishes it off and seems less hungry when you collect him then you know you were right.

The threads on here about food intake show that children of the same age and healthy size can require very different food intakes. She probably has no idea that he’s coming home so hungry.

It's not much. Nursery did:

8am cereal and milk
9am toast
Mid morning fruit / small healthy snack
12 noon. Cooked lunch with pudding eg corned beef hash/fish pie/ veggie lasagna / sponge pud etc

3.30 light tea eg crumpets

4.30/5pm fruit / breadsticks/ small healthy snack

Then hed eat a cooked tea at home!! He's tall and slim.

Sounds more than mine ate at that age, they would refuse fruit so skip snacks altogether. Seems odd you expect her to provide all his meals each day anyway, nursery and childminders teas are usually more to keep them going until dinner at home. Apparently we have all lost sight of what we should all be eating, my guess is it's plenty of calories though the cornflakes lack protein

zen

Can that really be right I mean if I saw that kind of timetable I'd assume they were feeding them as a way of keeping them.entertained/quiet tbh

Is is all too healthy - low fat, high sugar for example?

My DC went through a phase of being starving - I spoke to my (lovely) HV about it and she commented that I had lost a lot of weight (I had been trying) and if I had reduced their fat/stodge intake too much that could be why they were hungry. And I had been! We had gone low-fat, healthy eating. DCs ate what we ate. But they needed more fat and more (good) stodge - crumbles, potatoes, full fat custard - just to get enough energy in them.

I would hope that your relationship with your CM is good enough that you can have a chat with her about it.

@ZenNudist thats a ridiculous amount of food, even for a growing child. Crumpets then a snack then dinner to follow at home? Your child must have a fast metabolism 😁

At our nursery they do
Breakfast : Cereal / toast / fruit
Snack : fruit/crackers/cheese
Lunch : choice of 2 meals
Snack : same again
Dinner : choice of 2 meals & pudding
With milk or water!

I can't believe how much other kids actually eat. My son is only petite though.

My 2 year old will have
3 meals a day
2 snacks
Supper

He's up at 6.30
Breakfast at 7.30 ( A weetabix/ homemade pancake / porridge
Snack at 9.30/10 (Banana or fruit something )
Lunch at 12.30 (sandwich/ beans on toast/ tomatoe pasta /

Snack at 14.00 to 14.30 (fruit/ yoghurt /
Tea at 16.30 to 17.00
Supper at 18.30 ( crumpet/ toast/ fruit )
Bed at 19.30

So OP child is having

Breakfast - Cereal
Snack - Fruit
Lunch - Sandwich
Snack -Biscuit and fruit
Dinner - whatever that is

Supper - Then tea at home
Extra supper - pudding

Sounds ok to me, obviously would depend on the size and filling of the sandwich.

How much do you pay for the food at your childminders OP?

I would expect fruit with the cereal, vegetables and fruit as well as the sandwich. I don't always give snacks though so I suppose it evens out. Id be more worried about the lack of fruit and vegetables.

How can you possibly know that without knowing what was in the sandwich and the dinner???

Absolutely spot on comment actually, there could be lots of protein/fat in the filling of the sandwich and the dinner, in the milk, butter, cream cheese etc.