How to establish the different dietary requirements of children
How did you include culturally appropriate foods in your sample menu plan?
Vegetarian Diets in Child Care Families who follow a vegetarian diet may request that vegetarian meals for their children. Creating a positive environment starts with having a welcoming nursery, when parents come in they want to see their child is being taken care of in a safe and environmentally friendly place. Iron is found in many vegetables and pulses beans, lentils and chick peas , in dried fruit such as apricots, raisins and sultanas and in some breakfast cereals, but it's more difficult to absorb from vegetable sources than from meat, so: give your toddler foods containing iron each day try to give foods high in vitamin C — such as fruit and vegetables or diluted fruit juices at mealtimes — because these might make it easier to absorb the iron don't give young children tea or coffee, especially at meal times, because this might reduce the amount of iron they can absorb If we want more information, we should contact our health visitor or GP. This is to ensure nothing is missed. On showing the parents around the nursery we explain what their children will experience whilst attending nursery, this includes following the EYFS to help create effective and safe learning for the children, we have areas set out that meet the required standards of learning such as, messy play area, constructive area, reading corners, sleep areas, soft play areas and outdoor area and explain what is planned on a daily basis to help the children progress. If babies go outside we use a plastic heat absorbent sheet to make shade, we put the babies under it to help them cool down and provide drinks to keep all children hydrated. Food allergies, cultural and religious preferences, and vegetarian diets are common issues in a child care program. They do not eat meat. From two years old, we can start giving your toddler semi-skimmed milk, provided they're eating a varied and balanced diet and are growing well.For the morning snack we provide fruit, usually apples, bananas peaches and raisins, with a cracker or breadsticks so they can regain their energy from the carbohydrates and we also provide fruit juice, water or milk to keep the children hydrated.
Still others may avoid eating all animal-based products. If a child has a rash on their bum, with permission off parents we use cream to help clear it up.
Special dietary requirements
For afternoon snack we use more vegetables and use this time to encourage the children to try something new, if we introduce new food to the children we encourage them to eat it by saying 'this will make you strong like daddy' or 'this will help you see in the dark' when children can relate it to something i believe it does encourage them to eat it more. Between meals, it's better to give water or milk to drink. Another example is a child who is vegetarian but they don't substitute meat for Quorn, so whenever our cook makes their meal she tries to make it as interesting as she can so the child will eat it. Some young children also have trouble digesting high-fiber foods. Creating a positive environment starts with having a welcoming nursery, when parents come in they want to see their child is being taken care of in a safe and environmentally friendly place. Water is provided throughout the day which helps gums and cleaning any dirt out of their mouths. We show all the fire exits and safety points in case of an emergency. Avoid cross-contamination. If we make a meal for dinner and use the remains for a different rooms tea, when reheating it we use a thermometer to make sure the temperature of the food is 7 degrees or above as this kills any bacteria that may have formed when in storage. When going outside on a hot day, sun cream is provided to stop any child becoming sunburnt. They do not eat meat or fish. Some children may need to rest still, this usually happens with the younger children so we set out beds for them to nap on to regain their energy for the afternoon activities, some older children may also feel tired as they may not have had enough sleep the previous night or they may have just moved to the older room and have not fully adapted to the routine, so we put them down for a rest too.Throughout the day activities are set up for the children to participate in if they are interested, this can include playdough where they learn to use tools to mould the playdough into different shapes and feel different textures.
If you give eggs to your toddler, make sure the eggs are cooked until both the white and yolk are solid. Once the children have finished their meals we rinse all the dishes and put them into the dishwasher and once again spray the tables with anti-bacterial spray and a clean cloth. You can give boys up to four portions of oily fish a week, such as mackerel, salmon and sardines, but it's best to give girls no more than two portions of oily fish a week.
Meal plans are showed to parents so we can show that we provide healthy nutritional meals for the children that will benefit their health and learning.
Others may avoid all meats but eat dairy products and eggs.