Info For Daycare Provider

[suziq0805]

My 1 year old will be beginning a new daycare in a couple of weeks. I'm a teacher so he's been home with me all summer and his previous daycare had another child with celiac there and that family was diagnosed before we began there and the staff was pretty educated already. We switched him because he kept getting so sick and so we're going from a center to an in-home daycare in hopes that he won't get 10 ear infections again this year.

My son is not diagnosed yet but we are treating him as if he is celiac until we decide how to figure out if he has celiac or had a sensitivity that he outgrew (when introduced to wheat he had severe vomitting and genetic testing was positive for 2 copies of DQ8). His new daycare provider seemed open to working with him. I will bring his lunch, snacks, bowls, silverware and such every day. But I also want to provide her with some info about celiac, but don't want to overwhelm her either. Has anyone found any brochures online that discuss the basics of cross-contamination and taking care of a child with celiac? The brochures I've found are more about the symptoms and testing. I could make my own info sheet but if there's one already out there it would save some time!

[suziq0805]

One other question...what would you recommend for a high chair?? Should I see if I could keep a high chair there for him that only he uses? He has a regular high chair and little one that sits on a regular chair- we got them both at rummage sales but have scrubbed them down really well before he used them. Do you think there could be cross-contamination issues if he would use the same high chair as other kids that have eaten gluten?

[organicmama]

Unless it's a very small daycare and you really trust the provider, I would bring a traveling high chair. They're only about $30. I think it would be too tempting to use a high chair that was his for other kids occasionally. A full-size one would be kind of imposing as far as her storing all the time. Plus, if kids eat cleaner foods like goldfish and cheerios, the chair doesn't often get well cleaned. I think there are scratches in most as well that would trap gluten.

[T.H.]

Do you think there could be cross-contamination issues if he would use the same high chair as other kids that have eaten gluten?

It's definitely a possibility. And if more than one child is fed at a time, he can't be near them - how often do we see little ones throw food or spit it out so that it sprays across the table?

If they eat food anywhere but the high chair, that's a risk too. And playing with playdough. And I believe some glues or tempera paint powders, too - you'd have to check what brands she uses and what brands have gluten, really.

it can be done, but it will definitely be hard work.