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.

Errr yes I also know several adults who would have learnt to read a lot quicker if they'd been given the tools to decode words properly.

The point being how things happened when we were at school isn't always superior just because it was in the "olden" days. They used to cane kids but thankfully I think we've all learnt there are far better ways to discipline 5 year olds today.

Also all schools didn't expect kids to go all morning with nothing,I can't remember one and believe me I went to stacks, several being in Scotland where mollycoddling kids wasn't common. We were turfed out in all weathers and I can remember swapping playtime snacks, great childhood memory. The kids who got sent in with cake were uber popular the entire day. We also had tuckshops where you could buy all manner of crap.

I saw this chart - How to find Real Food at the supermarket and thought of thought of this thread.

The comparison with learning to read is good! Some children will never learn to read in the rigid system imposed at the time. Flexibility is definately needed there, as MilaMae among others show it is needed with snacks. I think I've learnt a lot from this thread.

Most kids learn better with phonic knowledge there are always exceptions. I've taught very few kids that could read with zero phonic knowledge. Some like my son are lucky enough to be born with an amazing memory but even he needs phonics at times.

Either way harking back to the olden days is not exactly a valid argument particularly when it's inaccurate- tuck shops and playtime snacks where a big part of school life.

At ds's school they can buy a snack, this includes fruit, milkshakes, crackers even horror or horrors cereral bars I believe.

OP I would make sure your child has a banana and also another piece of fruit for the break or maybe two bananas.

The other thing I would also say though is that ds does generally eat breakfast now (though he was like you dd for ages) and he tends to eat all of his lunch but still comes home starving at 3.30pm. I used to be starving after school too I remember coming into the house ravenous at 4pm so being humgry at pick up time seems normal to me. Ds is very slim btw so he is definitley not overeating for him.

Like your flowchart Ear .

I agree flexibility is needed with reading but I firmly believe a good grounding in phonics is vital. Some kids need other ways too but phonics are vital

I've never given DD a snack for school, I don't know anyone else who does either. The schools round here provide fruit mid morning and either milk or water. DD doesn't seem particularly bothered by this, sometimes she eats the fruit, sometimes she doesn't but she never starves!

I suspect one thing has NOT changed since the 'olden days' and that is, for the most part, human anatomy/metabolism. What HAS changed is the expectation children and their parents have about tolerating discomfort. Its interesting. Not right or wrong (except in extreme circumstances either way) but just, interesting.

I am a softie, I like to snack, I hate my kids to be uncomfortable, I have fast metabolism and low blood sugar. So the fruit rule thing made me uncomfortable to start with (not now, if it were as bad as it seems to be for Mila's kids I'd have tackled the school about it, but it isn't a problem). But I do wish I were a tad tougher, and more resilient, to be honest.

Of course the past was not 'better'. We can still learn from it, though, no? 40 years ago, we were more tolerant of discomfort on many levels - including boredom and hunger. Now, we are not. In some ways, obviously, this is good - in some ways, I think it can go too far.

I think that boredom is really good for you and discomfort is pretty good too!

PixieOnaLeaf Mon 10-Jan-11 12:50:21

Do you know any adults who can't read?
yes we have lots of parents who can't read well enough to support their reception child or to fill in forms or read a bedtime story

When I was little, I couldn't handle a big breakfast either- any thing more than 1 or 2 slices of toast and I would throw up in the car or school bus. Try banana, raisins, dried apricots in a larger snack box. Dried fruit is ok, right? And no limit on the quantity, I assume. Drink plenty of water also. Kids and adults can't always tell the difference between hunger and hunger+thirst. I do think that eating raw fruit like apples and oranges without some water afterwards is bad for the teeth due to the fruit acids and sugars - cheese is best but of course the school won't allow that. So banana, dried apricots, raisins and water then. And if she is still faint with hunger maybe see if you can get her to eat a cereal bar just before she gets out of the car?

'Do you know any adults who can't read?'

Yes-lots!

At my DS' school they are only allowed to have fruit, veg or cheese for a snack. He does not want anything from this but I know that he would have eaten gladly a nice muffin (homemade muffins are healthier). Why cannot they eat anything that is healthy (carrot muffin is healthy and healthier than most cheeses with high amount of salt; processed food is not that healthy either)? He is not feeling like eating fruit or veg in the morning and he does not eat cheese. He does not eat dry fruits and many dry fruits are not healthy either because of the added colours and preservatives and some like blueberries contain sugar which is silly as the berry is already sweet. So, my point is the pupils should have a healthy snack but does not matter which as long as they eat something.

Do you know any adults who can't read?
May be some parents have a Dyslexia; they are not lazy but just cannot read their child a story.
I simply cannot believe that there are many non-dyslexic adults who cannot read as reading is so essential in the everyday life. How do they buy products in the shops or pay the bills? This cannot happen in England which is one of the most developed countries in the world. If someone (English) really cannot ready a book without having a disability then I am shocked. Someone should have noticed it long time ago and helped the poor person.

I simply cannot believe that there are many non-dyslexic adults who cannot read as reading is so essential in the everyday life

A few years ago we had a child with a lovely supportive dad but he could not read. He wasn't dyslexic he simply hadn't spent enough time in school to learn as his family moved around for work.
Incidentally he also ran his own business very successfully but said he didn't need to read as he could pay someone to do it.

They are actually very good at hiding it. They don't go around telling people that they can't read!
There never was a 'good old days' for reading and DCs always slipped through the net.
I also know someone who runs a highly successful business without being able to read.

Ok, then they are loosers. You can always catch up if you want. mrz, may be he ran an illegal business where there was no need to check the accounts and took cash, no bank cheques, no direct transfers. Oh well, if you cannot read how can you be so sure another person is not cheating with the profits.

No Octavia he wasn't a loser (far from it ...possibly one of the nicest people I've ever met) or running an illegal business. As he pointed out he could afford to pay an accountant for his company and draft contacts and he employed people he trusted.

The man I knew was very well off, he had a legitimate business, an astute business brain and was a good judge of character and employed accountants etc. Reading would have helped, but lack of it didn't hold him back. He would have laughed if anyone called him a loser......all the way to the bank!

"Ok, then they are loosers."

at the irony

They have to be pretty clever to keep it secret and yet cope with life.

Well said spidookly!
I think you are in the minority of sane people on here.
I whole heartedly think that we,as parents and responsible adults should be given the choice of what snack we send our children to school with.
Everyone in my family eats a healthy balanced diet,including 5 fruit and veg a day.
None of us are overweight and neither myself or my chidren have ever had a filling in our teeth!! (and i am 42 years old!), so we must be doing something right!
If my child wants to take a slice of wholemeal bread or a yoghurt,then they should be allowed to do so,end of!
I think the teachers should maybe adopt this policy in their own lives for a start.
70% of them at our school are overweight. Lead by example..now there's a thought!

Our school in Keystage 1 - children get fruit.

In Keystage 2 you can bring your own or buy fruit from a snack shop.
It is quite amazing what constitutes as a healthy snack once they hit Junior school.

I am still giggling at DS1's classmate coming to school with one of those round rock lollipops that are bigger than your head. When it was 'removed' by the snack-checker-playground patroller, the child informed them it was healthy as it was strawberry flavour.

you do know you've upped a two year old thread for that insightful comment lisa

Can I just ask how they will cope with a yoghurt in the playground?
As a teacher I don't get a break mid morning I wait until lunch to eat...so there is my example