Originally Posted by CraftyMom:
The issue for me would be whether the child actually medically needs a special diet or if it is a preference.
If it is a medical reason supported by a doctor I would have mom bring ALL food
If it is a preference I would not accept this child in my care since that is not how I run things.
All children are served the same meal, I will not make more than one meal (per meal). I will not have parents bringing in food because their child does not like what I am serving. I will not have parents telling me what to serve. I will not have parents saying they "suspect an allergy or intolerance" to get around my rules (show me proof from the dr)
Children bringing their own food (in my experience) is like children bringing a toy from home. Everyone is interested in and wants what the other child has and causes an unnecessary upset at meal times.
My parents are told we use the food program. They can opt out, but I will still serve the same food so there is no point. Unless like I said there is an actual medical reason.
If parents are insistent on supplying food for any reason other than a documented medical necessity than my program isn't right for them.
I have had tons of vegetarian kids over the years, and I have always flexed my meals for them.
The GF diet can be more expensive though, when you are getting in to the pastas and breads they are more expensive than wheat products, at least it is that way where I live.
I used basically the same method for GF as I did for vegetarian, though it is a bit trickier for some meals.
My method of accommodating a vegetarian diet depends on how many days per week the child attends (I have all part-time children).
For a 2-3 day child, I will just go all-veg on the days they attend. We can have other proteins when they are not here.
But for a 4 day child (my max # of days), I do it differently. Most items will be the same, obviously: fruits, veg, grain, milk. But I can do a vegetarian chili, for example, and then add ground beef for the non-veg kids, or vegetarian spaghetti sauce, with a ground beef or grated cheese option. I give each child a choice of veg or non-veg, since the items meet the nutritional components either way.
For a pea soup, I will make it all vegetarian, and then use a choice of "toppings": chopped green onion, ham or celery, or croutons. The vegetarian children won't use the meat option, but they have other options.
That's just the way I have chosen to do my meals - not saying anyone else should
We just have a pretty diverse group of eaters around here
