not supported - Food and Nutrition

At Tiny Acorns Nursery we think it is essential to provide nutritious, wholesome food for the children in our care.

Our menus include a morning snack, cooked lunch and afternoon tea and each daily menu is designed to incorporate fresh fruit, vegetables, and meals that are balanced and tasty. Our food is prepared in-house from scratch using low-salt, low-sugar recipes and high quality ingredients.

All the children participate in group eating times, where we promote:

Physical development - cutlery control and taking your own portions of food
Personal and social development - time to talk and share
Numeracy - counting and laying the table
Language development - reading your name on placemats
Knowledge and understanding of the world - where the food comes from
The older children are encouraged to take their own portions during afternoon tea

Every child has an individually labelled beaker or cup that is filled with fresh water at the start of the day and placed within reach so that they can take a drink whenever they want one, with staff encouraging them to drink plenty of water throughout the day.

We have built several planting boxes in our garden and the children get the opportunity to spend time with Phillip, our outdoor learning leader, who comes in regularly to teach the children about planting vegetables, flowers and fruits. The children often plant their own individual pots in advance of key dates and then give them as gifts for e.g. Mother’s/ Father’s day,

Babies and weaning
Babies in our care are fed with the breast milk or formula milk provided by their parents. Their mealtimes are dictated by their routine at home. Weaning onto solid foods is always done in consultation with the parents. We feed a variety of pureed food, and only introduce new ingredients once you have tried them at home. We tell you what your child has eaten and how much, keeping to the routine they have at home.

Catering for special diets
Our nursery can cater for dietary preferences and for children with food allergies and intolerances. Please ensure you make us aware of any requirements via your child’s entry profile or as they arise. All children with allergies are noted on our allergy sheets which all staff have to read and sign every two months and which are prominently displayed in the kitchen. Suzanne, our kitchen manager, knows and understands the special food requirements of all of our children with allergies and regularly prepares individual meals for children as required.