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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

Angel delight now at nursery for 7 -8 month old

49 replies

chatname · 19/01/2009 13:23

Apparently DS was given noodles in black bean sauce for lunch. He didn't really like it but then was given some Angel Delight, which he liked better.

A bit shocked, I googled Angel Delight on the internet...and found a 7 page Mumsnet thread from 2007 about how awful or not it was for your child to get Angel Delight at nursery.

I have to admit, it's not something I'd think of buying. And for a baby under 8 months? We have given him fresh fruit and yesterday tried a fromage frais dessert thing for the first time, but sweetened with fruit juice not sugar.

(I am the mum who has been banging on about biscotti). Okay, so this is my first baby and maybe I'm inclined to be precious about him, but surely it isn't good to be giving them sugary things? Surely?

OP posts:

muppetgirl · 19/01/2009 14:23

It's funny but finger food with ds is far easier. He eats his dinner whilst I do. No fuss. Yes you can tell when he's finised or getting full as it starts to get flung around the place but it's not as difficult as you'd think as it's just normal to him.

Becky77 · 19/01/2009 14:27

Yeah I guess it's much easier in some ways but for health and safety it'd be more tricky for them to be watching all the babies at once... With spoon feeding 1 member of staff can go around and feed them all one after the other?

Becky77 · 19/01/2009 14:28

Or maybe they just dont want to cater to individual needs of each family... Which is probably more likely

MakemineaGandT · 19/01/2009 14:37

I would NOT be happy to feed my children Angel Delight and would be worried about nursery giving it. They'll probably think you are being precious about it but sod them - you are not being unreasonable.....

paddingtonbear1 · 19/01/2009 17:24

did you manage to speak to them chatname? how did it go?

Original poster

chatname · 19/01/2009 17:44

In fact, I have held fire for the time being.

I had a look at the menus for the month, which they have displayed. The desserts included fruit cocktail, banana split, fruit crumble, yoghurt, dorset apple cake with some sort of milk, trifle. So I would say Angel Delight is the one that most concerns me.

They have a form on which you can put things you don't want your child to eat. So I could put Angel Delight on that.

Thing is, I can imagine that "trifle" could have some nutritive value (if made with lots of fruit and eggy custard). It can't really avoid having a lot of sugar in it though. And if they give babies Angel Delight the trifle could be a bit synthetic/packet.

The cook has actually produced a recipe booklet (!). If I get a copy of that I can ask whether the food is made to the same recipe, then I might know what is in it.

So am wondering whether to ask them not to give him some of the other puddings too - will look at this recipe booklet first.

Many thanks for the interest!

OP posts:

MrsMattie · 19/01/2009 17:46

I'm not precious about what my kid's eat, but angel delight for a baby at nursery...that's just stupid.

whitenoise · 19/01/2009 17:54

is that menu for a baby??

i wouldn't give my 10 month old much of that list - bananas yes (i don't know what a bana split is) not the trifle, it will be made from a pack, yoghurt yes, not the crumble - too sugary imo

not because i am precious but because its just too sweet!

bubbleymummy · 19/01/2009 18:02

I'm glad I'm not the only one whitenoise! I just really don't see the point of giving sugar to babies at all. It's not like they're missing out on something of great nutritional value! DS (2y10m)still does not get much sugar - maybe the occasional home baked cookie or muffin. Is it any wonder that there is a childhood obesity problem with childcare providers are offering sugar with every meal! Sorry - rant over!

Becky77 · 19/01/2009 18:14

It looks like they're trying to go for variety but what's wrong with fruit and yoghurt each day and just changing the fruit?

SpecialOffer · 19/01/2009 18:22

Your nursery menu sounds strange, now my ds started at 11m, so went to the next room, but they didn't have anything sugary at all really during the week, it was all home baked. Stewed fruit etc for desert.

The only day they had party food, i.e. sandwiches, quavers and home baked cakes was for Friday tea.

You are not being precious at all.

changer22 · 19/01/2009 18:28

Pureed toad in the hole? I can't imagine anything more disgusting. Noodles in black bean sauce, far too salty and Angel Delight is just ridiculous.

It isn't hard to have an understanding about food for babies, there's so much information out there. If they can't get that right, I can't see that their ideas about childcare are going to be great.

I would remove him. Have you thought about a childminder? Much better (easier to find a good one) in my limited opinion.

Northernlurker · 19/01/2009 18:36

Well I totally disagree with everyone whose posted so far. Sugar is not the work of the devil - but rather provides necessary energy. My dd3 (20 months) had Angel Delight at nursery today actually - as part of a varied menu it will not cause your child to grow a second head or indeed develop a life-long sweetie habit.

Frankly I think far more long term damage is done by stressing about our children's food - and letting them see that anxiety - than is done by exposure to sugar, fats and artificial substances. If your nursery told you that Monday was always Angel Delight day because the cook was too hungover to do anything else then you might have cause for concern.

There will always be things in a childcare setting that aren't done as you would do them at home. If you want total control you have to pay out for a nanny - but even then they will bring their own views and experience to it.

Joe90 · 19/01/2009 18:55

I adore butterscotch angel delight (especially with brandy and raisins in) my DCs only found about about it because of its usefulness on camping hols to make a pudding in a saucepan out of UHT milk! However, surely the additives in it would not be allowed in baby food therefore should not be served to babies or toddlers. Personally I would worry even more if it was the 'low sugar ' variety with artifical sweeteners in, I wouldn't put it past a caterer thinking parents would approve of that! (Try finding squash with only sugar and no sweeteners in!)

Original poster

chatname · 19/01/2009 19:53

Actually, the noodles weren't in black bean sauce, they were with quorn pieces in sweet and sour sauce.

I do agree that children benefit from a varied diet; the problem is that my little one is really too young to have some of these things, in my opinion.

OP posts:

Northernlurker · 19/01/2009 20:10

He is breastfed isn't he - you could argue he's been exposed to a wide range of stuff already....

Original poster

chatname · 19/01/2009 20:31

Hmm, the composition of human breast milk varies, but within fairly well defined limits. eg (wikipedia I'm afraid) "Human milk contains 0.8% to 0.9% protein, 3% to 5% fat, 6.9% to 7.2% carbohydrates and 0.2% ash (minerals). "

Eating a load of chocolate might tend to increase the fat/carbohydrate figures a bit, but only to the upper limit of the range.

And since we just don't buy/eat instant puddings, he hasn't been exposed to their constituents, not even in a diluted version in breast milk.

So, to answer your question, no .

OP posts:

Northernlurker · 19/01/2009 20:57

o.2% ash??? Wow - where did that come from - and more to the point where does it go?

He's your baby and of course you must make your decisions - but this won't be the last time that something happens concerning school or nursery that you're not 100% with - just don't burn out your energies too soon!

pudding25 · 19/01/2009 22:37

I read your biscotti post and was . This literally takes the biscuit . DD is 8mths and I wouldn't feed her any of that crap. She is due to start nursery in April and I would be going mad if they fed her that kind of thing.

IrritableGrizzly · 20/01/2009 12:19

In my experience (am an NNEB) lots of nurseries serve up unhealthy rubbish to the children, as it is cheaper for them and after all they are in it to make money. The one that made me completely was the day lunch was, on the menu "sausage and mash" and pudding was "chocolate orange slice." In actual fact what they were eating was a small tinned cocktail sausage and Smash, followed by a Jaffa Cake!

pispirispis · 20/01/2009 13:54

IrritableGrizzly That's so bad it made me laugh!!

ThursdayNext · 20/01/2009 13:54

Chatname, I really don't think you're being precious about this, you sound most sensible to me. I have a 1 year old and 3 year old, and none of us would normally eat something like angel delight. It doesn't seem to have any nutritional value, it's full of rubbish and not even particularly nice. I wouldn't mind if they had some at a grandparents house, for example, but wouldn't expect it to be part of everyday food at home, nursery or even when they start school.
Sounds like you might have wider issues with the nursery food than just the angel delight though, so perhaps you need to figure out exactly what they do feed the childen. Things like banana split and trifle could be OKish or fairly awful, as you say.

tassisssss · 20/01/2009 18:16

Well, I've not read the whole thread but I'd be SHOCKED if anyone gave my 7.5 month old angel delight! I'd be happy for my 2.5 year old and my 5 year old to have it from time to time but definately not my baby.

I'd probably avoid the trifle, it's bound to include jelly. I'd guess banana split includes ince cream? I can confess that my 7.5 month old has tasted the tiniest bit of ice cream but I'd not want her to have more than that for some time. Good idea to flick through the cook book.

mrsgboring · 20/01/2009 18:31

I think I'd almost be more worried about the chicken with sweet and sour sauce and quorn pieces (though angel delight is not very nice IMO). I could easily be wrong, but that sounds like something out of a catering pack, rather than cooked on the premises and is therefore likely to be additive laden in itself.

It doesn't sound like they have much clue nutritionally. I didn't get round to posting on your biscotti post, but

I don't think puddings per se are a particularly bad thing for nursery age children, but lots of processed and synthetic crap - artificial tasting sweet things that melt in the mouth particularly - is.

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