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.

All children are hungry at the end of the school day. It is the rule.

I send my DD in with biscuits (more relaxed school, I guess) and she still starts gnawing on my leg unless I throw a snack at her before we leave the school gates. So I'd say being furious about your DD only being allowed fruit, OP, is something of an overreaction and that if things were changed your DD would still wolf down her spag bol at night.

All you fruit disapprovers - when would you like your children to eat fruit then?

No one has answered my question!

My children love porridge made with milk. Is that so unusual ?

crazygracieuk - No, I think it's a good idea too.

Feenie I assume the fruit disapprovers give fruit for breakfast or lunch but I don't understand why that's different to having it for break?

It isn't really - it's about only being allowed fruit at playtime, nothing to do with teaching really.

Ahhhh - I understand the PTA relevance now.

Exactly, crazygracieuk, that's what I don't get.

StewieGriffinsMom

Feenie, I'm in Scotland. PTA is not the same as in England.

This is a thread about healthy eating in schools. Why wouldn't it be relevant?

perhaps you could explain how it is different

No, it's individual school policy - we've had this for 20 years. A blanket rule of this is when we have the opportunity to eat fruit doesn't include any teaching.

If snacks are allowed at break time then children should be allowed to choose what kind of (non-treat food) snack they want. If they prefer a yoghurt to an apple, why not? If they are peckish at that time and want an oatcake or some bread and hoummous, why isn't that OK?

Fruit is delicious, sweet and very sugary. It's a great snack, but so are other things, depending on how you are feeling.

Children should be encouraged to follow their own appetites, not told that there are certain times of the day when fruit is the right thing to eat and everything else is verboten.

Should I add we don't allow fruit (or anything) to be eaten at playtimes

Because fruit is fruit is fruit. It's a good thing to eat, and we need opportunities during the day to eat it. It can't be confused with anything else, whereas it's a hop, skip and a jump from oatcake to jaffa cake to the aforementioned chocolate hobnob. Too wide a choice and easily abused. Just fruit is more sensible and hard to abuse (we don't allow School bars or fruit strings - has to be the real deal.

Still waiting to hear when you would wish your children to eat fruit?

Don't know any schools who allow crisps in the morning.

I haven't read all the posts on this, but I think that something carb-y like oatcakes should be provided at break - I am active, but no way as proportionally active as a child, and children at school are also firing their brains off all the time, and even if I have a full porridge and toast breakfast, its not unusual for me to want a snack with carbs by 11am and kids often have such low fat reserves etc that it seems silly - I do remember, coming home from school starving, and I also remember working in sales as an adult (which is probably a similar level of chatter as a girl at school!) losing all my positity and concentration if I got too hungry.

Mrz, doesn't your school still have the free fruit in KS1 thing? Our LEA does - not sure for how much longer though.

Just wait till they hit senior school they eat what they like .ds school they can get bacon rolls,sausage rolls etc at break from canteen

Loads of kids have crisps as a playtime snack.

Tell me there are not people in schools talking to children about "opprtunities to eat fruit"

that is completely crazy

absolutely bonkers

opportunities. To eat fruit.

What the fucking fuck is that all about?

It's like some kind of fetish.

Really? I am surprised. Any other Mners have schools where dcs can eat crisps at playtime?

Yes but they don't eat it at playtime as that is time for being active not standing/sitting eating (and of course there is the choking risk as someone said)

I have no idea why you find what I said so insane, spidookly. It's just that - I don't say it to the children, I'm saying it to you. It's a time to eat fruit, end of.

When would you rather your child ate fruit?