Guest Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 Can I heat up food for children...I think not! But a parent of a child who has several difficulties has just starting having lunches - he eats baby food which needs to be heated...I am worried that we are not allowed to do this...any help please would be appreciated..?
Inge Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 we never did, but in most cases it was home made food which parent wanted reheated.. usual reasons.. not knowing how it was made, how long ago, left out of fridge etc... and all the issues of what happens if they became ill because we had not reheated it correctly, or the care of the food before us it became contaminated... had it been a particular need which this appears to be, would risk assess and discuss my issues with the parent... work out a compromise... I am sure there are rules about heating to a certain temp and for a certain time etc... not sure if commercial baby food would be a safer option against the issues I had with home made
Rea Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 From what I remember food has to be kept below 5 degrees to keep bacteria dormant and heated to 72 degrees to kill off any bacteria. Between these bacteria breeds. I would only reheat if I could be sure of the inside tyemp of the food.
HappyMaz Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 Is it the sort of food that could be heated at home and brought to nursery in a thermos flask? Otherwise, as Rea says, you'd need to be very sure of the temperature before serving to the child. Maybe someone in a full day care setting can shed some light?
redjayne Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 we reheat food from home - both jars and homemade, the proviso with the home made is that it is stored in a fridge ,has to be heated to above 75 degrees and that we take no responsibility if the child becomes unwell as we have not cooked or prepared the food in setting, parents sign a disclaimer. For jars it's easier - as they are already cooked we just reheat to 75 - but only if it's a full/new jar - no half jars or ones with 'popped' seals accepted. A record is made of when heated and how high on chart in milk kitchen, and food is discarded after half an hour if not eaten.
redjayne Posted March 3, 2011 Posted March 3, 2011 forgot to add we use a food temp probe to check the internal /core temp Not very expensive but need special probe wipes to clean after every use
mps09 Posted March 4, 2011 Posted March 4, 2011 How nice that someone else has the same issues! We are a pre-school and offer a morning snack of fruit, bread sticks, etc. then a packed lunch provided by the parents. We recently had a parent ask if we could heat up dinners - and I said no as we are not registered to do so.... so then she turned up with a flask of soup - and just announced that this would be ok, wouldn't it? Didn't really leave me with a choice, so I accepted it but was not happy - and when we opened it at lunch, it was so hot she couldn't eat it straight away and then wanted me to blow on it for her! I told mum that I was not happy for even thermos food, because I still had to make a judgement on whether it was heated enough, but not too hot for the child to eat - as well as avoiding accidents if it was spilt over another child - and I'm not 'qualified' to do this. She argued that she wouldn't eat it up so much and she would take the responsibilty that it was of the right temperature - but as she's not there at lunchtime I would still ultimately be making that judgement.... She then argued that this was a health need as the child won't eat, and needs building up.... I stuck to my guns and I'm glad I did because the next morning she arrived eating a packet of quavers! Anyway our EYAT said that if our policy says we don't reheat food or provide hot food then that's what we do! It is a hard one though when you want to work with parents and accommodate their needs.
Guest Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Thanks for the replies - our child has many individual needs and has shop bought baby meals - they can be eaten hot or cold and when I expressed my concerns to the parent she said to give it a quick blast ? I think I need to consult the committee -
finleysmaid Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 if the food is baby food out of jars then you do not need to heat above 75 and then cool because you are using straight from the jar so bacteria should not be present as it is UHT treated...my feeling is if this is a need for this child then you could create a health care plan for them which would give specific instructions from mum and would be a signed agreement between you
Guest Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Thank you I have just devised a simple healthcare plan....bullet points to say what and how we will do this and a place for parents to sign...I have just emailed it to the parents...thank you for the idea finsleymaid..much appreciated..
finleysmaid Posted March 5, 2011 Posted March 5, 2011 Thank you I have just devised a simple healthcare plan....bullet points to say what and how we will do this and a place for parents to sign...I have just emailed it to the parents...thank you for the idea finsleymaid..much appreciated.. :( glad to be of help
Recommended Posts