Nursery and gluten

[jussi]

Hello all,
I'm just after some opinions please.
My DD's nursery are refusing to use rice flour when messy play activities are set up or make gluten free playdough. They have given different reasons to my partner and to myself. Basically it is too expensive. I mentioned funding shouldn't come into it.
Previously when they did cooking my DD could not be included as they were using normal flour.
The nursery nurse said she is with DD and makes sure she washes her hands afterwards but, especially with the flour, I am somewhat worried it could get to her face quite easily.
So I would like to ask firstly, do you think the nursery are out of order to not be fully inclusive, or not? And also do you think it is okay to play with flour/ playdough if she washes her hands afterwards.
Sorry, she is coeliac btw.
Thanks a lot

If she had a nut allergy they'd deal with it! She should certainly not be excluded from cooking activities.

They should be taking the risks of cross-contamination seriously. Is there any 'official' advice from CoeliacUK that you could pass on to the nursery?

In the meantime, is making a batch of special rice playdough just for her an option for you?

My DDs' state school was amazing when they were in nursery - made gluten free playdough for them, used gluten free pasta as and when they needed to and on the odd occasion they did cooking, they provided g-f flour (still do). I think the business manager found somewhere she could source it all more cheaply, but either way, I never had to worry about it. Occasionally I've been asked to send stuff in (bread and butter for a task they were doing), and when DT2 recently did a cookery club, we provided the flour, but other than that the school have supplied it all.

I'm not sure about the washing hands thing - now my DDs are older, I'm more comfortable with them doing this, but as young ones, they so often put their hands in their mouths, that I wouldn't be confident that this wouldn't happen unnoticed before she'd finished the activity and washed her hands.

If this is such an issue for the school, have they asked you to, or would you be able to supply g-f ingredients so that your DD can participate without having to take precautions?

agree with previous poster, print out information about contamination and risks and give it to them.
make sure they know it is absolutely vital that dc doesn't come into contact with gluten, no matter how little.
maybe also look for an alternative nursery if they won't comply.

Is your child coeliac? Coeliac UK have a guidance section on their website for children at school/nursery - and makes it absolutely clear that playdough should be made with gluten-free flour / rice flour.

I don't believe for a single moment that a nursery worker is standing over your child every moment that the playdough is out, ready to jump in and grab her hands before they reach her mouth. Plus, all the other childrens' hands will be covered with playdough and they will be transferring it to other toys.

I actually provided the flour for the nursery that DS1 went to. By DS2 they'd got their heads round it and bought the flour themselves.

I would move nurseries over this issue. You could also contact Ofstead and find out their view on it.