Peanuts in Playcentre
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Support
Forum Name: Reflux and Allergy Support
Forum Description: Struggling with a refluxy baby? Looking for tips to deal with allergies? Share your experiences here.
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=20443
Printed Date: 22 November 2024 at 7:49pm
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Topic: Peanuts in Playcentre
Posted By: Alianasmummy
Subject: Peanuts in Playcentre
Date Posted: 27 August 2008 at 8:21pm
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I just thought id check out what the deal is with other childcare centres and how they control allergies.
My son is anaphylatic to peanuts and egg whites and has recently started at playcentre. This is massive for me to be able to trust the other mums and they have been great (the ones on my sessions) but i went in yesterday and they had an open bag of peanut brownies on the table from a previous session. Xavier wandered in before i saw them but thankfully didnt touch one. I talked to the supervisor about it and she told me she had bought it up at a meeting but some mothers had problems with banning peanuts from all sessions so its not going to happen. They dont seem to understand that it is like arsenic to my boy and someone touching him that has eaten one could kill him. I would change centers but i live in a very remote place and the only other option is day care and they have had him on the waiting list for 1 1/2 years because they dont want to deal with his allergies. They too serve peanuts at lunch. Its so tough, he loves playcentre and so do I, but do i have rights here? ------------- http://lilypie.com">  tickers" /></a>
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Replies:
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 27 August 2008 at 8:30pm
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I think you do have some rights. I know there are some schools that have banned any peanut products at their school due to allergies. I know you can't cotton wool them as peanuts are around, but you would think at a playcentre it would ok to say hey look he gets them on his skin and we are looking at death here, lets try and not have it happen. I would like to know why they don't want them banned. If I was told at DC that they didn't want peanuts in the centre due to allergies I would be sweet with that (not that my boys have anything with peanuts in them anyway). ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: Shorty
Date Posted: 27 August 2008 at 9:26pm
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Oh my gosh can I say I am actually shocked at your DC.
My son is allergic to peanuts, not as severe as your child. When we talked to DC, who I might add are not "up to speed on allergies" they said that they do not allow actual peanuts on the premises....but some foods did contain traces of nuts and that they would not be able to control that. They have now banned all cakes and "bad" foods as it is not good for the children. I would seriously be having another talk to them. ------------- http://www.alterna-tickers.com"> 
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 27 August 2008 at 9:46pm
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That is so strange, the daycare centre that Spencer went to had a blanket ban of peanuts for children and staff and the playcentre that we went to look at last week had the same as well as also having all allergy childrens images and list of allergies and necessary actions up on the wall.
I find it strange they are so flippant about it. I think the best thing to do would be to go along to one of the parents meetings and explain how serious this is for your child and that leaving a peanuts around is the same as leaving out rat poison. Perhaps if you don't want it to seem confrontational you could come at it from the angle of showing the parents how epi pens work, what signs to look for it a reaction happens and who to phone and what to tell them (i.e 111 and he's eaten a peanut and isn't breathing). Perhaps that will make the other mums realise just how serious it is. I really feel for you about over this, Spencer's allergies are mild and I still tie myself up in knots about what food is around him and what he might accidently eat etc. ------------- 
 
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Posted By: my2angels
Date Posted: 27 August 2008 at 10:08pm
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My kids preschool dont allow peanuts either.
I wonder if it would help, and if it was possible for you to actually meet with the mothers who are against banning peanuts and explain to them how dangerous they are and how horrible it would be if he couldnt attend because he loves it. Im sure they know he has the allergies but maybe if they actually meet you adn you werent just a nameless/faceless person they might feel more inclined to help. |
Posted By: Anna
Date Posted: 28 August 2008 at 8:08am
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A little girl from Quinn's kindy has just moved to a different daycare. She has a severe reaction to egg, can't even touch an egg carton or be near egg, but the kindy refused to ban them. I don't think they have a legal obligation to ban these foods but I do think they have a moral obligation. What if you went around some of the other mothers and spoke to them about how serious it is? I would really be kicking up a big fuss.
Good luck!! ------------- Anna http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Alianasmummy
Date Posted: 28 August 2008 at 8:18am
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I have told the play center that i want to talk at the next meeting about it because she wanted to bring it up again. Unfortunately for me i will be away but i am going to at least write a letter explaining how serious it is and will do an epi pen demonstration when i am back.
Thank goodness i have never had to use the epi pen but i suppose i have been so cautious he has not been exposed. He is only 2 1/2 and doesn't really understand about any of it, he just knows cant eat what his friends are eating all the time. Its very strange for daycares to be so flippant about peanuts, i know, but Golden Bay is not the most forward thinking place. There is even 2 other kids in the playcentre with peanut allergies so its a mystery why these mothers are so against it. There is a list of kids and what they are allergic to but it doesnt have photos, if your like me and cant remember anyones name or which kid is which then it doesnt really help. I will put the idea forward for having photos next to it, thats a great idea! I also have a 2 month old so fingers crossed she does not have the same problems, i have no idea where they came from, Xaviers dad and i both have no allergies at all. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> tickers" /></a>
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Posted By: Andie
Date Posted: 28 August 2008 at 9:17am
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We're similar - Ella's dad and I aren't particularly allergic to anything, but Ella has an anaphylactic reaction to dairy - random!! Good on you for talking to them - if you can't make it to this meeting then definately be at the next one. I found an Epipen demo helpful amongst family, especially if they get to try a training one on themselves and feel how hard you have to jab it into the child's thigh to get it to work... no-one likes the idea of having to do that to a child.
I don't actually think you're asking too much for Playcentre to be peanut-free... kids don't even need peanuts in the first place! If it were milk or egg, or something much more difficult to eliminate, then that's a little different, but why do kids need peanuts at playcentre?! The staff need to be reminded that whatever kids eat is guaranteed to end up in random places around the building, only to be found be other kids later and maybe tasted 
A primary school here in Palmy is peanut-free for staff and kids as they have children there in your son's situation, and I think that's awesome of the school. Though I was shocked to still hear someone whinging about it and saying it was 'over the top'. People just don't understand unless they have to. Good luck!!! ------------- Andie |
Posted By: jack_&_charli
Date Posted: 28 August 2008 at 3:41pm
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jack and charli's daycare don't allow anything that has nuts of any sort, egg, egg cartons or seeds
neither of my kids have allergies to anything and i'm so thankful for that. i don't mind at all that the centre has food restrictions. if it were my kids, i'd want the other parents to do the same good luck hun, i hope you can sort something out! ------------- http://www.alternatickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 28 August 2008 at 7:32pm
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Yea Hannah's kindy has a blanket ban on all nuts and nut products and Hannah told me about how a couple of weeks ago one of the kids had a muesli bar with nuts packed in his lunch and was told by one of the teachers that he would have to open it at home. This is all because just one boy is anaphylactic (I'm slowly getting there with the spelling!).
We're in a family where I have a food intolerance but all the rest of us are fine but I don't mind the nut ban because I know roughly what kind of reaction that little guy is up against - and also that it's among the most allergic of foods for preschoolers. Nuts are so easy to do away with, especially when it just comes to lunches, compared to things like wheat and dairy. -------------  |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 28 August 2008 at 8:38pm
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Maya's daycare and playcentre both had a blanket ban on peanuts/peanut products but daycare couldn't guarantee they wouldn't have stuff with traces of nuts so I provided a lot of Maya's snacks when she was there. I was far more worried about her dairy and egg allergies at daycare coz those foods were always around.
Our Playcentre had a lunchbox policy which said all the lunchboxes were supposed to be kept closed when the kids weren't eating but they weren't the best at policing it and I went off my nut one day when Maya had a reaction to a cameo creme biscuit she pinched out of someone else's box. Another day she had a near miss when she helped herself to someone's sandwich, luckily it had hummus instead of butter in it. One thing that did help was an Allergy Action Plan we got from our paediatrician. It had her name, photo and allergies at the top and then a plan of what to do if she did have an exposure. It was up on the wall in the kitchen at PLaycentre for all the parents to see, and on the kitchen wall at daycare for the cook and also on the office wall for the other staff there. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: Alianasmummy
Date Posted: 16 September 2008 at 8:27pm
Just to update. Peanuts are now officially banned at my playcentre. I wrote the letter to the board and the president backed my decision, so it has now been enforced and there are signs up. I have also now been appointed as the health and safety officer so i can get a better system of identifying the kids with allergies underway. Thanks everyone for your feed back and support!
------------- http://lilypie.com"> tickers" /></a>
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 16 September 2008 at 9:44pm
way to go!!! good on you... ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: soph
Date Posted: 16 September 2008 at 11:12pm
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wow! well done
Only things annoying me is other parents doesn't understand the risk with the allergies. My son's old kindy have strict blanket ban on peanuts, egg and milk, but staffs get some parents complain about it....or sneak in some food in the food box  lucky staff always supervision the food areas so they can step in and remove bad food. Then have "word" with parent about it 
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 17 September 2008 at 11:49am
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i dont have a chid with allergies but i totally get it and dont understand how some parents can be so pig headed. ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker">
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 17 September 2008 at 7:28pm
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Wow that is very cool! ------------- |
Posted By: Mazzy
Date Posted: 17 September 2008 at 10:12pm
That's awesome Alainasmummy, good on you! 
I can't believe the attitude of some parents, that their poor angel has to miss out on eating peanuts at certain times, *such* an inconvenience. How can they possibly equate their kid not getting to eat one food type at child care/school to another child becoming incredibly ill or even dying because of exposure to that food? It's completely illogical! Some people have no empathy. Our play centre has a ban on all nuts, and glad wrap (chocking hazard when kids try to pop it in their mouths apparently). Creche is the same, I was really embarrassed the other day when a little note came home with DD1's lunch box, the muesli bar I popped in there wasn't one we usually have and I didn't think to check the ingredient list, it didn't contain nuts but did have a 'may contain traces of...' with a whole lot of nuts listed - the staff had checked it and decided it wasn't worth the risk. I apologised for my mistake, and was very impressed with their vigilance. ------------- Mum to two gorgeous girls! |
Posted By: Andie
Date Posted: 18 September 2008 at 9:11am
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Well good on you, Jenna! Way to get the job done! ------------- Andie |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 18 September 2008 at 10:07pm
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Well done you!
I wonder how some of these pig headed parents would feel if it was THEIR kids who had life threatening allergies... ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
(02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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