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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Peanut Allergy Moms
Is it really important that I look for a preschool that is peanut free, or is it not important as long as they are aware and take the proper precautions?
I looked at a preschool today that I really liked, but they are not peanut free. In this school parents provide the lunches. Since DD is allergic, the director said she would sit at a seperate table with a teacher.
The parents also take turns providing snacks. Since DD is allergic, I would have to provide her own snacks. Which means that she would be eating something different than everyone else.
This is my one hang up with the school, otherwise I really liked it.
Re: Peanut Allergy Moms
My DD who is now 6 has a peanut allergy. Not life threatening in the sense that if she is in the same room with peanut dust we have a problem, but serious.
Her first 'school' was peanut free, and yet, it wasn't. Peanuts made their way into the environment on a regular basis. In one case a teacher wasn't thinking and brought along Chinese food leftovers with a peanut sauce for her lunch. Things slipped through the cracks, when you have something you'd think has no peanuts in it and yet there it is in a strawberry breakfast bar the school provided for snacks. Oh, and parents came and went with peanut butter crackers for a younger sibling in a diaper bag, for example, on a regular basis. I don't think you'll ever have a truly peanut free environment.
Her subsequent schools were not peanut free, just sensitive to DDs needs, and I think she was safer in that environment, which was the opposite of what I predicted. It helped teach her the responsibility to think before she eats, which was important. I sent her snacks and her lunch, and so I controled what she ate. She didn't care. The teachers didn't seem to have a problems making sure food wasn't shared. I think it helped that the teacher could have the task of only watching what my child ate and making sure it was what I provided and that was it. She didn't have to try and figure out food labels.
I really didn't feel comfortable at first with the non-peanut free school, but what was available at the time left me no choice. The peanut free school was not my style at all.
DS's daycare was supposed to be peanut free. He was also allergic to eggs at the time ( has since outgrowrn that). They made all the kids meals and snacks at the daycare and we had a meeting with the chef. She made sure that DS had egg free food and all the teachers monitored what snacks were brought in for birthdays to make sure they were nut free. Due to his egg allergy he would have a different lunch probably 2 or 3 out of 5 days of the week.
We did have one time when a mom sent in peanut butter cups for Valentines - they were wrapped in a little Valentine so the teacher didn't know and DS brought it home. But - we go through all his food and he knows most brands that have peanuts in them.
I felt that he was fine at the daycare that was peanut free. We toured a preschool that wasn't peanut free and where kids brought their own lunches. I did not like that he would be segregated at lunch and not be able to sit with this friends. but you do what you have to in order for them to be safe.
DS has never complained about not having the same food or snacks as the other kids.
He is now in Kindergarten and it is not a peanut free school. He sits with other kids that have food allergies. His teacher has requested a nut free classroom as over 20% of hte kids have an allergy to some nut or another. and she does not allow parents to bring in snacks for birthdays, etc...
Bottom line is that for me - if you are sure that the teachers/director would be conscientious of her allergy then I think it would be a good school. If it's a small enough class get to know the other parents. DS went to a 2yr old preschool for a few months and the parents would email me to see if the snack they were going to bring was okay for him to eat. Also - just send a big box of snacks so that they're always at the school when they need one.
It's not an airborne allergy, and I don't think it's a contact allergy (we found out pretty early so I'm not sure she's ever touched peanuts).
My concern comes in her segregation from the class at lunch time/snack time. I don't want her to feel left out and alone. But at the same time, this is something she has to get used to at some point, because this is something she is always going to have to deal with.
There are 11 kids to 2 teachers, so it should be small enough that food wouldn't be a problem, I would think. Or at least, easier to keep an eye on things.
I also realize that going forward her elementary school may not be peanut free. But at that age she will have a better grasp about what is and isn't safe for her. She's not quite 3 yet and still doesn't really understand her allergy and I would never leave it up to her to know if she could or could not eat something.
Honestly, I'd keep looking. I think it's important that she be in a nut free center if her allergy is bad. You just never know what might happen. It seems mean to sit at a completely different table. There are a lot of nut free centers imo.
ETA: DS daycare is a combo daycare and preschool. They are completely nut free. They don't allow parents to bring in food or snacks of any kind. They are meticulous about their food. They provide it all and they make sure everything is safe for all the kids. They have a list of kids and their allergies in each room. I think half the kids in his room have allergies to something or another. There has never been an issue. If a child has a severe allergy they just keep that food out of the room completely. DS doesn't have food allergies but I do. I'm confident in how well they handle allergies.
I think food allergies in general are so common now that: a) the teachers should be well trained, but you should ask about what kind of training they receive to be sure, and b) it is highly likely there will be other allergies in her class. In DD's class of 9 kids, three have food allergies so the teachers are very aware. I wouldn't be surprised if she is not the only kid sitting at the separate table with a teacher.
It is also possible (although no guarantee) that the classroom would voluntarily go peanut-free since there are other alternatives like almond butter, sesame seed butter, etc. In DD's room there is one other kid with an egg allergy so they asked that other parents not bring in eggs and it hasn't been an issue.
GL, I know it is hard to be vigilant as a parent of an allergic kid!
K doesn't have allergies like that, but our school is nut free. All food and snacks are provided by the school and for parties where parents bring in food, it is all supposed to be store bought so they can read labels and nut free.
There are 2 kids in K's class that have a LOT of allergies and they are severe and their parents bring in their food for them. They do sit separate from the other kids but to prevent the sharing of food and to protect them. I don't think any of the kids think differently of those 2 kids. K knows they have allergies and she'll tell me that they get special milk and food because of their allergies.
I personally would worry about a school where parents provide the food. I would worry that a parent wouldn't pay attention enough or think it's no big deal and send something in their kids lunch. If I was you, I would prefer a school where the food is prepared and is nut free.