Dear parents/Carers,

If your child attends an afternoon session at preschool you will need to provide them with a packed lunch.

Please use the following guidelines when deciding what to include in your child’s lunch.

•  Aim for age appropriate portions, e.g. one small sandwich or a small pot of pasta etc. 
• Include one or two portions of fruit and veg.
• cut food into shapes that prevent choking, such as cutting small round foods like grapes into quarters lengthways and cutting firm vegetables and meats into narrow strips.

• Avoid specific choking hazards: Do not give whole nuts, whole seeds, or popcorn to children under five. Hard sweets and marshmallows are also a risk.

• Remove skins and bones: Peeling the skin off sausages and removing bones from fish and meat helps prevent choking.

• DO NOT INCLUDE NUTS, PEANUT BUTTER, HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE SPREAD, BISCUITS OR CAKES CONTAINING CHUNKS OF NUTS. WE MAY HAVE CHILDREN ATTENDING PRESCHOOL WHO HAVE A NUT ALLERGY.
• No sweets 
• ONE treat such as a small biscuit, yoghurt or a few crisps could be included- please don’t send lots of sugary or fatty snacks
• We provide milk or water. We do not recommend you send sugary drinks for your child.

THE PRESCHOOL TEAM ARE SHARING THIS ADVICE WITH YOU IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE GUIDELINES, WHICH REQUIRE US TO ACTIVELY PROMOTE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE.

IN ORDER TO PREPARE CHILDREN FOR SCHOOL WE WILL BE ENCOURAGING AND SUPPORTING CHILDREN TO EAT THEIR PACKED LUNCHES INDEPENDENTLY E.G. OPENING PACKAGING BY THEMSELVES.

https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes/