Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Does this bother anyone as much as it bothers me?
Buttercup 10:05 AM 08-29-2014
Ugh I'm sure I'll get some agreement on this! Why oh why do parents let their kids bring sugary JUNK to eat for breakfast? We have kids coming in all the time with donuts, sugary juice, pop tarts, and even candy! Once a three year old came walking in with a giant rainbow sucker! thankfully it was still unopened so it just went into his cubby after mom left and he forgot about it. There was also a brother and sister who no longer come...but when they did they came in every day with a donut and juice from the gas station!!! EVERY. DARN. DAY this mom felt the need to stop and buy them this crap! THEY WERE 4 AND 2! My center doesn't have a policy about bringing food from home, it just can't contain peanuts/be made in a facility where it could have come in contact with peanuts. I wish I had the authority to NOT ALLOW outside food!!!!

Do they not realize that we PROVIDE a nutritious breakfast? You're already paying a ton for childcare at this center, people, let US feed your kids!!!! If you don't have time to give them breakfast in the morning that's fine, but then tell them to eat OUR food!! We don't serve poison food, I promise! I bet you a thousand paychecks that it makes the kid think they're more special than everyone else because they get Lucky Charms and "bug juice" whereas all their friends are eating fruit and plain ole Cheerios. And furthermore...THEY DON'T NEED CANDY AT 7 IN THE MORNING!!!! Is it really so hard to say "No, you can't bring a huge @$$ lollipop to daycare!"Or maybe, "No, we're not going to the gas station every freakin' day, snookie pie!" *bangs head against a wall* And don't even get me started on the 4 year old who brings in a sippy cup every day...Sorry, I'm a rambler! Vent over! Short version: BE A PARENT! But yeah, I don't know why this bothers me so much, does anyone else dislike it as much as I do?
Reply
cheerfuldom 10:40 AM 08-29-2014
It does bother me but I cant care about it that much or I would go insane. Parents are just taking the easy road and bribing the kid out the door with what works for preschoolers....junk food!
Reply
MarinaVanessa 10:45 AM 08-29-2014
Ok this is going to sound WAY harsher than intended so no matter what, just know that it is NOT intended in that way at all

If it really bothers you or if it is a problem then why are YOU allowing parents to bring their children with sugary sweets?

If you want it to stop (I do stop it) then you must let them know that this isn't allowed and then you have to enforce it. As soon as a child walks in my house with a bag of chips, an oreo cookie or a donut I put my hand out and the child immediately puts it in my hand and then I hand it to the DCP "No junk food" is all I have to say. If the child doesn't want to give it to me it's "eat it outside" and then a look to the parent.

For those times that the parents try to throw it on you with a "I'm so sorry but Mrs Provider doesn't want to let you eat that here" I respond to the child with "I'm sorry that your mommy forgot the rules today. It's not your fault honey but you can't eat that here. Maybe you can remind your mommy next time so she doesn't forget".

I can't control what they feed their kids at home or in the car in the morning but I can control what they bring in my house.
Reply
drseuss 11:01 AM 08-29-2014
I agree, it is so frustrating. I am revising my handbook and policy right now to include some of these things. I understand a treat once in a while. But it's an every single day, powdered donuts and bug juice from the gas station thing. How do parents not understand how terrible that is for these little ones?

What I am dealing with right now is two different parents who are throwing the judgmental card down on me when I say no junkfood. Giving me the 'that's what works for our family and who are you to judge me' stuff.

Fine with me, just don't make me an accessory to early-onset diabetes and we'll be fine.
Reply
melilley 11:12 AM 08-29-2014
Originally Posted by MV:
Ok this is going to sound WAY harsher than intended so no matter what, just know that it is NOT intended in that way at all

If it really bothers you or if it is a problem then why are YOU allowing parents to bring their children with sugary sweets?

If you want it to stop (I do stop it) then you must let them know that this isn't allowed and then you have to enforce it. As soon as a child walks in my house with a bag of chips, an oreo cookie or a donut I put my hand out and the child immediately puts it in my hand and then I hand it to the DCP "No junk food" is all I have to say. If the child doesn't want to give it to me it's "eat it outside" and then a look to the parent.

For those times that the parents try to throw it on you with a "I'm so sorry but Mrs Provider doesn't want to let you eat that here" I respond to the child with "I'm sorry that your mommy forgot the rules today. It's not your fault honey but you can't eat that here. Maybe you can remind your mommy next time so she doesn't forget".

I can't control what they feed their kids at home or in the car in the morning but I can control what they bring in my house.
I think op works in a center.

When I worked in a center, we had no say on things like this and children could bring peanut free food too. Unfortunately, we just had to do what they said.
Reply
Buttercup 11:12 AM 08-29-2014
Originally Posted by MV:
Ok this is going to sound WAY harsher than intended so no matter what, just know that it is NOT intended in that way at all

If it really bothers you or if it is a problem then why are YOU allowing parents to bring their children with sugary sweets?

If you want it to stop (I do stop it) then you must let them know that this isn't allowed and then you have to enforce it. As soon as a child walks in my house with a bag of chips, an oreo cookie or a donut I put my hand out and the child immediately puts it in my hand and then I hand it to the DCP "No junk food" is all I have to say. If the child doesn't want to give it to me it's "eat it outside" and then a look to the parent.

For those times that the parents try to throw it on you with a "I'm so sorry but Mrs Provider doesn't want to let you eat that here" I respond to the child with "I'm sorry that your mommy forgot the rules today. It's not your fault honey but you can't eat that here. Maybe you can remind your mommy next time so she doesn't forget".

I can't control what they feed their kids at home or in the car in the morning but I can control what they bring in my house.
Oh I would do this in a heartbeat, problem is it's not my house. I work in a center, and I'm only an assistant teacher. The boss allows it, lead teachers allow it, I have no say.
Reply
DaveA 11:13 AM 08-29-2014
I really don't care if a parent feeds something to their kids that I wouldn't. I worry about what meals/snacks I prepare. If they bring it in the kids know to head to the table and finish before their day here starts. I have enough stressors in my life without adding DCP's nutritional stupidity to the mix.
Reply
Buttercup 11:15 AM 08-29-2014
We posted at the exact same time, melilley. Great minds think alike!
Reply
EntropyControlSpecialist 11:41 AM 08-29-2014
Originally Posted by cheerfuldom:
It does bother me but I cant care about it that much or I would go insane. Parents are just taking the easy road and bribing the kid out the door with what works for preschoolers....junk food!
This is me.

What I DO say, when they talk about what they ate, is, "Oh dear. That isn't healthy for you!" I know they go home and repeat it to their parents and I am 100% okay with that.
Reply
MarinaVanessa 11:50 AM 08-29-2014
Oh wow, that stinks.

Well if the boss allows this then the boss allows it. It's not healthy by any means but don't go crazy over something you have absolutely no control over
Reply
Buttercup 12:00 PM 08-29-2014
Originally Posted by MV:
Oh wow, that stinks.

Well if the boss allows this then the boss allows it. It's not healthy by any means but don't go crazy over something you have absolutely no control over
I really need to remember this!!!
Reply
Blackcat31 12:01 PM 08-29-2014
Why do parents do it?

They don't want their kids to cry.

They don't have to deal with the fall out (hyped up kids)

Someone else does.

That's why they do it.
Reply
EntropyControlSpecialist 12:27 PM 08-29-2014
Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
Why do parents do it?

They don't want their kids to cry.

They don't have to deal with the fall out (hyped up kids)

Someone else does.

That's why they do it.


That's why when they bring junk food for snacks every so often I wait until the final hour to give it to the children. They eat a HEALTHY snack during our snacktime and the junk food "gift" is given at the end of the day. I would never provide children with food void of any nutritional value and filled with sugar so if they are going to say it is a treat it will either be eaten at the end of the day or sent home with all kids. Treats are fun. I am just not willing to deal with the fallout of that treat when I have a large group of children. I am VERY purposeful with what I feed them and it never, ever includes sugar laden things.
Reply
MotherNature 01:15 PM 08-29-2014
Strange that they allow that stuff. Guaranteed most of that prepackaged donutty crap has come into contact w/ nuts. As someone w/ food allergies, if there's a chance of cross contamination, I can't eat it.
Reply
KiddieCahoots 04:10 PM 08-29-2014
I don't like how the other children will stare and want the same, because it IS usually donuts that they bring.
Next thing you know.....you have all the kids bringing in muchkins for their morning gathering like the old folk do down the street at DD's. ...........
Reply
knoxmomof2 08:17 AM 08-30-2014
Yeah, I had dcb (not even 3 yet!) come in at 5:30 AM one morning with dcd..(special circumstances). He'd already had a YOOHOO!!!??? WHO gives a 2 year old a Yoohoo? And at 5 in the morning?... I had a 3 year old whose dcd did the "gas station" stop for every AM. Most of the time, it was unopened, so I'd take it and tell him he could have it after lunch. He usually forgot and he'd eat it on the way home *wink*.. Of course, they always wondered why they had so many behavioral problems with him.... Hmmmmm....I had him managed within a week.
Reply
nannyde 08:28 AM 08-30-2014
https://www.daycare.com/nannyde/candy-for-breakfast.htm
Reply
Tags:food from home, vent
Reply Up