Redistributing uneaten food between childrens plates

[rumtumtugger]

Dd has started a new lovely nursery but I'm a bit perturbed by one of their practices - at snack and lunch times they redistribute food that's uneaten from the plates of children that don't want it to the plates of children that want more (e.g. pieces of fruit, vegetables, bread etc). Their rationale is that it's been untouched so it's fine, but I can't help but think that it might have been sneezed on etc.
I know that nurseries are generally hotbeds of infection (like halls of residence! :)) so in theory this should be fine, but for me, it just rankles. I cant really articulate it beyond a general sense of unease! Is this a common practice elsewhere?

[Yonihadtoask]

Oh. I don't think that's good practice. Never heard of it in DS nursery.

It's fine at home though :)

[insancerre]

It is certainly not standard practice in any of the nurseries I have worked in and seems a very odd thing to do.
I wonder if they are worried about wasting food and money if food is uneaten.
Surely there should be enough food to go around so that everyone gets enough?
I would also worry about the messages it sends to children about having to eat all the food that is put in front of them. Being able to make choices is a very important lesson to learn when it comes to healthy eating. Having extra food put on your plate is not enablinfg children to make choices.

[runningforme]

ewww. I wouldn't like this at all! They can't be sure the food hasn't be gummed or touched or sneezed/coughed on as it isn't a 1:1 ratio so how could they possibly have their eyes on all the kids all at the same time?! Sounds very unsanitary. I would be having a word....

Oh, and what if food is taken from a child who is just a slower eater, before they have a chance to get to it? Wouldn't they then be going hungry?

[RooneyMara]

This sounds a bit revolting tbh.

[rumtumtugger]

I'll give an example - at snack times, they're often given a plate of cut up fruit, veg and a rice cake. After 5 mins, they ask the children if they want anything more (e.g. more strawberries), and if there's more available in the kitchen they'll dish it out. But if there's none available, they'll go to a child whose plate still has their full pile of strawberries and ask if they can give it to the other child. If the child consents then it's redistributed.
The nursery is parent run (along with full-time fully-trained nursery staff), and I've mentioned to a couple of the other parents that I find it odd, but the response has been that 'they haven't touched it so it's fine'. They were OFSTEDed late last year so presumably this practice has been observed and approved?
We have just started there and I don't want to rock the boat, and I also don't really want dd to miss out....not sure how to proceed.

[runningforme]

hard call really.....can you not have a word and ask that your dd not be part of this snack `redistribution'? If everything else is fine, it would be a shame to move her as, as gross as it sounds, I'm sure it does no real harm....

[eragon]

not a good practice. for health and hygeine reasons but also for allergy reasons. high cross contamination risk here.

[ArabellaBeaumaris]

Okay, it wouldn't bother me, but I understand that it would bother others! Raise it at a meeting (do you have meetings? Ours were monthly).

[notso]

All the nurseries I have worked in put the snack in the middle and pass it around. It encourages manners and lets the children decide how much they want.

[ReetPetit]

Never heard of this, seems a bit odd! Are they hard strapped for cash or something? Not sure they would have done this infront of ofsted tbh...

[Branleuse]

id be very pleased that food wasn't wasted as long as it was untouched.

[CecyHall]

It doesn't seem very fair on the children who might just be slow at eating and might not really understand what they are agreeing to by having their snack given away.

[RedlipsAndSlippers]

I'd worry about it, but only because I know that DD will say yes to anyone that wants something off her plate, even if she's still really hungry, because that's just how she is.

[Seb101]

I wouldn't worry about this, but I have very relaxed attitude about such things. I often re distribute food around mindees, if one is finished and another wants more. Waste not, want not! I would always ensure child was finished first through before I removed food, and if they changed their mind, they could have more again. There are times when food is barely touched, it would be a waste to just bin it, when another child was still hungry and wanted more. I'm obviously observing eating, and if food had been handled/ sucked/ half eaten, I obviously wouldn't re distribute that! That would be gross! I wouldn't let little issues like this bother me with a nursery, in the grand scheme of things it's not important. Good care, love, attention, and stimulation is truly important. So If nursery are providing that I'd let it go.

[GreenLeafTea]

Sorry but I think it's yuk! The other day a girl at my son's nursery projectile vomited at lunch. Imagine if someone had eaten her left overs.

I think the nursery should start with smaller portions. Or at my son's nursery they let them ask for less if there is something they don't like so it is taken off their plate before they eat.

It isn't really teaching them good manners to pass around uneaten food off their plate after they have finished.

[Eskino]

I can't see anything wrong here tbh.

The children are all obviously sharing snotty potentially germy surfaces and toys anyway.