2 year old suspended from daycare, for a cheese sandwich.

I find it both appalling and necessarily educational to have an understanding of just how many well-spoken adults condone the presence of allergens around children after agreeing they would bring no such allergen.

Of you who are indifferent to the allergic reactions of others, and the potential ways it can put a child's life at risk, I have to ask: from where would you draw your strength sending your child with something like a peanut allergy - know for causing respiratory distress and death if not addressed promptly - to a daycare knowing some parents don't care about the "no-allergen" policy. Do you just hug the kid extra-hard, knowing there's a possibility they may meet their end during story time when hungry Harry pulls out his peanut butter crackers? I need to understand the source of such stoicism.

reply to post by chasingbrahman


Well I think the only solution then is just to ban all foodstuffs/other allergens that may cause someone a reaction! Somehow I don't think that's going to work out!

And what happens when little Timmy leaves school...does mummy send a note to his workplace telling all his colleagues that they must never have a snickers bar in little Timmy's presence? Little Timmy wants to go out for a meal...better get mum to get onto the restaurant and make sure all nut items are removed from the menu...who cares about all of the other diners, as long as little Timmy is safe!

As an allergy sufferer myself, I have learnt that it is my responsibility to avoid my triggers and that is what children with allergies should be taught, to keep themselves safe..not to push that responsibility onto everyone else!

It's a tough world out there and you have got to get used to that and take responsibility for yourself

(off topic...sometimes some of the views posted on this site amaze me...on the one hand we have the "oppose all government...don't let them rule your life, yet on the other, there is this attitude that rules and laws should be made about everything and everyone should be forced to follow them or be damned...weird)

reply to post by destination now


I understand what you're saying, but I'm asking how you (or anyone) would manage your toddler going off to a school with other toddlers in the situation I outlined?

Do you simply make your peace that, due to unfortunate circumstances, you may have a much higher chance of attending your child's funeral? If so, I'm curious how a parent might nurture such stoicism regarding their child's chance of survival.

For the record, I too suffer from allergies, though none are life-threatening. As an adult I can be expected to manage my allergy, but what can be expected of a two or three-year-old? Should a parent even attempt to mitigate the risks in their absence, just relax and acknowledge their child might die at recess, or just keep the child away from everyone until old enough to navigate the allergy themselves? I can understand a parent trying to mitigate the risks in an attempt to provide a normal socializing experience for their child. I'm confused why anyone would not understand and respect that attempt. Is it really that much to consider that the decision-making skill set of a toddler is wacky on a good day?

What's really made me curious in comments, and in your reply, is how one expects a parent to simply not care what happens when their 5 year-old goes off to play with other in the same age group. I'm not asking about kids in high school or adults, just to clarify.

reply to post by chasingbrahman


Let their teachers know about their allergy and provide an epi-pen in case of emergencies.

Either that or wrap them in a big plastic bubble and never let them leave the house again/

Sorry, but you just cannot control the outside environment to that degree e.g. what about taking them on a plane or a train or even a bus...you cannot stop other people using these services from having nut products in the vicinity and nor should you. Your child's allergy is not the responsibility of everyone else.

I cannot count the times I've had peoples dogs come up to me and when I walk away they get all offended saying "he doesn't bite" and when I say "I'm not scared of being bitten, I am allergic" they just continue to bleat on about how their dog is just trying to be friendly, doesn't bite etc so I just remove myself from the environment and if the dog has licked me or something, I make sure to wash my hands asap to prevent a rash breaking out and triggering a bad reaction.

It sucks, but that's life

reply to post by chasingbrahman


A couple of other points..firstly, there was a lot of hyperbole about nut allergies and the thought that even being in the same room as them could trigger a fatal episode, that really is mostly hyperbole though, as in the case that I mentioned in a previous post about my daughter's primary school suddenly having a clampdown on nuts for the sake of one child, when in fact he had been exposed to this alleged danger all of his life (he was in year 6 at that point) and clearly it hadn't killed him and he had been diagnosed with the allergy when he was a toddler, so goodness knows how he'd survived until that point.

Another potentially fatal allergy is bee and wasp stings...how the heck do you prevent that? Also take into account that any child could be exposed to any number of dangers on a daily basis, falling off a chute, getting run over by a car, contracting meningitis, dying of cot death! the list is endless, so really the question is how can any parent show such stoicism in the face of the reality that their child could die at any time?

The answer is quite simple..love them unconditionally, tell them you love them as often as you can, enjoy every precious moment you have and hope that it is them that bury you, not the other way around.

chasingbrahman
I find it both appalling and necessarily educational to have an understanding of just how many well-spoken adults condone the presence of allergens around children after agreeing they would bring no such allergen.

Of you who are indifferent to the allergic reactions of others, and the potential ways it can put a child's life at risk, I have to ask: from where would you draw your strength sending your child with something like a peanut allergy - know for causing respiratory distress and death if not addressed promptly - to a daycare knowing some parents don't care about the "no-allergen" policy. Do you just hug the kid extra-hard, knowing there's a possibility they may meet their end during story time when hungry Harry pulls out his peanut butter crackers? I need to understand the source of such stoicism.

Actually I wouldnt send my kid to a place where there is a chance of his allergy becoming an issue.

I certainly wouldnt expect everyone else to cater to the needs of my child.