cupcakes in school... - Big Big Forums

sahmsfreeb · 09-14-2004, 11:41 PM

hi i am doing a bit of unoffical research...i need to know some views pro and con to cupcakes in school for birthdays. flames(not to each other but to me) and opinions needed (seriously! well dont break any rules... i dont want you banned or me for that matter! LOL!!

)as i will be going into a meeting this week dealing with the removal of cupcakes for birthdays due to overwieght children and allergies.
i need to know what i will hear at the meeting which will be a heated meeting.
i need to know what will be said on the pro and con sides so i know how to handle myself... by being prepared...

TIA!

bell_peaches · 09-14-2004, 11:45 PM

I always made cup cakes for my kids the easiest ones were when you put the cake batter right into Icecream cones you did not need to fuss with the paper cups or nothing like that. I know some religions don't allow some kids to participate but most to all kids do.

cpbaby · 09-14-2004, 11:51 PM

In the grade school here, we are only allowed to bring prepackaged foods/snacks for the children because of the allergy problems. They had a child almost die because there was a bare trace of peanuts/peanut butter in something brought from home one time. I can see WHY thats a rule, but it is very sad that it had to come to this. It was always a point of pride for my sons when I brought cupcakes/cookies that were specially decorated just for their b-days.

I wanted to add that I dont think its the schools place to say whether an overweight child can have a cupcake or not. In the greater scheme of things,the ONE cupcake isnt the problem and the school isnt the "food police " for that child. My youngest son is "overweight" for his age/height, but if I say he can have a cupcake, the school has NO BUSINESS saying he cant.

As a matter of fact, what are they going to do, start sending every child to the school nurse for a weight check before allowing them treats? Who is to say that a child who is a few pounds(or more) overweight for their height now will still be in ten years? Or the other way around? What if a skinny child who has the cupcake now gets "the taste for sugar" and then starts eating and eating and becomes fat BECAUSE of the cupcake? Also, do they not think that saying "We cant have cupcakes at our school because of the overweight children who cant control themselves"(Ok, that last part is more implied than anything) wont cause the poor overweight children to be teased and blamed for everyone not getting the cupcakes? Bullies pick on overweight children anyway, why give them MORE ammunition?

AND, the occaisional cupckae/treat isnt as much of a problem as the fairly un-nutritious lunches the school serve. Its amazing what my child gets to eat-Some days he gets spaghetti w/sauce, garlic bread, and a dessert. Thats not exactly healthy, to be honest. LOTS of carbs and sugar there and no veggies.

Im going to bed, but if I think of more things, I WILL be back. This issue irratates me more than I thought at first.

halvarado · 09-14-2004, 11:56 PM

our school has said that only store bought items are allowed. i am totally ok with that for a variety of reasons.
1-allergies
2-overweight children-and by that i don't mean that i think one cupcake will change a child's life, i just have a problem with food being needed to celebrate every single thing YK?
3-who knows if the ppl making them are clean, i mean, that is how a lot of diseases are spread, so i am glad that they are banning them for that reason, too
4-it really does hype the kids up a lot and i just don't think kids need sugar for every single celebration

JMHO

kelly12569 · 09-15-2004, 12:19 AM

well... I am one of those mothers who bakes cupcakes and takes them into school. but I am aware that there are children out there with food allergies, etc so I always try to take 2 different treats and the children can chose which they want/can have.

I dont think the school should be allowed to tell a child they cant have a cupcake because they are over weight. They are not that child's parents. If the parent doesnt want the child to have something then they need to notify the school in which case an alternate treat should be allowed, even if it is something like a sugar free treat, pencil, stickers, etc.

I would GO OFF if someone at a school told my child they couldnt have a cupcake because of their weight!!

If its not one thing at a school to bicker over its something else. Is there nothing else to have a meeting over other than taking away cupcake treats?? Sorry, but you wanted honesty and Im sure Im not the only one thinking this.

** although making the rule that they need to be store bought only would obviously be appropriate for health/sanitary reasons

And our school does have the individually wrapped policy but they do let things like cupcakes, potlucks, etc slide with alot of the parent connection activities

Jolie Rouge · 09-15-2004, 12:21 AM

I make muffins instead of cupcakes -- glazed instead of iced and I use mini bunt pans ( or metal Jello molds ) to make them festive & special. It is easier on me then iced cupcakes and healthier for the kids.

We had a parent with a child who was highly allergic -- she was pro-active and made up a pamplet type cookbook with carefully researched recipes that accomadated her child's food allergies. She passed them out to all the parents at the parents meeting prior to the beginning of school and left copies with the teacher to pass out to anyone whom was interested.

Kids enjoy little treats but it doesn't need to be junk food to be tasty. I also send "trinkets", stickers, and pencils to my childrens' teachers instead of candy for rewards.

Airbuswife · 09-15-2004, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kelly12569

well... I am one of those mothers who bakes cupcakes and takes them into school. but I am aware that there are children out there with food allergies, etc so I always try to take 2 different treats and the children can chose which they want/can have.

I dont think the school should be allowed to tell a child they cant have a cupcake because they are over weight. They are not that child's parents. If the parent doesnt want the child to have something then they need to notify the school in which case an alternate treat should be allowed, even if it is something like a sugar free treat, pencil, stickers, etc.

I would GO OFF if someone at a school told my child they couldnt have a cupcake because of their weight!!

If its not one thing at a school to bicker over its something else. Is there nothing else to have a meeting over other than taking away cupcake treats?? Sorry, but you wanted honesty and Im sure Im not the only one thinking this.

** although making the rule that they need to be store bought only would obviously be appropriate for health/sanitary reasons

And our school does have the individually wrapped policy but they do let things like cupcakes, potlucks, etc slide with alot of the parent connection activities

You said it all better than i could have... thanks!...

mimi37 · 09-15-2004, 12:30 AM

When my kids were in elemetary school, parents were notified if there were any children in the class that had any kind of food allergies. We were informed that if our children brought in a treat, they had to also bring in something that was appropriate for the child with the allergy. Not that I wouldn't have done that anyway. Peanut butter was banned in my daughter's class. There was a girl that was very allergic to peanut butter. Even if she smelled it, she couldn't breathe. So no one in my daughter's class was permitted to bring any food to school that had peanut butter in it.

twinkiesmom · 09-15-2004, 01:17 AM

Ok, here's my only problem w/the cupcake issue. Birthdays, when the treat is for sure going to ate at the school, I have no problem. It's the Halloween parties, Valentine parties etc, where the kids are getting more than one treat so most need to go home. Someone always seems to hafta bring in cupcakes. Well those are the treats that usually end up coming home and getting all mashed up anyway, so those always hit the wastebasket. Even if they're brought or put in sandwich bags, by the time the kids get em home, they're mush. So all u cupcake moms . . . . . if it's the only treat the kids will get at the time . . . . . knock yourselves out making em. But please don't bring em to the school when there are other treats also. Your hard work will be thrown in the trash. I know the teachers have a real big issue on these too. Cuz then it's them that needs to make sure each of the kids has em in a bag so the frosting don't get other things messed up, etc. That's something a teacher of 27 kids don't want to fuss with by bagging up your treats.

suziebee20 · 09-15-2004, 01:19 AM

It's not like the kids are having cupcakes everyday so I don't see why they would be banned due to the weight thing. My friend Sarah has a really bad nut allergy and she knows how to deal with it- never share food with others unless you know it doesn't have nuts in it. She still takes her chances though- we made a gingerbread house for Christmas and she had M&Ms on it. On the bag it says "May contain traces of nuts" after eating them for years she finally found some that did and ended up swollen and puffed up, sent to the hospital in an ambulance the night before her birthday!

I never got to take cupcakes to school, my birthday is during winter break.

DivineMsDi · 09-15-2004, 08:12 AM

Kids had allergies when we were young too....

What the heck (want to use stronger language here) is going on with schools today? Every year the kids are expected to be more and more like little adults. Being "PC" is now the way to dictate policy...(this one has allergies, that one has some other disease, this kid is some religion and not allowed to have xyz...and so on).

I say bring on the cupcakes, cookies, whatever the moms want to make! Kids like to feel special and they should be allowed to spend a few minutes, especially in the younger grades, by sharing treats.

I am sorry about kids with "weight" issues but this is not a basis to ban treats for everyone else.

Last year it was my son's birthday over Spring Break. The week before I brought in homemade cookies. I am sorry if someone is not allowed to eat chocolate...but my son wanted to celebrate his b/d with kids (he needs it for his self esteem).

When I was a preschool teacher, we had a few kids who could not have certain treats, so we kept other special ones for them when kids brought in chocolate or peanuts or whatever...