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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Running Out Of Food, Too Many Snack Times
mrsp'slilpeeps 12:49 PM 07-07-2011
I am finding myself quickly running out of food. My dc kids are here anywhere between 6am - 5:30 pm and i offer breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks.
I feel that this is obviously not enough cause an hour after they eat the main meals they are hungry again.

How often and how many snacks do you all serve?

BTW I almost always make my own snacks like, muffins, cookies, jello, ect and i am running out of options.

Any advice will be helpfull. TY
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sharlan 12:50 PM 07-07-2011
Are they older kids eating out of boredom?
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kidkair 12:51 PM 07-07-2011
I feed them every 2 hours and follow the federal food guidelines so I know they are getting what they need. I do breakfast at 8, snack at 10, lunch at noon, and snack at 3:30 after nap.
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sharlan 12:52 PM 07-07-2011
One of my girls' providers kept a bag of regular carrots in the fridge and the kids could have those at any time. She would have them washed and trimmed ahead of time.
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mrsp'slilpeeps 01:07 PM 07-07-2011
I have tryed the having access to fresh veggies and fruit all the time but "they dont like those".

MY meals times are breakfast between 6-8:30am, snack at 10:30am, lunch at 12:30pm, and another snack at 3:30pm and home time varies between 4:30-5:30pm.

I guess it doesnt help that one dc kid eats a big bag of ripple chips for lunch at home, but that will never be served here!

They say they are constantly hungry all the time and I am broke and I have no extra food to serve.

Also the kids ages are 3, 5yr olds, 2, 2yr olds, 1, 3yr old and a 9 yr old. The 9 and 5 yr old belong to me.
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littlemissmuffet 01:11 PM 07-07-2011
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
I am finding myself quickly running out of food. My dc kids are here anywhere between 6am - 5:30 pm and i offer breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks.
I feel that this is obviously not enough cause an hour after they eat the main meals they are hungry again.

How often and how many snacks do you all serve?

BTW I almost always make my own snacks like, muffins, cookies, jello, ect and i am running out of options.

Any advice will be helpfull. TY
Personally, I not do think it's how often you are feeding - it's what you are feeding... cookies, muffins, jello...
These have little to NO nutritional value. They are carbs (SUGAR!!!), so of course they are hungry. Why are these the options you turn to?
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mrsp'slilpeeps 01:15 PM 07-07-2011
They are home made muffins and cookies made from scratch with whole wheat flour. Jello is a treat, I also serve fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, yogurt, hence the ect....

If you dont mind me asking, what do you serve your dc kids?

And if anyone hasn't noticed carrots and other good food isnt that filling either!
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sharlan 01:24 PM 07-07-2011
..........I have tryed the having access to fresh veggies and fruit all the time but "they dont like those"................

Sometimes we have what you like, sometimes we have what I like. This is your choice, there are no alternatives. The next snack/meal is..........

cheese/apple slices
yogurt w/ fresh berries
waffle w/ peanut butter
tortilla w/cheese
mini banana nut muffins
banana or applesauce w/ graham crackers
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sharlan 01:27 PM 07-07-2011
I offer the carrots when they have eaten the previous meal and are "so starving" that they won't make it to the next meal.

I find that if they are starving in between meals and snacks, that it's more of a boredom issue than a hunger issue. Once one starts the hunger mantra, the others quickly follow suit.
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littlemissmuffet 01:34 PM 07-07-2011
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
They are home made muffins and cookies made from scratch with whole wheat flour. Jello is a treat, I also serve fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, yogurt, hence the ect....

If you dont mind me asking, what do you serve your dc kids?

And if anyone hasn't noticed carrots and other good food isnt that filling either!
-Boiled Eggs (Deviled Eggs as a treat) w/ side of veggies
-Almonds/Walnuts w/ side of fruit
-Low Fat (SUGAR FREE!) Yogurt w/ side of fruit/veg (I add flax to the yogurt)
-Cottage Cheese w/ side fruit/veg
-Apple Slices w/ Peanut Butter
-Cheese Cubes w/ Whole Wheat Crackers
-Tuna w/ Whole Wheat Crackers
-Ham and Cheese sandwhich on Whole Wheat

etc...

I HUGELY limit sugar intake here and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS serve a protein (just milk doesn't count here) at every single meal/snack... my kids stay full and they're all very active, happy and healthy!
Muffins and cookies made with whole wheat flour still typically have a ridiculous amount of sugar - so that wouldn't fly here and still isn't considered "healthy" or nutritious to me.
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mrsp'slilpeeps 01:46 PM 07-07-2011
In all honesty i try to serve very healthy meals and snacks. I have 1 kid that refuses everything i make ( the chip boy). I make my own waffles and pancakes, i try to make all of my own food to save money and not buy processed or prepackaged food.

I try to keep them as busy as possible aswell.

They always act like i never feed them and when mom or dad come they all act like i starve them to death.

I Just wanted to know if others go through this with the kids and to get a few more food ideas.

It's funny that almost all of the food Sharlan and littlemissmuffet listed, chip boy hates!
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SilverSabre25 01:47 PM 07-07-2011
ditto littlemissmuffet on serving protein to help with fullness. Since I had to stop eating dairy I have the hardest time staying full and find myself snacking frequently. High protein intake makes a BIG difference. Carbs, even those that are made from scratch with whole-grain flour, are still carbs, and they burn off fast.
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MNmamaOf4 01:49 PM 07-07-2011
I only serve one snack a day and it's usually homemade banana bread, applesauce and graham crackers, goldfish crackers, yogurt, cottage cheese, raw veggies w/ lite ranch dip, peanut butter sandwiches on whole wheat bread. I try and keep it as nutritious as possible but occasionally have a special treat 1x a week or every 2 weeks.
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mom2many 01:54 PM 07-07-2011
Originally Posted by kidkair:
I feed them every 2 hours and follow the federal food guidelines so I know they are getting what they need. I do breakfast at 8, snack at 10, lunch at noon, and snack at 3:30 after nap.
I do the exact same thing!
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littlemissmuffet 01:55 PM 07-07-2011
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
In all honesty i try to serve very healthy meals and snacks. I have 1 kid that refuses everything i make ( the chip boy). I make my own waffles and pancakes, i try to make all of my own food to save money and not buy processed or prepackaged food.

I try to keep them as busy as possible aswell.

They always act like i never feed them and when mom or dad come they all act like i starve them to death.

I Just wanted to know if others go through this with the kids and to get a few more food ideas.

It's funny that almost all of the food Sharlan and littlemissmuffet listed, chip boy hates!
I have had picky eaters over the years, but I continue to serve the same snacks and meals as usual - chip boy or candy bar girl just have to go without until mom and dad take them home and feed them crap. I refuse to do it. I don't have enough time in a day to have two or three menus and prep/cook diffrent foods to cater to a particular child. My parents know this, and fortunately the majority of the children who have come and gone through my daycare are either great eaters to begin with or inevitably change their eating habits during their care with me.

Chip boy is probably a carb addict -- so serving as few carbs as possible (this is probably ALL he gets at home) is essential. You HAVE to find some proteins he does enjoy and serve those up to him - even if the variety is lacking, it's important that he have them and it WILL help with his hunger issues!

Kudos for making most foods from scratch - pre-packaged foods are an absolute nightmare!! But like Silver said, a carb is carb, home-made or not.

Best of luck!!
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Meyou 02:18 PM 07-07-2011
I also serve a protein at almost all snacks. If they're hungry between meals especially in the summer I pass out apples. I buy them 20lb at a time from the farmers market.
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Blackcat31 02:31 PM 07-07-2011
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
In all honesty i try to serve very healthy meals and snacks. I have 1 kid that refuses everything i make ( the chip boy). I make my own waffles and pancakes, i try to make all of my own food to save money and not buy processed or prepackaged food.

I try to keep them as busy as possible aswell.

They always act like i never feed them and when mom or dad come they all act like i starve them to death.

I Just wanted to know if others go through this with the kids and to get a few more food ideas.

It's funny that almost all of the food Sharlan and littlemissmuffet listed, chip boy hates!
This is a tough situation to be in but in all honesty it isn't your job to only serve what they like. If that were true we would all be flipping burgers like McD's for lunch. It is our job as providers to offer good healthy foods and if the kids (like your "chip boy") doesn't like it then that is his choice to not eat, but I guarantee you that if you just keep on serving good healthy stuff he will start to eat eventually.

Just keep serving the good stuff and don't worry about who likes what. If you have eaters who eat more than your food program guidelines say is the right serving size and can't afford to keep up with such big eaters, then I would re-think the whole way you do meals and snacks and have the parents start chipping in or donating.
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rhymia1 02:55 PM 07-07-2011
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
This is a tough situation to be in but in all honesty it isn't your job to only serve what they like. If that were true we would all be flipping burgers like McD's for lunch. It is our job as providers to offer good healthy foods and if the kids (like your "chip boy") doesn't like it then that is his choice to not eat, but I guarantee you that if you just keep on serving good healthy stuff he will start to eat eventually.

Just keep serving the good stuff and don't worry about who likes what. If you have eaters who eat more than your food program guidelines say is the right serving size and can't afford to keep up with such big eaters, then I would re-think the whole way you do meals and snacks and have the parents start chipping in or donating.
I agree. I always say that my job is to serve healthy foods, their job is to eat (or not). Like others have said I always have a protein (low fat cheese, cottage cheese, boiled eggs, even lean turkey breast slices etc.) to go with the fruit or veggie that I serve. I rarely serve breads/muffins/cookies unless we have baked them as a group. I will say that "I'm hungry" is often a euphamisum for "I'm bored" and it may be that your kids need a change up in activity or some more structured/provider led ones. Just a thought.
I had one child this year who would literally sit at the table and take nothing all day long. That was his choice. But he also learned that I wasn't going to serve junk regardless of how hungry he said he was.
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countrymom 03:00 PM 07-07-2011
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
They are home made muffins and cookies made from scratch with whole wheat flour. Jello is a treat, I also serve fresh fruit, veggies, cheese, yogurt, hence the ect....

If you dont mind me asking, what do you serve your dc kids?

And if anyone hasn't noticed carrots and other good food isnt that filling either!
I agree with you, I make all that stuff from scratch too and no one eats carrots except my kids but they don't fill the kids up either. I think you just have to tell the kids "no" I do. Your hours are the same as mine, I think the problem is that kids are so use to snacking all day that when it comes to food scheduals they are all out of wack. I just bought some mousse from No Frills and i'm going to make that tommorrow.
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mrsp'slilpeeps 03:05 PM 07-07-2011
I understand what you all mean about serving the food and if they choose not to eat it then they dont eat. That is what i tell these kids all the time.

I cannot justify throwing this food out, it makes me sick to my stomache.
This is what i end up having to do cause they dont like turkey, cottage cheese, all the high protien foods.

So what do you do with this food that they choose not to eat?




Thank you for the triscut with p/butter. they loved it. It was whole wheat w/rye btw.
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countrymom 03:07 PM 07-07-2011
I should also mention that you ladies that live in the states have cheaper food prices than us canadians. I can say that because i live 15 min from the detroit border and shop every other week to save on my groceries. Your dairy is always on sale, ours never ever goes on sale except sour creme. I can buy milk for 2.50 a gallon or pay 5.00 for 3L (which is almost the same, its off by a tad bit) also your coupons rocks, we get alot of "buy 2 get a dollar off" stuff.
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mrsp'slilpeeps 03:11 PM 07-07-2011
Thank you!!! Canadian food prices are thru the roof.

We dont have a food program either, so it basically comes out of my or my husbands pocket and chucking it cause "i dont like it" truthfully pisses me off.

They dont pay me enough to buy expensive turkey slices, blocks of chesse, whole wheat, whole grain, blah blah blah.

I tell my own kids that it does not say MOMMY'S RESTERAUNT on the front of my house so eat it.

DCK's dont give a rats behind, cause they know that they can tell their parents, that I didnt feed them, and the parents believe them.
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rhymia1 03:31 PM 07-07-2011
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
I understand what you all mean about serving the food and if they choose not to eat it then they dont eat. That is what i tell these kids all the time.

I cannot justify throwing this food out, it makes me sick to my stomache.
This is what i end up having to do cause they dont like turkey, cottage cheese, all the high protien foods.

So what do you do with this food that they choose not to eat?




Thank you for the triscut with p/butter. they loved it. It was whole wheat w/rye btw.
Typically what I do when I have a child who refuses to eat is talk to the parents to get some ideas from them. Admittedly most of my clients are really into good nutrition so that makes it easier. I might also require a doctors note stating that the child is in good health (not underweight or malnourished) and continue to provide healthy meals and snacks and give them the option of eating or not. If the child is showing signs of malnourishment then I would require the parents to provide *healthy* foods that the child would eat (and I have no issues dealing with any nonsense from that)

I also think that if you are providing meals and snacks and the DCB is refusing them, then for him to complain about hunger becomes a discipline issue, IMHO. With the one child in my care who refused to eat anything, I had to sit him down and remind him that he was offered good/healthy food and didn't want to eat it, therefore he was not allowed to tell me he was hungry (and I meant the constant, repeated: I'm hungry I'm hungry I'm hungry I'm hungry When is snack when is lunch what are we having I'm hungry I'm hungry... )
I also know many providers do not provide food, but have the parents send in lunches and snacks. Personally I think that would be more of a pain, but it might work out better for you.
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Cat Herder 03:33 PM 07-07-2011
Here the current favorite snacks are:

1. Bite sized raw veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) with ranch dipping sauce. I often serve these in the restaurant style paper envelopes you see french fries served in with the dip in little paper cups. (bettymills.com) Kids like packaging, I am not too proud to bribe.

2. Homemade trail mix with 5-grain Cheerios, raisins, sunflower seeds, assorted dried fruits, and a few M&M'S for color. Again, serve in silly packaging like clearance party treat bags if you can.

3. Ham, cheese, baby spinach and flour tortilla rollups. (I use a bit of olive oil mayo). Wrap them in tissue paper so the kids "open" them themselves...

4. Homemade fruit smoothies (berries, bananas, ice, milk in the blender) Occasionally I will even add ovaltine or carnation instant breakfast if I need them to stay fuller longer (DCM called and is running late, but will be here before my family has dinner). If you serve these in paper cups with straws you get less resistance..."think milkshake"

5. Frozen fruit kabobs (Sliced apples, bananas, grapes, melon, pineapple on Popsicle sticks, frozen). Works even better if you want to give them a bit of caramel dip.

6. Fruit pops (whole fruits and juice blended together and frozen in Popsicle forms) HUGE hit if served on the playground.

7. Standard "Ants on logs". Celery with peanut butter and raisins. Best served cold. Lot's of kids get these at home because their Mom's had them as kids, too, so it is less of a battle.

8. Homemade Frozen Yogurt. (Vanilla yogurt blended with diced berries and spooned into ice cream cones with sprinkles on top, frozen before serving)

9. Bran muffins (baked in cupcake cups with cream cheese as "frosting" with a few sprinkles) served with sliced peaches.

Get creative....even sneaky if you have to until they develop a taste for these healthier choices.
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meganlavonnesmommy 05:12 PM 07-07-2011
I serve Breakfast (7am), snack (9am), Lunch (11:30am) and snack (3pm).

If they dont eat, or are hungry, then they wait until the next serving. No exceptions. If I give them something else in between, then they dont eat the next meal/snack. I have water bottles available all day long, and they get as much water as they want, but that is it.

The kids quickly learn to stop asking, they know they wont get anything until the next serving.

It sounds harsh, but they need to learn to eat when its meal/snack time. They learn to eat what they are given. If they dont like it, then they can wait until the next serving.

I often change my menu around if many of them havent eaten well. For instance we tried chicken and bean taquitos for lunch last week, none of the kids really liked it, and didnt eat much lunch. So instead of graham crackers for snack that afternoon, I changed it to apples with peanut butter, and yogurt.
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littlemissmuffet 05:22 PM 07-07-2011
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
Thank you!!! Canadian food prices are thru the roof.

We dont have a food program either, so it basically comes out of my or my husbands pocket and chucking it cause "i dont like it" truthfully pisses me off.

They dont pay me enough to buy expensive turkey slices, blocks of chesse, whole wheat, whole grain, blah blah blah.

I tell my own kids that it does not say MOMMY'S RESTERAUNT on the front of my house so eat it.

DCK's dont give a rats behind, cause they know that they can tell their parents, that I didnt feed them, and the parents believe them.
I live in Canada as well, I pay just as much for food as you - there's no excuse for not feeding the children healthy food as a responsible provider.
Responsible providers factor in costs of meals in their rates. It's part of the job and you're just going to have to suck it up!

No food gets wasted here. If a child doesn't eat, typically hubs or I will eat it -- we don't make meals for ourselves during daycare hours just for this reason. If everyone eats everything then we will make ourselves something to eat. Works out.
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SunflowerMama 05:52 PM 07-07-2011
I actually just got rid of my morning snack a while ago and it's working out well. We do breakfast at 8:30a, lunch at 11:30a and snack at 3:30p.

I agree with muffet and others about protein with every meal/snack. It really fills them up and holds them over.

I make a lot of my own food too but rarely add sugar and everything I serve is very low sugar and usually high in fiber and I love adding in the extra proteins...turkey bacon, yogurt, almond butter (have a peanut allergy), cheese, eggs, ground turkey, etc. I don't skimp on the quality of food for the kids and it's one of the things that sets me apart around my area.

Since I got rid of the morning snack the kids are eating great at lunch and I rarely hear anything about them being hungry during the day.

They also have unlimited access to their water bottles all day. So if someone does say they are hungry I tell them to drink some water. It's usually thirst and not hunger that they're feeling.
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Hunni Bee 08:08 PM 07-07-2011
Yeah I don't do a morning snack either. I did one for a while but they weren't eating their lunch and that's more important to me. So they may be actually hungry for a few minutes but I don't think thats necessarily a bad thing.

For my PM snack...I do a grain, a fruit/veggie and a milk. Usually its various flavors of milk, but if the Food Bank gods smile on me and we have some yogurt or cheese, I do water. If I think they're hungrier than usual, I plop a gob of peanut butter on the side and let them make their own snack.

BTW I have 3, 4 and 5 year olds.
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kcnjason 08:17 PM 07-07-2011
I understand where your problem is....I no longer do a morning snack. We do breakfast around 830 and always eat by 1130. We are busy through the morning and they often don't need a snack because it would be too close to lunch which would cause them not to eat a good lunch which in turn will throw their entire eating schedule off. I often will give choices but sometimes I will say, "this is what you may have, you can either have it or not. if you are hungry you will eat it and if you are not that hungry than you can wait." Kids will often eat out of boredom and I do agree that protien will fill a child up quicker than carbs. Good luck!
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Unregistered 09:51 PM 07-07-2011
Tofu ranch - hidden valley packets blended with tofu and sour cream - make a batch and freeze in thirds - thaw the night before and stir before serving (soft tofu, cheap in the boxes, also freezes well, buy on sale)

Serve with crackers, veggies....


Roast beef slice sour cream rolls....salty and spirally - more of a grown up flavor profile-
spread the sour cream ( or cream cheese at room temp on thin roast beef, roll and slice)

Green cheese ( Benedictine) Cucumbers and onion blended with sour cream or cream cheese and salted (seasoned with celery salt, maybe)
serve with celery or carrots or black bean chips.

Never underestimate the power of the black bean chips!

Make your own foods - mini pizzas, rolls or wraps, peanut butter faces ( soy nut butter, others...)

Nutella. Or make your own with Carnation Chocolate drink mix and a nut butter of your choice.

Stock up on beans, nuts, cheese, and sneak protein in all the foods you can - tofu can hop in a muffin recipe, a smoothie, veggie spaghetti sauce....and it is good for you!
Mexican bean dip, baked beans, beans and ham soup, split pea soup, maybe a hummus (chick peas- garlic - olive oil and lemon) ...

You might try serving a white rice as often as possible - filling and cheap.

You really need a blender or food processor to win with most of these ideas.

If you are looking for easy stuff to stock - find a bulk deal on soy nuts, raisins, make some cereal mix snacks - watch sales, go to the farmer's market,

And - on a non-protein note....look for deals on the fruits - watermelons are getting cheap, other melons, and try doing a salad bar type thing at lunch...(less waste more choice)

I am thinking boredom is a factor, and also that labor is an issue too.....
Consider an international theme cycle?

My own kiddo is a non-eater. I have struggled.
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mac60 03:19 AM 07-08-2011
If I was to serve many of the foods that are listed on this thread, I would first be broke, and I would second be disposing most of it in the trash. I too don't feed processed foods like tater tops, french fries, fish sticks, chicken nuggets, etc. Many of the foods mentioned I can't even afford for my own family let alone feeding it to a dc kid only to put it in the trash. Fresh fruits are very expensive, cheese is expensive, whole grain breads are expensive when you compare them to a loaf of white for .79 at Aldi or $1 at Walmart. I have had this conversation with my neighbors about foods, cost, etc. Eating the foods mentioned in this thread and serving daily to a group of kids, is expensive. Maybe you all get much higher rates and can afford it, not here at $85 for a ft kid.

Typical lunches here:
Homemade chicken n noodles, corn, peaches
Mac and cheese, peanut butter sandwich, green beans
Tuna and noodles, corn, applesauce
Picnic lunch of peanut butter sandwich, chips, fruit
Hot dogs, corn, fruit
Pancakes, sausages, fruit

Lunch is just that, lunch, not the biggest meal of the day. I was raised that dinner/supper is the main meal of each day, and that is how I do my meals. No one has ever left my home hungry unless they chose not to eat what I fixed.
Reply
melskids 03:44 AM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by Catherder:
Here the current favorite snacks are:

1. Bite sized raw veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) with ranch dipping sauce. I often serve these in the restaurant style paper envelopes you see french fries served in with the dip in little paper cups. (bettymills.com) Kids like packaging, I am not too proud to bribe.

2. Homemade trail mix with 5-grain Cheerios, raisins, sunflower seeds, assorted dried fruits, and a few M&M'S for color. Again, serve in silly packaging like clearance party treat bags if you can.

3. Ham, cheese, baby spinach and flour tortilla rollups. (I use a bit of olive oil mayo). Wrap them in tissue paper so the kids "open" them themselves...

4. Homemade fruit smoothies (berries, bananas, ice, milk in the blender) Occasionally I will even add ovaltine or carnation instant breakfast if I need them to stay fuller longer (DCM called and is running late, but will be here before my family has dinner). If you serve these in paper cups with straws you get less resistance..."think milkshake"

5. Frozen fruit kabobs (Sliced apples, bananas, grapes, melon, pineapple on Popsicle sticks, frozen). Works even better if you want to give them a bit of caramel dip.

6. Fruit pops (whole fruits and juice blended together and frozen in Popsicle forms) HUGE hit if served on the playground.

7. Standard "Ants on logs". Celery with peanut butter and raisins. Best served cold. Lot's of kids get these at home because their Mom's had them as kids, too, so it is less of a battle.

8. Homemade Frozen Yogurt. (Vanilla yogurt blended with diced berries and spooned into ice cream cones with sprinkles on top, frozen before serving)

9. Bran muffins (baked in cupcake cups with cream cheese as "frosting" with a few sprinkles) served with sliced peaches.

Get creative....even sneaky if you have to until they develop a taste for these healthier choices.
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
Tofu ranch - hidden valley packets blended with tofu and sour cream - make a batch and freeze in thirds - thaw the night before and stir before serving (soft tofu, cheap in the boxes, also freezes well, buy on sale)

Serve with crackers, veggies....


Roast beef slice sour cream rolls....salty and spirally - more of a grown up flavor profile-
spread the sour cream ( or cream cheese at room temp on thin roast beef, roll and slice)

Green cheese ( Benedictine) Cucumbers and onion blended with sour cream or cream cheese and salted (seasoned with celery salt, maybe)
serve with celery or carrots or black bean chips.

Never underestimate the power of the black bean chips!

Make your own foods - mini pizzas, rolls or wraps, peanut butter faces ( soy nut butter, others...)

Nutella. Or make your own with Carnation Chocolate drink mix and a nut butter of your choice.

Stock up on beans, nuts, cheese, and sneak protein in all the foods you can - tofu can hop in a muffin recipe, a smoothie, veggie spaghetti sauce....and it is good for you!
Mexican bean dip, baked beans, beans and ham soup, split pea soup, maybe a hummus (chick peas- garlic - olive oil and lemon) ...

You might try serving a white rice as often as possible - filling and cheap.

You really need a blender or food processor to win with most of these ideas.

If you are looking for easy stuff to stock - find a bulk deal on soy nuts, raisins, make some cereal mix snacks - watch sales, go to the farmer's market,

And - on a non-protein note....look for deals on the fruits - watermelons are getting cheap, other melons, and try doing a salad bar type thing at lunch...(less waste more choice)

I am thinking boredom is a factor, and also that labor is an issue too.....
Consider an international theme cycle?

My own kiddo is a non-eater. I have struggled.



thanks for the snack ideas....we are running out of ideas here for snacks...and are getting VERY bored with the same old thing....i'm going to try a few of these next week!!!

And catherder is right...sometimes if you "package" the food, the kiddos will eat it.

"dip" goes in cute little containers i found at the $ store. kids will eat anything if you give them dip.

i package yogurt in individual containers to get my kids to eat it, i will NOT buy gogurts, or some of those other "sugar creams" they try to pass off as yogurt

i also wrap sandwiches and wraps in tissue paper to make them look fancy
Reply
rhymia1 03:51 AM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by mac60:
If I was to serve many of the foods that are listed on this thread, I would first be broke, and I would second be disposing most of it in the trash. I too don't feed processed foods like tater tops, french fries, fish sticks, chicken nuggets, etc. Many of the foods mentioned I can't even afford for my own family let alone feeding it to a dc kid only to put it in the trash. Fresh fruits are very expensive, cheese is expensive, whole grain breads are expensive when you compare them to a loaf of white for .79 at Aldi or $1 at Walmart. I have had this conversation with my neighbors about foods, cost, etc. Eating the foods mentioned in this thread and serving daily to a group of kids, is expensive. Maybe you all get much higher rates and can afford it, not here at $85 for a ft kid.

Typical lunches here:
Homemade chicken n noodles, corn, peaches
Mac and cheese, peanut butter sandwich, green beans
Tuna and noodles, corn, applesauce
Picnic lunch of peanut butter sandwich, chips, fruit
Hot dogs, corn, fruit
Pancakes, sausages, fruit

Lunch is just that, lunch, not the biggest meal of the day. I was raised that dinner/supper is the main meal of each day, and that is how I do my meals. No one has ever left my home hungry unless they chose not to eat what I fixed.
One of the things I do to cut down on waste is to serve my meals "family style." I use measuring cups as serving spoons. The children know they can take a little, they can fill the spoon or they don't have to take anything. Leftovers are boxed up and either used later for my families dinner, or later in the week for another DC meal. I, too, hate to see food go in the garbage. If a child "over serves" themselves they are not allowed to take anything else until they have eaten what's on their plate - they put it there after all. They rarely do that more than once.

To be honest, I would look into parents providing the food if it seems like such a struggle.
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mac60 03:57 AM 07-08-2011
I never said it was a struggle, and I would never allow my young group of kids serve themselves family style. I can't see that working for many reasons.
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PitterPatter 03:59 AM 07-08-2011
I serve every meal of the day plus 2 snacks.

Breakfast 8:00am

AM snack 10:00am

Lunch 12:00pm

PM snack 3:00pm

Dinner 5:00pm

I do get the food program but they only cover 2 meals and 1 snack or 2 snacks and 1 meal. So 2 I always pay for out of pocket and I only get $15 - $20 per day per kid. It is hard I know it.

As for snacks I try to keep the sugar out as well but I do make the muffins, banana bread, zuchini bread and such once or twice a week. We do fruit kebabs, apples and PB, ants on a log, veggies and ranch dip, fruit slices and yogurt, Hard boiled eggs, and some wraps. Maybe try to make snack time more fun for those who dont have an interest. Like use a cookie cutter to cut pineapple slices and let the kids cut shapes out of a PB& J sammy. Even the wraps u can leave flat and help the kids cut shapes out of the tortilla with cheese and turkey or whatever filling u may use. Try setting fruit and veggies out as a buffet style with dif yogurt choices, PB, Jelly, honey, anything that they can dip they have fun with.
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rhymia1 04:28 AM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by mac60:
I never said it was a struggle, and I would never allow my young group of kids serve themselves family style. I can't see that working for many reasons.
For younger children, I assist.
My kids have grown up with it and it works well. I am of the "garbage in, garbage out" school of thought so it's worth it to spend a bit more on good food.
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jessrlee 04:28 AM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by mac60:
I never said it was a struggle, and I would never allow my young group of kids serve themselves family style. I can't see that working for many reasons.
Mac- I'm sure you answered this, but do you do the food program?



Have you tried saltines? I know they aren't the healthiest but saltine crackers will take the edge off till the next meal.
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heyhun77 04:41 AM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by mac60:
I never said it was a struggle, and I would never allow my young group of kids serve themselves family style. I can't see that working for many reasons.
I have done mostly family style for as long as I've been open (7 years) and all children who sit at the table participate in family style serving. They don't do it on their own when they're 12-18 months but I do it hand-over-hand so they learn. I help them pour their milk and water, too. Of course, I have them sitting up at the table as soon as they can sit up well. I don't have traditional highchairs, they are restraunt style ones that are cut short to sit right up to our child-sized table.

As for the OP, I no longer serve morning snack, I moved my breakfast to 8:30 am to make sure that all children had arrived and get my breakfast and added a protein to every breakfast (even though not required by food program here yet). I, too, cook nearly everything from scratch but limit the amount of carbs served each day. During summer months the fruits and veggies are on the table first so they start eating those (and they're usually very hungry after a full 2-3 hours of hard playing outside) while I bring out the rest of our meal.

One thing that I do as well is let the children plan the menus for the week. I have them tell me what they would like on Thursdays for the following week because I only shop once a week. Of course I get the list of items that I don't find acceptable (because they get it at home all the time) but I have saught out healthy versions of those things as a compromise.

Keep plugging away making changes to get things healthy. The kids will eat what is put in front of them once they realize that there isn't an alternative. I would take out the morning snack to help because they won't still be filled up from snack when they are eating lunch.
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JenNJ 06:22 AM 07-08-2011
Eating healthy doesn't have to be expensive. Just remember that the healthiest foods are non or minimally processed. Also remember that hydration is key. Properly hydrated kids will not be asking for food constantly. Kids (and adults) often mistake thirst for hunger. My kids are able to access their water at any time. I believe all animals need access to water at all times.

I do morning snack at 9:30. It is a light snack. It is usually a homemade bread like this one which has no added sugars. I serve all snacks with water. It is filling and healthy. Also very inexpensive to make.

Lunch is at noon. I typically serve a lean protein (tuna, chicken, or turkey) with steamed or raw veggies, and a grain (brown rice, quinoa, beans, whole grain pasta, etc). I buy all meats, veg, and grains in bulk to save on costs. Whole wheat pasta is the same price as regular pasta at the grocery store. Sometimes I will do sandwiches if it is too hot to cook. Again, whole wheat bread can be found in grocery stores for the same cost as white bread.

Afternoon snack at 3:30. This is the dessert snack. It is yogurt (plain) mixed with fruit chunks (in the summer I freeze this into Popsicle molds for freeze pops), graham crackers with cream cheese, trail mix, homemade rice/tapioca with fruit, honey grilled fruit, homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, homemade granola bars, or simply a large piece of watermelon.

I choose to make most of these foods bc then I can control the ingredients. If I control ingredients, I control costs. Also, having a small veggie and fruit garden really helps cut down on produce costs. I grow 4 different varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, pumpkin, onions, peppers, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and an few different melons. It easily cuts my produce costs by a third in the summer and I freeze or can any overage so we have fresh frozen all year long.
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AnythingsPossible 06:24 AM 07-08-2011
Our food program requires a 3 hour span between meals and snacks, those of you that are feeding your kids every 2 hours, has your food program coordinator never commented on your serving times?
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jessrlee 06:26 AM 07-08-2011
I guess I do modified family style. I sit everyone down and pass out the plates, silver, and cups and then go around with the food. You are allowed to "pass" if you don't want something, but you don't get seconds unless you have some of everything. 99% of the time everything I sit on the table is finished.

the things that save me the most money:
Bulk shopping - I buy bushels of apples, pears, tomatoes, potatoes, etc. You are allowed to serve them under the food program if they are preserved frozen, so I make chunky sauce and go to town, or make a bunch of soups and casseroles for winter. It really helps warm the house on brisk fall days before you want to run the heater!

Stock up. Everything I buy I have at least 5-10 in the pantry so I never have to pay full price. this way I can go shopping just for the loss leaders.

Make double batches. today I will roast 3 whole chickens. 1 will be lunch with mashed potatoes, spinach, and biscuits. the other two will be shredded and frozen for chicken and dumplings, chicken and rice, chicken and noodles, and chicken chilli. the three carcasses will be boiled into gallons of chicken broth that I keep in old milk jugs in the freezer. So for less than 7$ a meal I will feed my daycare of 12, my assistant, and my family.
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nannyde 07:01 AM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by kidkair:
I feed them every 2 hours and follow the federal food guidelines so I know they are getting what they need. I do breakfast at 8, snack at 10, lunch at noon, and snack at 3:30 after nap.
I couldn't do every two hour feedings. My kids wouldn't eat lunch if I did that. I do breakfast at eight thirtyish... lunch at eleven... snack at three fifteen
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Blackcat31 07:13 AM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I couldn't do every two hour feedings. My kids wouldn't eat lunch if I did that. I do breakfast at eight thirtyish... lunch at eleven... snack at three fifteen
Same here. I used to do a.m. snack but eliminated it due to the kids not wanting to eat lunch. Our mornings are not as physical as our afternoons so after eating breakfast, the kids didn't start saying they were hungry again until near lunch time so I simply eliminated the morning snack and now all my kiddos eat wonderfully. I have roughly the same eating schedule as Nan.
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mrsp'slilpeeps 08:07 AM 07-08-2011
I have 4 boys 5 if i include my own and 1 girl and my 10:30 they are hungry cause they are constantly on the move. They would rather do activities that include running, jumping ect, than sit down and do crafts.
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DBug 08:52 AM 07-08-2011
I'm in Canada too, so no free money for food here . I struggled with food wastage here too for the first little while, til I finally started serving miniscule amounts. Everybody gets the exact same thing on their plate (for example: 1/2 grilled cheese sandwich, 2 apple slices, 1/2 a baby carrot), and it's a TINY amount. The rule is "Eat your firsts before you get seconds". If they only like one thing on their plate, they have to eat everything before I'll give them more of something else. If they eat everything, I'm more than happy to give them more. And we don't have food at all in between scheduled snacks and meals. There's not enough time for it anyway.

I also have a menu posted, so parents can see exactly what I'm offering their child. If a child complains that they're hungry to a parent, I can say "Still hungry, eh? We had yummy yogurt, muffins, and mangoes for snack, but you said you didn't want any. Oh well, I guess you'll have a good appetite for dinner (or whatever meal comes next).

They do learn eventually to eat when they have a chance, but for SAs it seems to take FOREVER for them to get it.

Food wars are something that bother me too, so I had to learn to make things as simple as possible so that I'm not spending a ton of time preparing it, and also I had to learn that it's a battle not worth having. They won't starve, and parents will fill them with (junk?) food in the evenings anyway .
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laundrymom 08:54 AM 07-08-2011
I only offer Bfast lunch and afternoon snack. If they say they are hungry, I give them water and tell them we will eat soon.
Originally Posted by PitterPatter:

I do get the food program but they only cover 2 meals and 1 snack or 2 snacks and 1 meal. So 2 I always pay for out of pocket and I only get $15 - $20 per day per kid. with.

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Country Kids 09:09 AM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by PitterPatter:
I serve every meal of the day plus 2 snacks.

Breakfast 8:00am

AM snack 10:00am

Lunch 12:00pm

PM snack 3:00pm

Dinner 5:00pm

I do get the food program but they only cover 2 meals and 1 snack or 2 snacks and 1 meal. So 2 I always pay for out of pocket and I only get $15 - $20 per day per kid. It is hard I know it.

As for snacks I try to keep the sugar out as well but I do make the muffins, banana bread, zuchini bread and such once or twice a week. We do fruit kebabs, apples and PB, ants on a log, veggies and ranch dip, fruit slices and yogurt, Hard boiled eggs, and some wraps. Maybe try to make snack time more fun for those who dont have an interest. Like use a cookie cutter to cut pineapple slices and let the kids cut shapes out of a PB& J sammy. Even the wraps u can leave flat and help the kids cut shapes out of the tortilla with cheese and turkey or whatever filling u may use. Try setting fruit and veggies out as a buffet style with dif yogurt choices, PB, Jelly, honey, anything that they can dip they have fun with.
Wow, Pitter Patter you must make a ton of money off the food program if they are paying 15-20 dollars per day per kid. Am I reading that right? If that is correct I would be making like $100 dollars a day on the food program. I get about 100 dollars a month per kid if I'm lucky and everything works out right.
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jessrlee 09:18 AM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
Wow, Pitter Patter you must make a ton of money off the food program if they are paying 15-20 dollars per day per kid. Am I reading that right? If that is correct I would be making like $100 dollars a day on the food program. I get about 100 dollars a month per kid if I'm lucky and everything works out right.
I wonder if she means 1.50 or 2.00. For tier 1 you get .66 a snack, 1.27 for breakie, and 2.17 for lunch and dinner. I know tier 2 is a lot lower but I don't know the numbers.
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SilverSabre25 09:26 AM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by jessrlee:
I wonder if she means 1.50 or 2.00. For tier 1 you get .66 a snack, 1.27 for breakie, and 2.17 for lunch and dinner. I know tier 2 is a lot lower but I don't know the numbers.
I think she might be talking about how much she gets paid per kid, as in, her daily rate, not what the food program pays.
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CheekyChick 09:34 AM 07-08-2011
We serve breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack.

Typical breakfast:
Cereal, fruit, milk.
French toast, fruit, milk.
Bagel or toast with spread (peanut butter or cream cheese), fruit, milk.

Typical lunch:
Sandwich, fruit, veggie, milk.
Grilled chicken, grain, fruit, veggie, milk.
Casserole, fruit, veggie, milk.
English muffin pizza, fruit, veggie, milk.

Typical snack:
String cheese, crackers, juice.
Peanut butter, crackers, juice.
Yogurt, graham crackers, juice.

My motto is: Keep it simple. Kids love simple.
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nannyde 09:50 AM 07-08-2011
I want to be on Pitters Food Program.

I could just do neighborhood meals and not work.
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mrsp'slilpeeps 12:39 PM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by CheekyChick:
We serve breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack.

Typical breakfast:
Cereal, fruit, milk.
French toast, fruit, milk.
Bagel or toast with spread (peanut butter or cream cheese), fruit, milk.

Typical lunch:
Sandwich, fruit, veggie, milk.
Grilled chicken, grain, fruit, veggie, milk.
Casserole, fruit, veggie, milk.
English muffin pizza, fruit, veggie, milk.

Typical snack:
String cheese, crackers, juice.
Peanut butter, crackers, juice.
Yogurt, graham crackers, juice.

My motto is: Keep it simple. Kids love simple.
Thanks for the ideas. they sound yummy
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Unregistered 12:46 PM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
I have tryed the having access to fresh veggies and fruit all the time but "they dont like those".
They aren't hungry if they have time/energy to be choosy. Feed them what is reimbursed on the FP and nothing more. Don't offer crappy snacks like chips etc, that is a waste of your money and terrible for little kids to eat anyway. I would be mad if my provider offered that to my child while in care.
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CheekyChick 01:57 PM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by mrsp'slilpeeps:
Thanks for the ideas. they sound yummy
You're welcome.
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kidkair 02:41 PM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by nannyde:
I couldn't do every two hour feedings. My kids wouldn't eat lunch if I did that. I do breakfast at eight thirtyish... lunch at eleven... snack at three fifteen
My kids eat very well like this. I think it's largely due to the fact we are outside every second that we can be and all the windows are wide open whenever possible so they get tons of fresh air and movement. They are up and down and all over inside and outside. I also am pretty strict with the food amounts at snack and there is absolutely no seconds on snacks so they get just enough to tide them over the next couple hours but in no way are they filled up. The only time I have issues with them eating is when they don't like the healthy food I give them. My 10 year old school ager is the worst about eating healthy and refuses to try new things and has even tried to get the other kids to not eat so I wouldn't serve it again. I just tell him eat or don't. With all the movement, outside time, and good food I give him he's actually come down to a healthier weight in the last month so there is no way I'm going to load him with junk. I compost whatever is not eaten because Duluth has a community compost that allows you to compost meat as well.
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momofboys 05:31 PM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
They aren't hungry if they have time/energy to be choosy. Feed them what is reimbursed on the FP and nothing more. Don't offer crappy snacks like chips etc, that is a waste of your money and terrible for little kids to eat anyway. I would be mad if my provider offered that to my child while in care.
She already said there was no food program where she is located!
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PitterPatter 05:37 PM 07-08-2011
Originally Posted by Country Kids:
Wow, Pitter Patter you must make a ton of money off the food program if they are paying 15-20 dollars per day per kid. Am I reading that right? If that is correct I would be making like $100 dollars a day on the food program. I get about 100 dollars a month per kid if I'm lucky and everything works out right.
LOL I wish!! No I meant I make $15 - $20 per day for child care service through the state. So by the time I spend all the extra in food it is hard to manage sometimes. I only get $5 per day MAX from food prog per kid. That's if I claim lunch, dinner and snack. Most of the kids aren't here for dinenr so I only get $4 per day or less for those children.
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kidkair 07:18 AM 07-09-2011
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
They aren't hungry if they have time/energy to be choosy. Feed them what is reimbursed on the FP and nothing more. Don't offer crappy snacks like chips etc, that is a waste of your money and terrible for little kids to eat anyway. I would be mad if my provider offered that to my child while in care.
Originally Posted by momofboys:
She already said there was no food program where she is located!
Just because she's not on the food program doesn't mean she can't follow it's guidelines. The food program is a good resource concerning portion control and how much of each group of food should be given.

I know a lot of people on here say that they provide a protein for every snack but I don't. I tend to make sure I give a grain and fruit or veggie for snacks because that fills me up more than protein and fruit or veggie does. I know I could do protein and grain but I want to get as many veggies into the kids as possible since fast food places tend to be heavy on protein and I know some of my kids get that crap too often. My kids never complain about hunger because they are satisfied and can go play knowing I'll be giving them more at lunch.

Someone mentioned that carrots are not filling and they are right. However you don't need to be full ever. Eating until we are full is wrong. We should eat until we are satisfied. When we eat until we are full we push more food into our bodies then our bodies need. I teach the kids portion control by serving strictly to the guidelines. I also teach them the each part of the meal is important. Lastly I teach that water makes a good filler to finish off the meal if the milk wasn't enough.
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rjskids 01:40 PM 07-09-2011
Man! I've been learning a lot from this thread! When I started I wasn't planning on serving breakfast, just snacks and lunch. But I found myself making breakfast for the kids cause I'm hungry in the morning and want to eat! lol. So I never thought of cutting out the morning snack and now I think I may know why my kids don't eat lunch well...
But my question is this...For those of you who wait till 8:30 to serve breakfast, how early do your kids come? I have some kids come at 6:30 in the morning so I don't think I can wait that long to serve breakfast. I was always under the impression that we have to serve kids something to eat every 2 hours. Is that not right?
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nannyde 06:20 PM 07-09-2011
Originally Posted by rjskids:
Man! I've been learning a lot from this thread! When I started I wasn't planning on serving breakfast, just snacks and lunch. But I found myself making breakfast for the kids cause I'm hungry in the morning and want to eat! lol. So I never thought of cutting out the morning snack and now I think I may know why my kids don't eat lunch well...
But my question is this...For those of you who wait till 8:30 to serve breakfast, how early do your kids come? I have some kids come at 6:30 in the morning so I don't think I can wait that long to serve breakfast. I was always under the impression that we have to serve kids something to eat every 2 hours. Is that not right?
All you have to do is tell the parents that you serve breakfast at eight thirty. If their child needs to eat a meal before then then they of course will take care of it.

If you find that the kids are unable to wait until eight thirty to eat then just communicate that with the parents. Let them know that the child is saying they are hungry and acting hungry before breakfast. Tell them that every single time. Text them and let them know as it is happening and bring it up when they arrive for pick up.

As long as you let them know that whatever they are feeding in the morning is not keeping the child satisfied until you serve your first meal... then you should be fine.

I like doing a later breakfast. It allows the parents to have a meal with thier child in the morning before they come. Kids who have TIME and food with their parents before coming to day care ........ to me..... seem more settled and happy. It eliminates the "pull out of bed and throw them in the car seat" problem.

Some parents will solve it by giving them a cosmic brownie on the way to car. Just make sure that they understand that you don't do ANY breakfast until eight thirty...... that means that you don't prepare, serve, supervise, clean up.... NO breakfast until eight thirty. They can't bring in food that will require you to supervise or clean up. If they feed them on the way they need to completely clean them up before bringing them to the door and leave any leftovers in the car.
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Unregistered 12:46 PM 07-11-2011
Protein, protien is the key. Give them foods like yogurt, cheese, ham n cheese roll ups are good. Try and minimize the starches, in my experience they dont satisfy hungary. Also I have found that when my dc had a morning snack they werent eatting there lunch, so eventually I cut the morning snack and just made sure they got enough lunch. Im on the food program to and you can only claim one snack anyways if you do brk, lunch and one snack. Heres a funny fact/tip. apples are known to help with hungar, my kids love them and they dont complain about there tummies, and there pretty inexpensive too.
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Unregistered 01:01 PM 07-11-2011
Heres another thought: you could have the parents pack a snack to help take the burden off of you some. Ofcourse then who knows what kind of foods would they bring in.
Also I have a provider friend that gives each one of her parents things to buy, for example: she makes a list and divides it up among the group. Just an idea! Have you tried serving fruit smoothies? My group loves them!
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mrsp'slilpeeps 01:17 PM 07-11-2011
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
They aren't hungry if they have time/energy to be choosy. Feed them what is reimbursed on the FP and nothing more. Don't offer crappy snacks like chips etc, that is a waste of your money and terrible for little kids to eat anyway. I would be mad if my provider offered that to my child while in care.
I dont feed my dck's chips. I dont have a food program either. Read again if you must.
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erinalexmom 07:15 PM 07-11-2011
Do you have farmers markets there? because I have heard that if you go at the end of the day (like the last hour) that many times they will make a deal to not have to pack it all up.
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Unregistered 02:22 PM 07-13-2011
Protein and fiber. Cheese/egg/meat with a muffin that you sneak bran or flax into. Blueberry muffins are easy to add fiber to. Sneak fiber into your cookie recipes. Yogurt with triscuits. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches on as whole wheat bread as they will eat. Or, put the food out there, tell them this is snack/lunch.. and that's that. If they complain of being hungry tell them they had their chance. Use the Catteli "Smart" pastas.. they're white but have more fiber. Home made mac and cheese doesn't have to be expensive and is healthier than the Kraft version. Hide veggies in pasta sauce. (Puree them)

Use whatever fruits and veg are on sale that week. Kiwi's aren't usually expensive. Grab grapes, apples, carrots.. whatever is on sale. Tuna on celery is good and filling. Give them a yogurt dip for their veggies and fruit.
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