Be honest- am i being too fussy?

[DetentionGrrrl]

I took DS for a settling in session at nursery last week. I liked the staff, and it was safe and clean.

BUT- there were kids there who were ill, who had been sent to nursery despite being ill. My childminder won't take ill kids, so i was surprised to see unwell little ones there. (The staff were great with them BTW, but they were monopolising their time)

Also, when they had snacks, aswell as things like raisins and cheese, they were given crisps. i was surprised by that too. I'm not being a food nazi (honest!) but they'd also been given chips for lunch I'm packing DS a lunch anyway- but do you think i'm being a knob if i ask that DS isn't given any crisps or sweets? (He's 8mths, i'm not being unreasonable am i?)

At 8 months I'd definitely not want him to have crisps (too much salt).

Ds at 2.3 now eats the odd real crisp or two (i.e not the no salt organix type) but only if his dad is having them and only e once every couple of weeks at most.

Definitely give them your instructions re food. As you say you will be providing lunch anyway so it is only the snacks that are a problem. They should be used to food requests and if they are a good nursery should have no problem accomodating yours.

My ds goes to nursery every day unless he has a bad tummy. In an ideal world, I would keep him at home at home with me or dh when he is ill, but as we have to take annual leave, there is a limit on how many days we can have off without losing pay, so I am afraid he does get bunged in nursery even if unwell. The nice thing is that he gets lots of one-on-one time if he is ill...

Re: crisps and sweets, ds had skips a couple of times at Christmas with his "party tea", but generally doesn't get any crisps or sweets at nursery. I think they might occasionally do chips with their lunch, but most of the time it's rice or baked potatoes. The nursery should be able to provide you with their menu and you can always specify if you don't want him to have particular things.

It's hard to let go of the control over what they eat, but I know I ate loads of crips and sweets and was still skinny as a young child. They need lots of energy at that age, but I'd still have a meeting with the manager to make sure that you are happy with what your child will be given...

Surely they wouldn't give such a little one crisps? Only the older ones? Of course you can give instructions about food for your DS. The illness thing is a bit different. I would imagine that the nursery accepts ill children if it isn't a serious or very contagious illness. Ours won't take kids who've been sick in the last 24 hours of who have a high temperature.

My DS's nursery is very strict about illness, I wouldn't take him if I thought he was unwell (DP or I would take day off or ask my Mum to look after him at our house).

I think its quite reasonable that an 8-month old should not be given crisps. My DS (now 23Months) sometimes has cake/chocolate at nursery if it is someone's birthday but otherwise he steers clear of junk.

I sent his food until he was eating 'normal' food. Now he eats nursery food, which is pretty healthy and they are very open to menu suggestions.

As to the illness thing - (sorry I missed that bit) tbh that is par for the course when you have seeral children together indoors over long periods of time. most of the children will only have a cold or something minor. If they stayed home from nrsery everytime they had omething like that the nurseruies would be empty - especially in the winter. Also it is often difficult to know exactly how ill a child really is and they can go from sick to well and vice versa really quickly - so we working parents often send them to childcare thinking they are OK but may get a call saying otherwise.

My ds has recently been ill with an ear infection but you wouldn't have know he was so ill during the day - it was only his sleep patterns that made me suspect. In fact his CM didn't think he was ill at all but his sleep patterns and his reduction in eating made me think otherwise.

Now he is over that he has quite a cold which makes him seem ill but he is actually fine except for the snotty nose. If you had seen him with the ear infection during the day you's have said he was fine as he was running around and seemed full of energy but he really wasn't very well. Now he looks really snotty but he is sleeping and eating well and has no temperature so he is back at the CM.

I would defn say you're not happy with crisps - my nursery had crisps on the menu, but didn't givve them to under ones. I would not be happy about los being given that much salt. - i am a food nazi and said ds wasn't to have them at all, except at the chirstmas party. Ditto sweets & chocolate. I had friends who said their los were to have no puddings except fruit & youghurt (... I'm not that much of a food nazi!). Think nurseries will be used to that sort of request.

Re sickness, ime nurseries tend to accept not-well kids (as long as not too bad/not contagious) becuase the parents need to work ... if every kid with a bad cold was taken out of nursery, they'd be empty!

oh i know DS will have to spend time with kids with colds at some point- i was just taken aback by a couple of them who were quite withdrawn, being dosed up with calpol and running temps.

I'd be v miffed if they were there whilst being dosed for temps. Dosing for just feeling a bit headachy with a cold is one thing but for a temp - they shouldn't be there for that day or for the day after the temp has stopped!

I don't think an 8 month old should be having crisps. Chips are probably okay in v small doses but I confess wouldn't give them to my 8 month old. I am ultra fussy though.

perhaps i'll see if anyone makes little suits like the Bernard Matthews workers have, to keep him safe

sod it- i am a food nazi, so i'll put it on his forms that he's not to have certain things until he's older.

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I had to send all baby food inclding snacks until they were one orable to eat all proper food.
And my nursery won't even give out cake for someone's birthday they send it home for them. and crisps never!!!!!!!!

crisps absolutely not on!!! and at 8mnths?????????? don't they realise they might choke on them????????????????

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because i can only get a childminder for 3 days, and he needs care for 4 days

Cant you send him to nursery for 1 day?

Don't think sending to nursery for one day and childminder three days would be good for such a young baby, though, LMG.

Am shocked by the crisps - don't think nurseries should give them at all unless it's a party and certainly not to under twos - far too much salt. Salt is dangerous for babies. Look up the Food Standards Agency guidelines (think is eatwell.gov.uk or google the Agency).

Oh, and re. illness, babies do go to nursery with coughs and colds but ds's nursery used to phone if he had to have more than one/two doses of calpol (can't remember how many precisely now). Infectious diseases other than colds, no, had to keep them off, quite rightly. And had to wait 24 hours after any vomiting or diahorrea.

he is going to childminder Mon-Wed, and nursery Thursday, i obviously wasn't being clear. Don't have much choice- one childminder in my area, and she only has 3 days free at the moment.

Bugger. Know what you mean, though, very few childminders round here - couldn't get one for ds.

childminder is lovely too- she said if she gets Thursday free i'll get offered asap. Would be alot easier, but not much i can do right now. Still, in about 7mths i'll be back on maternity leave and i'll be home again!

Well, I'd deffo ban crisps - just say your ds isn't to have them.