Am not happy!!! Rant!!!!

[crazydazy]

DD and DS are going to a childminder for the two days I work during the school holidays. Its their second week.

Have just phoned grandparents (they pick them up from childminder) to check how they are going on and DD said she feels sick. Asked what she had eaten today and she said "jam sandwiches again" which is what they were given yesterday! Now I feel quite fed up by this given that they had jam sandwiches yesterday too. DS apparently had "cold pizza" so am quite alarmed at that too!!
Now I pay her £30 per week, per child for 2 days so I would have thought that a more nutritious meal should be offered for what I am paying.

I didn't want to have to say anything to her as she is a really nice woman and has come highly recommended by a friend of mine whose daughter has been with her since birth, surely this is wrong though?

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I'm in Berkshire and charge £3.50 per hour with everything included but a charge for an evening meal. I don't do a hot lunch myself as it's very restricting and to be honest, I try and make it nice and quick at that time as we normally get back from nursery and the kids are wanting food NOW!! It's different to school anyway as at school they are not trying to look after several children whilst making food, they have chefs/dinner ladies dealing with that job!

I'm surprised the type of food offered wasn't discussed before signing contracts. I personally offer sandwiches/pitta bread/crackers/toast with carrot sticks, chunks of cheddar, cucumber, peppers etc. with fruit and/or yoghurt for dessert.

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p.s. i've never done jam sarnies myself. i have cheese, ham, chicken, peanut butter, chicken mayo, tuna mayo etc.

p.s. i've never done jam sarnies myself. i have cheese, ham, chicken, peanut butter, chicken mayo, tuna mayo etc.

I pay £18 per day for an out of school playscheme. They provide breakfast and tea (beans of toast, crumpets that sort of thing), but I have to send in a packed lunch. Obviously I knew all the terms and conditions from the outset. To be honest I think you should treat it as a learning curve, asking about meals is just one of the (many) questions you have to ask your childcare provider. She probably didn't think you'd mind but she could have mentioned the meal arrangements at the beginning. I'd just send in a packed lunch.

I think it depends on the parents opinions. Personally I would have probably asked what sort of meals she would provide, and equally if i were the cm I would have had a discussion with parents first about what sort of foods the parents would like children to eat and what not. Maybe its been a busy week cuz of school hols. and all the other older children were demanding them! Their could be a few reasons, but if your not happy, which I can understand, then maybe you could ask if it is ok for you to send in lunch, or just fruit. But prob. best to ask first incase she has bread out already etc.!

Were you not shown a sample menu when you went to see this childminder? I have a sample menu in my portfolio so that parents know what I offer.
I don't do hot lunches either (I do scrambled egg/beans/cheese on toast once a week but don't count that as hot lunch), I usually offer sandwiches /rolls /pittas/ teacakes/ bagels etc followed by piece of fruit and yogurt. We also have a snack mid morning (usaully toast/crumpets/scotch pancake etc) and then snack mid afternoon (chopped up mixture of fruits or if we have done some baking kids can have on of the cakes they have make as well).

maybe she just hasnt been shopping
what does c/m do with them during day
does she take them on outings for the £15

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i agree thata sandwhich with other bits are fine for lunch, i wouldnt give jam as a filling as it is just sugar. when you have a chat after you have checked your contract if she is registered she should have one, then ask if she is giving them a choice as they might be choosing it.

Would offer youghurt, veg and fruit to make it more balanced but still think a sandwhich is fine especially as you are not paying for it?

im thinking that maybe im too generous now! im a cm and i charge £3ph. that includes all drinks and snacks. then i charge £1 for a cooked meal. today we had curry/rice/poppadom/small naan bread. all that for a quid. i think im under charging by the sounds of it!

I had a child who went home and told their mum that they had been given a slice of dry bread for lunch.

In fact they had eated spag bol and had begged a slice of homemade bread (the crust) to mop up the juice

Mum came in the next morning in a right strop about the dry bread & was so embarrassed to find out the right tale. I didn't even tell her my DD did - cos she thought "mopping" up the sauce was funny (only grown ups normally get to do the mopping up here - however it is normally the floor)

Thanks for all your replies, yes she's a registered childminder, we live in Leeds so maybe thats why its a bit cheaper than down south, I think she charges the norm for around here. Private nurseries cost more but they offer more by way of morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack.

When I pay her tomorrow I will just ask her if she would like me to provide them with lunches, maybe I have just assumed she would feed them when in fact she is feeding them out of the goodness of her heart (she really is a lovely woman).

She does take them out places, they went to the Royal Armouries and she paid for DD's bus fare, they just needed pocket money for the shop. She took them to the park today and I bet that was a real task as she has 5 children plus her own 6 month old baby, I think her teenage daughter went along too.

I would just rather they ate cubes of cheese and carrot sticks than jam sarnies, that was really the only problem.

The other thing I thought of (& it's particularily a problem for holiday children)

How does she know what your children like

With 5 children (unless all regular & well known to her) picking a meal they will all eat is a little trying
D won't eat scrambled eggs
L won't eat beans
C won't eat Tom soup
J doesn't eat potatoe
F told me she was a veggie (mum confirmed that she wasn't 2 weeks later)
D won't eat pasta

What would you serve these children for lunch?

You wouldn't beleive the time taken to plan my menus (remember I have 9 termtime and 15 or so in the holidays) only for a spanner to be thrown in the works when R who won't eat bread suddenly turns up unexpectedly (cos mum got called into work) It makes my life.....interesting

Yes I guess all kids will eat jam sarnies won't they?

well apart from R (who doesn't eat bread - but has been known to have crackers with jam/philly or even digestives...I mean )

wow Katymac 15 in the hols
no wonder your opening a nursery!
i thought i had a lot with 8
how do you get them all out?
i borrow school mini bus 16 seater its a gem helps me get out and about

I'm opening a nursery as well as the childminding

more so in the warm weather but we usually have cold lunches and a hot meal in the evening - say about 5ish. did she not have any menus to show you when you looked - just as an example? i would love to open a nursery, do you have to be nneb thogh