https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 25 May 2026 10:53:03 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care/page/2#post-1521589 Wed, 26 Mar 2014 06:04:26 +0000 Anagram 1521589@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Poll results are that 65% of HBers agree with you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care/page/2#post-1520763 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 16:21:35 +0000 Mrs.Panda 1520763@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have to say, I find this understandable. The rules are clearly stated. I used to work in a Jewish preschool attached to a synagogue and we had strict no seafood, pork and even no bread products during Passover. We had some people try to sneak some in their kids lunches and, while we didn't expel them, the food immediately went in the trash and their child got the standard lunch. Lunches were not usually provided but we always had something for forgotten lunches or whatever. It drove me crazy because I thought it was so disrespectful to blatantly ignore the rules of a religious establishment, even though I'm not Jewish, but I didn't want the babies punished for it either. I always brought extra food or snacks for these instances too.</p> <p>The policies are outlined very clearly before your child is brought to daycare and the rules are also posted. Sure expulsion is kind of severe, but who knows how that dairy could have hurt another child with an allergy when their parents thought they were going somewhere safe? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care/page/2#post-1520728 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 16:04:37 +0000 looch 1520728@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@spaniellove: thank you, that meant a lot! :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care/page/2#post-1520716 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 16:01:25 +0000 spaniellove 1520716@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I can relate to where you're coming from because your son's condition may not be technically an allergy, but it is still a severe restriction nonetheless. Many of us who have food allergies don't fall into the most common categories and have a difficult time. It's a great start that they're trying so hard to protect those who have two of the most common food allergies, but there should be general practices in place to accommodate a wider range of needs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520686 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:54:43 +0000 Mae 1520686@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The policy seems super extreme to me, however if this daycare center wants to cater to kids with allergies then I think they should be over the top explicit about it. Like not just in the paperwork and newsletter, but make it a selling point/talking point every time someone wants to sign up, explicitly mentioning the penalties for failure to follow the rules. Then if someone breaks them? Fine do whatever you want. But at least parents would be super aware of what they were signing up for and if their kid doesn't have allergies-- maybe consider another daycare with a less strict policy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520679 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:52:13 +0000 2PeasinaPod 1520679@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Very true...and you're right. It all boils down to feeling comfortable at the place that cares for your child. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520658 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:41:18 +0000 looch 1520658@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Private daycare doesn't mean exempt from state regulations in the US, right? You have to follow the teacher to child ratios if you want to maintain your license.</p> <p>At the end of the day though, we all want a place where we get that good feeling when we leave our child in their care. It's not always that simple or easy to just look elsewhere and change. I would expect the director to address the issue, just as they would with a child that presents another allergy. To just say go find another alternative to a parent whose child is allergic to wheat for example, or tell all the parents who have wheat tolerant children to find something else? Where do you draw the line? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520643 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:32:43 +0000 2PeasinaPod 1520643@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I understand your point. I think the difference is that if I didn't want to abide by a policy that a specific day care had (let's just say a day care WOULDN'T take my son's allergy seriously or had a policy that went against something I felt was necessary), I would want to look elsewhere. And I think others would advise me to go elsewhere and I wouldn't flame anyone for that suggestion. We all want what's best for our children, and I think finding a day care that best fits that need is important. </p> <p>Public schools are a bit different than private day cares. Some private grade schools require uniforms vs. public schools that may not. If you don't abide by the rules, you can get suspended and expelled. It's just a matter of how strict the rules are and how severe the punishment is. In the case of the day care, people are choosing to send their children there for a specific service. Some may be sending them there because of how strict they are with food allergies. I think they'd be setting a bad precedent if they let someone slide from published rules. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520623 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:22:50 +0000 looch 1520623@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@2PeasinaPod: I have the same expectation of daycare. Where it doesn't compute for me is that in our situation, my sons oral motor issues mean he has a limited amount of safe foods, just as an allergy child may. If he doesn't eat, he will starve, so it is also life or death.</p> <p>It doesn't sit well with me that people would say I should go elsewhere, but if I said that of an allergy child, I'd be flamed.</p> <p>Do we really want separate places for allergy and no allergy kids? Public school isn't set up that way, at least not where I live. Schools are not allergen free. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520609 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:18:20 +0000 2PeasinaPod 1520609@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: If this were me, it wouldn't be preference to my child with an allergy over preference to a child without an allergy. It's a life or death situation. I count on my day care to keep my child safe. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520570 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:07:40 +0000 mamimami 1520570@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is crazy to me. When I read stuff like this it makes me so glad I live in a chaotic developing country where people are not so uptight and legalistic about everything!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520559 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:05:11 +0000 pui 1520559@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HabesBabe: Probably shouldn't sign something you don't completely understand (although people do that with contracts even in their mother tongue, I see it everyday), but I still can't believe they had such an important policy in a language probably less than half the people in Ottawa speak daily. That certainly doesn't qualify as "clearly". If they're really trying to protect kids the message should be communicated as effectively as possible and part of that should be having it available in both languages.</p> <p>Frankly I think a policy like this should be verbally agreed too aswell when the child enrols. We're talking a policy where a simple mistake can get your child expelled, that's pretty serious business. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520552 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 15:02:51 +0000 HabesBabe 1520552@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm assuming this is a private daycare, and they agreed to the terms when they enrolled their child (and uh, if you didn't understand the language of the document you were signing, then maybe you shouldn't have signed it?). Luckily, I don't have any kids with food allergies, but this is something they agreed to. They should have selected another daycare (I would have) if they didn't agree with the policies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520526 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:55:54 +0000 looch 1520526@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mamaof2: I just don't agree, sorry. If my son doesn't eat what is offered, we'd have to discuss it. Allowing him not to eat is not an option, outside food or provided food.</p> <p>Preference to an allergy child is just as bad as preference to a non allergy child. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520525 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:55:47 +0000 pui 1520525@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mamaof2: Monthly newsletter? I'm sorry that's not good enough. An important policy like this where they can apparently expel a child should be in the contract they signed, clearly outlined in BOTH languages. Right now it doesn't sound like that was the case.</p> <p>Sorry this especially pisses me off having grown up as an anglophone in Quebec lol. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520521 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:54:13 +0000 PurplePumps 1520521@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>They set the rules and the parents agreed to them signing their kid up there. It sounds a little over the top, but I agree with it. Imagine if the story had gone another way - 'child dies at day care when classmate brings in peanuts' - then we'd all be sitting here wondering why there isn't a policy again peanuts when there are such severe cases of peanut allergies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520519 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:53:30 +0000 Mamaof2 1520519@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pui: the article above says it was posted in both English and French</p> <p>" and that they ran their food policy, in French and English, as recently as the January issue of their monthly newsletter"</p> <p>I hate articles like this - I feel like we never know ALL the facts!!</p> <p>@looch: There are no alternatives - their policy is NO outside food. end of policy. If you choose to send your child there then they will eat what the DCP serves and nothing else.</p> <p>No clue about infants and BM/Formula </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520518 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:53:19 +0000 2PeasinaPod 1520518@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As a mother to a child with a severe egg allergy, I think this is appropriate. Especially the peanut issue. I think the parents would feel differently if the didn't obey the rule and a child died as a result. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520511 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:51:27 +0000 Mrs. Oatmeal 1520511@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I read about this, and it sounds like the dad just made a mistake. However, it also sounds like there are quite a few kids with serious allergies/more complex health issues...so as a parent of one of the other children, I understand.<br /> What I don't understand is how the punishment fits the 'crime'. The little girl is too young to understand why the rules were broken, and it doesn't seem fair to have her out of school just for that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520507 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:51:09 +0000 pui 1520507@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Exactly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520504 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:50:41 +0000 looch 1520504@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pui: then the policy should have been posted in both languages, right?</p> <p>Eta: I see you edited! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520499 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:49:20 +0000 looch 1520499@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mamaof2: actually, I would expect the director to come up with a plan to address the issue and what could be provided as alternatives.</p> <p>Do they not accept infants using formula? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520495 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:48:45 +0000 pui 1520495@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>OMG this boils my blood:</p> <p>"Murray said parents signed onto the policy when they joined the daycare and said the policy is clearly posted at the front door entrance. The message, however, is only in French, a language Murray admits he cannot read well enough to understand."</p> <p>THIS IS CANADA. WE ARE A BILINGUAL COUNTRY. GAH. Having an important policy displayed only in French is not "clear". I officially think this daycare is completely in the wrong. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520492 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:48:21 +0000 mrbee 1520492@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pui: Nuts would've gotten his daughter expelled! :p</p> <p>In all seriousness though, it sounds like they have a zero-tolerance policy towards food allergies... if my kids had a life threatening allergy, I would appreciate that strictness! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520486 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:47:38 +0000 Dandelion 1520486@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mamaof2: @pui: Yeah, and the dad had actually been trying to do the right thing by asking the teachers to throw it away. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520477 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:46:18 +0000 pui 1520477@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Dandelion: Yeah just read this:</p> <p>"Murray said he knew his daughter had the sandwich in the car, but didn't realize she had put it in her pocket and taken it into class."</p> <p><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/daycare-suspends-2-year-old-girl-over-cheese-sandwich-1.2561458" rel="nofollow">http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/daycare-suspends-2-year-old-girl-over-cheese-sandwich-1.2561458</a></p> <p>Seems nuts to suspend a kid for that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520475 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:46:05 +0000 Mamaof2 1520475@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Dandelion: ah ok - now that's different - sounds like a mistake! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520468 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:44:47 +0000 Dandelion 1520468@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I saw another article about this somewhere else. The dad actually had found the cheese sandwich in the girl's pocket, cause she had stuffed it in there after having some of it for breakfast. He didn't realize it until they got to the daycare, but before they had even gone inside, the dad found the sandwich and actually had asked the people inside to dispose of it. In turn, they suspended her for having it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520447 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:40:03 +0000 Mamaof2 1520447@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Right, so you wouldn't send your child to this DCP.<br /> But for a parent (not me) of a kid with food allergies I would be thrilled and over the moon to find a DCP like this!!<br /> (just being devils advocate) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/2-year-old-ottowa-girl-suspended-for-cheese-sandwich-at-day-care#post-1520441 Tue, 25 Mar 2014 14:38:42 +0000 looch 1520441@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lawbee11: or eat yogurt? My son has dairy at every meal, it's partly because he has oral motor issues and doesn't tolerate a lot of complex foods. </p> <p>As a parent, I feel for both sides, I really do, but it's not fair to cater to one side or the other. If you really don't want the liability, don't include meals...and don't be in the business. </p>