So Stressed! I Have NEVER Had Anything EVER Happen To A Child In My Care!

[laundrymom]

wow, awesome kudos to you,.... what wonderful ways to show it too!!

[Little People]

I am happy to hear the little girl is ok. And you did a great job!!

[nannyde]

They do believe that it is a peanut allergy although this little girl has had peanut butter at home many, many times. I would never feed a child peanut products if I was not 100% sure that it was okay! In this case it was okay for this little girl for over 6 months. But that's what they said at the hospital, that it could come on just like that!

This means that they were giving a twelve month old peanut products.

If you are going to keep this child you need to HEAVILY research peanut and nut allergies. Having even a slight exposure could take her life. You will need to be completely peanut free which will most likely DRASTICALLY alter your food life. You also need to make sure that ALL kids coming into your home are peanut free EVERY day. Some children can even react to peanut residue on clothing or on another child's breath.

I don't keep kids with peanut allergies because I can't maintain a peanut free enviornment. It would be too rsiky for them to come here. I would have to terminate this child immediately.

The children with nut allergies are protected under the disability act so if you choose not to go peanut free and terminate you may have to prove it is in conflict with the best interest, health, and safety of the other people in your home (your family, you, your other day care kids).

[Lilbutterflie]

Even though they THINK it's a peanut allergy, I'm still curious to see what the allergy test results are. I'm glad she's okay, and the parents commended you for acting quickly!

Keep us posted about the test results!

[jenh171]

My vote is on the peanut butter. She can have it before and not react. Nut allergies are really serious. Please require them to have her tested for it immediately. The facial outbreak could be your last warning shot before she has a systemic reaction.

I don't give peanut butter until the kid is two to three and the parents have given it at least ten to twenty times.

I agree with this. My gut tells me it's the PB. It's just such a common allergy and would seem to cause a reaction this severe. But I am sure I could be wrong.

[ninosqueridos]

Sorry this happened to you and I'm so glad the child is okay!! My DS has a peanut allergy (among other allergies), and my home/daycare is peanut-free. It is part of my policies that children not have peanut or tree nut products brought into the daycare. It is not that difficult - I've only ever had to turn away 1 "granola bar" that had nuts in it, but that's it. If the dck's love peanut butter that much, they eat it at home. There are plenty of other peanut-free things to eat. Hope all is well with the little girl and keep us updated on what the allergy testing says!!

[Live and Learn]

Congrats on the way you handled this situation. I thought about her all evening!!

One of my children's best friends has a nut allergy among many other allergies. IT IS A REALLY BIG DEAL! He is a teen and only allowed to go to friends houses who have training with the epi pen. I keep an emergency contact list for him on my fridge. He only eats food provided by his parents.

My husband's colleague died after eating a candy bar with a new "nutty" recipe.

Good luck.
Maybe have parents provide food from here on out?

[QualiTcare]

This means that they were giving a twelve month old peanut products.

i've always heard kids shouldn't eat peanut butter until they're four so their airway doesn't completely close up if they have a reaction. i can't remember what age EXACTLY i gave my kids peanut butter, but i know for sure it wasn't before they were at least 3. people argue the age all the time, but 1 year is def. too young and it's better to be safe than sorry. of course people can say "kids can have PB before they're 4" if their child doesn't have an allergy! it's when they DO that it's dangerous and deadly which to me is worth the wait.

[Quacualorarry]

So Stressed I Have NEVER Had Anything EVER Happen To A Child In My Care

Which school should I choose for my 7 year old scandinavian-speaking boy in Tokyo from next year?

He doesnt speak neither English nor Japanese, so we are looking for a training course before he can enter normal classes. We hope ha can learn to speak Japanese after one or two years in Tokyo...

Any recommendations or experience?

[momofsix]

This means that they were giving a twelve month old peanut products.

If you are going to keep this child you need to HEAVILY research peanut and nut allergies. Having even a slight exposure could take her life. You will need to be completely peanut free which will most likely DRASTICALLY alter your food life. You also need to make sure that ALL kids coming into your home are peanut free EVERY day. Some children can even react to peanut residue on clothing or on another child's breath.

I don't keep kids with peanut allergies because I can't maintain a peanut free enviornment. It would be too rsiky for them to come here. I would have to terminate this child immediately.

The children with nut allergies are protected under the disability act so if you choose not to go peanut free and terminate you may have to prove it is in conflict with the best interest, health, and safety of the other people in your home (your family, you, your other day care kids).

This CAN be true, but you don't need to assume that. I have 3 kids in my daycare that have peanut allergies. It's not hard at all to feed them, or keep them safe. They each have their own ipe-pens, which i've never had to use. I don't serve anything to any of the kids with peanuts or any nuts...or that has been processed with nuts. It's really quite easy, unless you buy a lot of packaged cookies/crackers. The labels clearly specify what's in them, and usually have a seperate list for common allergens like milk, nuts...
There are children that are super-sensitive and need many more precautions than I do, but with my 3 I haven't had to alter what my family eats at all, or what the other children eat at home. I have had these three for 3 and 4 years, and never once had a problem, so I wouldn't panic before you actually hear what the Drs. have to say
And kudos to you for the way you handled yourself in an emergeny...you were great!

[Unregistered]

So very sorry this happened to you. We went through a similar situation with a toddler who fell and cracked her head open in a crazy freak accident. Although this wasn't an allergy, we ended up having to call an ambulance because mom worked too far to get here in time. I work in a large daycare and in the 5 years I've been there, while we've had lots of bumps and cuts, but we've never had a true emergency situation. Also, I raised 3 boys and they all had their share of stitches & bruises, but the feeling one gets while caring for another person's child who then gets hurt is horrible to say the least. I couldn't get the girl's face out of my mind for days afterwards. (She ended up completely fine and mom and dad were angels about the whole thing).

I hope your dcg is ok and you should not feel any of it is your fault. If it is an allergy to pb, it would have happened sooner or later anyhow. Most parents do not pre-test for food allergies until their kid has a reaction. If they rule it is, you will then have to decide if you can handle a peanut-free child at your home. Good luck.

[kendallina]

So glad she's okay. It sounds like you handled it very well and I'm glad that the parents see that. I'm sure that they appreciate how quickly and appropriately you responded.

I gave my daughter peanut butter around 12 months and she's had it since then with no problems, but both my husband and I are aware that it can happen, even though it's rare. I don't give peanut butter to any dcks because I have a 3-yr old with a severe egg allergy who has never had peanut butter and the parents don't want to try it, so we avoid it for now.