Tips For Keeping Your Child Safe At Daycare When The Child Has Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is something that can affect anyone of any age, including young children. If your toddler was recently diagnosed with this condition, you will need to make sure that he or she does not consume anything that contains gluten. This can make life a little trickier, and it can make it hard feeling confident leaving your child at a daycare center. If you are looking for a daycare center for him or her, it will be imperative to spend the time you need making sure you choose the right one. Here are some tips to help you know how to handle this.
Step 1: Ask the center if they are experienced with this
As you begin looking for a child care center, the first question you may want to ask is whether they have experience with other children that have celiac disease. If so, you may instantly feel good about this day care center. If they have had or currently have children with celiac disease, the staff will fully understand what this disease is and what it involves.
If the child care center does not have experience with this, you may want to ask if they would be willing to learn about the disease if you enrolled your child there. The main thing they would have to learn is what gluten is and what kinds of products contain gluten. If your child eats anything with gluten, it may not be life-threatening; however, it can leave your child with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms.
Step 2: Talk to them about their food policies
Some child care centers prepare food onsite, while others may have food catered in. There may also be some that require parents to pack lunches for the kids, and you may find some that do not allow kids to bring their own food.
If you want to keep your child healthy, the center will need to agree to one of two options:
- They will prepare or purchase food that is gluten-free for your child, and they will not give him or her anything that contains this ingredient.
- They will allow you to send in food for your child, which would involve packing a lunch and snacks for him or her each day.
Choosing the right daycare for a child can take time and effort, but it can take even more time if your child has a food allergy like this. As you contact local centers like Small World Early Learning & Development Center, make sure you're clear with them about your child's condition so you know whether or not they can care for your child appropriately.
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