Swapping the bad snacks at preschool for healthier ones 5 days a week

[mommyshoppinghabit]

Is this realistic? I have two very young kids who are starting preschool full time in a week and when they are at home, I try to not give them anything that contains wheat flour (or ideally grain free), cane sugar, corn syrup, and for ds2, any dairy. The school provides a snack every morning. The school is pretty mainstream (not my 1st choice) so the snack rotation choices are pretty bad IMO: sugary graham crackers, fig newtons, goldfish, pretzel sticks, nilla wafers, tostitos, and the occasional birthday cake (at 9:30 in the morning). Do you guys have any links to recipes for healthy look-alike snack alternates to the above mentioned ones? Do you guys think my kids will notice/and or feel frustrated by not partaking in the regular snacks?

[readytobedone]

Originally Posted by mommyshoppinghabit

Is this realistic? I have two very young kids who are starting preschool full time in a week and when they are at home, I try to not give them anything that contains wheat flour (or ideally grain free), cane sugar, corn syrup, and for ds2, any dairy. The school provides a snack every morning. The school is pretty mainstream (not my 1st choice) so the snack rotation choices are pretty bad IMO: sugary graham crackers, fig newtons, goldfish, pretzel sticks, nilla wafers, tostitos, and the occasional birthday cake (at 9:30 in the morning). Do you guys have any links to recipes for healthy look-alike snack alternates to the above mentioned ones? Do you guys think my kids will notice/and or feel frustrated by not partaking in the regular snacks?

i know for me, i've kind of given up on super healthy nutrition at daycare. it's not terrible what they give them, but well, we don't eat cheez-its at home

it would be different if DD had a bona fide allergy or other problem, but she doesn't. so i just roll with it. i try to double up on the healthier snacks while at home. i just don't have the time or energy to make her healthier versions to send every day--nor do i think the teachers would like having to give her separate snacks and keep her away from the regular ones. i know they would do it if i asked, but every time i consider it, i always decide (again) that it's not worth it for all involved.

of course, if your DCs are starting there and START eating separate snacks, it might be easier. DD is already attached to their snacks, and accustomed to having them.

[Elecampane]

Originally Posted by readytobedone

i know for me, i've kind of given up on super healthy nutrition at daycare. it's not terrible what they give them, but well, we don't eat cheez-its at home

it would be different if DD had a bona fide allergy or other problem, but she doesn't. so i just roll with it. i try to double up on the healthier snacks while at home. i just don't have the time or energy to make her healthier versions to send every day--nor do i think the teachers would like having to give her separate snacks and keep her away from the regular ones. i know they would do it if i asked, but every time i consider it, i always decide (again) that it's not worth it for all involved.

Ditto. This is a battle I've given up. Good luck with whatever you decide to do! Can you offer to bring a healthy snack for the whole class once a week or something? Then you're both setting a good example and eliminating the problem of your kids being "different".

[Holiztic]

This may not be helpful, except to tell you I get the concern:

That's one of the reasons we're homeschooling!! (Not the only one, of course!!)

I honestly don't know how you would do this!! You can send in snack for just them, but will that lead to issues? My DS LOVES crackers (he calls anything store-bought and crunchy a "cracker") so he'd flip if everyone else was eating graham crackers, pretzels, etc. while he had cheese and grapes (even though he loves his healthy snacks when there's no competition!). Also, will the other kids want your kids' snacks (if for no other reason than its something else?)

[EMS]

My kids have always been ok with bringing their own snacks. We pack things like boiled sweet potatoes, popcorn, fruit, carrot sticks, peanuts (I know many places this is forbidden).
I think it is in large part a question of what they are used to, at least until they get old enough to put up a fight!

[annethcz]

This is another battle that I've given up on. Last year I asked my DD's preschool teacher not to give her any of those awful dye and sugar filled "fruit snacks" and DD felt SO left out. She came home feeling very sad many times throughout the year. So I've decided that, at this time, it's just not worth the battle.

[kjbrown92]

How old are they? Do they have actual restrictions or is it just what you want? My DD2 started going to preschool at age 2. She happened to have a lot of food intolerances, so she brought her snack each day, and the other kids all shared a snack brought in by a parent (rotated, so on days I provided the snack, she got to eat with the rest of the kids). She's 4yo and she's still doing it. She doesn't feel left out as far as I know and I'm glad she's not eating most of the stuff the other parents bring in.

[mommyshoppinghabit]

My kids are 3.5 (turning 4 in Dec) and the other one is 19.5 months. The only blatant allergy I see is in DS2 who either gets sinus symptoms or diahrrea after eating dairy. But now with the preponderence of people saying how unhealthy white flour and sugar are, especially to the gut, I just feel like any opportunity I have to lower the levels that the kids are getting, the healthier their immune and digestive systems are. Also, it so yucky that they get those junk snacks so early in the morning when the body needs something more nutritious to get it going. But I'm also a little averse to buying all those gluten free products at Whole Foods because their just mostly rice flour + a bunch of coagulants.

[mommyshoppinghabit]

Originally Posted by Holiztic

This may not be helpful, except to tell you I get the concern:

That's one of the reasons we're homeschooling!! (Not the only one, of course!!)

I honestly don't know how you would do this!! You can send in snack for just them, but will that lead to issues? My DS LOVES crackers (he calls anything store-bought and crunchy a "cracker") so he'd flip if everyone else was eating graham crackers, pretzels, etc. while he had cheese and grapes (even though he loves his healthy snacks when there's no competition!). Also, will the other kids want your kids' snacks (if for no other reason than its something else?)

Yes, homeschooling sounds very tempting at this point for all the idealistic dreams that I have for them, but I just don't have it in me.

[kjbrown92]

If you don't trust them to feed them dairy-free snacks, then I'd just send in food for them. My DD2 doesn't have the same type thing as everyone else does during the day, though if there's a Halloween party or something like that at school, I send in something "festive". Of the two schools I tried, both were fine with me sending in food for them, and it makes it easier for them so that they don't have to take responsibility for giving them food that may make them sick. And you can just say the part about milk and not the other parts since they won't want to deal with diarrhea if they don't have to!

[Pinky Tuscadero]

I think not wanting your kids to have something is as valid a reason as an actual allergy. You don't know how these foods will affect your child's future health. Just because there is no allergy to something now doesn't mean that years of consuming it wo't cause cancer or diabetes or whatever that food might cause.
I see no reason to compromise or make exceptions if you don't want to.
Just my 2 cents...

[PlayaMama]

we're thinking about this too.

our pre-school has the parents alternate weeks to bring in snacks so i'm for sure doing healthy snacks on my week, they also gave out a list of approved foods and it's all healthy.

the teacher also said that she was more than willing to give my ds his own snacks if i wanted to bring them in. i'm going to wait and see what the snacks are before i decide. i don't think it'll be that big of a deal, my ds knows i want him to eat healthy foods and he knows what those are.

[elmh23]

I just make up for all the crackers my kid is eating, but providing healthy snacks and meals at home. And when it's my day to bring in morning snack (once a month), I make it a fruit and cheese combo. I actually have no clue what the other parents have brought in for snack so far.

[mommyshoppinghabit]

Both the teachers that my kids have are totally fine w/me bringing in our own snacks, and they do have healthy snack days, but only once a week. The problem for me is just to find a bunch of snacks that I think my kids won't mind having instead of whatever the other kids are having. Part of the reason I want to do this so badly is because we don't eat a lot of variety as far as food goes at home so a gluttony of white flour, sugar/hfcs might just tip them over the edge into being sick every week.