child minder

[hannah40]

hi .my 16month old son goes to a childminder 8am until 2pm i pay �2 for his lunch.when i went to collect him early one day he was still eating his lunch and i was shocked to see him being fed a tin of shops own cheap value sausages and beans and shops own value moouse.if i wasnt paying �2 i wouldnt mind so much ,how do i approach the minder about the food situation any advice?

[warpig3]

You could supply the food for her. However there is no guarantee that she would give it to him.

[hannah40]

well the childminder told me she couldnt reheat my own food and supplys freshly cooked meals.i dont call tinned food freshly cooked.

[bednobs]

surely you just need to talk to her? I would guess she can't read your mind!

[4getmenot]

you dont need to reheat sandwiches or salads, can you not make your child a pack up

[zzxxee]

get a new child minder x

[bednobs]

because she feeds him beans and sausages??

[zzxxee]

if your not happy with the food shes supplying your child and she refuses to meet you half way
makes you think what other reasons is she unreasonable about diet it very important in one so young so yes if need be a new child minder

[Lil O'lady]

Sometimes it is a question of, within reason, giving the child something it likes to eat. One of mine would demand bread and water, which could have taken some explaining when the other one was having fish fingers chips n beans.

[hannah40]

i think i will pack him up a lunch but when i did that before the minder said that he screamed so much for his lunch as he was hungary and he couldnt eat his sandwich fast enough she had to give him hot food.its the fact she advertises fresh meals and i dont class a tin of value beans and sausages fresh food.

[SC00BY]

Change childminder.
The childminder is obviously lying about 'freshly cooked' meals.
How did you know it was 'value' stuff?

Maybe i'm over reacting, but if the childminder is misleading people about food. What else are people being mis led about?

[tigwig]

Hi, I am a childminder and I would not feed a 16 month old beans and sausages as a meal on its own. Not only is it not very nutritious but the salt level is probably way too high for what such a young child should be eating.
The fact that you are paying �2 for his lunch is a very good point as well. Why is his lunch not included in the daily price? Most childminders do that. I personally include all meals which would be a snack lunch ie sandwich or veg for a baby and a healthy snack tea. If my parents want they can have a nutritious hot meal for tea instead but I only charge a �1 extra. I think to charge �2 for lunch is wrong and agree that the stuff she is feeding him is wrong too especially when that whole meal will have cost her less than half of what you paid for it!
You need to discuss this with her which will be hard but has to be done. If she is funny about it then maybe you should look for alternative childcare.

[hannah40]

thanks tig wig,i thought that i was over reacting but i dont feed my babies beans and sausages if i did it would be a well known brand. i saw the tin because i turned up early to pick him up and he was crying i asked what was wrong and the minder said he was still hungry and she said he ate the whole tin of this and showed me the tin.i said has he had a pudding and she showed me the moouse carton and that was shop own brand. we dont have alot of money but i dont buy cheap food.

[hannah40]

my minder charges �4 an hr per child ,i am thinking of sending him to nursery which is cheaper and the meals are fresh.

[annie0000]

I would also question why she would leave him crying with hunger - apart from the obvious questions about the nutritional value of what she fed him, surely if he was still hungry she needs to give him something else? Presumably he would have been left until your normal pick up time at 2? Toddlers grow in fits and starts and their appetite varys accordingly - would it have hurt her to give him a piece of toast and I am sure some fruit wouldn't go amiss - bananas are cheap and filling. I would move him, whilst you don't need to be the brain of britain to be a good childcarer, love and attention are the traits you are looking for, if she is that thick that she thinks what she gives him is a freshly cooked meal and she wasn't embarrased to show you what she had given him, I would question her ability to do the job. Doesn't she have to keep a diary of what he is having and the activities she is doing with him?

[gossipgirl]

im quite suprised to read that she is charging an additional �2 for meals, surely this should be included in the price of chilcare? i would quite simply say to her that it is well advertised that 'meals' if thats what you can call it?, are full of salt and sugars and that you dont want your child eating that and insist that as you are paying for nutritious meals that is what you expect him to be fed. I suppose what it would come down to though is that if your not there can you trust her not to give he/r them? good luck x

[hannah40]

i dont know if she has to keep a daily record of what he eats .i will find out.thanks for the advice.

[darcydark]

Get a new childminder now.

[lil123]

If your not happy, then change childminders.
Mine gives my son healthy home cooked meals and it's included in what I pay her.
At end of day she should be respecting your wishes and what you want your son to eat.
I wonder what else she's doing as well x