Nursery lunches

[albertswearengen]

My 3.5 year old DS goes to nursery 2 days a week from 9-4. All the children get the set lunch and there is no choice which is fine usually. DS isn't a particularly picky eater and he's good at trying stuff, new things don't phase him but if he doesn't like something he just doesn't eat and he really doesn't seem to care if he's hungry or not until he gets a bit emotional.

We have just had a few weeks at nursery where he has been teary by the time I pick him up and I've realised he's ravenous. I had a look at the new spring menu. There's a 4 week rotation and there is only 2 things out of the 8 he will eat. He would eat most of the things on the other days and it's just unfortunate how it has panned out. A lot of it is mince based and he won't touch mince in any form. He's been at nursery a year and a half and we haven't really had this problem before as it was only the odd lunch he didn't like.

I talked to the nursery but they won't provide him with anything else like extra bread if he really won't eat the lunch and I am not allowed to provide anything so basically he will go hungry. I understand they can't start catering for any picky eater but surely they could provide a bit of bread for those who don't eat after everyone is finished.
Do you think it would be v. pfb of me to take him out at lunchtimes the day he doesn't like the lunches and feed him in the car? He's quite skinny and we have trouble enough getting him to put on weight as he does a lot of running around( exhausted emoticon).

Our nursery caters high tea but they have a stipulation at all meals (including snack) that a child will not go hungry and will be offered and alternative. Even if just a banana/bread sticks and dip/yoghurt/sandwich to ensure they have enough to eat. Ask to see their policy on this. Ours is posted next to the snack and high tea menus. A very good idea.

We provide a packed lunch but if my DD doesn't eat it for one reason or another they do ensure she has something.. Hope this helps

Do they not do a pudding? My nursery has a fairly substantial pudding at lunchtime (rice pudding, sponge and custard etc) so fussy eaters will at least eat something.

Is there no snack offered either? We do a snack of fruit, toast and milk mid-morning and mid-afternoon so no child should be ravenous.

I don't think its PFB to be concerned that your child isn't getting enough to eat. Surely there is something the nursery can do, or if all else fails I can't see why they wouldn't accept a packed lunch (although I'd be a bit miffed having to provide lunch 6/8 days if it is being paid for). It also seems a bit unbalanced if so many lunches are mince based!

My DS isn't keen on fish and there is a lot of it at his nursery - but on those days he eats lots of potatoes and the veg that are served as the accompaniement. Could the nursery not just give him those rather than the protein component, or if spag bol just give him pasta with a bit of cheese, or if chilli give him rice and beans. Do they not provide a vegetarian option? I think you should pursue this as they are being unreasonable.

I have just been to see them as one of the dishes and the veggie option has mango and it makes him sick. I did suggest I sent something in that day but no that wasn't allowed and weren't happy when I said I would feed him at home. So they will provide an alternative but obviously doing it on other days is a no go.

There is a snack table but the kids go themselves so it is unlikely ds will bother in the morning so soon after breakfast. The puddings tend to be fruit which he eats or occasionally milky puddings like rice or semolina which he won't touch. Did I say he wasn't picky- might change my mind on that.

I think we have just been unfortunate in the rotation but I was thinking of changing him to 4 mornings a week instead so this might make my mind up.
In the local primary there is a choice of 2 dishes or a sandwich tray so I know he'll be fine there.
Me and ds both really love the nursery so I do want to find a way round this so I won't worry.

My personal policy has always been that if a child ate nothing, they could have some bread and butter. Something to give them energy, but not exciting enough to make all the other children not want to eat anything as well.

I'd be happy with a bit of bread and butter given afterwards. If he could get over his mince aversion it would make life a lot easier for everyone. .

What is the mince served with? Can he not just eat the rice/pasta/veg?

Sorry to bump up an inactive thread, however I am scrolling looking for information.

I manage a Nursery, and have in 3 years never had a problem with children who do not eat our Nursery food on a regular basis.

However we have a new child who started a couple of weeks ago, and refuses to eat. This is more down to him being unsettled, and mum and dad do not have an issue with his refusal of food. The worst it has been is when he did not eat his morning snack, lunch or tea, he did eat his afternoon snack. We have a policy of re-offering children their lunch an hour later. However he usually still refuses this.

I personally do not wish to offer him an alternate, and 1 he will more than likely refuse this as well, and 2, as I do not want to encourage him to act out over food.

However my new dept. Manager spoke to me today and explained how she felt it was wrong of us not to have a second menu available for him to be offered, and although I believe that our policy is still ensuring the best outcome for the child, would love to hear parent's views on this.

We have our own on-site kitchen which not only cooks our food, but also has a separate cafe front, which supplies a large menu choice for the public using our community centre so there is no real cost impaction attached to this decision.

Any thoughts would be welcomed.

Mark.

Always go with what the parents are happy with IMO

Nursery Mark, what steps are being taken to settle this child in to nursery and make him happy?
This is not just about food, look at whole picture. If he eats mid afternoon snack can amount be increased for a short time?

has he got a comfort object from mummy? can she give him something to 'look after' while he is a nursery?

are you able to make stressful flash points in day more easy for this child? is the routine causing problems for them?

I run a nursery also, and we offer two different meals. And the way we offer our food is that every dish is taken around the 22 odd children and they are asked if they want this? this includes a meat dish, a veggi dish, carb dish and usually two types of veg along with bread.

When children start and are settlling into nursery we do not expect them to sit at the table at all. if they refuse to be near the table they are given a small area which they need to stay in. after a week or so they are offered food away from the main food tables, but have to sit down to eat it. after another week they are expected to sit at the table, even if they do not want to eat. however we contune to offer all the dishes to them. We recently had one children who went through all these stages and continued to refuse food for another 3 weeks. Then one day he nodded and pointed at the sweetcorn and ate it. Slowly it built up and now 9 weeks later he eats everything. It was just a very long process to have to go through and took alot of patience.

good luck

I think changing his attendance to four mornings would solve the issue and would get him in to the pattern of going to nursery regularly in the mornings which would prepare him for school, as often when you start primary the settling in period means children purely go in the morning at first.