I'm curious what types of snacks moms bring for their Childs Mothers Day Out class? We are fairly strict with what we serve, and I guess my main concern are snacks that have too much sugar, or that contain HFCS. my DD's MDO has the moms signing up to bring snacks, therefore, my DD will be eating food from another Childs home...I'm sure this happens in all MDO's and the moms are mostly bringing healthy foods, but I am still concerned. I mean, they're not going to be bringing in a box of doughnuts!....right?? ;)
Thank you everyone for your thoughts & input. She will be going 3x's per week, so a few cookies, or doughnuts, or crackers or yogurt that contain high fructose corn syrup that many times per week IS a big deal and I AM concerned about it. It grosses me out that she would even be eating fruit that hasn't been washed, or food prepared by someone who hasn't washed their hands first. That's just how I am. :) She will probably be just fine, but I am just not a risk taker. Hopefully the other moms feel the same way & bring healthy snacks ;)
When I worked in childcare, we provided the snacks. They were mostly high carb fare- crackers, pretzels, goldfish and the like.
Unless it is stated specifically in guidelines, I would expect something along those lines.
Any food served to the kids has to be disclosed to the parents per licensing rules. If you are unhappy with the snacks, you can certainly send her one everyday.
And yes, some parents WOULD bring a box of doughnuts!
Hooray for donuts. Mom used to serve them to us with a glass of milk as an after school snack when we were in elementary school. Years later, a friend who had come over once or twice said that they will never forget having had a donut at our house as an after school snack. It totally changed the way they thought about food. They had compartmentalized donuts as being for breakfast only, and found having them after school as very innovative and liberating.
My sugary childhood notwithstanding, I am sure that people will abide by the rules that the group has established.
You could just sign yourself up to bring every single snack. :) But I'd probably just not worry about it.
Ours usually have oreo's or some other kind of cookie. It's only a cookie or two a week. It's not a big deal.
Unless they've been given a guideline of what to bring, and it's been limited to healthy or fresh food items - then yes, someone may bring doughnuts! or cookies!
I would suggest you bring something healthy and the supervise your child's choices on that day.
However, I don't see anything wrong with allowing your child to have a doughnut or a cookie as a special treat once in a while. Just don't let it be a daily meal choice. My daughter's favorite treat is the doughnut she gets every Sunday at church.
My kids are in a school where we're not allowed to bring stuff without permission (too many allergies) and they serve breakfast, lunch, and snack (I love that!) but a couple years ago when my kids were in a different preschool and we had to sign up, I didn't see too many parents other than myself bringing fresh fruit. It was a lot of work, and more expensive than a box of crackers. But, when I'd bring fruit and cheese trays, the kids would GOBBLE it up way faster than the high carb snacks!
One thing to be aware of--moms try to sign up on their kids' birthdays to bring snack. Then we got cupcakes, or in my daughter's case, donuts. She is not into cake. If there are 17 in her class, you might get cupcakes 17 times. You can send her another snack, but it might be hard to resist temptation when the other kids are eating a treat.
We also had to bring a drink. They suggested milk or 100% juice. However, at least two kids couldn't drink regular milk, so a lot of parents were bringing juice. A lot of sugar. I brought bottled water once, but I wondered why they didn't just have them drink from the drinking fountain, or fill cups at it.
I remember one day when I came in with a translucent container filled with watermelon, and the kids saw me outside and yelled, "watermelon! we get watermelon!" They never did that when I brought in the birthday snacks. ;) I would say just set the best example you can. Maybe the other kids will start asking their parents to bring fruit if yours is so good. :)
Ah, it begins. You are experiencing the first lack of control over your child's food, and it is scary. Check with the directors and make sure there are guidelines for what people are bringing. Other than that, you don't have much control over this. Your child will be exposed to more and more foods you don't control; birthday parties and preschool and mothers day out and play dates and school.
As long as you're feeding healthy food at home and your little ones don't have allergies or particular food sensitivities, I would personally let it happen. If there are problems, then you can deal with the problems when they come up. A dougnut once a month is not going to hurt a normal child.
This is just another step in your child growing and going out into the world.
Relax, and enjoy the trip.
string cheese, go-gurts, celery with peanut butter or cheese...carrots and ranch dressing....
not sure if you consider these healthy...I'm not that strict on a diet for my kids...guess I'm a horrible mom...i go on the adage that if i forbid it - they will only want it more....so...i let my kids choose and most of the time? they choose veggies over cookies..
I am the same as you. My kids dont get empty calorie snacks or snacks with a lot of sugar. They get string cheese, yogurts, crackers with peanut butter, apples, plums, strawberries or blueberries. I know, I know, I am a stickler when it comes to stuff like that, but when I was growing up, my mom loved us, but she let us eat whatever we wanted, and I paid for it later in life with several trips to the dentist office. ICK!
Just last week I was standing in the check out line at Walmart getting ready to pay for my groceries and a mom gave her 2 year old a Snickers for a snap, then pop to drink on top of that??!!?? Oh..... it was very hard to keep my mouth shut!
the rule at my kids school is for every "treat" there have to be 2 healthy items. see if the school has a rule like that. if not get it started/
The snacks are horrible, not sure why so many parents sabatoge their kids. My son was almost 4y when he went & it drove me crazy that treats were given as growing food. See if they'll allow you to send your own. When my son was younger we did a bunch of mommy & me classes & I always discretly brought snack for him. Sometimes other kids would see that he had fruit, tofu, cheese... & want some rather than oreos @ 9a.m.!
The range of "snack interpretation" will be as wide and deep as the range of moms!
We get evreything from no sugar added apple sauce to cereal loaded with sugar at our MDO from the other Moms.There are unfortunately no guidelines for snacks, but I wish their were. I try to bring snacks that are organic or at least fairly healthy. Our MDO teachers are very careful to make sure they do not give my son anything he is allergic too, which I very much appreciate.
Our MDO has each child bring their own snack and drink. I don't know...I would be afraid of what another Mom's definition of snack is.
I send whole grain goldfish, nutrigrain bars or organic cereal bars, organic peanut butter crackers (as long as there is no peanut allergy in the class), trailmix, or organic graham crackers. I usually send carbs to help with a quick boost and keep them focused. I send fruit or veggies with their lunch. Hope this helps and good luck!
