Allergies and childcare

[Sushicat]

Our son is severely milk and egg allergic. He's in nursery and they are very good (couple of slight hiccups but are now pulling out all the stops). The nursery have dedicated people to feed him and he's fed at a seperate area but we are trying to eliminate all the risk factors and create a best-practice guide for the nursery to make it as risk-free as possible. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Also, am determined ds won't become molly-coddled but getting over the fear of anaphylaxis is a constant struggle. Would welcome any support and suggestions from other parents who've been through it. Ds is a very outgoing and affectionate one-year old, would like to keep him that way.

Hi Sushicat,
My ds is also severly milk allergic (&also to other foods)& I can totally relate to how u feel re. nursery. We decided to put ds to nursery about 6 mths ago,(having always said cos of allergies could never risk sending him!)& touch wood so far they have been very good & I feel confident in them .In the nursery ds goes to they are all trained in using epipen & a Paramedic comes 6 mthly. to give nursery teachers refresher courses on using epipen.This has given us peace of mind & confidence that they would know what to do in event of anaphylaxis.Also ds wears Tshirt to nursery with logo on front warning allnursery teachers of his allergies so they have a constant reminder even if they are busy!We got tshirt on website www.allergywatch99.com & they have lots of other products for kids with allergies too. We were a bit sceptical at first thinking tshirt would single him out if he wore it but teachers say it does act as constant reminder for them of ds 's allergies.So would totally recommend aforementioned website . The tshirt size xs fitted my son when he was just 2 & I would definately say they are not big made.
Another thing is I make any food my son is having at nursery and hetakes it with him rather than risk the nursery giving him the wrong thing.Also they put his clearly labelled lunchbox/snack box in a separate fridge from other kids so they all know exactly what hes to have. Do u provide food or does nursery do it?
Ds's nursery has list on wall of any children who have allergies & what to ( ds has his own list on wall as he has multiple allergies ) but I do think its a simple good idea & I have noticed that is very strictly kept up to date ,if child leaves etc.
How does your ds's nursery keep his medication epipen etc?At my ds's nursery it is put in exact same place (in office ) every time he goes so they can get it quickly.
Also I know that my Health visitor spoke to nursery on m y behalf to reinforce seriousness of ds's allergies.She said this was common practice so I don't know if this is a possibility for u or if it is something u have already done.I had already thought about getting a G.P'S letter done stating allergies before Health visitor said she would do this so this is maybe an option if Health visitor isn't!
I am very impressed that my ds's nursery check everything with me (on the quiet!)rather than take the chance & they tell me they sometimes think they are being a bit over cautious checking things first(wether or not they should have a xmas tree at xmas time or not incase ds touched it springs to mind!!!)but I have assured them that they are doing the right thing checking everything with me ,no matter how small or silly rather than take any chances.
I hope some of this helps in some way.I worried too about the molly-coddled issue but really feel measures need to be in place at nursery esp. if they are busy or staff changes.
Anyway I can assure you you are not alone in living with this fear of an anaphylactic reaction,I understand what u mean when u say it is a constant stuggle ,but I do get some comfort knowing others are in the same situation & so don't feel so isolated.Best wishes with Nursery ,let us know how things. are going.

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Hi Ronyag and robinw,
Thanks very much for your messages - they are a great support! The t-shirt idea is a great one - ds's aunty is having some made with writing and a crossed-out cow and hen on to try and make them fun as well as bring home the message.

At the moment the nursery do the food for ds: they have the list of all ingredients he can't have and he has a special menu so that he is eating different food. However, I think it might be worth considering giving him his own food to take - especially as it is something we will have to do when he goes to school. Only three people in the nursery are allowed to feed him and they call after every meal to say it's gone ok. Don't know how long the calls will go on for, but I find the dedicated feeders reassuring as it means even if he's in a different room for the morning I know that only certain people who know him will be able to feed him.

The nursery have a set of his medication: piriton, epipen and inhaler (and the emergency management form from the hospital) and the community paediatric nurses have been in to train all staff. I will see if they can arrange for refresher courses to be done, especially when ds moves room/class.

The nursery has the list of allergies on the wall, but will suggest they include pictures of the children with the allergies (as long as other parents agree, but certainly for ds)as this is a good reminder.

Will also find out about the anaphylaxis campaign meet-ups as they sound really good. Thanks again for all your advice. It is good to know there are other parents/families out there going through the same thing.

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