Hi all,
We are switching preschools (very very long story) and trying to decide on the snack issues. Last year's school was pn free and this year's isn't (I know, why switch, but again, long story, other issues), but his room will be pn free. However, his egg allergy is worse than his pn, but the room will not be pn free. Last year, I made a huge snack list and then checked snax as they came in weekly and put an ok sticker on them. DS wouldn't eat the snack unless he saw the ok sticker. Worked well. New school is willing to do this as well. My issue is that I want to start transitioning him to the "lunchbox" deal before K next year where he only eats things out of his lunchbox. However, if I do that in preschool, I don't feel like I have the right to ask for parents to buy off the safe snack list, since DS wouldn't even be eating those snacks,and then "unsafe" snacks would be in the room.
How do you deal w/ this? Do you do the lunchbox deal and a snack list for the others, and if so, what kind of response have you gotten?
Thanks!
Melissa
preschool safe snacks vs. lunchbox
Posted on: Tue, 08/14/2007 - 11:23pm
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DD is now entering 1st grade, but she attended preschool for 2 years and kindergarten for 1 year. We had a safe snack list every year and every year she only ate foods from home---out of her own lunch box. The safe snack list was an added measure to keep the environment safe for her. Her preschool did a wonderful job keeping her classroom safe (25% of the students had food allergies---kind of like a little utopia for food allergic children). Kindergarten didn't always follow the list. The teacher served things (and swore they were peanut-free), like Snyders Pretzels, which clearly state "May contain peanuts". This is why I do not trust the teachers to determine what my child can/cannot eat. A slight trace in the classroom does not concern me quite as much. A trace amount into my DD's system through ingestion concerns me; it is not a risk I'm willing to take. The teacher also thought it was OK for my DD to use Nilla wafers (contain eggs) in a project---thought it would be OK for her to "touch them". Fortunatley, DD didn't touch them---we don't allow her to play with the food she is allergic to [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/wink.gif[/img]
There are so many snack choices for kids (egg-free, peanut-free) that I don't think your son's peers are missing out.
Good luck with your new school!
Nicole
I haven't done a safe snack list...but the parents are supposed to bring only peanut/treenut free items. DS only eats what I send with him. It does seem a little weird to ask people to ammend what they are bringing and then not let him eat it....but he is contact sensative and the school is nut free so that's the way it is.
I'm really stressing. I feel like it is an either or situation for me. Either I:
1. Bring his snacks, he only eats out of his lunchbox, but the other students can bring what they want OR
2. We all follow a safe snack list, which I check all snacks and approve.
I think part of the problem is that he is allergic to pn and egg and the egg is actually worse for him and much harder to avoid, in my opinion. AND I just can't wrap my head around asking parents to follow a strict list of snacks when DS won't even be eating them. But I SOOOOOOOOO want him to only eat from his lunchbox, b/c there is so little room for error there and he will have to do that for kindergarten.
I'm just really stressing and wish I weren't. School doesn't start for 2 weeks but the parent orientation is Thursday and I need to decide how to do this by then.
Melissa
Oh, I think you totally have the right because it will reduce allergic food residue in the room! That isn't unreasonable at all! I hope you come to feel comfortable asking for this simple accommodation. Best wishes!
My son will be starting kindergarten in Sept. and his classroom is going to be peanut and shellfish free. There is a snack time where every child brings his/her own snack. These snacks will have to be peanut and shellfish free, even though my son will only be eating his own snacks. The main purpose of having only safe snacks is not so that my son can eat them, it's to make the environment as safe as possible for him, especially at this young age.
Good luck!