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.

When I was at school we had mid morning milk. No snack. No snack in the afternoon either.

I survived, despite being iffy about big breakfasts - still am, often don't eat until 10am ish.

I would second the poster who said take food for the school run. She can have loads in the playground/car/on walk to school.

Also, carrot sticks/banana/raisins midmorning really should be adequate.

In our school we don't provide the midmorning snack - the school provides fruit and veg. Until KS2 at least - that's when we can send fruit or veg in if we want. DD prefers not to.

Is it any wonder children quickly become disillusioned with school when they are faced with this kind of nonsense?
Oddly enough, if you gave your child no breakfast, no break, no lunch and no evening meal the teachers would not even raise a whisper. What does that tell you?
Keep up the good work, and give your child exactly what she likes. But unfortunately she needs to become sly and eat it in private where the Big Brother teachers can't see. Maybe that's a lesson in life for her? Sorry to sound cynical btw but this brings back bad memories of when my dds were in their failing primary school.

I like the idea of eating fruit at school. I think you need to get your dd up earlier in the mornings and offer her either cereal, boiled egg and toast or a smoothie or even home made ice lollies once the weather is warmer. She will be okay once she adjusts.

I'm actually surprised that a reception class child is taking "snack" to school.

oh for gods sake

are you seriously pissed off about this?

you dont give aer a mid morning boost
you give her a late brealfast
just get up earlier and give her breakfast earlier

once she gets used to not havg a late breakfast she will eat it in the morning

and what is wrong with a banana and an apple for a 'mid morning boost' late breakfast

and when they start school they are always ravenous when they copme home and at tea time

Dd is allowed to choose one thing from her lunchbox for snack.

Often though she just has a drink of water as she doesn't want to waste any playing time.

A banana is very filling as a snack.

I would give her a filling breakfast - muesli with yoghurt - and then a sandwich just before she goes into school.

And add an extra sandwich into her lunch box.

I also like my children to eat fruit at school, if all children are eating fruit, they encourage each other to eat it - it becomes normal.

belgo - fruit is very indigestible for many people - I don't think it's some kind of holy grail of snacks at all.

Don't all kids come out of school starving, particularly in reception? My 4 year old appears at the classroom door growling for food and will only converse in words of more than one syllable until the snack hits her stomach. And that's after a decent breakfast, mid morning fruit & milk and a two course school dinner.

Dd - age 12 - recently had to do a "healthy eating" food diary for food technology. Points were awarded for healthy foods and taken away for non healthy foods.

I was pretty shocked to see that virtually all carbs and fats warrented the loss of points, and only protein and veg earned points.

Clearly, the FT teacher considered a healthy diet to be a weight loss programme suitable for obese adults.

I find this really worrying, because many of the girls in dd's class are already obsessed with wanting to be thin, and have real issues about food and eating.

Dd is an athlete and trains 3 times a week. She has a good appetitie, eats a very healthy diet, has no fat on her at all, but her food diary earned her no points.

Luckily, she is intelligent enough to see that the teacher is wrong.

My point is that if schools are expected to police all food intake, they need guidance from qualified dieticians.

At my school the YR and Y1 children have a 'cafe table' in the classroom where there is available (all day) rice cakes, bread, breadsticks, fruit of various kinds, sometimes malt loaf etc. They also can have toast with cheese or sometimes jam. we also make hot chocolate, and variuous flavours of tea. The children help with all of this and wash up their own stuff afterwards.

I do this because lots of children get hungry! It works really well and parents like it. Never had any complaints. (I don't police lunchboxes either).

Older children have fruit, milk and warm bread rolss straight from the kitchen. (We are v ordinary state schol by the way)

Sorry rubbish spelling, smallest DC climbing on and off my lap "bread rolls" etc.

BTW our LA actively encourages this as good practice.

Some people don't like bananas.

This obsession with eating sugary snacks is demented.

Adults who are part of a culture with a massive eating disorder are the last people who should be telling children what they are allowed to eat.

The message sent to children that only fruit is allowed as a snack at break time is a pretty fucked up one.

I'd be getting a doctor's note if I had a child who didn't eat enough breakfast.

I certainly wouldn't be denying them dinner to try to force their 4 year old body into the "approved" eating schedule of a society with obesity problems.

That's awful 3littlefrogs!

I have no idea what you are talking about spidookly.

So who should tell them what to eat?

This whole healthy eating programme thing is going to end up in a whole lot of young adults with eating disorders. As 3littlefrogs says - they're confusing a healthy diet for a growing child with adult diet food. At 4, cheese ought to be considered part of a healthy diet, not considered The Enemy

'If the government actually wants to pursue this policy, they need to invest millions in training programs so that staff understand that children need fat in their diets and carbs are necessary.'

Agreed,and staff it appropriately with health professionals. Not teachers.

"Oddly enough, if you gave your child no breakfast, no break, no lunch and no evening meal the teachers would not even raise a whisper. What does that tell you?"

What a ridiculous post. We have often supplemented needy and neglected children's diets using nurture breakfast clubs, extra fruit at playtime and free dinners.

What does that tell you?

I can't see what's wrong with encouraging children to eat fruit, either - we've had this policy for 20 years. Some posters seem to believe that fruit is somehow the work of the devil.

My DD, who is in Primary school doesn't get a mid morning break - they go straight through from 0830 to 1130, then again from 1215 to 1530. Lack of snack ensures lunch is eaten.

An apple or a banana is pretty filling as a snack in a small tummy. Or how about raw carrot or some sticks of red pepper?

Nothings been mentioned of more to drink. Often we feel hungry when we are fact just thirsty.

Very true, Bronze. DD2 has water freely available in the classroom.

I remember my school days fondly. My mum used to pack us off with fruit and marmite sarnies for break time

I agree that fruit is a miserly snack for some hungry little hunters, but to be honest, I'd pick my battles if I were you, OP>

Eventually, if your DD is hungry enough, she will change her eating habits and start to eat a better breakfast. You can use this new routine to encourage her, perhaps? 'You're only getting fruit at break, so you need to eat your breakfast' etc. It will work eventually, I'm sure.

It's normal for kids to be ravenous when they come home from school, too. I don't know any child who isn't. They burn up so much energy.