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  1. #1
    Euphoric !
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    Possible milk allergy

    I have a one year old in my care who broke out in blotches and welts all over his face today when he spilled some milk and rubbed it on his face. His parents have told me before that this happened at home and not to be alarmed as long as he is breathing normally. His breathing was fine, but I was still alarmed...it went away in about 45 minutes. The parents say they ahve spoken to the doctor and he's likely allergic to something, but they will pursue it next month at his next appointment. To me, this reaction (although he seems fine when he drinks milk) is an indicator that he has an allergy and needs urgent attention. I am concerned that it could suddenly worsen and could cause swelling of the throat or who knows what else. I am thinking of telling the parents that until he is tested, I will not be able to give him milk at daycare anymore because I don't feel comfortable with the risk. I can't assure that he won't get it on his skin again and I worry that he will eventually become truly allergic and have a reaction. Has anyone had a situation like this? Any advice?

  2. #2
    Euphoric ! Inspired by Reggio's Avatar
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    Hmm - I have seen children with contact allergies before where if the food was on the skin they broke out in hives rash however they could consume it without issues - usually acidic things like oranges, salad dressing, ketchup and so forth ...milk would be a new one for me???

    Is they child's skin sensitive at any other time?

    Personally I agree being cautious and not serving milk in the meantime is reasonable considering the risk should he have a serious reaction while in the group care
    Children construct their own intelligence. The adult must provide activities and context, but most of all must be able to listen. Children need proof that adults believe in them. Their three great desires are to be listened to, to understand, and to demonstrate that they are exactly what we expect."
    Loris Malaguzzi

  3. #3
    Euphoric !
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    Oh, that sounds so frightening for you. Talk about grounds for termination!!!!

  4. #4
    jec
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    I would be nervous as well ! I think you should voice your concerns to them. You don't need something turning from bad to worse while in your care.
    If you feel it might be a milk allergy then cut it out.
    Besides, I'm surprised that they are waiting to find out what triggers it until their next Dr appointment. An allergy can be serious. Are the parents at least keeping a journal of what this little one is eating/drinking and even exposed to, to tick off what causes a reaction?
    Just a suggestion and it's extra work ~ keep a journal at daycare of what is eaten daily and usually all the kids eat the same but, if something else they are exposed to write it down too??

  5. #5
    Euphoric !
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    I am not considering terminating...I love this family and have had no problems with them. It's just that they are quite relaxed about this issue and I don't feel the same way. I don't want the liability of an undiagnosed allergy. Although I don't accept children with allergies to food into my daycare, since this family has been with me for quite some time (I have thier two kids), I will keep him on unless he is diagnosed with a severe life threatening type allergy...which is not likely since he drinks milk every day with no issue. I just need to know so that I can avoid giving him foods that may cause problems for him. I am going to go ahead and tell the parents that I cannot give him milk until it has been checked out, just in case.

  6. #6
    Euphoric !
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    Jec: I make weekly menus sent out to the parents on Sundays, so there is no problem with tracking what he is eating. I will definitely be watching him more closely from now on to see if any other foods (especially dairy) seem to make his skin red (he does have sensitive skin that reddens easily) and pass on the info to his parents.

  7. #7
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    Hmmm that is interesting. You would think milk is soothing to skin....

    Anyways...my son truly is allergic to milk and will vomit if he ingests it (but not anaphelectic) (Sp) and he isn't allergic to touching it.

    There are different levels of allergy severity. The doctor must have told the parents not to worry.

    I think you should be able to tell the parents that you don't feel comfortable serving milk though. Children are only supposed to have a few milk servings a day anyways so it shouldn't be hard for the parents to give during the time they are with the child i.e Breakfast or dinner.

    You could always stick to just water or whatever juice is permitted during daycare until they test the child.

    Every child is different so really it may not mean anything that he had the welts on his skin as long as he doesn't get a rash drinking the milk.

    I have a girl who last year would get rash on her tummy and cheeks if we had yogurt or milk during daycare. I was giving her dairy and the parents were giving her dairy and she probably was building up a sensitivity. We totally removed dairy from her diet for a month and reintroduced it slowly and she was fine. I still don't give her much milk while she is with me....maybe organic yogurt a few times a week and the occasional serving of milk

    I sure wouldn't consider terminating based on the outbreak.

    You could also go the route of having the parents sign a form saying that they are aware of the incident that happened in regards to the milk and that they want you to continue serving milk and are aware you are not liable. etc

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  9. #8
    Euphoric !
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    Kanga, if you want to keep the family and really do trust them then I agree you shouldn't offer any milk products at all to the child until the doctor's diagnosis. If it were me I wouldn't give him any cheese, yogurt or other milk products either just to be safe.

    I had a little girl with a nut allergy in my daycare for a few years and it isn't that difficult to read labels and make sure you keep an allergic child safe. It just takes diligence in everything you do and everywhere you go which is part of our job because we are awesome. It can be done.

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