Daycare PA confussion-need any kind of Advice

When the school/teacher asked for this list, I told them that I could not give them one. I explained how lables/manufacturing of a product can change daily. They did not realize this and they also did not realize that labeling for allergens was not a law yet. I only supply the snacks and I supply them for the entire class.

The principle was nice enough to check with PTO to see if they would reimburse me for the snacks every month. They do this for the pre school classes anyway. I did not request this, she just didn't want me to go broke to feed these kids.

My child does have touch,smell,taste reaction and would get sick if someone was eating lets say..snickers next to him. Sorry, I don't know what is in a milky way.

If the rooms/school is peanut free and they know they have to read the labels, I do not know why they are asking for a list. The above is my exp., but they are also not allowed to eat in the classroom except the snack that I provide.

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Renee asthma/EnA
Quinton: PA/TNA/Soy/EnA/Severe Asthma/whole egg/onion/cocoa bean/chicken/turkey/string beans/potato
Mykiaja: EnA/asthma
Taylor: EnA/asthma

DD (entering second grade) is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, dairy and egg. Our solution is that she NEVER eats or drinks anything unless it comes from home. This requires some extra planning and preparation but the peace of mind is worth it. We don't worry too much about what the other kids are eating because our school is peanut-free and DD would never accept food or drink from anyone else. She did not go to preschool because we felt it would be too risky.

Thanks for replying so fast! Sorry I am so long winded.

My daugthers teacher seems to be concerned that she will feel like an outcast because the other kids can eat foods at the party that she cannot. I just don't get the concern. As long as my child has this Peanut allergy she will never fit into the "norm", she will never be able to eat without reading labels or asking an adult to read the labels. I am a Celiac (no wheat, rye, barley, or oats), so she is used to the idea of not everyone being able to eat everything on the table. (I pack my own food to go to work, friends, family, and restaurants. I understand the planning/scheduling nightmare MS312!)

Am I missing the simple expalnation that the school and teachers would understand? I tried to explain the constantly changing food label thing and I think they still think some of it will always be safe.

MQRiely2,
A milkyway is a candy bar that contains no nuts, but is made on shared equipment thereby making it unsafe for a peanut allergy.
I guess my problem is I see the risk for something that is clearly containing nuts, like a snicker's bar or P&J sandwich, but for something from shared euqipment isn't the risk much less? The school has forbidden the Peanuts/tree nuts but didn't realize the shared equipment etc was also a problem. She will not be eating or touching the other non-PA safe foods. I do not mean by any way that my child is allowed to touch or eat the shared equipment food or other questionable foods.

BS312,
Does your child mind not being allowed to have the foods from school? I understand she has many more allergies and I would also pack all food and drink if that were the case for us.

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

We do the same thing BS312 does - my son is only allowed to eat food from home, period. All the kids in his class bring their own snacks, so the only issue is when there are birthday parties or class parties. I got a class list at the start of the year, so when I know there is a birthday I bring in a cupcake for my son. Sometimes the birthday child will bring in something else, like Dunkin Donuts, but luckily my son loves cupcakes [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img] so it has never bothered him too much. He understands that he will not always have the *same* treat, but that he will always have *a* treat.

I'm totally not comfortable with the idea of a safe snack list. I just had my son;s soccer coach ask for this last week, and I just can't be bothered worrying about reading labels at a soccer game. I'll be bringing ds's own snack. I think it's better for him to keep things consistent at this age anyway (5), and he's adjusted to the idea of always having his *own* snack.

We have just enrolled out 3 yr old DD twins and 22 mo old PA DS in daycare. I have always heard rave reviews about the daycare, but thought it was mainly b/c of the curriculum; I soon learned differently. One of the twins has had febrile seizures and needs medication should she have another one. That and the peanut allergy were addressed at the very beginning, and they have been more than accomdating about both. One of the other children in DS's class is allergic to eggs (DS is PA and egg allergic), so at least we know we aren't alone in the daycare concerning good allergies. The daycare provides me with a menu and I mark out anything that DS cant have, which is mainly for the eggs b/c of pancakes and waffles. They have the menus I have written on taped to the counter, a sign reminding teachers of his egg and peanut allergies on the refrigerator, and a sign that says "Epi-Pen MUST go outside w/Eric". Anytime I have any concerns about the foods/food content/mfr, I have been welcomed to look at whatever information I wanted to. His food allergies have not been the issue I was prepared to fight for, and we are thankful for that. I was talking to one of the teachers and she said she had several food and environmental allergies, and carried an Epi-Pen as well, and that all the other teachers knew where her epi-Pen was b/c she'd had ana reactions before, so we know that there is someone there who "gets it" on a personal level, even though everyone else has taken it very seriously as well.

[This message has been edited by new2PA (edited August 27, 2004).]