Nursery not providing meals - dealbreaker?

[Bbbfurever]

We are considering a nursery that we like however it doesn’t provide meals for under 2s and my DD is 1. Im thinking this is a bit of a dealbreaker considering the prep time I’ll need to put into her meals and the little amount she eats… I asked the nursery why they don’t offer meals and their response was that under 2s all have different routines and they’ll adjust to each individual child’s routine but won’t they still need to have lunch and snacks anyway? I feel it’s an excuse more than anything. Thoughts?

How weird! If you send in cottage pie for example, how are they going to safely reheat it or are they suggesting sandwiches? I'd look elsewhere.

No it's not that bad! Just make something quick in the morning - mine usually get a bready lunch with some extra bits (easy for nursery staff, no heating up, no faff) and then a proper meal in the evening. Takes 5 minutes to do. Unless it's multiple meals they will be having there?

You could also use a food flask to keep food hot if you want them to have a hot meal to take with them

Dealbreaker for me.

DDs nursery didn't provide any meals, but they were happy to warm anything. We used to take milk each week and a box of ready brek that they made for breakfast. Then used to do fruit snacks chopped in a pot. Lunch she had pasta which they warmed up and their 4 o clock tea was sandwiches. It wasn't too bad!

No it's not that bad! Just make something quick in the morning - mine usually get a bready lunch with some extra bits (easy for nursery staff, no heating up, no faff) and then a proper meal in the evening.

If, say, the child is dropped off at 7.30 am and collected at 6pm then a "bready lunch" isn't going to be sufficient.

Also, I wouldn't be happy about the staff heating up what I'd sent in. If they just had to heat up cottage pie for all the kids, fine. But not lots of random meals from different households.

Dealbreaker for me.

Also mine started at nursery at one and they followed her routine for naps etc. But meals were still at mealtimes, like at home, so their reason doesn't make sense?!

Thanks all. Yeah their reason really doesn’t make sense! I am torn though because it otherwise seems like a lovely nursery and I feel if there aren’t any other issues with it, then this is one I can put up with? Decisions!

Dealbreaker for me.

What a palaver!

Having seen what many private nurseries serve for lunch, I'd welcome this!
Nurseries more than ever are looking for ways of cutting costs and food is unfortunately one of the easier ways 🙁

Definitely not a dealbreaker. My childminder doesn’t provide meals and we make lunches for our son every day. Most days he eats left overs from dinner (cook a bit more), some fruit and a yogurt. It’s not that much work and at least you can pack healthy things. there are a ton of insta accounts with inspiration and you don’t have to cook a meal every day. Pack savoury muffins, bagels, sandwiches etc a side of fruit or veg, plus a little snack (yogurt, muffin, flapjack etc)
buy a couple of pots in good sizes and a lunchbox and you are in.

What hours are you looking at? I think it’s ok if it’s a half day session so you’re just sending a snack, or at a push school nursery type hours so a banana + sandwich lunch will do. But if it’s a day nursery are they seriously expecting you to send breakfast, snacks, lunch and tea? Can you drop off in bulk so a box of cereal and a pint of milk for the week or do you have to portion it daily? If DC will be doing long days and there wasn’t an option to pay extra for whatever they give the 2YOs then I think I’d find somewhere else in all honesty.

It would be a deal breaker for me. It also sounds pretty chaotic to have all the children eating at different times, on busy days you could literally have a staff member reheating and supervising meals for hours.

And this! Would they seriously microwave and serve 10 or however many meals individually and ensure everyone gets the correct one, and it’s at the right temperature ie heated properly for food hygiene standards then sufficiently cooled to toddler eating temp? If they’re doing it properly meals must take hours, and there’s going to be a lot of hanging around for the kids who are either waiting on theirs, or were done eating ages ago. I suppose they might be counting on most doing a cold lunch but that’s not great either if DC is eating all their meals there.

Sounds crazy. It must create so much more work for the staff if the children are eating at different times. Surely it increases the risk for children with allergies and also an infection control risk.

My DD is 15m and her nursery don't provide meals. I just make up extra when I do her dinner (pasta, veg etc). Nursery happy to warm it up. DD loves her "lunch box".

Is she just there for lunchtime though? My DS does full days like most of his peers at nursery, being there from 7.30ish until after half 5 isn't unusual, do you send in something for every meal and snack? How is it stored and do they all eat together? The logistics of this way of operating are mind-blowing to me. It sounds ridiculously complicated and chaotic.

I wouldn't let this be a deal breaker if the environment and care is right.
My children had an uncooked packed lunch from 8 months when they went to nursery or childminder.
The settings left what they didn't eat in the lunchbox and I knew what they were and were not eating, how much etc.
Also got me in to a good habit for myself for lunches and it's really not that difficult to put together.
Small sandwiches, pasta salad etc are easily done and very worth it if you and the child are going to be happy.
I'd rather make a packed lunch than send them somewhere I didn't get a good vibe from or they weren't happy.

Mine attended one nursery where they warmed up lunches sent in. He had ARFID and ate a small tin of Thomas the Tank Engine pasta shapes every lunchtime, which he had with a pint of milk.

He's in his 20s now and claims he's still traumatised by the memory of the day he got given some other kid's tin of Teletubbies spaghetti and sausages.

I preferred packing my child’s meals. It really isn’t hard once you get into a routine.

It’s fine for my 3 year old- and we started at this nursery from 2.5- I wouldn’t like the idea of a packed lunch sandwich for a 1yr old.

Weird! Do they not have set meal times? Or are they randomly handing out packed lunches/heating up food on demand?

Mine are there 8am til 5:30 though and I wouldn't be up for packing breakfast, lunch, tea and two snacks everyday so it would be a dealbreaker.

That sounds like chaos. You could have kids eating at their times 3 times a day plus a snack potentially. How on earth would they keep track of it.

Exactly. It sounds so ridiculously complicated that I can't possibly see how it's easier than just catering for the children.

I don't see why it should be a deal breaker. My son attends a small nursery and the under twos don't get hot meals. They only have the ability to provide enough food for the children with funded hours, I.e., over 3.

He takes a little packed lunch bag with an ice pack in it. Some days he has all cold food: sandwich, cocktail sausages, fruit, yoghurt, humous and breadsticks, veg sticks, pitta bread etc. Most days we send in a hot flask of soup or pasta.