Infant and Toddler School Menu

tegalicious

Hi everyone! I run an infant and toddler school and would like to get some input from all the parents on Myfitnesspal on what you would like to see in a menu (lunch and two snacks) for your child at school. I am very keen on offering healthy food but also want to make sure the children are well fed and happy along with being healthy.

missnelso04

I appreciate - or would appreciate - seeing the following snacks at my 4 YO's school, and what I try to give at home.


Apples/carrots/celery with PB (not ranch for heaven's sake)
Low-sugar cereals like Cheerios, Kashi
String cheese
Popcorn - low butter
Whole wheat toast/bread with PB or Nutella
Nuts - unsalted (I know some kids have nut allergies so this might be tricky, but they are SO HEALTHY)

I try to give my daughter lots of protein options, because in my personal experience it is easy to not feed them enough of it.

WhiteRabbit1313

Hi everyone! I run an infant and toddler school and would like to get some input from all the parents on Myfitnesspal on what you would like to see in a menu (lunch and two snacks) for your child at school. I am very keen on offering healthy food but also want to make sure the children are well fed and happy along with being healthy.

Talk my toddler's daycare; they need help! Lance's cheese toast crackers are what THEY call "cheese and crackers." Powdered cheese? Really? *facepalm*

I pack my daughter's snacks, but I'd like to see:

1. Actual cheese and FRESH fruit (i.e.: Such as: swiss, gouda, cheddar, with grapes, apples, pineapples, and oranges.)
2. Dried fruits, with no sugars added and only natural preservatives. I sometimes mix prunes, figs, banana chips, and cheerios or goldfish together, as snack. Cheerios and Goldfish aren't great, but they're better than most crackers/cereals.
3. Real Greek Yogurt, plain, with unsweetened applesauce or fresh berries added

As a general rule: NO American "cheese." It drives me mad that her daycare serves chicken quesadillas consisting of: cheap packaged tortillas, American "cheese," and frozen fajita chicken.

Foods prepared with Coconut and Olive Oil, not vegetable or canola (rapeseed) oil.

Beans. Beans are cheap, but nutritious. Balance out the costs of the expense of quality ingredients with low cost, nutritious foods like beans. Red beans and rice, for example. House-made chili, veggie soups, and stews. Have meatless meals, whenever possible, too.

Yeah...that would eliminate my need for sending snacks to school. Thank you for caring enough to ask parents, and good luck with your endeavors.

ecw3780

I think the closer you can get to whole foods instead of processed foods, the better you will be. Fruits/Veggies/Nuts for snacks, and a real balanced meal.

Danny_Boy13

I am not a parent but this is prolly some of the best news I have heard in a while. Good for to to start instilling a healthy choice of foods for your clients. Hopefully the parents will carry that over to the house.

Trissyboo

Thank you so much for this post! It is nice to see that there are childcare providers out there who really care about children's nutrition. That is one of the reasons why I took my daughter out of a large facility. I understand that the food has to be convenient but it can also be healthy.
Lunch ideas:
Chicken nuggets made from real chicken breasts- they can be coated in egg whites and bread crumbs and baked!
Homemade tater tots- take left over plain mashed potatoes form them into balls and lightly pan sear them in olive oil
more fresh fruits like pineapples, apples, grapes, oranges etc...
Fresh veggies, I thought my daughter didn't like asparagus but she will eat just about any veggie.
I would also like to see a variety of foods from different cultures. I am sure that there are a lot children who have allergies but you can make healthy chinese, mexican, indian and other cultural dishes. A lot of which do not contain meat.

Mommybug2

My state has guidelines for any daycare that accepts state assistance programs. I always choose a daycare that does even though I don't qualify for assistance but because I know they can't get away with serving any processed crap. If they serve mac & cheese it can't come from a box!

However being that there are guidelines out there you may be able to google them and see what nutritionists actually recommend for children in each age group you cater to.

BunBun85

I won't be a parent until April next year and it will be another two years before our child goes to daycare but...when I worked in daycare we would serve fruits, oranges, pears & bananas, whole grain crackers with cheese and on occasion we'd have halved raisin buns. Snacks were always served with water. Lunches were prepared by parents and we provided milk.

Iron_Duchess

Hi everyone! I run an infant and toddler school and would like to get some input from all the parents on Myfitnesspal on what you would like to see in a menu (lunch and two snacks) for your child at school. I am very keen on offering healthy food but also want to make sure the children are well fed and happy along with being healthy.

Talk my toddler's daycare; they need help! Lance's cheese toast crackers are what THEY call "cheese and crackers." Powdered cheese? Really? *facepalm*

I pack my daughter's snacks, but I'd like to see:

1. Actual cheese and FRESH fruit (i.e.: Such as: swiss, gouda, cheddar, with grapes, apples, pineapples, and oranges.)
2. Dried fruits, with no sugars added and only natural preservatives. I sometimes mix prunes, figs, banana chips, and cheerios or goldfish together, as snack. Cheerios and Goldfish aren't great, but they're better than most crackers/cereals.
3. Real Greek Yogurt, plain, with unsweetened applesauce or fresh berries added

As a general rule: NO American "cheese." It drives me mad that her daycare serves chicken quesadillas consisting of: cheap packaged tortillas, American "cheese," and frozen fajita chicken.

Foods prepared with Coconut and Olive Oil, not vegetable or canola (rapeseed) oil.

Beans. Beans are cheap, but nutritious. Balance out the costs of the expense of quality ingredients with low cost, nutritious foods like beans. Red beans and rice, for example. House-made chili, veggie soups, and stews. Have meatless meals, whenever possible, too.

Yeah...that would eliminate my need for sending snacks to school. Thank you for caring enough to ask parents, and good luck with your endeavors.

No grapes!! Choking hazard for little kids. Whole food are the best. Baked chicken, turkey meatballs or meatloaf, rice, beans, lentils, good cheese, no sugar added applesauce, frozen peas (heated but not fully cooked (mushy) because it has a better consistency and can be a good finger food), baked potatoes, etc… Mix things up and a little bit of not super healthy stuff is ok. I don’t see anything wrong with giving my kids goldfish and fresh apples once in a while. Please be careful with things that can be a choking hazard (grapes and raw carrots) or are highly allergenic foods like tomatoes, strawberries, peanut butter, or eggs.

camilleme73

I did daycare at my house for about 3 years when my boys were babies and I always gave things like fruit, graham crackers, goldfish, applesauce, whole wheat bagels w/ a lil cream cheese, raisins, carrots, celery and cucumbers w/ tzatziki instead of ranch and homemade carrot cake or zucchini mini muffins once or twice a week as a "treat". Also on treat day I liked to do almond milk or the roaring waters "juice" boxes because they think it's a big treat but they only have minimal sugar and like 40 cals. so it's good times for all I also found that letting the kids help in small ways makes them happy and more interested in eating when they've helped cook or set up. "Make your own English muffin pizza's" was a big hit and the kids tried olives, ham, bell peppers etc. Even just letting them pour bread crumbs, use the beater or spray he pans gets them excited to eat new things. Very young toddlers can just play w a pan and spoon nearby while older kids help out. I had fun caring for the lil nuggets and I hope you do too!

_Calypso_

Apples w/ Peanut butter (minus any allergies)
Cheese & Crackers
Graham crackers
Raisins
Apple sauce (no sugar added, no HFCS)
Yogurt (they have yogurt pops that my kids love)
Ham or Turkey & Cheese w/ crackers
Natural chicken nuggets

Any fruits and veggies (blueberries, strawberries, bananas, melon / carrots, cucummbers, mushrooms, celery,, red bell peppers)

WhiteRabbit1313

Hi everyone! I run an infant and toddler school and would like to get some input from all the parents on Myfitnesspal on what you would like to see in a menu (lunch and two snacks) for your child at school. I am very keen on offering healthy food but also want to make sure the children are well fed and happy along with being healthy.

Talk my toddler's daycare; they need help! Lance's cheese toast crackers are what THEY call "cheese and crackers." Powdered cheese? Really? *facepalm*

I pack my daughter's snacks, but I'd like to see:

1. Actual cheese and FRESH fruit (i.e.: Such as: swiss, gouda, cheddar, with grapes, apples, pineapples, and oranges.)
2. Dried fruits, with no sugars added and only natural preservatives. I sometimes mix prunes, figs, banana chips, and cheerios or goldfish together, as snack. Cheerios and Goldfish aren't great, but they're better than most crackers/cereals.
3. Real Greek Yogurt, plain, with unsweetened applesauce or fresh berries added

As a general rule: NO American "cheese." It drives me mad that her daycare serves chicken quesadillas consisting of: cheap packaged tortillas, American "cheese," and frozen fajita chicken.

Foods prepared with Coconut and Olive Oil, not vegetable or canola (rapeseed) oil.

Beans. Beans are cheap, but nutritious. Balance out the costs of the expense of quality ingredients with low cost, nutritious foods like beans. Red beans and rice, for example. House-made chili, veggie soups, and stews. Have meatless meals, whenever possible, too.

Yeah...that would eliminate my need for sending snacks to school. Thank you for caring enough to ask parents, and good luck with your endeavors.

No grapes!! Choking hazard for little kids. Whole food are the best. Baked chicken, turkey meatballs or meatloaf, rice, beans, lentils, good cheese, no sugar added applesauce, frozen peas (heated but not fully cooked (mushy) because it has a better consistency and can be a good finger food), baked potatoes, etc… Mix things up and a little bit of not super healthy stuff is ok. I don’t see anything wrong with giving my kids goldfish and fresh apples once in a while. Please be careful with things that can be a choking hazard (grapes and raw carrots) or are highly allergenic foods like tomatoes, strawberries, peanut butter, or eggs.

Calm down. You cut them in half. Sheesh!

OP, your state has guidelines on what types of foods you can serve. While SOME children have sensitivities, not allergies, to things such as: strawberries and tomatoes, that doesn't prevent you from being able to serve them, unless the state says otherwise. I'm sure you were aware of that, though.

Dunkirk

Healthy pancakes, vegetable bake made in muffin tins, fruit/yoghurt smoothies, (frozen and on a stick for summer), pumpkin or sweet potato custard

rbcrawford1

-Hummus and pita wedges or easy to chomp veggies such as sugar snap peas (the only time I had to Heimlich one of my little kids was for raw broccoli)

-Yogurt with as little sugar as possible, along with fruit for dipping

-Cheddar cheese with crackers or apple slices

-Oatmeal

-Turkey wraps or roll-ups

-Quesadillas with real cheese, chicken or beans, spinach

-Quiche

-Apple sandwiches (apple rings with peanut butter or, to avoid allergies, sunflower butter in between)

-Healthy muffins or quick breads

-Yogurt drinks (mix a fruit yogurt and milk...no blender necessary)

-Whole wheat pasta with spinach and cheese

I hated hated hated my son's first daycare snack offerings. It was often processed cheese with those cracker sticks and a Tang-like substance, but without the added vitamins. IMHO, If you do packaged snacks, much better to grab some Annie's snacks bulk (even regular goldfish aren't too bad!) from Costco or offer applesauce or yogurt.

WhiteRabbit1313

Oh, yeah! hummus and tzaziki! Both are healthy and delicious with pita.

tegalicious

Wow guys! Thanks for the responses! I am mobile right now so have to keep this short but just wanted to mention that I don't take state assistance for food because I make too much. Also according to the guidelines in my state donuts and poptarts count as a grain serving. They also expect you to buy canned fruit and vegetables. Not exactly the best standards and probably explains why we have a problem with toddler obesity here (along with other factors too, not trying to start a debate). When I can get to my computer I will post some of the menus I have been doing now and would appreciate some input on how to make it even healthier and get your general opinions. Thanks again!!

tegalicious

Okay! So here is an example of what I have been doing so far (all food and drink is organic):

Monday
Am Snack: Baked Banana Peach Flaxseed Bar, Water
Lunch: Grilled Chicken and Whole Wheat Quesadilla, Black Beans, Corn, Milk
Pm Snack: Avocado Cubes, Cheddar Cheese Cubes

Tuesday
Am Snack: Baked Pear Apricot Flaxseed Bar, Water
Lunch: Whole Wheat French Toast, Turkey Sausage, Mixed Vegetables, Milk
Pm Snack: Tomato Slices, Mozzarella Cheese Stick

Wednesday
Am Snack: Baked Apple Carrot Flaxseed Bar, Water
Lunch: Whole Wheat Spaghetti and Marinara Sauce with Spinach and Ground Beef Crumbles, Green Beans, Milk
Pm Snack: Cucumber Sticks, Cheddar Cheese Cubes

Thursday:
Am Snack: Baked Banana Cinnamon Flaxseed Bar, Water
Lunch: Salmon Burger, Roasted Red Potatoes, Lima Beans, Asparagus Spears, Milk
Pm Snack: Homemade Kale Chips, Mozzarella Cheese Stick

Friday
Am Snack: Baked Orange Banana Flaxseed Bar, Water
Lunch: Breaded Barbeque Chicken, Whole Wheat Dinner Roll, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Milk
Pm Snack: Bell Pepper Slices, Cheddar Cheese Cubes


I have always incorporated as much ethnic food as possible and we have lots of veggies. I don't do crackers of any kind because one of the children has an issue with them (the child will not eat anything all day if the child knows that crackers will be served). The parents and I decided to stop giving them to the child because it was becoming an obsession (30-60 minute tantrums over crackers and demanding them all day). I can not do peanut butter because there is an allergy issue but I do use both sunflower seed butter and soy butter in its place. The baked fruit and flaxseed bar is something I make with pureed fruit, oats, flaxseed and yogurt and the children call them cookies because of their round shape. They are not anything like a cookie though in taste or lack of nutritional value. From the responses I got it seems that I am doing a pretty good job of offering healthy choices that parents would approve but I always think there is room for improvement so I have come up with a new menu and would like some opinions on it.

Sample Day of the New Menu

Monday
Early Am Snack: Baked Banana Kale Flaxseed Bar, Blueberry and Yogurt and Coconut Milk Smoothie
Morning Snack: Cucumber Slices, Colby Jack Cheese Cubes, Water
Lunch: Chicken Breast, Brown Rice, Stir Fried Asian Vegetables, Milk
Afternoon Snack: Bell Pepper Slices, Swiss Cheese Round, Water
Late Pm Snack: Fruit and Vegetable Pouch, Puffed Wheat Cereal, Water


I have added more meal times because the children all seemed to be hungry in between meals and have added back in some cereal type grains in the late evening when the child with the cracker issue has already gone home. Does this look like a good sample day, parents? Anything I should add/take away? Thanks again for all your help!!

lisalsd1

My 5 year old son loves:

Carrots & hummus
Homemade Trail mix (shelled sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds with raisins or craisins)
Half a mini bagel with cream cheese
Celery sticks with peanut butter or Sunbutter

lisalsd1

He also likes baked tofu...cut it into slices, spray lightly with olive oil, bake at 400 for 20 mins, flip, bake for 10 more minutes, cube, and eat.

la8ydi

If you are truly looking for ideas for infants and toddlers, you need to carefully consider which items are choking hazards. Some of the above ideas are wonderful suggestions, but not age appropriate. (BTW - I work at a daycare with infants and one year olds and have for a LONG time, so I know of which I speak.) Be careful of hard veggies, raisins, grapes (even cut), and "pokey" types of chips. We substitute soynut butter for peanutbutter...not as tasty, but you avoid the allergy possibilities. Good luck!

zorbaru

Nuts - unsalted (I know some kids have nut allergies so this might be tricky, but they are SO HEALTHY)

i like how you put this disclaimer under "nuts" but forgot about it for the 2 other items that you have suggested peanut butter on.

most pre schools these days are nut free.

Nicolee_2014

Nuts - unsalted (I know some kids have nut allergies so this might be tricky, but they are SO HEALTHY)

i like how you put this disclaimer under "nuts" but forgot about it for the 2 other items that you have suggested peanut butter on.

most pre schools these days are nut free.

And don't forget nutella...That has nuts in it too...

tegalicious

Thanks everyone. I have been in the daycare business for 8 years and am fully aware of what foods are choking hazards. I just wanted to know what everyone thought of the new menu that I came up with. And I also forgot to mention that this menu is for children eating table food (12 months and up).

cjcolorado

That looks like a fantastic menu! My kids are older now (9, 7, 7); but, I would have killed to have seen such healthy choices in their pre-school. I pack their lunches now with healthy whole foods; but, at the time, it was hard to compete with the snacks that were being offered them at preschool once they got home.

Some other options, if dairy allergies are not an issue:
-Mini quiches made in muffin cups with veggies, cheese, hashbrown crust.
-Dip made with Greek yogurt (make either savory or sweet)
-Those tiny fresh mozzarella 'pearls' are smaller than choking hazard size and my kids LOVE those with small bites of salami or cooked chicken in their lunches.

la8ydi

Thanks everyone. I have been in the daycare business for 8 years and am fully aware of what foods are choking hazards.

Didn't know that - didn't mean to offend.