Poll: School Dictate Healthy Snack?

[Patsfan7]

Hi,
I wanted to hear what others thoughts were regarding schools mandating what you can send to school for your child's snack. My daughter is in a pre-school that has had a rule "no candy" at snack time. I knew this before she reported for school and thought this was fine. I thought the rule was to discourage kids from fighting over who had the best snack. They have since sent home a notice stating that while cookies are nice, healthy snacks are encouraged. Since that notice, children have not been allowed to eat what their parents packed for snack, if it is not healthy enough, in the teacher's opinion. In one instance, one child was not allowed to eat what his mother packed, and the teacher gave him a substitute snack from what she brought for the day, (they were pasting dinosaur crackers on paper).... the child's mother was especially upset because the child has food allergies. The crackers he was given were fine for him, but he does have wheat and grain allergies. My 3 yo. child came home and told me that _ and _ were bad boys because they brought bad snacks!!!

While we all realize the importance of good nutrition for our children at meal times, sometimes snack should be just that, snack, and a fun time for a three year old. Some of us are so angered that someone else feels they can dictate what we should feed our children, but some parents with older kids say just wait, it gets worse as they get older and the school tells you what they can wear, ie:type of shoes, jewlery etc. One such rule is no slide on shoes, as they may fall off while sliding down the slide. One girl got a letter home for said offense.

(An aside: The school had just run a contest to see which room could collect the most boxtops for education... the prize being a pizza party. Well, when it came time to running the party, and it was changed to a donut and milk party.The forbidden snack above had been a donut. Each class party, the parents are asked to bring cookies, cupcakes, and munchkins, and the "movie nights" are ice cream sundae parties....never veggies and dip )

Sorry for the rant.

Has anyone else's kids school had such rules, and if so, what has the consensus been?

 

[FreshTressa]

My son is in first grade, and his teachers says no candy or sweets for snack. I don't mind at all. I don't want goverment regulations about it, but on a class by class basis it does not bother me. But they should let kids eat what the parents pack, just remind the parents that a healthy snack is encouraged.

 

[dg39]

When my dd was in the 2nd or 3rd grade her teacher told us parents the same thing. They were only allowed to bring in a healthy snack. At first I was as annoyed as you. I felt that the teacher had no right to tell me what to give my child as a snack. In a short time, I came to realize that that was one of the best things the teacher could have done. I would give my dd grapes, apples, oranges and other fruits cut up in a baggy. She got sooo used to that that now, she's in the 5th grade, she doesn't eat all that sugary stuff much. She would also get some pretzel sticks, or popcorn. With all the junk thats in the snacks, the kids don't really need it. When she comes with me food shopping, I'll tell her to go get some snacks for home, and she comes back with grapes, apples or the like. I'm grateful that the teacher made the kids only bring in healthy snacks. But, for a party, or if she has friends over, I do give her some regular snacks, but, try to limit them. I always try to watch my weight and try to eat healthy and want to install in her healthy foods are better for her...

 

[snappy]

I don't see a problem with this policy. It seems to be my 3rd grader's teachers' policy, more so than in the prior grades.

We had to go out and buy new snack foods the first week of school.
our "parties" are infrequent, to me that's different than DAILY snacks.

 

[KristiKelly]

Maybe they won't snacks that aren't sweet because some kids might get wild from the sugar. I wouldn't let it bother me that much.

I do understand "no slide on shoes". I wouldn't let my kids wear them to school. A 3 & 4 year old doesn't need to worry about keeping their shoes from falling off while climbing a slide ladder, etc. that is more for safety. DS is in 2nd grade and the girls slide on shoes are always coming off and they have to stop the line for her to get it back on.

DS doesn't really like white milk, when he was in kindergarten the teacher told them they could only get chocolate milk on Wednesday because she felt like they got enough sweets with lunch. DH & I were a little upset at first but DS survived and will now even ask for white milk on occassions.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I'm actually kind of surprised that your school lets everybody bring in their own seperate snack. It seems to me that is just asking for a room of screaming 4 year olds upset that somebody has a "better" snack than what their Mom sent. Also, isn't it kind of a pain in the butt to have to pack a snack everyday?

Personally, I prefer to pay a snack fee and have the teacher stock the cabinets, or donate a couple of boxes of whatever the teacher wants. That way everybody has a snack everyday, and the controversy and fuss is at a minimum.

 

[Patsfan7]

That is exactly what I think should be done in order to quell the contraversy. I figure, raise the price five bucks a week or whatever, and supply the snack if there are concerns. The only problem I can see with them doing that is that they would have to accept responsibility for supplying snack that is okay for all the different allergies that may arise.

With regard to the slide on shoes, yes, that was for an older sibling, not the little ones.

Also, my girl has never had to be spoken to about her snack, but I just am not too keen to the fact that someone else feels they have the authority to override my decision as to what I put in my child's mouth.

 

[A4Disney]

My children have had rules similar each year depending on the teacher.Most of the teachers agree that dealing with 20+ kids on a sugar high is no fun.They just suggest popcorn,pretzels,fruit or veggies,cheese and crackers etc.I never minded...

 

[A4Disney]

I'm actually kind of surprised that your school lets everybody bring in their own seperate snack. It seems to me that is just asking for a room of screaming 4 year olds upset that somebody has a "better" snack than what their Mom sent. Also, isn't it kind of a pain in the butt to have to pack a snack everyday?

Personally, I prefer to pay a snack fee and have the teacher stock the cabinets, or donate a couple of boxes of whatever the teacher wants. That way everybody has a snack everyday, and the controversy and fuss is at a minimum.

I agree with this.Pre school for my kids was always the same snack for all kids.It wasn't until grade school that the kids brought their own.

 

[Patsfan7]

That is a great point! Our class is only 6 kids, but I never thought of 20 flying high! Our snack is right before swimming or gym, depending on the day, then they go home, so it's kind of wierd.... the energy is a good thing to get rid of running around the gym, but I couldn't understand why they have them eat then walk down to the pool

 

[ryan840]

I think asking you to send a healthy snack is fine, I even appreciate it. (My son isn't in school yet, but he already gets healthy snacks as opposed to sugary ones) I think telling you exactly what you can feed your child and not letting them eat what you sent them is wrong, I can make up my own mind on what a healthy snack for my son is, and some days I may feel that he deserves a special treat...

 

[Christine]

It is never too soon to teach what is "healthy" and what is not. In fact, starting at preschool age, kids begin to form perceptions in their mind as to what constitutes "real food" and what is candy. Personally, I think it is disgusting what most people send in as a snack. Fruit Roll-Ups, Granola Bars, Pop-Tarts, Hostess "muffins", and such. Junk. The worst part is, as a parent, you try to do your best and send in the banana or the pear, or the grapes and cheese, and you kids come home everyday saying "but Jimmy gets to bring a Pop-Tart." Then you've got to explain why Jimmy gets to eat junk food, and on and on and on. Does anyone remember when your snack consisted of plain graham crackers and white milk? And that was good enough?

 

[disney4us2002]

It would bug me. I have had to send in snacks for my boys when the school lunch schedule made lunch either very early or very late and I didn't send in candybars and such but the teachers were too picky for my tastes. They didn't want anything that required a spoon as it was too messy but then they didn't like the squeeze yogurt either because the kids could try to squirt each other. Pretzels & popcorn were okay but they made my sons thirsty and drinks weren't part of snacktime. They also considered fruit snacks to be candy. I found the whole thing to be a pita. I absolutely agree that elem school is worse. The aides in the cafeteria are constantly on the kids. I actually wrote in permanent marker on the inside of my youngest son's lunchbox "Michael has permission to eat or not eat anything in this lunch in any order of his choosing." They were giving him grief about eating his cookies or grapes before eating his sandwich. They also won't let him throw away what he doesn't eat so he comes home with a baggie w/sandwich crusts or 3 grapes, etc.

 

[bajanswife]

Both my kids wear uniforms and have rules about no sweets in lunches/snacks, and I'm just fine with it. I try to keep my kids on good diets, and it really annoys me when other parents break the rules and send junky sweets for their kids. The kids all share their stuff (though they're not supposed to), and DS ends up eating someone else's junk. Then I have to deal with his sugar crash when he gets home, or his reactions to the food dyes. And then of course he wants to know why I don't send that stuff for him too! Ugh. I deal with it at birthday parties, but I don't want to deal with it every day at school! The school teaches good nutrition, yet parents undermine it. Bugs me. Feed your kid whatever you want to at home, doesn't bother me - but if the rule is no sweets, then what message does that send if you still send sweets!!!

BTW: At DD's preschool and at DS' kinder/elementary all the kids bring their own snacks, drinks and lunch, but cold water is always available, supplied by the school, and kids are encouraged to drink it.