Kindy parents struggle with allergic boy

30/05/2012 8:34:18 p.m.

Deborah wrote:

I'm astounded when reading comments about peoples reactions and self righteous indignation, what about my child's right to EAT this or that or whatever.... Have you all forgotten we are talking about a child's life. Seriously, this innocent child could die its just that simple. How would anyone, any parent feel knowing that they were responsible for the death of a child because they were too self involved to take a few small precautions?? Seriously is it that much of a challenge to make sure that for a few hours a day your child not eaten certain foods that could threaten the life of another child. Is THAT the kind of society we live in now? Where one child's right to eat a muffin is more important than another child's right to gain an education, socialise and play with his peers..... In complete shock.

29/05/2012 1:55:58 p.m.

cody wrote:

This debate reminds me of jury service when you are held up by people who in their desire to show compassion allow common sense to fly out the window.

I agree with those who say this is more about force then a moral issue.

Personally i blame the Pre school centre and belive they should be deregistered until they gain a perspective that involves all their pupils,not some.

28/05/2012 3:38:28 p.m.

A Mothers Voice wrote:

This article seemed to me less about allergy awareness & more about one parent forcing their needs/wants on a Kindy community. My heart goes out to any parent with a child who has any allergy that impacts on daily activities. Surely though shouldn't we be teaching the child strategies about living in a world that doesn't cater? Maybe Sean Plunket is correct & if this child is this allergic, maybe Kindy isn't an option at the present time. And for the Kindergarten's point of inclusiveness, sounds to me that, this limited/short sighted food policy is not for the majority, and what happens if another child enrolls and is allergic to the food that Myles can eat, what will happen then???

27/05/2012 6:37:50 p.m.

Allergy MUM wrote:

@ Mike you obviously havent got any kind of allergy or intollerance - It hurts - My daughter has intollerance or also called delayed onset allergies to a range of food - which will either burn her skin on contact or completely shut down her bowel so that she screams in agony. Epi pens arent an option for us, they dont work for her kind of reactions and it is heart breaking hell to watch your child suffer. I love that this kindy has made a safe environment for an allergic child - Kindy's in my area wont take my daughter as it requires swapping over to gluten free playdough and supervision around paints and extreme food hygiene

26/05/2012 9:11:43 a.m.

Another Mum wrote:

Hey James here's an idea: just save the muffin or yoghurt until your child gets home from kindy out of consideration for others. It might teach your own child a valuable lesson about caring for others. I'm sure you your child won't starve, have you considered packing the lunch box with a piece of fruit and a sandwhich?

26/05/2012 7:46:39 a.m.

Teresa wrote:

I was confused by your comment ‘This issue isn't about allergies, Myles or Kindys.’. Here is a clue, the title of the article is ‘Kindy parents struggle with allergic boy’. I think I understand the point you were trying to make though. Your political stance seems to align with a disregard for others and you seem to support the idea of excluding inconvenient minorities from public facilities. Maybe for your next crusade you could look in to the growing problem of old ladies that walk slowly on narrow footpaths? Or what about people in wheelchairs that cause buses to stop for an extended time so they can get on or off? Maybe you could look in to banning pesky tall people from the rugby in case they block your view? Your general position seems to be why should you have to put up with or tolerate others in your community. You seem to be sending a warning out to the sick, weak and disadvantaged in our society not to inconvenience you. Your lack of compassion for those not as lucky as you is astounding. Perhaps this focus on your own self-importance is why you missed the title and purpose of the story. You see the story is not about you and your political opinions, it’ is about a little boy who wants to go to Kindy with his friends and his right to be safe from harm when he is there.

25/05/2012 5:01:17 p.m.

Helen Cook wrote:

Its a hard call but maybe the kindy could help by making sure ALL children wash their hands properly after eating so food particles arent transfrred to toys etc and maybe make sure that children eat at set times rather than graze for easier supervision.I hope an understanding can be reached so the child can enjoy kindy.

25/05/2012 7:45:32 a.m.

Mike wrote:

Anaphlaxis is a serious condition. Yet it also does not just 'kill'. Its a condition which basically closes off the airways with swelling and its not an instant reaction. Someone with a sore throat is more at-risk than someone without a sore throat. Eg the skin prick test - reaction on skin is less than reaction of broken skin. And just because there is a reaction wont always mean Anaphylaxis.

The tests used today are the skin test or blood test, yet around 999/1000 such tests and prescribed Epi-Pens are an over reaction of the Panic Attack Industry.

Basically the parent asks 'what can we do' for the small chance of this happening, and the doctor 'All knowing' prescribes the Epi-Pen in overdone mode.

If a child thinks they may have touched something, it can induce a panic attack which can mimic symptoms. This can include shortness of breath which is common in panic attacks.

What next? Is a child with an alergic reaction to water. Just touching water will bring them out in a rash. Yet almost every food they eat contains water. Give them the skin prick test and you will have the same doctors proscribing Epi-Pens proscribing them an Epi-Pen for water. So this mother would support the ban of all water and substances containing water from Kindy? Bullshit. If look hard enough will find people with a reaction to just about any stubstance - will even find someone alergic to breast milk - so should we ban all breast feeding mothers from kindy? Why? Incase the one with the reaction sneaks a feed while another mother not looking?

If worried, make sure the Kindy has the Epi-Pens and knows how to use them, and the child will learn quickly if its needed to stick to its own food etc. Reality is the child will panic and since it it has shortness of breath, the Epi-Pen will be used when its not even needed, but everyone will be happy in they saved the child from its panic attack!

25/05/2012 7:39:59 a.m.

Tim & Shelley wrote:

It looks like this website filters out links. Perhaps people could try googling 'Toddlers near death highlights education need' or 'AllergyFacts' if they are interested in knowing more.

24/05/2012 9:43:26 p.m.

Tim & Shelley wrote:

There seems to be a bit of misinformation on this website so we just wanted to put a few facts out there.

Anaphylaxis is a serious life threatening condition. Milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish, shellfish, wheat and soy are the most common food triggers, which cause 90% of allergic reactions; however, any food can trigger anaphylaxis. It’s estimated around 1 in every 200 anaphylactic reactions cause death. Epi-Pens are prescribed by doctors for children that have been diagnosed as at risk of anaphylaxis. These at risk children are normally clinically identified via blood or skin prick testing used to measure the allergic response. This helps specialists identify the level of risk and distinguish between children that have intolerances as opposed to life threatening allergies. As children get older they get better at managing risks for themselves. Pre-school age children especially need monitoring and protection provided by the adults supervising them. Much like when it comes to learning to cross the road safely.

Here are 3 good links to start with for those that do want to know more about the facts (much of above was sourced from the allergy facts website):

Also a big thanks to all those fantastic parents and teachers out there that do care and who are supportive. We really wish we didn’t have to ask for your help but we also really appreciate it. You make a difficult situation so much easier, Thank You.