Pre-schooler not allowed to eat his "treats" at lunch time until he has eaten sandwich and fruit?

[usedtobeyummynowslummy]

Hi, I'm new, please be gentle with me but I am so upset after picking up my three year old from pre school that I need to know if I am in the wrong.

So, should a pre school prevent my ds from eating his yoghurt and crisps until he has eaten his sandwich and fruit??? All I can think of is being on a picnic and being given a sandwich, followed by fruit salad and then a sauage roll... Wouldn't appeal to me. Thanks.

sounds quite normal for schools and so probably pre schools. They don't want them filling up on treats before the main "healthy" bit of lunch I guess

Yes, its normal. If they didn't have this rule then many kids would eat their treat food then not bother with the rest.

Why on earth are you so upset?

I don't think it's a very big deal. I would tend to actually prefer kids eating their sandwiches first before tucking into crisps, then yoghurt which is pudding in my books. Wouldn't have put sausage roll in as well as crisps and a sandwich.

Our school encourage all children to eat sandwiches first, yoghurts and similar afterwards. They don't 'prevent' anything though to my knowledge. They merely encourage. I think they work on the principle that if the child was at home, they'd be given the main part to eat and pudding would be offered afterwards.

It's not a picnic, it's lunch.

So you're ok with this but another parent would complain their little Johnnie only ate his choccie biccies and was no-one watching. Can't win situation .

In his bag he had a ham sandwich (on wholemeal), an apple, some cheese cubes, a kid size youhurt and some "baby" crisps. It's not exactly a mars bar and a can of coke... but it looks like i am in the minority. Thanks for being nice!

Actually, I agree with you. I don't think it's helpful to give some food "treat" status, and other food "healthy" status.

Sometimes you feel like yoghurt, sometimes a sandwich, sometimes fruit.

So long as they send home the uneaten food, so you can see what he has eaten, you can make sure he has a balanced diet overall.

Perhaps a low key conversation with his key worker about it wouldn't hurt.

I think children should be allowed to eat their food in any order they want, does it really matter if they have their yogurt before the sandwich? Or their fruit first of all? I think it's petty.

Clicked on this topic by mistake, but had to reply to this thread - I totally agree with you and wouldn't be very happy if that was the attitude held by DS's school! Especially at age 3. But we are quite precious about food - by this I mean I hate children being told "if you don't eat x you won't get y" - I think it encourages "treat" and "boring" foods. Ideally everything in the lunch box should be healthy in a way (and I certainly don't think yoghurt is particularly unhealthy) then the problem won't really arise!

Where I work we go with what parents want. We ask them what rules they have around eating and just go with it.

Some of our children eat sandwiches first and some eat things in any order. We send home any uneaten food and speak to parents if we are concerned.

I don't really give them 'treat' food in their lunch box. I don't see a yoghurt as that, it does contain sugar but its equally healthy, mine love but only have on per day - you could (and should) as well ration all salty foods (bread, cheese ...) - where do you start .

I tend to give them a sandwich, fruit, yoghurt and water (not very creative, I know) - no crisps, biscuits or chocolate.

In our infant school it was monitored and DS always ate all his sandwich, now in junior school less so - he told me this morning quite excitedly that they are now allowed to swap food and eat the yoghurt first!!

DD (4) came from pre-school last week though and had only eaten her fruit and yoghurt - I don't think its a big deal though.