feel like I run a pretty good risk of sounding like a total b*&%$. This is not my intention and I'm so NOT one...well most of the time anyway ;-)
I just enrolled my 2.5 year old son in a great preschool that's like 30 seconds away from our house & am super excited for him! Here's my dilemma......in the past 6 months or so I started to only buy organic..everything. I've become really aware of what the ingredients list contains as well as the "Nutrition Facts" and pesticides, antibiotics, hormones & all that stuff. This is something that has become very very important to me..... So they obviously have snack time while he is there...he's going for 3 hours Tuesdays & Thursdays. I know that 1 snack twice a week won't hurt him, but I just work so hard to make sure everything I buy is organic or if not has like 3 ingredients in it...and I know what they actually are. On the other hand I don't want to sound like "that mother" who's like "my child isn't allowed to eat that because it's not organic" or "that's not good enough for MY child" So my child is the only one who is eating something different?! That sucks! I would NEVER want anyone to think that that is what I meant. But...the isle I pass buy in Walmart with all the snacks in bulk just makes me cringe at the thought of what's in them. I guess I just want to hear your thoughts about this. I'm all conflicted over this!! Thanks sooo much!!
~T.~
Thank you thank you!!!!!!!! I totally agree with all of you & you made me feel so so much better!! Wow..that mini drama only lasted about 10 minutes ;-) Thanks again ladies!
~T.
As long as you feed him well at home I don't think you need to sweat it. Yes, in preschool if you ask politely to have him eat the snack you bring it will be fine.
Bear in mind though that as he gets older you will be faced with birthday parties, grandparents, sports team snacks, trading at school and so on, and you will have to let go a little bit.
This issue is going to continue on. They still do snack time in K, 1, and 2nd (don't know above that, my oldest is in 2nd). You either have to decide to bring in special snacks just for your child (like the moms of the gluten free kids do) or let them have that one snack a day that is less than perfect.
This might make you feel better... I was dropping my daughter off at preschool today and a little girl was sitting at the table drinking an icee, like the kind of slushie ones you can buy at a gas station... I asked "is that her breakfast?" and the teacher replied "you would be suprized what some children have for breakfast".... really!?! At my home like yours we buy organic right down to the shampoo... I send in our own snacks, but when she comes home with cheeto orange fingers and lips I dont say anything, she will be ok :)
I think that your son will get use to " His " snacks and everyone will adjust that it is different. I don't see a problem. People or kids who have a celiac issue or a diabitic issue all have to have different snacks.......it is what it is. Send him mostly what you want him to eat and then he can have what others eat once in a while.......... and of coarse it they school wants him to bring snack, that can be a treat for him. IDK. I just don't see an issue . It should be fine and everyone will understand.
In my honest opinion he will grow up just fine eating what everyone else in the world is eating. I know that organic is healthier but we cannot afford to buy it so we will make do with the same old stuff.
You will need to work through this as he gets older, he will be eating lunch and his little friends are going to be making fun of him if he is eating differently.
You can try to send his own healthy snacks, but as my 4 yr old has been telling me, the kids in his pre-K class who bring their own snacks oftentimes end up trading with other kids anyways. :) Haha, thinking back, I always ended up trading my Little Debbie snacks for my friend's diced peaches :) Bet her mom STILL doesn't know that from 2nd-8th grade, her daughter NEVER ate a single fruit cup but DID get double desserts :) Just something to keep in mind.
My grandson was in an in home daycare and there was a baby whose mother brought organic food for him. The care taker did react as you suspected one might. She thought it was a bit of a hassle and a bit silly but she did feed it to him.
It wasn't a problem with other kids noticing he was different maybe because he was a toddler and the other kids were preschoolers.
This caretaker provided healthy snacks. She was licensed thru the state and thus was required to provide healthy snacks. She had to file a report listing what she'd given them. She gave them crackers, fruits and veggies tho not organic ones.
If it's important to you that he eat organic, talk with the caretaker and ask what she thinks of it if you bring his snacks. You could bring something similar to what she serves.
It's a sign of the times...we never had anything organic....and we survived just fine...let him eat the snacks at school and don't get obcessed.
As long as you ask the teacher or director politely, They will be more than willing to acomodate you. when you go in on a high horse and demand everyone bow to your demands that's when they call you names behind your back, if you approach it the way i "hear' you in this post you'll be fine wether you pack his own snacks or decide to let him eat or not what is served. Who knows if you state your feelings nicely enough you may get them thinking about switching to at least healthier snacks eventually.
