should DD only be offered one dinner?

[Soupspoon]

DD is 16 months old, and has a good appetite.

She eats her tea / dinner at her nursery twice a week, and the carers have recently been asking me to bring in some food for her, as she often refuses to eat the sandwiches that they provide at these times.

She has eaten sandwiches (with the same sorts of fillings)enthusiastically in my company on many occasions.

The question is; should she be offered an alternative e.g. a jar of toddler food if she refuses to eat the sandwiches, or just be given her fruit / yoghurt?

All thoughts on avoiding food issues welcome!

I have always only offered one dinner to my DDs, and my CM does the same (lunch rather than dinner). She may just not be hungry on the days she doesn't want sandwiches. And if she's having fruit and yoghurt instead, it's hardly junk

Perhaps she is still full from lunch? My dd1 used to have a full, stodgy cooked lunch followed by a custard type pudding at midday at nursery. "tea" is often served very early at nurseries, say 4pm ish.

I (thankfully) don't have much experience re food issues, but common sense would say (for me anyway) that a child who usually has a good appetite may have a good reason for refusing a meal. (or it may be that she doesn't like the nursery bread, or they add too much butter, or some other similar issue?)Or perhaps she is distracted at nursery so is too "busy" to eat the sandwiches?

Fruit and yogurt imo is fine. Perhaps if you are worried she will be hungry later offer her a bit of toast or similar for supper at home.

Thanks ladies; cremeegg, the nursery serves her food at 5pm, so she shouldn't still be full after lunch, which is at about 11.30am.

I was worried that if I went down the "piece of toast at home" route, that she might start to hold out for this, rather than eating what she's offered earlier...