Hellobee Boards

That's a lot of forbidden food. The daycare is in a tough spot, especially since they're pretty small!

If my kids were better eaters, then I'd probably just roll with it. But our kids only had a limited number of foods they ate well in daycare, so I would probably have to look into daycare alternatives.

I think if the provider is going to put that many restrictions on food then he/she needs to provide the meals and snacks. No dairy would be really tough for us.

ETA: Just realized your LO wouldn't even be able to drink milk bottles. Yeah, I wouldn't be ok with that. Sorry you're having to deal with this

Wow, that's tricky. I can't blame you for being frustrated. I would ask them to provide a list of brands that work and meal suggestions. It's really the last they can do.

Personally, I would ask for an exception for the two milk bottles at least, prepare them at home and all the daycare to simply keep the kids separated for that time.

Food wise, I would go heavy on fruits and vegetables, week your lo do like a vegetable soup? Paired with bread that could be a nice lunch. Bread might be tricky but once you find one with a really short ingredient list it should be fine. Rotisserie chicken, pasta, tortillas, fish would all work well, meatballs would likely work too. I think if you start with whole foods at least at the beginning it shouldn't be too hard. It does eliminate a lot of prepared foods though. There isn't a peanut butter substitute that would work though, they are all nuts, seeds or soy.

I would have an issue with my child not being allowed to drink milk. That would be a deal breaker for me.

Are almonds allowed? L has recently become obsessed with snacking on almonds, and those have some protein.

I know there are coconut 'yogurts' that kids seem to like

Could you try making your own chicken nuggets (DIY to eliminate common soy additives in frozen), small with lots of breading to encourage meat-eating?

I think that's pretty ridiculous, TBH, both for them to ask you, and for the day care provider to expect other parents to be able to do. There's no way I'd be willing to completely revamp LO's entire diet and provide milk alternatives....I guess it depends if you have other childcare options though?

@Sapphiresun: Yea, I wouldn't really be ok with this. LO needs to have milk, so not sending it is not an option.

Honestly, I would probably not do it. It would eliminate most of what my LO would eat at 14 months and most age appropriate snacks. I do feel bad for the parents of the child, but the daycare will have to be vigilant about what food that child touches.

wow, that's hard for everyone. i'm also thinking straight up fruit, veggies and meat is the way to go for now. it would be nice if the daycare and/or parent provided some guidance on what can be brought to daycare. sorry you are having to deal with this.

@lawbee11: I agree, finding suitable foods should now be the burden & responsibility of the daycare provider.

Yikes. That's a lot of things to omit. I would probably ask if the policy can be altered and if not, I'd switch daycares.

My LO is allergic to dairy and peanuts. His daycare was peanut free which I think is pretty fair. It can be deadly and kids might not have a diagnosed allergy. Also some children react to indirect exposures.

But I definitely wouldn't expect a dairy free environment.

Tbh, it seems the daycare is acknowledging that kids eat stuff when you aren't looking. I would be concerned that their solution is to eliminate foods instead of creating a safer environment - someone watching that kid during meal time, a more stringent clean up, storing food out of reach, etc. LO always wants to eat other people's foods. His grandparents always say "oh it's yucky." But I want him to learn early on there are foods he can't eat. I don't want to pretend everything is okay for him and encounter problems later on.

In the mean time, my LO eats a lot of fruit, pouches, meat, and coconut yogurt. Tortillas with mashed black bean "quesadillas" work too.

Good luck!

ETA: eliminating food groups from young children's diets is pretty serious. The daycare just shouldn't be restricting their food intake that much.

I would not be OK with this. 1. The milk situation. My kids need their milk. 2. The expense of buying things like coconut yogurt and almond milk is burdensome for families. I would raise my concerns, suggest the daycare undertake feeding if it's going to be this extreme, and start looking around for an alternative.

I think that is beyond absurd and honestly kind of rude of the parents to put others out like that. My coworkers son has multiple severe food allergies. She doesn't send him to daycare because of it and plans to homeschool him until he is at an age where he can properly care for himself.

Most kids are in daycare for breakfast lunch and snacks. That's a lot of food to be limiting. I don't think everyone else's nutrition should suffer because of one child.

Also, I am not okay with how the message was communicated. This is unacceptable as a working parent.

It seems to me that the provider isn't really equipped to handle food allergies, which is fine. I wonder if they were influenced by the parents, in the list of restrictions?

I'm going to go against the grain here but it wouldn't disrupt us too much to make me switch. But, DD is a pretty good eater and doesn't drink cows milk. But I cook a lot and it's mostly paleo so her lunches are all leftovers and simple for me to prepare. If I didn't cook as much it would definitely be more difficult.

I would have a really hard time with it and probably pull my child.

Also if my child was that allergic to foods I am pretty sure she would be at home with me or a nanny all day to be 100% sure she didn't come in contact with a forbidden food.

This is a lot of restriction, but as a parent of a child with a life-threatening food allergy I applaud the school for trying to keep this child safe. Some children not only are anaphylactic, but are sensitive to airborne particles as well. This would be an inconvenience for me definitely but I would do my best to adhere to the rules. My child had a few exposures to peanut in her day care room that was supposed to be nut free. It's a very difficult situation to be in and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

@T-Mom: I wonder if they could be more specific as to which ones are the airborne sensitivities. Being pro-active is good, but I wonder if the daycare is being more cautious than the parent is asking them to be.

i agree with others who says this seems unreasonable for YOU to provide the food to comply with another child's allergy. if the daycare wants to accommodate, then they should provide the food. my LO doesn't even drink cow's milk and i find the rules restrictive and the short timeline ridiculous.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I had thought dairy allergies weren't the same as peanut/tree nut allergies, in that you had to actually ingest dairy to have the reaction? As opposed to just being around it? Perhaps I'm wrong, though.