Opine

Andrew showed me this article today.   Take a minute and read it.

Okay,  got that?

Did anyone else become extremely confused by it?    Let's start at the beginning: 

But the Framingham mother of two boys, ages 2 and 5, also works full time. She sends her youngest to a local day-care center that serves breakfast, lunch, and two snacks and, like many programs, prohibits outside food.

What?  Our daycare doesn't provide any food for infants (I'm not sure what they would have provided since she was breastfed),  will provide breakfast (though Baby Girl eats breakfast at home) and snacks to toddlers.   I assume it's the same idea in the pre-school rooms.   But we send in her own lunch - and I'd be horrified if someone told me I couldn't decide what my child was eating.  What kind of daycare are these people using?

In Massachusetts, licensed child-care providers - including private and nonprofit centers, in-home day cares and preschools - must follow two regulations aimed at obesity prevention: Provide one hour of physical activity every six hours, and follow US Department of Agriculture guidelines.

ONE HOUR of physical activity every 6 hours?  One hour?  They are toddlers!  They should be running around all day!  That's what toddlers do!  That and paint really unrecognizable blobs that come home at the end of the day and I squint, stare, rotate, and even ask baby Girl what it is before I throw it away (I'm the best parent ever,  obvi)

“Eating a diet that is high in sugar and refined starch can train the palate from a very young age to accept only these tastes,’’ Rostler said. “In these cases, vegetables become bitter and very unacceptable for children, and as they get older it’s harder and harder for them to eat healthy.’’

Now I just have to brag.   My kid loves vegetables.   I don't know why, I think it's a little weird.   But she does.  She will eat broccoli or green beans over mashed potatoes. 


Mildred Kelley, who runs a day-care program out of her Quincy home, said if she serves carrot sticks or celery, she ends up tossing them out.
“What toddler you know wants carrots and celery sticks for their snack?’’ she said. 

Mildred Kelley,  you are the worst daycare provider ever.  You know what toddler eats carrots and celery sticks for their snack?  My kid does.   And do you know why?  Because she's a toddler and she eats what I put in front of her.  Oh, I've learned not to bother with rice.. or peach flavored yogurt... or summer squash (yet she devours zucchini.... strange),  but she eats what I give her.   I give her healthy snacks.  Ergo,  she eats healthy snacks.   Mildred,  I certainly hope you don't charge for your service.

I don't know a parent would put up with not being in charge of what their child eats.   The toddler room at our daycare serves whole milk (because toddlers are supposed to be on whole milk until at least 2 years old),  but after she turned 2,  we switched her down to 1% because of some other.... digestive issues that she has.   We told them we would provide her milk for her since we don't want her on whole anymore.  I never ASKED if it was okay - they don't get to decide what kind of milk my child drinks,  I do.   And (because Baby Girl goes to the best daycare ever) they told us that we did not have to provide it,  they give the pre-schoolers 1% milk and they are more than happy to fill my girl's cup from the pre-schooler's milk.  They rock.  


OF COURSE - this is separate from the allergy issue.   Our daycare is a peanut free facility and no matter what we tell them,  there will be no peanut or peanut product allowed in.   That's an entirely different (and understandable) issue.  

And on that note,  we've found Sunbutter to be an extremely good substitute for peanut butter.