Milk Allergy

Hi, I am a mom looking for a daycare for my daughter. She will be 12 months old when starting daycare and she has developed a milk allergy. Has anyone had experience with choosing a daycare that will be safe for a kid with a milk allergy? Where do I start my search? Any help will be appreciated.

Is it a true allergy or just a sensitivity? Milk sensitivities are very common in this age group...it's something I'm willing to work with. Often babies outgrow it by 2yo.

I believe that it is a full-blown allergy but at this point I do not know for sure. Unfortunately, our appointment with the allergist is a couple of months away and I need to make a decision about a daycare now or in the near future.

Usually daycare providers are pretty lenient on that type of allergy. You may have to buy and bring whatever your child will drink, ie soy milk.

BUT, I would let providers know BEFORE an interview that your child is milk sensitive and is visiting with an allergist soon. Providers LOVE when you're upfront and honest with them!

I agree with what play and learn said about letting the provider/s know before the interview as I had a family come for an interview once and they only told me then that their daughter is severely allergic to nuts. I can't accept children with that type of allergy as I can't assure a nut-free environment, so I wish they had mentioned it before and saved us all a lot of time. I would discuss it first and ask the provider how/if they can accomodate such an allergy. You may need to pack your daughter's food yourself to be sure there are no milk products in anything she eats. That is something you could offer to a provider as well.

I have dealt with a milk allergy before. Since you haven't met with the allergist yet you won't know for sure the severity. I have had one that was lactose intolerant so used the lacteeze milk (back then we had to use drops in regular milk and then it sat overnight to break down the sugars - mom did and brought it to me the next day - we are talking 20 years ago before cartons of lacteeze). This same child was ok if the milk was cooked such as in rice pudding or baking. She outgrew the allergy by the age of 3. Another child was ok on limited milk but was given the medication orally on a daily basis. So I didn't have to change my foods much but still limited him as in no milk for drinking, limited cheese, but it was ok for anything cooked or baked. The last child I had was allergic to the protein itself so no amount of milk was ok including casein, whey, etc so it was a lot of label reading. Once you figure out which brands of foods work you just stick with those. But you have to read them all such as some chicken nuggets are dipped in milk before being breaded, add water to scrambled eggs instead of milk, that sort of thing.

Most daycare providers are ok with an allergy depending on the reaction of the child. For instance I do not take any child that has an anaphalactic type allergy because I am only one adult. I can not give the sick child my total attention while still keeping an eye on the safety of the other 4 kids in care. A child with a severe allergy is better in a centre where there are more adults and a dedicated cook that deals with the various allergies on a daily basis. An example for me is a peanut allergy. While I rarely serve it to the daycare my own family uses it so we are not a nut free home.

You will need to provide your child's special milk and it is always appreciated that you share any brand names or items that you find are good ie you are spending the time at the grocery store doing the label reading and I just have to go in with the list of things to buy. If the product/brand is much more expensive than the other ones the provider might ask if you would mind buying one to leave at daycare again ex. your child would get some of their special chicken nuggets when the others have the daycare brand.

What your child has been using for formula will go a long way to knowing the type of allergy. A child with a protein allergy can not eat any of the canned formulas including most soy, or other alternate brands since most contain at least some milk products such as whey.

Instead of the parent providing the meals I have actually found it is better for me to do the providing but I did have to raise the rate by a couple dollars a day for one family because of the more expensive brands that were needed for their child and just for the extra work needed in specially making certain items so that is also one thing to consider in terms of budgeting. It might be easier for you to pay the extra per day rather than to have to bring the extra items. Although as far as the special milk for drinking that would always be your responsibility I would think since it isn't always available at the corner store and can get very expensive.

OP, what area do you live in? You might find a provider here who would accommodate that allergy.

I think the other thing to consider is that a lot of providers will accommodate an allergy that is not life-threatening. They would do their best to make sure your child does not consume dairy but, in daycare, unless the entire daycare environment is dairy-free there could be transfer from one small set of hands to another. KWIM?

I accommodate allergies to a point; if they are epi-pen, anaphylaxis type allergies then, sorry, but that is WAY too big a risk for me to accept.

Just be very upfront with the provider so you can ensure she is really on board.

As an "allergy mom" myself, I am willing to accommodate most allergies. I have a child who is mildly lactose intolerant in care, so Mom brings what she wants him to drink most days. She was supplying lactose free milk, but she thought that might be causing him stomach problems, so now he has juice on occasion but mostly water while here. I also have another child allergic to tree nuts, and parents have provided me with both Benadryl and an EpiPen. My own son is allergic to peanuts and therefore we are a nut-free home anyway!
Bottom line, talk to your potential provider about the entire scenario. Discuss all possible causes and reactions that you have discovered so far. They will then tell you whether it is something that they can deal with.

Talk aboaut nut allergies reminded me of something. When they test for the milk allergy they will probably test for some other common things as well. Make sure they test for almonds, soy and coconut and rice since those are other kinds of milk that could be used. Most can be found in the health food/organic section of the grocery store or in health food stores. As far as a diet goes, look for products suitable for a strict vegetarian diet where they don't include milk or eggs. Cookbooks with vegan recipes will give you a variety of meals to make.

I have sort of been where you are now.
My son had a milk allergy show up at 13 months old once he transitioned from breast to cow milk. It ended up with us having him at Sick Kids to find out why he was vomitting up everything he ate or drank and having to be admitted for 2 weeks of tests. We were so happy to learn it was just a milk/dairy allergy.

I had my son in daycare when the allergy happened but I chose to stay with the same daycare. I decided to send all the food and drinks so that I would have peace of mind knowing what my child was getting. I still paid the same $35 a day regardless.
The allergy my son had/has is not life threatening - just leads to vomitting within minutes. Our daycare provider was so concientious though and even took a course on allergies and anaphlectic (SP?) triggers just for her own sake

It really never was an issue with me even after we moved and changed daycares. I did the same thing (providing my own food and drinks) with the new provider. I think milk allergies are one of the easiest allergies to avoid compared to nuts and the sensitivity involved in nuts/fish etc

One of the children I was referring to above also had a rice allergy among a few other things. Nuts wasn't a problem for at all. I found the rice actually harder to deal with than the milk because rice is used in so many goods to smooth out the texture. She is gone now and it took me 6 months before I remembered I could make rice krispie treats again. You just get into a grove of doing things a certain way. The other thing that was great about the daycare mom was that she was very understanding knowing the worst that was going to happen if I "goofed" was that the child would feel yucky and usually had a diaper blowout as her reaction which was sort of better for me than the throwing up as it was mostly contained. I liked providing the food because then I knew there were no issues as anything on the table was ok for her to eat too. I did have to be the one to provide things like cupcakes for birthdays and things so I could use a recipe with no milk - although I usually opted for big cookies glazed with icing sugar and water mixed and with sprinkles instead which is much more toddler friendly. An allergy doesn't have to mean missing out it just means finding a different way to enjoy.

I am less concerned about the food being served at the daycare because I can bring my own or entrust the daycare provider to read labels, etc. I more concerned about the fact that kids generally guzzle a ton of milk. There's bound to be milk products around the daycare or milk residue on toys, mats and other areas of the daycare. I can't trust my then 12-month old to be vigilant about not putting other kids' bottles in her mouth. My daughter breaks out in hives just from being at Gymboree and playgroups. Will this be her daily experience at daycare as well?

Most daycare providers do not allow the kids to have bottles, sippy cups, etc in the playroom - all food is in the kitchen at the table so it is controlled. Soothers are discouraged after a year at least at my daycare and as soon as possible are for naptime only. Yes there will be some sharing of toys and that can not be helped. You would be doing your child a favour to start now to teach her that toys don't go in the mouth - again something I start after a year and by 15 months it is not allowed. Chewing on toys is for helping the initial teeth to come through. By a year they can exercise their mouths on foods or be given a specific toy they are allowed to chew but it isn't fair to the other kids in care to have to deal with soggy toys either. Those who still put things in their mouths are restricted to one bin of baby stuff for chewing. I started this back when there was so much concern about H1N1 and infants not being immunized and a sudden phobia against germs in general. I was surprised at how quickly most kids gave up the chewing and starting playing in a much more constructive way - it was like they were given permission to grow up. Hands were used to play not hold a toy in the mouth. It was great. While you can't stop other kids from chewing on things you would be helping your daughter to learn to cope by teaching her not to put anything in her mouth except for a certain item which would help to limit coming into contact with the contamination.

In all of the kids I have known with a milk allergy the response has been gastric rather than hives so no experience in this area. Is it possible that it is something else in a group she is coming into contact with that is causing the hives. Is hives her reaction to milk all the time even at home?

To avoid the milk issues in the daycare you might try looking for a situation where your child would be the youngest and both the other daycare children and the caregiver's own children were older - closer to age 2 and up. If you go through an agency such as Global or Wee Watch they need to follow age restrictions so there could only be 2 children under age 2 in the daycare so that might be one avenue to check into. Privately a caregiver can have 5 children of any age combination.

The obvious option is to have someone come into your home so that you know exactly what foods, toys, play areas your child is coming in contact with. Not sure if you could find a short term nanny willing to work say now till Christmas until you have had your allergy appointment and then you can make a future decision based on the outcome.

Good morning...I have recently discovered that one of our day care children has an egg allergy and we have been provided with an epipen. I have alerted all the parents to be careful with any foods they bring in and the same goes for any one who assists me. Our recipes are getting adjusted and we believe we have done 'due diligence'. Nonetheless, I would like to add a layer of protection and ask the child's parents to provide us with a 'waiver' of responsibility. Have any of you had to prepare such a document that you would be willing to share? Thanks.

I wouldn't keep the child in my care ... Anything that requires an Epi-pen is way too much responsibility for me. I have one child with a lactose sensitivity and the parent provides the milk but the child can have cheese and yogurt its only when drinking milk that the issue arises so I am okay with it

I had a little girl in care with an epipen that I carried everywhere we went. Thank goodness I never had to use it. She had a severe nut allergy so I was always scanning at the park because people feed nuts to the squirrels and shells were everywhere. I didn't actually make up a document for parents but I do think that is a very good idea. The little girl's Mom taught me how to use the epipen with a 'teacher pen' that wasn't real so I wasn't afraid of that and I also carry medical forms everywhere I go in case I have to ever call the paramedics.

Right now I have a little boy in my daycare who has a milk allergy or something, but it isn't as serious as anaphalactic, we're just trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with his poops and I'm pretty sure the culprit is some type of food.

Up until now I have always had a policy of a child with an allergy severe enough to require an epipen ie anaphalactic reaction should be in a daycare centre where there is more than one adult so that one adult can concentrate on the allergic reaction and the other can maintain the safety of the other children. I have had allergies that were gastric reactions with no issues. I currently have a child that has been in care for 4 months and we just weren't giving her peanut butter as is the norm these days but she accidentally got some of her older brother's at home and got hives around her mouth. We had to wait for almost 3 months for testing and she is allergic and now has an epipen but I couldn't bring myself to terminate.

Also I know that since she hasn't had a reaction in the last three months and her brother still gets it at home that the precautions of washing we are doing are enough for her at least right now. But I have an epipen here and I like that the newer models are a lot easier to use than the old ones I was first trained on.

For me, I think it would come down to the severity. My oldest son has a nut allergy. We have been prescribed an epipen, but have never even come close to requiring it, THANK GOD and touch wood. Last year, one of my school age kids was found to have a "tree nut" allergy. He was also given an epipen. I was not going to terminate care for them, though.
If a parent came and said "my child has a SEVERE allergy to such-and-such. He/she has been hospitalized, we have used the epi in the past, and even trace amounts can cause a reaction...." Eeeek. Too much for me, I think. I would also rather that child be in a group care scenario, as opposed to home daycare. More children, true. But also more adult eyes and hands.
I wonder if you could google "waiver document" and find an all purpose one that you can amend to suit your needs? Something stating that the provider will make all efforts to ensure an environment safe from the allergen, but in the event that something should happen, it is agreed that the provider WILL not be held personally responsible or liable.

Does anybody have a lawyer hubby that could answer the question of liabilty on something like a food allergy. The assumption with anything in daycare is that I will do my best to prevent accidents, injuries, etc. but to what degree are we responsible for preventing an allergic reaction other than doing our best. I mean I would feel awful if anything happened on my watch so to speak but at the same time I can only do so much with what I have to work with - thinking of the discussion above about the milk allergy if another child drools and I did put in my newsletter a reminder to parents about the nut allergy and to please use a bib or change the child's shirt, brush their teeth, wash hands with soap and water etc. if they use peanut butter at breakfast before coming but is it a requirement that I redo the teeth and hands just in case. I mean I would if I smelled peanut butter and let the parent know I was not impressed with their lack of care for the situation but beyond that.

Thanks every body. I will check with Google. The child's doctor has recommended that the family give him small amounts of foods with eggs cooked in, and to keep expanding the amount slowly over time....so I don't think this is life threatening yet. I rarely work alone so there will be 2 more eyes 'on deck' :rolleyes:

A lot of kids with an egg allergy are ok if it is in something like muffins since one egg spread across 24 muffins is an almost insignificant amount per muffin and doesn't directly touch the child's mouth/throat etc.

Some also do ok with part of the egg. My oldest - 28 years old now daughter doesn't do well on a regular egg but is ok with the liquid egg you buy in the dairy section. If an egg is scrambled she does better - ie the yolk and white are mixed together. Her reaction was always just a milk stomach ache and she ate eggs growing up just not before a major event.

There is treatment for allergy and it utilizes the Immune System to fix an immune problem.
There are 2 controls by the immune system which are compared to Yin-yang or positive & negative.
1. The helper T Cell functions to increase antibodies
2. The Suppressor T Cell functions to decrease antibodies – also called Regulatory T cells or T Reg cells

Oral Tolerance is the method that scientist & researchers called this treatment.
It harnesses the T REg cells and lowers gluten antibodies.

The good news is this method has been successful in animal trials.
However, it has not been successful in human trials.
The reason for the human failure is lack of a blood factor called B7. Animal experiments were done on young animals and their immune systems produced good enough quantities of B7.

The good news is that certain Herbs are able to induce B7 ( a lymphokine) by blood lymphocytes.

Modern Medicine has joined with research in doing experiments but their policy is herbs are not part of their approved ingredients because herbs can not be patented and will not generate much return.

However, our company has combined the knowledge of Oral Tolerance and herbs to produce a successful formula. There are over 40 known herbs that are able to induce B7 by lymphocytes.
There is one last hurdle in this formula. To produce the needed B7, the dose must be a certain dosage on humans and we found that though B7 is induced, the blood cells that produced the B7 also produce other lymphokines such as Tumor necrosis Factor, Interferons and Interleukins – many of these cause inflammation in the body and inflammation leads to failure since it causes increase of antibodies. Therefore to create a successful formula, we had to experiment with various herbs and herb formula and found certain herb combinations lead to minimum inflammation.
So our formula is Oral Tolerance which is antigens as peptide and the correct herb to produce B7.
Since the formula lowers 3 Antibodies – Immunoglobins M & Immunoglobin G &Immunoglobin E – , the Immunoglobin E is involved in allergies -it heals allergies.

Altho our site is on gluten - antigen, we can prepare a formula specific for Milk allergy.
contact us and we can prepare such a formula.

More info at:
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