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Unregistered 06:56 AM 11-08-2013
Does your child's daycare provide lunch, or do you have to bring a lunch for your child? What do you like/dislike about them being provided lunch? OR What do you like/dislike about providing your child with their own lunch from home?
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Unregistered 10:03 AM 11-08-2013
I provide my child's lunch and I prefer it- I like having the control. I usually send in leftovers from dinner the night before. Teachers are a little shocked at some of the things I've sent in- they're surprised she eats it, but I don't make separate meals for her and never have. We eat as a family at night and even as a baby I would just puree our dinner for her. Today she has chicken stuffed with broccoli, peas, apple sauce, roasted red pepper hummus and crackers. Sometimes I slack and just send in a peanut butter sandwich, but I try to make sure she has a protein, vegetable, and fruit. We do a lot of beans, fish, tuna salads, chicken, and pastas.
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se7en 06:55 PM 11-11-2013
I work in a center. Lunch and snacks are provided. It is, for all intents and purposes, junk. Corn dogs, Mac and cheese, canned veggies. Sometimes fresh fruit. Milk. Lots of milk. Cookies. The milk and the fresh fruit are good. If my own child were going there I would send them with lunch.
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melilley 07:25 PM 11-11-2013
Originally Posted by se7en:
I work in a center. Lunch and snacks are provided. It is, for all intents and purposes, junk. Corn dogs, Mac and cheese, canned veggies. Sometimes fresh fruit. Milk. Lots of milk. Cookies. The milk and the fresh fruit are good. If my own child were going there I would send them with lunch.
This is true! I used to work in a center (14 years) and most of the foods served were processed and canned. Sometimes fresh fruits and veggies were served. It's hard for centers (large ones anyways) to make homemade food for the amount of kids they serve. Plus, most centers are in it for the money and they would have to pay someone more to make the homemade meals than to just open a can and pop the food into the microwave.
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MrsSteinel'sHouse 11:40 AM 11-12-2013
I am a home provider and i provide food (breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack that contains all of the components of dinner but more "snack food" in that it is yogurt, cheese, pb or some other simple protein. crackers, tortilla, cereal etc for grain and veg and fruit that they can eat with their fingers- so more of a "cold lunch plate" not a cooked dinner. But, they eat what they want. Some of my kids are here until 6:30 or they have an activity when they leave here so it gives the parents a little extra time and they know that at 4 they had something healthy.) I do not like it when children walk in with food in their hands. It is usually something I would not feed them and causes a commotion. I serve them healthy nutritious food. Veg and fruit with every meal. I know that I feed most of my kids better than what they get at home. My problem is their parents feed them way more junk than I do and then they get picky and want junk! They develop a taste for salt and chemicals;(
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Heidi 11:46 AM 11-12-2013
Originally Posted by MrsSteinel'sHouse:
I am a home provider and i provide food (breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack that contains all of the components of dinner but more "snack food" in that it is yogurt, cheese, pb or some other simple protein. crackers, tortilla, cereal etc for grain and veg and fruit that they can eat with their fingers- so more of a "cold lunch plate" not a cooked dinner. ;(

I do the same here. I rarely ever feed them processed foods, and almost every day they get a hot lunch fall-spring. In the summer, we eat more cold lunches, but I like them to get a belly full of hardy food in the winter. Most times, I make extra of our family dinner and then reheat that, adding a component or two like another vegie or fruit. I am also a home provider.

I would not allow my families to bring food from home. While some families would be like PP and bring healthy foods, others would bring poptarts for breakfast. My own school-agers eat the occasional poptart (not in front of dck's), but I am not feeding those to a 3 year old.
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Bookworm 07:45 PM 11-12-2013
Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I provide my child's lunch and I prefer it- I like having the control. I usually send in leftovers from dinner the night before. Teachers are a little shocked at some of the things I've sent in- they're surprised she eats it, but I don't make separate meals for her and never have. We eat as a family at night and even as a baby I would just puree our dinner for her. Today she has chicken stuffed with broccoli, peas, apple sauce, roasted red pepper hummus and crackers. Sometimes I slack and just send in a peanut butter sandwich, but I try to make sure she has a protein, vegetable, and fruit. We do a lot of beans, fish, tuna salads, chicken, and pastas.
I don't see anything wrong with you send to daycare. We have many parents provide lunch because of allergies or they (parent) don't like what's on the menu for the week. As long as they understand that DCK will not get both (school/home lunch) there's no problem. I love your DCP's diversity in food.
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kindertouch 12:49 AM 11-17-2013
I think it is the responsibility of the parent to provide lunch for the kids. I always provide my daughter's lunch just to be safe.
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