MENU!

[jenni]

Hi everyone,

I am currently studing for cert 3. I do not work in a typical child care setting- I work at a privately operated 3 year old programme, so this assignment is a little tricky for me as we do not have meal times, only a fruit time. It has been a few years since i have worked in an centre.

I have to make a menu that covers 4 weeks for each of these age groups- one for babies, toddlers and Kindy age children.

Now i have been researching for 2 days straight and i am pretty desperate as i feel like im researching in circles!

The dietry Guildelines For Children and Adolescents In Australia is okay for using with the kindy menu but its hard to find anything to follow for the younger children.

I have been able to find plenty for kindy age children ( i am thinking to follow the eat right start right as i have found alot of that information online from South Australian websites) I think for the toddlers my menu will be very similar to the Kindy menu with a few changes where needed.

Its the babies menu i am struggling with. I am thinking smooth and chunky purees and rice cereal but i am unsure of what guidelines to follow such as which and how much of the 5 food groups need to be incoroprated into their foods.

So far i have decided on rice cereal or weetbix with formula or breast milk for mornng tea.
Vegetable puree for the younger babies for lunch- No ideas of chunky purees for the older babies.
Then for afternoon tea i was thinking a fruit puree and chunkier style for the bigger babies.
Also formula and breast milk through out the day.

Any ideas and suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Jenni

[rianne22]

for young babies you can farex and puree fruit together. lunch vegetable puree (can even puree chucky food) and for afternoon you can do yoghurt. you can place fruit in a sucky bag which the children can suck on and slightly chew on without getting big chucks. for afternoon tea you can do soft cake in small pieces.

[jenni]

Okay so here is a little bit of what ive come up with so far. I have used a template and recipies from the eat right start right pages i found which i will let my lecturer know. Here goes

Kindy
Morning tea- Fresh Fruit Cereal and Milk
Lunch- Tuna, Corn and potato Patties and Salad. Wholemeal bread. Milk and Water
A/noon tea- Pumpkin Scones. Fruit & Cheese. Milk

Toddlers
Morning Tea- Cereal and milk
Lunch- Tuna Corn and potato Patties and Salad & Wholemeal bread. Milk and Water
A/noon Tea- Pumpkin Scones. Stewed fruit and yoghurt

Babies
Morning tea- Rice cereal or weet bix mixed with formula or breast milk
Lunch- Vegetable puree(younger babies) Chunky Tuna and vegetable puree
A/noon tea- Fruit puree or Chunky stewed fruit puree

For the babies menu i have kept the morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea the same everday with rice cereal or weetbix for morning tea, a veg puree for lunch and a fruit puree for afternoon tea. For the bigger babies i have changed the lunch time chunky puree to be similar ingredients to the bigger children main ingrediets. so if they are having beef it will be beef and veg , chicken- chicken and veg etc.

So what do you think!

Jenni.

[Lorina]

Hey Jenni,

Your menu sounds tasty!

I went through my stash of Resources and found some more info on food and nutrition in early childhood. This explains the meals to provide each of the age groups you mentioned and so forth... It sounds as though you don't really need it but I'l give it to you anyway...

[attachment=0]food_nutrition_early_childhood.pdf[/attachment]
Hope This Helps!

Cheers ,
L.A

[jenni]

Thats great, Thank you