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Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

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Original poster

Ready meals given to baby at nursery - is this normal?

40 replies

MumtoBen · 11/03/2006 20:25

My baby started nursery 4 months ago for 2 days a week (now 12 months). We were told that babies were given freshly prepared food. My baby has had 6 sickness bugs. We are been told this week that he has been fed supermarket ready meals. Surely this is not a good idea? They are full of salt and additives. I think some this food might have caused some of the stomach upsets and he has not put on any weight in 4 months. He only has freshly prepared food at home. What do you think?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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NotQuiteCockney · 11/03/2006 20:30

This is really not on. There's way too much salt in those things.

Also, if they're not vegetarian (particularly if they've got chicken), I think they're a food poisoning risk, particularly for someone as young as your DS.

melsy · 11/03/2006 20:33

gawd I would go friggin mental. So not the right food for growing baba. I mean I give dd some now but shes 2.5 and theyre the m&s kids ones and normally only every couple of weeks, if havent done much fresh food. What have you said to them about it? I suppose the difficulty supplying your own food is them heating it up?

HappyMumof2 · 11/03/2006 20:36

I'm really shocked by this. Do they mean actual adult ready meals or are they talking jars/packets of baby food? Either ways it's not acceptable imo.

LIZS · 11/03/2006 20:37

Not a good idea at all - due to all sorts of additives and salt content in processed foods. If you were promised fresh then imho you should have been told of the change before they gave it to him.

However that in itself may not be responsible for a lack of weight gain. Neither of ours put on much towards the end of their first year mainly due to increased mobility and your ds' tummy bugs will not have helped. You can expect your ds to catch some such illnesses during his first real winter, especially in a childcare setting, but 6 does sound a lot, poor little chap.

Are you otherwise happy with the nursery ?

chatee · 11/03/2006 20:39

at ds nursery(baby room only) we send in food and they reheat- not a problem....

i would not be happy with what you have described.....sorry

Original poster

MumtoBen · 11/03/2006 20:47

HappyMumof 2 - They have given adult ready meals.

LIZS - He has had 25 separate bugs since starting at nursery (about 15 colds, 6 V&D bugs, 3 ear infections, eye infection, chest infection, fevers etc). Think this has contributed to his weight remaining the same. He has dropped from the 75th to the 25th centile. And he is very tall for his age too.

They have now agreed to buy in freshly prepared food from a chef.

I am happy with the affection they give to my son. They are good at entertaining him. But they are putting in place some changes around hygiene (e.g. shoes worn in baby area, carpet never cleaned, prams pushed through baby area).

OP posts:

tiredemma · 11/03/2006 20:49

Adult ready meals??????!!!!!

even I wouldnt eat an adult ready meal- let alone allow my baby have one.

i would be livid if this were my baby.

HappyMumof2 · 11/03/2006 20:50

I think you should withdraw him from the nursery and put in a complaint to Ofsted. This is terrible

is it a private day nursery by any chance?

expatinscotland · 11/03/2006 21:05

Yikes!

Also, that's a lot of bugs to catch in such a short time.

I'd complain to Ofsted.

There is WAY too much salt and too many additives in adult ready meals - I don't even eat them myself.

Original poster

MumtoBen · 11/03/2006 21:07

Yes, this is a private day nursery. The problem is that even though we live in a major city, childcare is very limited in my area. Only 1 other suitable nursery, but he's not old enough yet.

We are going to give it another month and if he doesn't pick up then we'll have to look for alternatives.

The manager has recently been replaced, so maybe things will change.

Thanks for all your comments. Glad it's not just me being worried about nothing. I told one of the other mums at the nursery about the ready meals and she knew and didn't seem bothered.

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mykidsmum · 11/03/2006 21:20

my mother in law cooks in a kitchen at a nursery, and they use aeroplane meals, so are reheated ready meals.

RedZuleika · 11/03/2006 21:24

No personal experience of nurseries, but I'm appalled at the hygiene 'amendments' they're planning to bring in... You mean they're not doing this stuff already??!? I'm assuming, then, that babies are down on the floor, faces and hands near a surface on which people are walking having come in off the street. A street covered potentially covered in spilled takeaways, Saturday night's vomit and dog fecal matter.

No wonder your child has been ill.

Passionflower · 11/03/2006 21:24

I'm really sorry if this upsets you but I'd remove if it were my DD's regardless of other childcare options or lack of.

A) They have lied to you re the food, indicates no respect for you.
B) They have fed your baby totally unsuitable food, indicates lack of care for your baby's health and wellbeing.
C) Carpet never cleaned WTF that speaks for itself.
D) Prams pushed though (dog poo on wheels!!!) double WFT, am speachless.

IMO they should be reported.

Original poster

MumtoBen · 11/03/2006 21:43

RedZuleika - yes babies are crawling around in this area.

Passionflower - I am not upset by what you have said. I just can't afford not to go to work after I have just taken a yr's maternity leave and alternatives are limited. Most people in my area use their mums for childcare, but my mum and m-i-l are dead and I don't have any recommendations for childminders. I think we'll have to stick it out a bit longer. The good thing is the doctors and health visitors don't seem concerned about his health at all yet.

OP posts:

K7 · 11/03/2006 21:44

Gosh, can see why you're worried. I've just put my 6-month-old in baby room at nursery and they show me a week in advance what the menu will be and the cook will amend food for the babies, depending on age etc. It's all freshly prepared at the nursery kitchen. All staff in the baby room change into house-slippers in the baby room, so that stuff doesn't get tramped in. You should definitely complain. If there's a new manager, they might be more receptive to suggestions.

HappyMumof2 · 11/03/2006 21:49

tbh, having worked in day nurseries I would always go for a childminder above a nursery. Most nursery owners/managers (ime) are purely in it for the money, whereas the majority of childminders actually do their job because they want to care for children (they are certainly not in it for the money - minimum wage.....)

Even if you don't have recommendations, would you not consider going to see a few childminders?

I really, really don't think you should leave your child there. It is making him ill.

mamatotokf · 11/03/2006 22:33

My daughter goes to private nursery - the food is all organic and freshly cooked. We get monthly menus in advance. They get lots of fruit and vegetables (and you can tell by their poos whether they have been eating well). I don't think heating ready meals is normal or acceptable. Can you not move her to a different nursery? Lots of bugs at first is to be expected i think as they are suddenly exposed to a ton of new people, especially colds. But if they are not following basic rules like no shoes in the baby area, buggies wheeled inside etc. I'd report them immediately and tell the manager/head of the baby unit it isn't on. Is it one of the big chains or an independent one? Mine is at Teddies and i have nothing but praise for the nursery.

Original poster

MumtoBen · 11/03/2006 22:37

My husband & I have discussed childminders. We have a few concerns about this option too. I think we would be worried that something could go on and there would be no one else there to see it. At least at a nursery there are always 3 or 4 staff there. But we're not ruling it out entirely. Just wish we knew someone personally who is a childminder.

I have a friend with a baby 1 month older than mine, who uses a childminder and he has had even more illnesses. There are more children at the childminder with 1 person there than at my nursery who have 3 staff for 5 babies.

The nursery is part of a small local chain. All the things we are concerned about don't happen at the other nurseries.

We're new to all this. It's useful to see other people's comments as I have constantly been told my GPs, Health Visitors, friends with children at nursery that our situation is entirely normal and that in fact it is good for him to be this ill.

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Katiepoo · 11/03/2006 22:40

Gosh, what a thread!!

Where I live there is a department run by either the council or social services that have lists of local childminders and nurseries and schools.

I would definately tell Ofsted about the nursery. Those standards are appalling. Did they show you their Ofsted report when you were looking round? I can't believe they were giving them adult meals, I should think that potentially that could be dangerous to a young child as there is so much salt in them and I don't even want to think about all the other sh** that's in them too!!

Katiepoo · 11/03/2006 22:44

The ratio of children should be the same whether at nursery or childminder. As the child gets older they are allowed more children, not sure of the numbers. If you do find a childminder why don't you ask her if you can have a chat with one of the other kids mums? If they are worth there salt they should be happy to let you do that and if they are good they shouldn't have a problem with it!

milward · 11/03/2006 22:52

Agree with passionflower & u/s your reasons as well. I hope you can find another childcare solution.

shimmy21 · 11/03/2006 23:05

I understand how difficult it is to find and/or move to another nursery. If you are otherwise happy with your child's care could you send him with a packed lunch until they confirm that the new chef has started and salt and additive free meals are standard?

carol3 · 11/03/2006 23:15

hi, i've experianced both and would go for a childminder above a nursery every time usually local councils hold lists of registered childminders and most will give you refences of other parents who use them so you can check them out they are inspected in the same way nurseys are.
I would go mad if my child was given a ready meal, you pay for home cooked healthy food and thats what you should get. In the short term i would send my own food in.

ThePrisoner · 12/03/2006 00:02

The list of registered childminders is \link{http://www.childcarelink.gov.uk/index.asp\here} (Childcarelink) - just click on the map where you are in UK. I'm obviously biased towards childminders (I am one!)

Most childminders will be allowed maximum of 3 children under the age of 5 (and only 1 under the age of 12 months), plus 3 children aged between 5-8 years.

HappyMumof2 · 12/03/2006 07:50

and not all childminders are the same. I am a childminder and have my own two children,6 & 2, but in the day just my 2 yr old (soon to start playgroup mornings) and one mindee, who will have me to themselves every morning & only share me with dd afternoons (and ds after school)

so don't assume that all childminders have loads of kids, you just have to hunt around.

I understand your point about no one else there, but the majority of cms are good, we all hear about the bad things, just like we all hear the bad things about nurseries, but it doesn't apply in most cases.

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