Parents of older babies in daycare - what do you send for them to eat?

Question

This stems from one of my contact's questions (you got my mind rolling today Dragonfly!)

If your baby is "older" - 8 months and older I guess - and they can self feed and enjoy finger foods, but aren't old enough to eat the lunch that daycare provides, what do you send for them to eat? My daughter is 9.5 months old and loves finger foods. There's really not anything that she's turned down, and she self feeds well. However, she can't have the breakfast/lunch that daycare provides until she is one. Dumb DCS rules. Anywho, she doesn't really care for jarred foods much, so what should I send for her to eat? Should I send cut up veggies and fruits and stuff like that? Cheese and bread? Little toddler meals? A lot of these are things she's eating at home. Any ideas?

Answer 1

You're welcome. :) lol! I feel like the biggest idiot, but I guess that goes with being a first time mom. :P



I was sending purees until a few weeks ago, then I started cutting up carrots into small bite size pieces, but I think they were still feeding them to her with a spoon rather than letting her feed herself. I now found some organic mixture baby foods in these pouches that I've been sending with her. It's fun things like carrots and apples or something and butternut squash, and yummy sweet potatoes...but she loves them. Guess I'll keep doing that for a little while until I figure something else out that will be better.



Add: I know, I guess we have to learn as we go huh? And it's different with every kid too, so what worked for the first may not work for the next. :)

Answer 2

Aubree still eats a lot of the jarred baby foods so maybe I shouldn't answer. I send 4 jars of veggies and 5 jars of fruit per week. I also send one container of the Gerber Graduates Ravioli pick-ups, a container of puffs + a package of yogurt melts. The sitter provides cherrios since some of the other little ones eat those.

Answer 3

My 11 month old is in daycare and he too loves most finger foods. Basically,whatever she's eating at home and what is most convenient for you is what you can send :) My son's in love with any type of berries(strawberry,blueberry and raspberry,etc) so I almost always pack him some of those. For the rest of the meal, it just depends on the day. Today his lunch was cut up strawberries and mac n' cheese.

Answer 4

Our daycare did allow them to have some table food before age one. I'd send cheerios or graduates, maybe try those diced carrots and fruits they have in the jar, applesauce. Oh yeah, definitely cheese or toast. I guess anything she could handle that was easy to transport.

Your add'l detail gives me hope that maybe my daughter will be more of an eater than my picky son!

Answer 5

if she is eating really well already what about those gerber graduates meals?