CM's: catering to lifestyle diets

Vegetarian diets were classed as fad diets not so long ago, perhaps you need to move with the times and support the parents that you are working with rather than dismissing their choices.

thisgirl I'm glad you don't but our CM said that many parents tell her their child's standard diet and include biscuits every day, for example, including the nutella tantrum child. Or that the only thing their DC eats on bread is jam. We never said no sugar. Just that we'd prefer the following alternatives.

Just to echo that the information on the milk allergy is incorrect. You can have an allergy to milk but be able to tolerate it in different mediums due to how long it is cooked for and at what temperature. Thats why doctors advise a milk ladder, starting with foods such as biscuits with tiny amounts of powdered milk cooked in them.

The milk ladder ends with actual milk, but there are loads of things in between such as cheese sauce, scotch pancakes, milk chocolate and yoghurt - each person varies as to how far they can go (if at all)

So is it more about the difficulty for you, or your general disapproval of the dietary choice that parents have made for their child. Again, does this extend to vegetarians / vegans?

Yes, I do have plenty of experience with dairy allergies. I've also had training on this.,,,,If you are allergic to milk, you don't stop being allergic to milk because it's in another medium. That's why it must be labelled in the ingredients lists

You obviously need more training then. Milk allergy is not the only issue. My DC is severely lactose intolerant, but the lactose level in hard cheese is much much less than in milk, so some cheese can be consumed, whereas milk itself makes them violently ill.

The ladders give a rough guide, but it depends on the individual.

Tanith
If you are allergic to milk, you don't stop being allergic to milk because it's in another medium. That's why it must be labelled in the ingredients lists.

It's an allergy to the protein, which gets broken down as its processed. My son also has an allergy to eggs (all confirmed with tests) but can eat cakes etc containing cooked egg.

I'd get some more training because you have no clue.

Coeliac disease isn't that rare, it affects 1 in 100 people in the UK. I know 5 people with it. The NHS website even describes it as common.

I know the OP said intolerances excepted but others were lumping gluten free in with sugar free. It really irritates me that people don't take it as seriously as other allergies.

What about a vegetarian diet, which in a lot of cases is a lifestyle choice? Or is it just the choices you don't agree with?

Yes, I do have plenty of experience with dairy allergies. I've also had training on this.

If you are allergic to milk, you don't stop being allergic to milk because it's in another medium. That's why it must be labelled in the ingredients lists.

I get very tired of the "he's allergic to cows milk, but it's fine for him to have yoghurt". I get even more tired when I've forked out for expensive dairy alternatives only to be informed that the child happily eats milk chocolate!

A genuinely allergic or intolerant child will be under professional guidance. Anything else is parental preference.

And none of the "can't tolerate milk, but butter is fine" silliness: an allergy or intolerance is exactly that, no matter what the medium!

I know it's already been pointed out, but this is completely incorrect.

The milk protein breaks down depending on how it's been processed. My 2yo can tolerate small amounts of cheese/ butter, but reacts to yoghurt/milk/ ice cream.

But I do blame the 'faddy' people for making life harder for people dealing with very real, life treating allergies.

drspouse I don't know any childcare professional who would provide that kind of poor diet. Luckily the families I work with have more faith in me than you obviously do with your minder and they trust me.

Weekly meal plan. They don't like it, they can send in food with their kid. They may well be cheeky and try for a price reduction to reflect that. Nope. They can find a new CM then.

Jiggly the only tips were this is what they have on bread, this is the kind of yoghurt they like and here are some suggestions of crackers they like but anything savoury. Better than "must keep nutella in stock or have a tantrum".

I'd be a bit worried if a CM was giving biscuits or cake at every meal to a 1 yo. Do you not think that is a bit inappropriate? Likewise chocolate spread!

Nothing we regularly eat is not available in the supermarket nor is any of it a fad or "health" food - just an alternative e.g. peanut butter instead of jam on bread.

You sound eminently sensible in approach to food. Sadly there are increasing numbers of completely neurotic parents who believe every fad or scare story the Daily Fail,publishes. Parents with no common sense at all start restrictions on diets, create a huge focus on food and wonder why the children grow up with problems.
I'd tell parents that your ethos was to provide a balanced diet with variety and new taste experiences but if the parents wanted a particular food plan outside of this they needed to send a packed lunch.

This article highlights exactly why giving your child daddy diets based on some misguided notion of what is healthy is so bloody dangerous: Dairy-free diets warning over risk to bone health
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39557687

If your child has lactose intolerance, you will be receiving advice from a qualified dietician. If you've just decided to cut out food groups from your children's duet, you're risking their health.

I know more than one (wealthy, middle class) parent who has been told at a check up that their child is malnourished

Ugh it would help if I could read properly at this hour 😑 Sorry OP, your suggestion of letting people bring their own. It's completely reasonable.

Feel for you as a CM - your job is already challenging enough.

But I'm bit sure why people say it's acceptable to cater to those who choose to avoid food for religious reasons, but not because it's the parents' wishes? Surely the basis is the same - avoiding a food when there is no medical reason, the food to be avoided is not constantly changing, others eat this food with apparently no ill effects... what's the difference between doing this for a religious reason and for parental views on good food for their children.

BreatheDeep coeliac disease is rare. Eating a gluten free diet through choice is faddy completely different.

FWIW OP I'd be a little annoyed if our childminder had to stop doing food for everyone just because a couple of people have made her life difficult. But at the same time I completely understand where you're coming from, it must be an absolute pain. I think other posters' suggestion of a meal plan and letting people bring their own food if they object is a good one. Our CM always has a menu by the front door (I never check it because I trust her judgment but I know it's there if I want to look).

Yes jiggly along with 'once we gave her tips...' Bet you were popular!

BreatheDeep - the OP has made it quite clear she isn't talking about intolerances.

at the poster who thinks their CM finds a sugar-free diet refreshing rather than a pita

My childminder didn't provide food. DC had a packed lunch. I had no problem with that at all.

Why are people saying gluten free is not something they'd cater for? Haven't you heard of coeliac disease?

The whole point the op made was that she is not talking about genuine allergies or intolerances but this restrictive faddy diet craze that some parents put their children on. If they want to do that fine, they provide it. But it is very difficult to provide a meal that caters for 8 different dietary requirements every day.