Quote Originally Posted by 5 Little Monkeys View Post
I'm like much of the others. I state in my contract that I am not peanut free as I am not willing to take the risk for the same reasons already mentioned above.

I have had children with other food issues, such as milk intolerance and sensitivities. I have cared for a child in a centre with gluten allergy and his mom provided all the food. To my knowledge, these are allergies that do not require epi pens so therefore I would be fine taking them into my home. In my experience, if these children did have milk or gluten, it resulted in sore stomach's and lots of poops!
One of my first daycare children had a severe life threatening allergy to dairy and had two epi-pens with him at all time. Peanut allergy seems to be spotlighted as being the most severe reaction in the headlines and at schools but it isn't always the case. My daughter over the past few consecutive years has had a child in her class with life threatening allergies to strawberries and kiwi's...to the point that it was banned from the entire school. Seems extreme to some but not to the family of this child or the child who would likely have a fatal reaction before the paramedics even arrived on scene. Now these types of allergies are a no brainer to me. Of course the answer is no without a shadow of a doubt but I do not automatically turn one down and not the other, its on an individual basis and also so many misuse the word allergy in place of intolerance. I do a little investigating prior to making a decision and I never jump to conclusions.