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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to think that expecting a class full of 6 year olds to eat large chunks of tomato is loony?

119 replies

bloss · 15/01/2009 18:39

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Original poster
bloss · 15/01/2009 21:46

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Original poster
bloss · 15/01/2009 21:49

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Hulababy · 15/01/2009 21:50

I don't know state school's policies on bring in own snacks. DD's school doesn't have the free fruit option. They have to take int heir own snack - has to be a healthy option, no crisps and chocolate, no nuts, etc.

I would ahave a quiet word with teacher again about the eating f her own fruit, and see if the teacher will just remind her on the tomato day.

wheresthehamster · 15/01/2009 21:52

I need to defend the unloved, unpeeled knobbly carrots!

They are washed by TAs in the morning, as are the other fruit, so just the same as an apple or pear in that respect. When you eat it you can break the carrot in half, chomp down to nearly the end of one, then the other, then throw the two ends away. Our children love them.

I can just imagine HTs being willing to pay support staff to come in early once a week to peel and slice 250 carrots because some PFBs don't like them any other way

Op - couldn't your dd have a snack in the playground while you are waiting to go in? Or milk to drink at snacktime?

Hulababy · 15/01/2009 21:52

Sadly many people, including adults, can't just eat when they are hungry and have to learn to fit into set patterns. It is not having full access to drinks I find hardest.

tellnoone · 15/01/2009 21:53

At my DS's school they have a choice of 3 types of fruit or veg at mid morning snack, e.g. apples, bananas, pears, tomatoes, carrots. All whole and unpeeled (and presumably washed!). This seems a good idea to me because they will hopefully find something they can eat.

My DS, who is a total fuit and veg dodger, shocked us one weekend by going into the fridge and getting out a whole carrot and eating it! LOL. He said he eats carrots at school and his friends like carrots, so I suppose it must rub off them to see their friends eating it.

LittleBella · 15/01/2009 21:53

I don't think yabu and I think some people on this thread have been unnecessarily aggressive and unpleasant.

Tomatoes are a crap snack. I think many kids need something slightly more substantial than that, mid-morning. Nothing wrong with tomato as part of a snack, but as the full one - a bit rubbish tbh.

I also think the concept of Healthy Schools should be more about how people eat as well, not just what they eat in isolation.

And the good news is that they are tweaking it to acknowledge this.

sandyballs · 15/01/2009 21:53

Do you live miles from school then?

nzshar · 15/01/2009 21:56

Considering these snacks are free it think it is quite sufficent. Though I really do think that either the op's dd needs the food or not and the fact that she has been given the option to get her own then I dont see a problem. Wanting cake and eating it too comes to mind.

Hulababy · 15/01/2009 21:56

Roughly same amount of calories in satsumas as in tomatoes. Satsumas appear a lot at the school I work at.

pooka · 15/01/2009 21:58

Ah - well dd has always, ever since she was a baby, been of the opinion that she might as well tank up when food is offered. Used to be able to feed her before we went out when she was tiny baby "just in case". Was an almighty shock when ds was completely different.

I can see where you're coming from, and if dd said that this bothered her and she was properly hungry midmorning and her needs weren't being met, then I would probably do something about it. But it is good that the school will let your dd eat her own fruit and it is partly a case of working with her to get her comfortable with being different in that respect. The problem with supplying a variety of fruit I suppose is that you have the problem of everyone wanting a banana and no one wanting an apple, when you've got a mixture of the 2. DD's school is in a fairly poor area and all snacks are provided because I suppose they cannot guarantee that what would be brought in would be healthy or that anything would be brought in in the first place.

Original poster
bloss · 15/01/2009 22:00

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pooka · 15/01/2009 22:00

Re: unpeeled fruit and veg - dd surprised us by eating a whole red pepper as if it were an apple (though she did leave the seeds and core). It is now one of her preferred snacks.

piscesmoon · 15/01/2009 22:01

The problem has been solved-you just have to convince DD that she needs to get her own snack out.

Hulababy · 15/01/2009 22:02

My 6y DD does get hungry between meals. Luckily she eats most things anyway. But as said before her school (not state, so no free fruit) allows healthy snacks for lunch. Amd she will have a snack when she gets home from school too.

LynetteScavo · 15/01/2009 22:04

Dr Gillian Mckeith would be proud of your DD, pooka.

Hulababy · 15/01/2009 22:04

This thread made me peckish, lol. Just has a lovely carrot fromt he veg box that came today - washed but unpeeled

harpomarx · 15/01/2009 22:09

wheresthehamster

dd loves those unpeeled knobbly monsters - she reports back that school carrots are really 'juicy'

wheresthehamster · 15/01/2009 22:12

Excellent young harpo!

puffling · 15/01/2009 22:20

Can anyone remember their primary school days? I'm sure in those days you didn't eat until lunch time. I'm sure we just went out to play at break and that was it. I think we had free milk in infants but we got that in the afternoons.

Original poster
bloss · 15/01/2009 22:22

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LittleBella · 15/01/2009 22:26

We got milk

And later on, tuck shop

We scoffed biscuits, crisps, and other works of the devil

AlexanderPandasmum · 15/01/2009 22:26

Our school (am a teacher) usually has 2 different fruits/veg in a day but sometimes only one - it depends on what we are dished out though and is not my choice at all!

I don't make the children eat tomato (cherry tomato in this case) either as I don't like them. Some days there is something unpopular but we also have a drink at the same time and an earlier lunch than your DD.

Hulababy · 15/01/2009 22:27

We had milk, no food AFAIK I hate milk so went without. No other option then.

Hulababy · 15/01/2009 22:27

We didn;t have tuck shop til we were at seconday - and that was after middle school, so Y9.