What do you do when mindees don't eat the food you serve

[Saltire]

Threw away cottage pie today as neither would eat it.
Yesterday they wouldn't eat bolognaise
Monday it was fish fingers, which they ate, but left the potatoes and acarrots.

I am getting really sick of it, as it's such a waste and I do worry if they will get fed when they get home if they haven't eaten with me

From a cost factor, it's not actually costing you anything more, is it? They eat it or it gets thrown away, either way, it's gone, isn't it?

From an emotional point of view, just grit your teeth and bare it. My DS1 is like that, and it's heartbreaking throwing all the food out (but at least the worm farm/compost bin gets lots of veggies!). He does only get his pudding if he's had at at least 1 piece of carrot/scoop of peas/etc, or if he's had 'sufficient' of his meal. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't.

If you're concerned about them going to bed hungry, why don't you keep a record of what you have served them and how much they have eaten which you can give to the parents when they collect the children? DS1's nursery did that and it was useful knowing what he had to eat so that 1) I didn't feed him the same type of thing and 2) I knew how much he had eaten so didn't get stressed about his dinner.

I do keep a record.
But,if they don't eat what I serve should Is serve them something else or not?
I think part of the prolem is that at home everything comes out of a tin/jar/packet/frozen ready meal. So when i serve home cooked food they won't eat it.
I made lentil soup the other day, and neither would eat it, and then their dad said "oh yes we just have tesco stuff out of a tin"

then cant you give them tesco stuff out of a tin - or does a cm HAVE to cook fresh food daily?

obv fresh home cooked meals are better, but if a child isnt eating them, then whats the point

the child my friend nannys for eats fish fingers/pasta/potato/cheese and peas and thats about it

shes given up making shepherds pie/casserole etc and simply does

tuna jackets
fish pie
pasta and prawns
fish fingers etc

Well I wouldn't prepare them anything else - but then I'm rather hard hearted!!! At some point they will at least try the food if they are hungry enough - might be months/years down the track though. I suspect they are getting food at home, otherwise they wouldn't be this bad. At least at your house they have the opportunity of trying some home cooked food!

Do you have any other mindees eating at the same time? I found that my DS1 was actually less fussy at nursery and was willing to occasionally try other food because all of the other children were eating it - peer pressure and all that!!! .

The only other thing you could try is maybe pureeing things a bit more - I suspect the Tesco brand doesn't have obvious vegetables, etc in it (and their mince meat probably looks looks like mush!).

can you meet the child halfway, like fishfingers and chips and some veg on the side? i do tgifridays style veg and fruit in a little bowl on the side...raw carrot/apple/cherry toms/corn on the cob etc it doesn't particularly always "go" with the meal, but my kids eat it!

how about doing fun foodie things with the kids like making pizzas?

can you tell the parents that they don't eat homemade stuff and ask them to provide food??

I feed it to the dog, chickens and ducks
who are now all obese

Are they old enough to tell you what they eat at home?
I only cook for 2 of my mindees once a week, brother and sister,
articulate 5 yr old, and a bright 8 yr old, they started with me a little while ago and one day while doing an activity,I got them to tell me about the food/veg & fruit they eat at home and theyre favorites.
I home cook too, now I have a big list of what I know they will eat, no wasted food
just a thought

I give them healthy lunch with several courses. Veg sticks followed by spag followed by ricepud for example. They usually eat something. Some push it around some just stare at it, one used to shove it onto the floor. I persisited. They all come around in the end. Not eating is also a reaction to starting at a new setting. It is all new to them and they have little control over being their or with their parents, so to regain control, they chose not to eat. Ignore this behaviour. Allow them longer to mull over their meal without making any comments about them eating or not. Ask if they have finished and simply remove the plate without comment and control the urge to huff or give them the look.