Do You Take Kids That Need Epi-Pens and/or Have Severe Food Allergies?

[cheerfuldom]

I am very frustrated as I spent two days emailing back and forth with a prospective parent to iron out details before interviewing (I hate interviewing unless a family is going to fit in all the basic ways). At the end of all that, there was a "oh by the way our child is highly allergic to milk/dairy. We have to provide all food and she needs to be supervised closely as even touching any milk product can produce a head to toe rash in minutes. she has an epi pen and and the doctor said the allergy is getting worse and there will probably be breathing issues as well with the rash"

gah. If your child is that severe, why not mention it first!!!! I am not a milk free home and we live here....this child could touch a drop on the floor and have a SEVERE reaction within two minutes and what am supposed to do when I have 8 kids in care and work alone and have only basic first aid training. I really dont want the liability of a child like this here nor the stress of knowing that a child could literally die on my watch from something as small as picking up another childs sippy cup. I was really mad that this mom did not mention this first!

I had a child in the past be dropped off on the first day of care and the mom hand me an epi pen and say "by the way, she was a peanut allergy. here is her epi pen. I hope you know how to use one" and then close the door and leave! I was too stunned to call her back!

A fellow local provider said a drop in child came and had a severe reaction. She didnt have the parents complete info (her fault), mom wasnt answering her cell, and provider wasnt informed of any health issues and she called 911. and then mom is like "oh yeah, she does have a severe allergy and she stops breathing sometimes" like it was no big deal. They didnt even come to check on their child after paramedics handled the issue! wow.

I just dont get.....why not inform your provider??? Why not be up front about the need? Are they really willing to take the risk that their child will die at daycare....with an uninformed provider? wow. I just dont get it.

And no, I am not providing a milk free environment for your child and regulating all the other children and their lunches (how would I even do that?) and I told her that too. That I dont provide care for children with severe food allergies. I am legally unlicensed and well within my right to refuse care however I see fit.

[craftymissbeth]

I'm curious what others have to say because there's no way I'd want that liability.

[melilley]

I always ask during the phone interview if their child has any allergies, especially food. I explain to them that I ask because I am not a peanut free or any type of food free home. This way, you find out first. It may sound bad, but I will not take a child who is severely allergic to food. It's just me here and like you said, what if; it would be too stressful. I do have a dcb who can't have (is intolerant) milk or gluten, but he won't be harmed if he touches it and if he ingests it, it's not an emergency.

When I worked in a center there was a SA girl who was so severely allergic to peanuts. She couldn't even touch anything that a peanut touched or she could possibly die. Her mom held a class for all staff in the building one night.

Your interview probably threw it in at the last minute hoping that you wouldn't think anything of it.

[cheerfuldom]

I always ask during the phone interview if their child has any allergies, especially food. I explain to them that I ask because I am not a peanut free or any type of food free home. This way, you find out first. It may sound bad, but I will not take a child who is severely allergic to food. It's just me here and like you said, what if; it would be too stressful. I do have a dcb who can't have (is intolerant) milk or gluten, but he won't be harmed if he touches it and if he ingests it, it's not an emergency.

When I worked in a center there was a SA girl who was so severely allergic to peanuts. She couldn't even touch anything that a peanut touched or she could possibly die. Her mom held a class for all staff in the building one night.

Your interview probably threw it in at the last minute hoping that you wouldn't think anything of it.

Yes I do ask about special needs now and that is how the issue came up. I dont understand why parents dont offer this info first. They waste their own time by talking to providers who wont provide care once they find out. They also put their own child at risk by trying to sneak them into care. I dont understand how someone can do that to their own child.

[Second Home]

I had 1 dck with a bad food allergy and needed an epi pen. But he was about 9 yrs old and knew the reaction he would have so he was cautious . He knew what would happen and could tell me if he felt funny. He being able to tell me was the reason I took him into care for the summer.

It was actually a easy allergy to manage. He could not have apples or a few other fresh fruits . ALL processed foods were safe though . So I would just bleach/water wash the table before he sat down and he just ate first before the little ones .

[lovemykidstoo]

I had a 3 yr old last year that had a peanut allergy. He kept an epi here. They are idiot proof to use. My dcb had one of the new ones that actually told you what to do. You'd be amazed at how many foods don't have peanuts in them, but are processed at a plant that does have peanuts in it, so they have labels on the packaging.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

I have a little girl that has an epi pen for blueberry allergy. She is on a restricted diet anyway so this really isn't a big deal (elimination diet and I have a list of what she can/ has had. Generally if it is a whole food I am fine but very little processed items) Anyway... the blueberry thing isn't that bad because I give her something else and tell her that she can't have blueberries, which is life for her.
Everyone knows that they can not hand her anything because there are things she cannot have.

but milk! I would have to think hard about that one... what if a cup gets spilt at the table? I have had kids that couldn't tolerate milk but not to that point, only if consumed and then a rash.

[Second Home]

Yes I do ask about special needs now and that is how the issue came up. I dont understand why parents dont offer this info first. They waste their own time by talking to providers who wont provide care once they find out. They also put their own child at risk by trying to sneak them into care. I dont understand how someone can do that to their own child.

Because they know many people will not take the child . Once they are in your home they feel it is hard to turn them away .
The same reason many parents do not tell us about aggression issues.

[melilley]

Yes I do ask about special needs now and that is how the issue came up. I dont understand why parents dont offer this info first. They waste their own time by talking to providers who wont provide care once they find out. They also put their own child at risk by trying to sneak them into care. I dont understand how someone can do that to their own child.

I don't get it either. I think sometimes they get desperate to find care so that's what they resort to.
I do feel bad not taking children with severe allergies, but I feel that with group care, with only one provider present, it's too risky.

[LysesKids]

Because they know many people will not take the child . Once they are in your home they feel it is hard to turn them away .
The same reason many parents do not tell us about aggression issues.

That's why my actual contract has a paragraph stating that they can't come back and sue me for something that happened to their child because they provide false info or they leave out info on the registration forms... my policies also state it's grounds for immediate termination without refund

[spinnymarie]

I am worried about the legality of saying you won't care for someone because of a special allergy need...
However, I would find another reason not to do it if possible.
I had a child in my Kindergarten class, non-verbal, with a peanut allergy and of course I was not trained in anything. She came to school on the first day, having skipped the getting-to-know you interview and registration, with a sticker on her shirt that said 'peanut allergy.' I made her sit in the office until the secretary could figure out what that meant - no actual peanuts to eat? Does she have reactions to the dust of other kids eating foods made in a factory that also processes peanuts? Does she have an epi-pen to use? (Poor secretary, we had no nurse). Later in the year she also ended up getting a hold of a peanut butter sandwich on a field trip and we had to call 911.
That girl alone was enough to scare the pants off of me, I don't know if I could do another one.

[llpa]

I have had dcb, 2, with a severe peanut allergy and an epipen in my care for a year. I am very concious of what the other children bring for lunch etc. The epi is easy to use, and has instructions with it. I wouldn't want to take time to read them so every month or so I do a practice drill to be sure I haven't forgotten anything. If we go outside, the epi goes w us in my first aid kit. I really only worry that other children will have peanut butter etc for breakfast and somehow it will cross contaminate him it also helps that we are not in my home, but in a rented space. Makes things easier. No issues to date.

[MarinaVanessa]

I have a DCG with a peanut, strawberry and apple allergy. She's much the same as what you mention in the OP because if she even touches a surface with traces she can get a rash and breathing difficulties. She also has an epi pen.

I simply stopped serving peanut products period and will only serve apple and strawberry foods on the days she is not here. My regular cleaning/disinfecting routine takes care of removing any remnants so I've never had a problem.

Milk on the other hand is different, milk can be spilled and if you are a participant of the food program you HAVE to serve it to the other children. This would make me nervous however I would not decline simply because of it. I would however probably either serve milk in cups with lids or serve this DCG on a table separate from the others to minimize the risk of exposure.

[melilley]

I am worried about the legality of saying you won't care for someone because of a special allergy need...
However, I would find another reason not to do it if possible.
I had a child in my Kindergarten class, non-verbal, with a peanut allergy and of course I was not trained in anything. She came to school on the first day, having skipped the getting-to-know you interview and registration, with a sticker on her shirt that said 'peanut allergy.' I made her sit in the office until the secretary could figure out what that meant - no actual peanuts to eat? Does she have reactions to the dust of other kids eating foods made in a factory that also processes peanuts? Does she have an epi-pen to use? (Poor secretary, we had no nurse). Later in the year she also ended up getting a hold of a peanut butter sandwich on a field trip and we had to call 911.
That girl alone was enough to scare the pants off of me, I don't know if I could do another one.

I would never tell them that's why I wouldn't take them. What about the legality of something happening while they are in your care? I'd be more worried about that.

[melilley]

That's why my actual contract has a paragraph stating that they can't come back and sue me for something that happened to their child because they provide false info or they leave out info on the registration forms... my policies also state it's grounds for immediate termination without refund

I think I remember Tom saying something about parents being able to sue even if you have something in your contract. I think the issue at the time he said that was if a child got hurt at your house. I could be wrong, but something to look into.