am i being mean??? re.snacks

[zoeuk1]

i look after 5 children after school(7 including my own 2 ds's). i offer them a snack while they are here. something like slice of toast + fruit or bread sticks/dip + fruit etc. they are only here for a maximum of 2-3 hours. they are always asking for more food tho and ive had to start saying no. one mindee stays for dinner 3 times a week and i charge £1 for a meal. today one mindee had her snack, she then wanted a sandwich. i explained to her that she'd had her snack and she'll be having her dinner when she got home. am i being mean not giving the children more to eat. i include snacks in my hourly fee. i sometimes feel that they are asking for more food just to see how much they can get away with...sorry this is so long!!!

strawberrymoon..so do you write £2 per child each day down in your expenses?

i have been told to 'write off' £2 per day per child by the business adviser..you also need to include things like loo rol, washing up liquid, anti bac wipes etc in your tax deductables!

i charge a flat rate of £2 per day per child for food.

when i do my expenses i add my food bill for the week - though i cross of anything that obviously isnt for cm purposes then write the total at the bottom of the reciept.

My dd is a real glut and will eat until she is sick if she is allowed to. You are using your judgement and saying no when you think they have had enough. I actually send mine to the cm with snacks, so I know they have enough to eat and are eating what I want them to eat, then if she provides anything else it is a bonus.

thats what a couple of the mindees are like that i have. if i let them they would eat and eat. sometimes i feel they are just being greedy. they are allowed as much fruit as they want though. alot of the time they will turn that down and ask for other stuff like biscuits.

I tend to ask the mums to bring in some fruit for the lo's that I look after for snack time, and then do a platter of it for them all at 10.30, then lunch I charge 75p, and then snack in the afternoon they have a few biccies, piece of fruit or dips etc. There is one that will just keep on asking if you say yes, and another couple that I heard saying that they need to take the fruit home as they forgot to eat it there!

I think that you can soon add up the cost of stuff when you get loads asking for more, and when you think how much it costs overall, sometimes you think is it worth it for some of them.

I feed one little girl all day (she is with me from 7-6), and one brings her own food, so it is just a preference of the mums. I do find that the ones with bigger kids with me are the worst though!