Bringing own food to childminder and healthy eating

[longdiling]

I have a set daily rate that includes all food and don't discount for bringing their own food. Most people have been happy with this and not brought their own. Lately though I've had a couple of issues. First one is my full timer who is a great eater andeats a good vavariety of food. He's started to some times bring a lunch box though to be like his big sister who's in school. The lunch boxIisn't the healthiest but whatever, I have no intention of becoming the lunchbox police! I do feel I need to lay some ground rules though. Today he didn't want his sandwich but just wanted the sweets and chocolate that were in there. I insisted sandwich first and we had a little Mexican stand off! Would other childminders have done the same?

Next issue...I look after a little boy with sen who always came with his own food as his diet is very restricted. However his mum wants me to start providing his food but only the very restricted stuff he eats that I would have to buy especially for him. I'm worried about going down the road of providing different meals for different children. How would you handle this?

With the first scenario I would have done the same. Eat the sandwich first, then you can have the sweets etc.
With the second child, I'm not sure. What kind of stuff does he eat? Would it be possible to incorporate some of his foods into your normal menu? What does his mum say. Does she want him to start eating a more varied diet, maybe she is hoping that if he is sitting with other children and they are all eating the same, her dc will follow.

I prefer to provide all food for these reasons. Is the restricted diet just for fussiness, or other reasons? If fussiness, I'd feed the preferred food to all the children, adding on new foods each time. If not, is it food that all the children can eat, so you don't have to make more than one meal?

For example - on days when my pork free child is here, we just don't use pork products. On days when the coeliac is here, we just all have gluten free food. Same for the vegetarian. None of the children know they have a special diet, because they all eat the same.

Meal wise he will only eat plain toast or potato waffle. I can sometimes incorporate these but not every time. I will have a proper discussion with his mum about what she wants though. There are no dietary issues, he just is incredibly picky.

Most mine are fed here..

the lunchbox yes I would say sandwich first. If we have crisps at lunch they tend to go on the plate after the sandwich otherwise Sandwich gets left.

I have a very fussy eater but he only comes one day a week. I tend to encourage but for one day a week I go with generally what she will eat..Usually something I expect his not to on her plate..Occasionally he surprises me.

I also find that when they come with their own they want what you have.

With my picky eater I am incorporating a lot of messy food play but not getting far

I would say to mum with packed lunch not to put crisps sweets chocolate etc in it

Thanks both. I think I'll have to bite the bullet and put some ground rules in place. Maybe draft a healthy eating policy, I don't have one currently.

all of my mindees bring their own food-like you,OP,I am not the lunchbox police but do insist they eat sandwich/fruit etc before crisps. And I don't tell the mum's not to put certain foods in the lunchboxes;if they want their children to have 15 Mars bars for lunch, then that's up to them.
However,I do provide regular snacks-fruit,carrot sticks, raisins,plain biscuits, bowls of dry cereal (they love it!),breadsticks or toast.