My ravenous child is only allowed fruit at snack time. I am furious.

[Avocadoes]

My 4 year old DD started Reception class last week. She seems very happy but also very hungry. She is not a great breakfast eater, no matter how hard I try, so at home she used to get a mid morning plate of toast to boost her energy. At school her mid morning snack must be fruit and nothing else. Is that normal?

On her first day I sent her in with sliced apple and raisens. She ate them all, ate all her lunch, but still came home at 3.30pm starving. She then consumed two slices of toast and ate three large plates of spag bol at dinner time.

The next day I put dry cereal (Raisen Wheats) in her snack box to give her some carbs. She came home and told me the teacher had told her she wasn't allowed to eat it. She was very embarrassed about this.

When I dropped her off on the third day I asked the teacher what I could give her to fill her up mid morning. The teacher said it had to be fresh fruit or veg.

AIBU to think a growing child should be allowed a proper energy boost mid morning? I am not suggesting chocolate or crisps, but a health bar, or crackers, or dry cereal should surely be allowed.

Most of us do, reading!

ha!
Am also loving Mofo on this thread

spidookly well lots of Mnetters classify themselves as middle order

Not got much time to post as should be studying.

A few things come to mind when considering healthy eating policies and this thread.

Respecting the child as an individual every child matters

The link between educational attainment and hunger/ concentration levels (there is research on Child poverty action group about this I believe)

Whilst I believe you should take steps to encourage breakfast etc I also think the school should be less harsh.

yes, the harsh bastards with their apple promotion!

ROFL. Not read the thread and sorry to be a little rude but LOL

onadietcokebreak have you not heard Gove banned ECM?

Many of the children at our primary have enough problems in their lives without the school imposing restrictions on what they can take in as a snack. Not all children live in a middle class idyll with fresh fruit and veg readily to hand. That isnt the child's fault.

you didn't answer about the free fruit and veg all infants are entitled to GnomeDePlume
Why don't your infants get it?

Reading as I said before all children are not the same. Fruit/veg as a healthy snack is too narrow a band and it isn't just 4 hours.

Tonight for tea at 6pm my son had a small plate of shepherds pie and some mashed swede. At 7am he'll be presented with breakfast. All he'll eat is a handful of cornflakes, a small glass of juice and slices of apple. He'll be offered toast,porridge,croissants all of which he'll reject.

At playtime he'll have a pear,tomato or whatever else they give them that day.

He'll have lunch at 1pm.

So for 19 hours all he'll eat is his meagre breakfast which he forces down to please me not being awake or able to face vast quantities of food(he's asleep at 7.30 pm bang on everynight before you insist he goes to bed earlier).

He is underweight and 7 years old.He goes to a school that does a lot of sport.

I fully support a healthy eating policy but there is no reason why cheese, breadsticks or something else healthy with a few more calories than a slice of dried mango(1 eg of days playtime fruit portion)couldn't be included on the list. There really isn't.

The fact is all kids aren't clones with clone parents.I give my dc a very healthy balanced diet and as such they need this to continue at school. A slice of dried mango or a tomato is not healthy or balanced for a thin 7 year old.It may well be for an overweight 7 year old that needs to loose weight and has a diet full of fat but not for a child such as I've described. As such the healthy snack list needs to include a few more options to go alongside fruit to cater for all shapes/sizes and types of children.

Oh and have you ever seen a class of 30 5 year olds peel and eat a satsuma,I have countless times -fruit is not a particularly quick and easy option.

I thought it was under review?

I dont know MRZ, mine arent in infants now but I have always paid for snacks.

The OP wasnt about snacks provided by the school but snacks provided by parents. My issue is with schools deciding what parents can give to their children.

"Every Child Matters" went. "Help children achieve more" took its place

you said earlier your school doesn't provided fruit snacks Gnome so I wondered why

But as the OPs child is 4 there should be free fruit and veg available in addition to whatever home provides

GnomeDePlume - I'm not middle class and my life certainly isn't an idyll. I managed for years to send my kids into school with fruit - usually raisins in a tupperware. It's not that hard FFS. Don't damn us all by thinking working class people can't do anything.

MilaMae - your underweight child is certainly an exception. If this is medically defined underweight then you should go and talk to the school. And the other twin is plenty old enough to understand why.

Ear it's not that easy as my dd I know feels wobbly,she says she feels sick sometimes before lunch. This is exactly how I feel if my blood sugar gets too low.I'd be shite if ate what she did for breakfast then had to wait until 1pm for lunch. So if I get permission for those 2 and they trot off with cheese and breadsticks I think dtwin 2 has every right to feel miffed at munching on a tomato.

Not all kids have an unhealthy/high calorie diet. I don't think kids that haven't stuffed themselves with fat and too many calories for tea and breakfast should be made to go hungry at school for those that do.

I have nothing against kids being hungry now and again.My fussy eater goes to bed hungry when he rejects what I've cooked but he's in bed resting not racing around a school field and trying to learn during a busy school day every day.

The fact is there is no need for it, there are plenty of higher calorie foods that could be excepted. Indeed it seems as if some schools do.

The school where my DD goes provides the snacks. I ask her everyday what she's had, recently she has had oranges, apples, raisens, pear, bananas, carrots, grapes. She loves it; aside from the pears, she's not a fan of them .
I think the school push the fruit / veg as for some children, its the only time in the day they eat fruit or veg. I was a little at the thought of that, and I have no idea what the other children eat on a day to day basis, but I guess it makes sense. DD loves her fruit and veg, she's a little bizarre and will often ask me if she can have some sliced cucumber and lettuce for a snack.

thanks mrsz.

Will be seeking clarification about how the present of ECM was revelant in a lecture I received in November!

Thankfully I didnt print the document out to use as a door stop read!

Hello all, have only read 1st and last page of this very long thread! But I also had concerns about this when my dd started in reception in sept, she never really eats a lot for breakfast and has always been very hungry at 10am ish, however saying that she has put on half a stone since starting school, so it obviously doesn't seem to be causing her too many probs. She does now eat more at bfast time, my dds school usually provides the fruit but last term she had to take it in as the company the school used went bust!!! Another thing I am still finding is that my dd almost always comes out of school really thirsty, I have a nagging suspicion she probably is only having 2 drinks all day. Are they meant to be able to access a drink all day whenever they want one?

Earwicga - I'm not damning anyone, perhaps our primary is unusual but it is in a very deprived area with a lot of children in chaotic situations. For some it is that hard.

onadietcokebreak I don't think Gove like new labour buzz words "safeguarding" went and "child protection" returned

All the more reason for them to receive free fruit and veg then!

MilaMae my daughter's friend was very under weight in primary and had a very limited diet (sliced raw peppers) mum had to resort to prescribed food supplements

I'm all for free fruit and veg but can't see why a very short list of things could be allowed for parents to send in to go alongside. It's not exactly rocket science.

Buggar supplements he needs regular calories throughout the day.He eats anything and everything just not at 7am in the morning.