If your child is due to start going to a day care centre that doesn't provide meals, then you'll need to send them in with a lunch box every day. This can be tricky to start with. You'll have to get used to sticking to the centre's food rules as well as making sure that your child has food they want to eat.

What do you need to know?

1. You May Have to Provide Meals and Snacks

If your child will be in day care all day while you work, then lunch isn't necessarily going to be the only meal they have. You may also have to provide a tea-time meal for them and, in some cases, a couple of snack options.

This depends on the centre itself. Some provide fruit and veggie snacks for their children but don't provide any meals. However, other centres expect parents to provide all the food their child will eat during the day.  

So, check with your centre and ask how many meals and snacks you need to send in each day. They can also give you tips on what to put in your child's lunch box to keep it interesting.

2. You Have to Meet Healthy Eating Rules

Most day care centres promote healthy eating. As well as teaching your child about healthy and unhealthy foods, they also insist that any food or snacks you send in with your child meet certain standards.

So, for example, a centre may tell parents not to send their child in with chips, lollies, sugary drinks or chocolate. Don't think you can sneak this stuff in and nobody will notice. Staff will check what their children are eating, and your centre's rules may state that they can remove any unhealthy food and send it back home with your child at the end of the day.

If you need help choosing healthier options, ask the centre for advice. They can tell you what foods and snacks are and aren't acceptable.

3. Your Centre May Have Allergy Restrictions

Some day care centres have advisory recommendations on food and snacks that could pose problems for people with allergies. For example, a centre may ask you not to bring in anything that contains nuts as a general precaution.

However, if any of the children who currently attend the centre have specific allergies, then you may not be able to give your child foods that might make these children ill. So, for example, if a child has a serious allergic reaction to strawberries, you may be told not to include this fruit in your child's lunch box.

So, before you start meal planning, talk to your child's day care centre to find out about their food requirements and policies. For more information, contact a day care centre near you.