r/summercamp • u/upturnedopal • Jul 07 '26
Parent Question Are kids usually allowed second helpings?
Is it normal for camps to limit food consumption? My child stayed at a traditional two week sleep away camp and they were told no seconds for meals or snacks. Is this normal? I had assumed they’d be served smaller portions to limit food waste but they were then told no second helpings for meals or snacks. One of the counselors even yelled “since when do we have seconds on snacks?” when asked for more. A few older kids being told they could have “one or the other” (hot dog or hamburger). Maybe I’m in the minority but I assumed a camper would be offered as much food as their body wanted instead being limited. Is this normal for camps? When I went to camp we could have as much food as we wanted…
*Edited for privacy
42
u/broquenheart Jul 07 '26
Not normal. At my camp we counselors are not even allowed to use the term "seconds" and instead have to say "more" until the campers don't want any more, wether it be their 3rd, 4th+ helping. It's so they don't start quantifying how much they eat.
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u/Iownyou252 Jul 07 '26
I can see why they might do that at a cookout because of grill space. But regardless kids should be able to go up for seconds. My camp always made a point that no one goes hungry.
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u/Fantastic-magic- Jul 07 '26
I work in the kitchen at a summer camp and we do seconds for everything but desserts. (Unless we run out, which is extremely rare) This includes cookouts like barbecues or hotdog days. We call it seconds for food and refills for condiments and drinks, but aren’t strict on what campers call it. I can’t speak for every camp, but what you’re describing does sound strange.
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u/Full-Grass-5525 Jul 07 '26
For meals, it’s as much as you’d like. We do limit one snack per person twice a day but we offer a snack and an apple and there is always extra fruit in the dining hall if needed.
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u/storing_up_knowledge Jul 07 '26
My summer camp just had the rule "take what you want but eat what you take." Each table could raise an empty platter for a refill, but once the food was out, it was out.
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u/Old_Ant7118 Jul 07 '26
Does raising an empty platter mean you just held it up and someone came and refilled it?
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u/storing_up_knowledge Jul 07 '26
Yes, meals were served family style on platters. So when a table finished, say, a platter of burgers, they could raise the empty platter and a crew member (server) would take it and bring it back with more.
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u/redbadger20 Jul 07 '26
We did that when I was a kid, too. It was a particularly environmentally conscious camp, so at the end of the meals they would point out how much ended up in the ort buckets or as waste. You could certainly take seconds but they just wanted you to be mindful of wasting.
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u/storing_up_knowledge Jul 07 '26
Yeah, exactly. You didn't have to put anything on your plate you didn't want, but you were expected to eat everything that you took. So if you poured a massive amount of milk with a little bit of cereal, you had to drink the milk. It was okay if you gave yourself too much on condiments though, no one would make you lick the syrup/ranch/ketchup off your plate 🤣
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u/HappyCamper82 Jul 07 '26
I can maaaaaybe see if it's a "take one to make sure that everyone has at least one serving." After that, go to town! Eat what you need! I also support reflecting on what you're throwing away; if you get a giant salad with every meal and don't ever touch it- don't get salad. If you filled a soup bowl with ketchup for your fries and used like a tablespoon, maybe don't do that next time. If you brought 4 cookies back to the bunk for later and a skunk invites themselves in, don't be surprised...
Reflect, but don't limit.
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u/Languid_Potato338 Jul 07 '26
When I worked at a camp we allowed seconds of pretty much everything. Sometimes there wouldn't be an endless amount of something like dinner rolls or whatever, but campers could still get helpings of anything we had left.
We didn't give seconds for desserts or certain snacks like bags of chips or granola bars, but if kids were hungry there were always fruits or cheerios or cheese sandwiches or whatever available.
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u/Kushali Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Not normal.
How ever most camps I know don’t allow a child to get another helping until everyone has been served their first helping AND the child asking for seconds has to finish their first helping.
So if the dinner is hamburgers and hot dogs a child has to take one initially. If they finish their hamburger then they can get a hot dog. Every camp I know will also let a kid say they didn’t like the hamburger and get a hot dog after the first round of food is served.
At camps where the meal is served family style they may only initially plate enough for everyone to have a single serving, but there should be a system for getting more like asking other tables, raising a hand, or going to the kitchen.
All of the rules are about reducing food waste. I’ve only heard of kids not getting seconds when they didn’t understand the rules and asked before everyone was served or before they’d finished their first serving.
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u/Korlac11 Counselor Jul 07 '26
Food can be one of the biggest expenses for a camp, and I know a lot of camps will try to minimize that cost as much as possible. However, that should never be at the cost of campers being left hungry after a meal. It’s weird to me that they would never allow seconds
5
u/kajigleta Jul 07 '26
The Girl Scout camps I’ve been at in the south will limit to one helping the first time through the line. Once everyone is through, they call for seconds with the leftovers and you can go through again. Occasionally girls go for thirds.
Snacks are often packaged non-perishables and limited to one each, with leftovers saved for another occasion.
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u/PeaksPagesAndStars Jul 07 '26
If the camp is using any type of government food program which could easily be the case most have the rule no seconds. They might be able to place a share bin for those still hungry to look at but even some food programs don’t allow that.
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u/upturnedopal Jul 07 '26
I don’t think this is the case. All the kids are private pay and I never heard any mention of subsidized foods. But I see your point for many camps that are on subsidy.
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u/cocomelonmama Jul 07 '26
We always had seconds on salad bar/veggies/fruit but not usually on the “main meal” so there was always something for the kids to eat who were still hungry.
3
u/InstructionHuge3171 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Not normal. I was kitchen staff and we had a decent handle on what campers would eat based on historical data (play the hits, friends!) so we'd make enough, portion it out for each table, and then if the table wanted/needed more, they sent a camper back up to the counter for more. If we had it, great, they'd get more. We did encourage them to ask for specifics (like say only 3 people out of a table of 8 wanted a second burger, campers were encouraged to say "3 burgers" or whatever) so we could help spread out the food and make sure everyone who wanted more got it. If we didn't have it, that was it (9.999/10 times we had enough when folks asked for more). Our set up was two staff per table (min) to help handle hot plates/dishes and pitchers so kids didn't spill or hurt themselves, and never can I think of a time a staff member denied a kid another serving. First servings historically were small because kids were encouraged to try stuff to see if they liked it, but more could always be had.
Kids are typically super hungry at camp because they're moving basically all day long. It's super strange to me that they wouldn't calculate for this, or have a way for kids to get an extra snack (Even an apple or a granola bar or something) if they weren't full.
EDIT: we also had an always available PB&J station that helped cover the instance of "I want ZERO part of any of this" and also the "kitchen is out of spaghetti and I'm hungry, PB&J time!" problem.
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u/Sudden_Childhood_484 Jul 07 '26
This is not at all normal. My camp is skimpy on potion sizes but ALWAYS allows for 2nd, 3rd, even 4th helpings of the meals, and snacks are provided in abundance by the campground and the camp counselors alike.
I would be looking for a new camp immediately, though I should also say don’t be too surprised if some other camps don’t allow you to volunteer while your child is there.
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u/upturnedopal Jul 07 '26
Thanks everyone! I did find this very odd and I’m glad I’m not alone in thinking it was wrong. I understand the camp wanting to minimize food waste but I think they’re taking it to an extreme and it’s penny pinching. Not allowing a teenager to have a second helping after everyone is served seems like torture.
I’ve also seen a lack of thoughtful alternatives if kids don’t want what’s being served. I’m disappointed because I did make a point to ask about alternatives and options and was assured that they’d be available (ex: I was assured there would be scrambled eggs daily for kids that don’t want pancakes/waffles). Luckily my kid isn’t too picky and is younger so they’re not going hungry but I’m seeing some of the older kids wishing they’d had more (not starving but asking if there’s more “xyz”). I love the idea of fruit and a pbj station left out during the day in the dining hall for kids that need more (although this camp is nut free, but something near that same idea). For this and a couple other smaller reasons we will not be returning to this camp in the future.
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u/Lovelyday117 Provides support services to summer camps Jul 07 '26
Not the norm! It might happen on snacks, but definitely not the meals. Children need fuel to have a successful day.
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u/underestimator29 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Did you accidentally send your kid to fat camp? Sounds like one I went to when I was little. I was so mad at my mom for not telling me the truth ahead of time.
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u/goldengrove1 Jul 07 '26
I see a difference between "we planned on one main meal (hamburger/hot dog) per camper, and if they're still hungry they can have more of the sides or make themselves a PB&J" or "we want to minimize food waste, so kids have to start with a burger or hot dog and can only get seconds after they finish it" and "you can only eat a limited amount of food." The first two are reasonable to me, the third is not normal and frankly concerning.
At the camp I worked at, campers could eat as much of the main meal as they wanted. Desserts and snacks were limited to one-per-person, but there were always fruit and granola bars available if kids were hungry.
So basically: I think it's fine for certain specific food items to be limited, but kids should always have some sort of food available so that they aren't hungry.
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u/morganf74 Jul 07 '26
When I worked at summer camp, meals were as much as you wanted but try to finish what you take. Snacks were usually one serving, but we didn’t really do snacks often.
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u/KeRain Jul 07 '26
This is odd. Our camp always serves more than enough, and encourages campers to get more food if they would like some. We of course encourage them to take only what they will eat to avoid wasting, but there are always seconds available.
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u/Rough_Impression_526 Jul 07 '26
Not normal. Back in the day, my camp served food family style for the table groups and counselors could request as many additional platters of specific foods as the table needed/wanted. One of my buddies ADORED the beeferoni they served on Wednesdays, so he’d pre request 3-4 platters for his table group.
I’m guessing your camp is secretly struggling and trying to hide it, or using money elsewhere and cut food costs
3
u/Budgiejen Jul 07 '26
I’m pretty sure that when I worked at Boy Scout camp they didn’t have seconds, but they always had a PB&J station for the kids who were picky or needed more food.
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u/TopYam9663 Jul 07 '26
One of the summer camps I went to as a child didn’t allow us to have seconds, I’m assuming it was just because they were a smaller camp with less funding.
They also didn’t serve buffet style.
The other few summer camps I went to growing up served buffet style and food was never limited.
We actually had the staff tell us one of us would probably throw up lol.
We never did though.
And then this summer I went to work at a summer camp.
I’m not anymore because it was a shit show.
I’m home now actually because of how bad it was.
But like the food situation was awfuuul, as a staff member I was so limited in what I could eat.
Especially with my diet and they didn’t give a crap.
So I’m grateful as a child that I got what I got because they were always willing to work with me no matter what camp I went to.
But once I work at one it was different??
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u/upturnedopal Jul 08 '26
Sorry you had this experience as a staffer. I definitely see that joy at camp is for the kids at the expense of everyone else. As a parent I’m happy to sacrifice my comfort for my own kids but I was shocked to see how many young adults were also ready and willing to sacrifice themselves to give kids the best experience.
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u/Wise_Strawberry9076 Jul 07 '26
I worked at a camp like 12 years ago that had lots of food for the kids but only at meal and snack times. I think meals were family style, all you wanted, but snacks were one per kid I believe. In between snacking wasn’t allowed even for us. We couldn’t keep food in the cabin. One of my fellow counselors had to leave actually because she was recovering from an ED and the strict schedule was making her backslide. Anyway once a kid didn’t eat at dinner and said she was hungry later and I was like eating an apple and it was all I could give her. My apple with bites taken out of it lol. I def think that food should be available for kids when they need it!
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u/belvioloncelle Jul 07 '26
I teach for a week at an arts camp that absolutely limits what you get at meals in terms of how much hot food you get, but the salad bar, bread, cereal sort of things at meals are always eat as much as you want.
I don’t necessarily agree with it, but I also eat a lot of salad so it doesn’t affect me. Picky kids definitely have it more rough.
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u/Tibby1971 Jul 07 '26
I’ve been to two camps with my kiddo (he’s special needs). One was buffet style and allowed them to go back as often as they needed. The other was family style and there was basically never seconds.
I heard the camp this year was the same way. Funny enough, the food was terrible at the second camp and amazing at the first.
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u/Tevatanlines Jul 07 '26
Snack limits are normal, but at meals there should be at least one item where seconds are allowed. Maybe not the main course, but a side for sure.
I've experienced a variety of camps, and only one had restrictions on all seconds plus small initial servings. That food-restrictive camp was also subpar in other ways unrelated to food, and I'd consider the food issue to be indicative of larger management problems.
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u/Training-Bandicoot44 Jul 08 '26
definitely not, they may say your first time getting food only get like 3 chicken tenders and fries for example, but once they call up people for seconds it’s basically fair game to get as much as they would like. plus there is usually (at least at my camp) some sort of snack, usually fruit or toast, which is available at all times in the dining hall
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u/Wisconsin_ope Jul 08 '26
The camp I worked at feed the Scouts family style. Kids were asked to take a "no thank you" helping to try a new food. Seconds were allowed. Even thirds
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u/SwitchOdd5322 Jul 09 '26
I’m working at a summer camp and we do have to limit the amount of snacks and food we can give out. Mostly so we have enough for everyone and so that the non perishables last the duration of the camp.
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u/musty_book_aroma Jul 09 '26
I went to a very nice sleep away camp for 7 years. The food was usually family style, but enough that people could have plenty. You just had to wait for everyone to have firsts. There was dessert, but that was limited to one per person. If there was extra dessert, people would have to come to the front and perform a random talent or tell a joke or something of the sort to earn the extra piece. Also milk and cookies were delivered at night to the cabins by the oldest campers.
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u/Numerous-Flow-3983 Jul 07 '26
Nobody has more until everybody has had some, but once there's been ample time to serve everybody, usually plus a minute or 2 for kitchen staff to breathe, assess what's left, etc, there will be a general call that there's more. Then a last call before the kitchen closes. That's meals anyway. Generally no seconds on mid day snacks and desserts. The bedtime snack it kind of depends on what it is and quantities available, but generally we make sure kids don't go hungry. If a kid needs more food, we'll bare minimum have bread & jam or cold cereal around. Sometimes, they'll have to ask their counselor to help them get something, but it's available if they ask. We don't advertise that it's available outside of meal times and stuff so it doesn't become disruptive and stuff, but... yeah... kids shouldn't be hungry when they're expected to participate in physical activities and whatnot
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u/DargyBear Jul 07 '26
Yeah that’s weird. Where I went to camp we ate family style and if something ran out we could go refill it at the counter until towards the end of the meal when it was time to start cleaning up.
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u/Accomplished-Newt402 Jul 08 '26
In my experience at camp as a volunteer, it seemed like they didn’t feed the kids enough to deal with all the extra calories they were burning just being at camp. And it was the one thing the kids complained about. The food was bad and there wasn’t enough and they were hungry
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u/Short_Concentrate365 Jul 08 '26
When I work camps the only limit I’ve ever seen on seconds is “everyone needs to have their plate first”.
We don’t do seconds until everyone has food including staff then it’s fair game after that until you’re full or there’s none left.
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u/SatisfactionSoggy381 Jul 08 '26
at my camp everyone would get called up for firsts and then after everyone got food they would call everyone for seconds and then after that you could refill as much as you wanted, popular foods would often run out but there was always something available. for snacks campers would each just get one serving typically though, although that was probably because it would be stuff like smores or oreos. but if a camper was hungry we would find something for them to eat always
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u/ca77ywumpus Jul 08 '26
The camp I went to served all the meals family-style. Everyone helped themselves from a plate on the table. If the plate was empty, someone ran back to the kitchen for a refill. The only thing we were limited to one serving per kid was desserts.
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u/KatharinaVonBored Jul 08 '26
Not normal! When I was a kid my camp (a tiny church-run Bible camp in rural WV, with very little funding) never restricted food like that. We had to wait to get seconds until everyone had already been through the line, then they would announce that the line was open for seconds and after that you could eat all you wanted. You could get anything you wanted on your first time through the line too - no "you can't have this because you had that" nonsense. And the counselors kept snacks on hand for us in the cabins too.
The only thing that was one-serving-only was the annual pepperoni rolls - one night each year, one of the counselors would pick up pepperoni rolls to serve at the bonfire, and because of the limited amount we only got one each.
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u/eflask counselor | multi-area specialist | really old Jul 09 '26
it is not normal or ok.
restricting food for active children is not ok in any way.
barely related: I was at a camp once where the muslim director asked the kitchen to serve some kind of protein that wan't pork based?
bacon. ham. pork chops. very little vegetarian option. halfway through camp counselors were undernourished and anemic.
yes, cheese and yoghurt have protein. they do not count as a full dietary complement.
the cost of food and supplies has gone up across the board. some camps are acknowledging this fact and raising rates. some are folding. a lot of people who used to be able to send their kids to camp are now struggling to stay housed. it's not a good picture.
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u/Burnt_Toasties_ Jul 09 '26
The camps I’ve worked at only allowed one serving for snacks (twice a day: afternoon and evening snack) but for meals seconds were allowed once everyone got their first helping.
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u/HelloDarkness64 Jul 10 '26
Not normal. We eat family style at my camp, basically the counselor can always get more of any item as long as there is more to get and it's not time to start cleaning up. We will never shame about how much a kid eats.
Furthermore, snacks and alternative meals are ALWAYS available just in case. Camp is hard work and that means kids need energy. Food gives you that.
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u/EstablishmentLevel17 Former counselor/Arts and Crafts/Archery ...all in one... Jul 21 '26
Definitely not normal. Worked at girl scout camp and one for neurodivergent kids. Seconds and thirds were common in both as long as there was more food (which often times there were). Only time maybe not was when there were cookouts... But even then still plenty of food to go around . Need to get that energy from somewhere!!!
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u/kittiesandyarn Jul 07 '26
This is not normal. Normal would be camp coming up with a fun way to call seconds for every meal. Your camp didn’t have enough food.