Having the day home critiqued by the children’s parents is welcomed.
There have been some wonderful ideas that I continue to this day. After all, they know their children better than I do. In addition, making transitions easier is in everyone’s best interest. A newcomer to the day home was a particularly fussy eater, fussier than most children I have dealt with over my many years. Patience for adjusting is a must, and it teaches the children they are safe with me.
It doesn’t take long to learn the eating habits of a new child. I always take time to change it to adapt to the daycare, or alter daycare to aid the child. The children are only given choices on their food that I am okay with them making, i.e.: they can say no to any condiment, or choosing water over milk. But with the important stuff (i.e. vegetables) they can request the “3 scoop rule” and forfeit dessert. At least some of it is eaten. For more info, here and here are both blog posts where I discuss my point of view. While a child is adapting to the day home portions are small, allowing them to be successful. Success is an opportunity to eat more of what they like for seconds, and being able to have dessert.
After many failed attempts to coerce the new child into eating the food that was given, I approached the parent for advice. She proceeded to tell me that at home they have a bowl on the dinner table called a “No thank you” bowl. Intrigued I questioned her further. The concept was fascinating. Presenting the dinner plate with everything she had cooked for supper to the child. Then they got to choose what they wanted and the rest would be put into this bowl….. Every ounce of me retaliated against this idea, but I decided to try it, hoping to create more harmony at lunch time.
Putting this new idea into action had its challenges. The majority of the children were definitely confused, as they had always been taught to tolerate all foods. Slowly I noticed many food items were making there way into the “No thank you” bowl, mostly vegetables and meat. Dessert was easier to achieve. Sadly, some children even decided to forgo lunch in lieu of the dessert. Children were hungry, as they were limited to only one dessert. My mind was made up, this was not working!
Thanking the parent for the idea, I had decided to revert back slowly to my old ways. It didn’t take long for even the new child to see the benefit of eating healthier, smaller manageable portions. I started implementing no dessert without trying the undesirable food before putting it into the bowl, eventually eliminating the bowl all together, and reinstating my three scoop rule. The family continues the bowl at home, and their child eats everything for me, harmony in both environments.