Miriel Team · food allergy, allergens, daycare, toddlers
Daycare and Playdates With a Food Allergy
Share your child's plan with every adult in charge, pack food yourself and keep notes to other parents short and friendly.
Before your child starts daycare or goes to a friend’s house, share the plan your child’s doctor gave you with every adult in charge. Then make food easy for them: pack it yourself, label it, and keep your notes short.
Getting daycare ready
- Book a short meeting with the room leader before the first day. Bring a copy of your child’s plan and talk it through together.
- Ask which forms the daycare needs. Any that need your doctor’s signature can take a while, so start early.
- Ask how meals and snacks work: who cooks, where the children eat, and how each child’s food is kept apart.
- Ask who knows the plan on days the usual teacher is off, and where the plan is kept in the room.
- Ask about food used outside meals, like cooking activities, play dough or snacks for outings.
Packing food from home
- Use a lunch box and containers with your child’s name and a short note, for example “No egg”.
- Pack a little extra, so there is a spare if a meal ends up on the floor.
- Leave a box of snacks from your child’s OK list in the room for birthdays and surprise parties.
- Ask the teacher for a heads up before celebrations, so you can send something your child will enjoy.
Playdates and parties
For playdates, a short message to the other parent goes a long way. Keep it friendly and specific, and offer to bring the food.
“Hi! Looking forward to Saturday. Just so you know, Leo can’t have egg. I’ll bring his snack and a cupcake for him, so you don’t need to cook anything different. Thanks so much!”
Bringing your child’s food takes the pressure off the host. Other parents are usually happy to help once they know what to watch for.
With younger children, it is easier if you stay for the first few playdates. You see how snacks are handled, and the other parent gets a chance to ask questions.
Keep everyone on the same page
- Keep one short, current copy of the plan, and share that same version with daycare, grandparents and babysitters.
- When the plan changes, send the new copy and ask people to throw out the old one.
- As your child gets older, practice a simple family rule together, like “I eat the food from my box”.
- Thank the teachers often. They are part of your team.
It can feel strange to hand over the plan at first. After a few weeks, it usually becomes part of the normal routine.