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How do you handle food allergies?
I have a 3 yo dcb starting Monday that is allergic to tomatoes and eggs. I am part of the meal program and initially thought it was no big deal to serve him meals but I have been advice to let his mom send his meals so I don't have to worry about liability issues. His mom has offered to send food but I hate the thought of him bringing different food and causing issues but I would also have to adjust more than I thought to accommodate him. Should I request a doctors note? Thoughts and suggestions please.
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I would require a doctors note before he was allowed into care. It should have all the info you need such as what does a reaction consist of, treatment plan in case of reaction etc. Sadly many parents will lie about these things because they want special treatment for the child. AFTER I had that, I would have the parent provide all food. In which case you wouldn't claim the child on the food program. -
I don't see this as a huge deal.
If a child has an allergy, I require a parent to provide all food/snack/drink. In this instance, different foods are required and I would have no problem explaining to the other children that each of us have different needs and this is one. They'll get over it. I would also make sure that mom is sending appropriate foods (ie no junk). If that got to be a problem, I would address with it her.
I would also do as thrifty suggested, and get documentation of specifics as to symptoms of exposure, treatment, etc.Comment
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If you are part of a food program, you are required to have a Doctor's note. It should list the foods (and in what capacities) he is allergic to and what you can/should serve i place of the foods he is allergic to.
Also, this may be the jaded side of this business but without a VERY thorough Doctors note containing ALL the above info, I dont think many kids are actually allergic to what their parents "claim" they are. I am NOT saying this child is or isn't but I certainly wouldnt take a parents word on something like an allergy.
WAY too much liability for my comfort.
Id contact my food program and ask them about the Doctors form required. I think I might have it as a pdf file somewhere....if I come across it, I'll post it.Comment
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Here we need a treatment plan filled out by the doctor for all allergies . It should detail what the allergy is , how to treat if the child has a reaction , who / how to contact the parents. We must use the state issued form .Comment
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I require:
*A letter stating what the allergies are
*The date the allergies were originally diagnosed
*A list of symptoms that the child will experience if exposed to the allergen
*What should be done if the child is exposed to allergens
This information is to be filled out by the doctor and is required prior to enrollment.
After enrollment I require the parents to provide all meals and snacks in accordance with the USDA food guidelines.
In your case I would ask for the above info and have the parents provide food for the DCK. As far as he/she eating something different then the others - in my experience it really isn't that big of a deal. My DD has milk, egg and peanut allergens so she has often times had to eat something different. Her nor the other kids seem to mind.Comment
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Is the allergy to tomato and egg and anaphylactic allergy? Or does it cause issues only if ingested? This makes a HUGE difference to liability and the amount of inconvenience to you.
My kids have allergies to whey protein and cannot eat dairy. They can have it if it is baked in products as the whey protein gets destroyed in extreme heat. This allergy is not recognized by an allergy test so I wouldn't be able to provide you with a DR's note. It is also not an anaphylactic allergy so no special precautions are needed.Comment
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I would DEFINITELY require a doctor's note/directive for all the reasons above AND have an action plan if the allergen is accidentally ingested.
I've had a child with an egg allergy.
It's amazing how many packaged foods contain egg products (in powder form) and bread & noodles! It does add on quite a bit of time to make sure the foods you serve dck are safe. Not to mention how grabby kids can get when treats (birthdays) are served.... a couple close calls with grabby hands and birthday cupcakes/cookies on a couple occasions!
My dck required an epi pen on premises and an action plan with the parents on what to do/who to call if a reaction or accidental ingestion occurred. I also kept a file of his allergy tests and results (since test results DO change with time).
It's a lot of responsibility and liability. Now that my dck is gone, I wouldn't choose to go through that again. It was a lot of work!Comment
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