Bringing Food Into The Daycare

[wdmmom]

I'm just curious to what your policy is against food being brought into the daycare.

[Christian Mother]

I don't think I really have one but my parents do donate fruits and veggies and milk sometimes snacks too. One of my little guys occasionally comes in with donuts or mcdonalds he's my first of the morning so I don't complain about it bc it isn't bothering anyone. But if they come in with someone like candy you can bet I take it away. Only has happened once and hasn't happened again. If it became a problem I'd address it right there and then. Then right up something to take home for each family. I haven't had to do that as I only needed to talk to one parent about this and it never happened again.

[GretasLittleFriends]

No food is to be brought from home unless the child is on a special diet, or if it is a treat with enough to share for everyone. If food does come, it either leaves with mom/dad or is put away and sent home at the end of the day.

[laundrymom]

I'm just curious to what your policy is against food being brought into the daycare.

I toss any food into the square plastic lined container at my entry. :-) I don't care what it is. Candy, bagels, or soybeans. NO FOOD means NO food.

I have one dad who continually brings 2 yr old in with raisin bread. It just started happening 2 weeks ago. It's now every day. I've had this family for almost 5 years. ( older sibling) I've never allowed it. I'm not going to start now. Today kid walks in, tosses bread. Dad says, she threw that away. I said, yep, it gets tossed every day. And left it at that. He looked surprised and stumbled out the door. Soooo either I clicked something in his head or I p'ed him off either way, I don't care. I think he is a great guy, a great dad, but he's about 17 years older than I am and he almost tries to intimidate me. Nothing mean, just trying to be authoritative with me. Well I don't let it affect me. I have done this long enough to know what I'm doing. Hes been a parent less than 5 years. I'm on year 24 of care.

No extra food. Period.

[wdmmom]

I toss any food into the square plastic lined container at my entry. :-) I don't care what it is. Candy, bagels, or soybeans. NO FOOD means NO food.

I have one dad who continually brings 2 yr old in with raisin bread. It just started happening 2 weeks ago. It's now every day. I've had this family for almost 5 years. ( older sibling) I've never allowed it. I'm not going to start now. Today kid walks in, tosses bread. Dad says, she threw that away. I said, yep, it gets tossed every day. And left it at that. He looked surprised and stumbled out the door. Soooo either I clicked something in his head or I p'ed him off either way, I don't care. I think he is a great guy, a great dad, but he's about 17 years older than I am and he almost tries to intimidate me. Nothing mean, just trying to be authoritative with me. Well I don't let it affect me. I have done this long enough to know what I'm doing. Hes been a parent less than 5 years. I'm on year 24 of care.

No extra food. Period.

That's kind of how I am here. No one comes until 730am and we have breakfast at 8am. My longest running family was continuously bring in juice boxes and powdered donuts or some other candy-based breakfast everyday. I continued to take it away everyday and toss it in the trash. I then told DCM to stop bringing in ANYTHING and that if he squeezed his juice box all over my floor again, I was sending her the cleaning bill. It stopped for about 3 months and now about once a week he comes in with licorice, fruit snacks or fruit-by-the-foot! I take it and toss it as soon as I close the door.

I figure it's much easier to toss it than have to deal with the confrontation at the door.

[Solandia]

I will allow food until it becomes an issue. It ALWAYS becomes an issue. But each parent thinks that somehow their child will somehow defy the odds and it will work out. NEVER does. But, I do give them a chance to prove me right. LOL

It can be for the best of reasons.

I had dcm that would bring a box of organic veggie crackers for me to serve her child instead of the TGIF treat. Her 22mo would get off his chair, grab his crackers, throw them in my trash can and go sit on my living room couch all dejected. Every Friday afternoon. To her, that was an acceptable response, if he doesn't want to eat them, he doesn't have to. To me, it was a huge fail because he was taking it soooo personally.

Or the laziest of reasons...It was the only way to get her out of the door.

little debbie snacks, sticky messy faces and a pile of crumbs inside my front door. Wet cake crumbs & frosting do NOT sweep up, it requires a mop. I don't care that you told Jr to go straight to the table, it was still a mess requiring a mop from the front door, through the playroom to the kitchen. Gross!

[kendallina]

No food is allowed, it will go home with the parent or sit on my shelf until pick-up. I do have a couple that will come in with a sippy cup of milk, which I don't mind. It goes in the fridge until snack.

[laundrymom]

No food is allowed, it will go home with the parent or sit on my shelf until pick-up. I do have a couple that will come in with a sippy cup of milk, which I don't mind. It goes in the fridge until snack.

I do have one girl who gets med in her milk and she " has" to finish it. But it's a health issue, not a too lazy to feed their child one.

[GrannyJ]

I don't allow any food or drink unless it's a special occasion, then they have to bring enough for everyone. This is in my phb. Now do my parents follow this rule? H*** No!!!! It is always an issue here.

[Blackcat31]

I voted that I do not allow any food to come in and send it home with parents but that is only partially correct. I do not allow ANY food to be brought in. EVER.

However, on the rare occassion that a parent might try to disrupt that policy, I take the food IMMEDIATELY and toss it in front of the parent so they know about it.

I don't do it without them knowing. I want them to know exactly what I am going to do with it.

They are welcome to sit in the car and finish whatever foods they are eating. Don't do it in my yard and don't bring anything into my house.

[sharlan]

3 yo often comes in with food - anywhere from hard boiled eggs, yogurt, to crackers. His mom sets it on the table, if he doesn't eat it, I toss it.

4 yo never brings food in as it's already here.

9 yo often brings in food, sits at the table and eats it before school. When he has donuts, Mom brings enough for everyone.

8 yo never has brought in a bite of food.

[mismatchedsocks]

Nope no food. If they come with it in hand, it goes right back to parents. I feed them enough here, and if they are eating in the car its never healthy food. Things like oreos, donuts, soda, etc. Never had a kid show up with banana that he was eating in car!

[renodeb]

I have mostly broken my parents of bringing food to dc. The kids get plenty to eat while here. The other day my 4 y/o dc girl brought microwave popcorn, I still have it, never got around to popping it. I have one who brings his boy in with a huge sippy full of crystal light or gatorade I have to admit I did dump it out whenever I got the chance or just saved it to send home.
Debbie

[themoorethemerrier]

Okay, not to hijack the post, but how do you put not to bring outside food in your contract (other than no outside food)?

[Hunni Bee]

I don't think I really have one but my parents do donate fruits and veggies and milk sometimes snacks too. One of my little guys occasionally comes in with donuts or mcdonalds he's my first of the morning so I don't complain about it bc it isn't bothering anyone. But if they come in with someone like candy you can bet I take it away. Only has happened once and hasn't happened again. If it became a problem I'd address it right there and then. Then right up something to take home for each family. I haven't had to do that as I only needed to talk to one parent about this and it never happened again.

Yeah, I didn't think about that...parents do donate things like drinks, milk, cereal, etc....but as far as kids coming in eating food and being allowed to finish it, or stuff from home being substituted at meals...no way. Even kids who go to other programs (Head Start, etc.) who come in with snacks have to put them away til they leave.