Food Allergies in Children is On the Rise

I’ve noticed a lot more children coming in to preschool classrooms with food allergies. My daughter was one of them. An article in Health Day News previews a new study put on by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that:

the number of children with food allergies has gone up 18 percent and the number seeking treatment for food allergy at emergency departments or hospitals has tripled since 1993.

As my daughter approached her first birthday we realized she had a severe dairy allergy. She developed hives just by touching food with even the slightest amount of milk in it. Even eating food encrusted with store-bought bread crumbs (which usually contain a small amount of buttermilk powder) would cause hives around her mouth. I was most terrified by the hives and swelling I might not be able to see in places like her tongue or throat.

Our entire household had to adjust our eating habits. Going out to dinner felt like playing Russian Roulette. Most of the wait-staff we encountered seemed annoyed by our in-depth questioning of the ingredients in each meal. It became clear that most people thought that a dairy allergy is the same as lactose intolerance, which may cause some indigestion or other less pleasant discomforts, but not any real harm. We learned to bring food with us where ever we went.

Then came time to put our daughter into child care. Again, I stressed the allergy issue, but only when I had to show the teachers how to use the epipen did they take the situation seriously.

My daughter was fortunate to have a very dedicated teacher who attended a workshop for early childhood educators on food allergies in children. She said the workshop completely opened her eyes to the severity of the situation and gave her a new appreciation for the issue. I immediately noticed changes. It was clear that all teachers were now carefully reading food labels. They were learning the hidden terms for dairy like casein and whey. I was able to sleep better at night.

Apparently I am not alone in my experience. This article goes on to state:

Although many people think of allergies as more of a nuisance than a serious health issue, food allergy in particular can be very serious, even life-threatening. The most common foods that people are allergic to include peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, soy, shellfish, fish and wheat, according to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

By the time my daughter turned three, she had completely outgrown her dairy allergy, but her toddler teacher continues to be an advocate for children with food allergies in child care settings.

Here is a link to the Athsma and Allergy Foundation of America New England Chapter. In it you’ll find all kinds of information and tips for parent and child care providers on this important issue.

On Toddlers and Biting

Biting is an issue that nearly every parent and toddler teacher has had to deal with at some point. The fact that it is age-appropriate for toddlers doesn’t make it any less frustrating and stressful for caregivers.

There are many reasons why toddlers bite, and while it may be impossible to know exactly what is going through your toddlers mind, understanding the reasons can give you clues on how to address the issue effectively.

• Teething- biting can ease the discomfort of a new tooth coming in.
• Exploring cause/effect- biting can be an effective way for toddlers to test the impact their actions can have on others.
• Sensory exploration- like infants, many toddlers still explore new objects (including other people) with their mouths.
• Frustration or stress- toddlers have little control or awareness regarding their emotions. Hunger and fatigue can make a toddler feel just as out of control as a fit of anger. These emotions can be scary and biting is a way to cope.
• Self-expression- toddlers often have limited language skills and may use biting as a way to register a complaint, assert themselves or express dissatisfaction.
• Mimicry- toddlers learn by watching others. This is especially true of social behaviors. When one toddler bites, it’s not uncommon for the behavior to become contagious among a group of toddlers.

Our reaction to a biting toddler should always be immediate, consistent and firm. No matter what the reason, toddlers need to get a clear message that the behavior is not acceptable. But when it comes to really addressing the issue, it is important to have some understanding of why a toddler bites. For example, if my biting toddler is a teething toddler, giving her a teething toy or biscuit might be a very effective way of controlling the problem, but if her motivation for biting is to inform a friend that she does not want to share the doll, giving her a teething biscuit isn’t going to do much good.

An article on the Training Wheels for Early Childhood Educators web site goes into detail on this issue, giving parents and caregivers advice on how to address the issue, ideas on how to prevent it and detailed information on what to do when biting becomes a problem.

Information about how to handle a variety of difficult toddler behaviors is also available in the World of Wonder Just for Toddlers experience binder.

Watching 2 Natural Playgrounds Part II

Earlier this week I spent some time at the newly openned, professionally designed natural playground. Kids have been exploring and enjoying it for about two weeks now. While I was there, a group of toddlers and their teachers were enjoying an unusually mild November day.

Several kids were huddled together in a large tunnel which makes the hill it is carved into look more like an earth bridge. Woodchips cover the ground and the kids were sitting and lying down very close together, giggling and peering out at their teacher who was watching and waving to them from across the yard.

One little boy was completely focused on crossing a small wooden bridge, going back and forth, stomping and smiling along the way. When I got close to him he pointed under the bridge and said “troll!” I later learned that the group has been reading the story Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Another small group of three kids were rolling down a small hillside. Their teacher stood nearby occassionally making sure the children didn’t pile up on one another or helping to straighten out a crooked roller.

Soon a group of preschoolers came out. Among them were two with developmental delays, one who has very weak muscle tone and and motor control. He slowly made his way up a section of hill with only a slight incline and made his way to the plastic slide built in to a steeper section of the same hill. With little effort and a big smile, he launched himself down the slide.

One preschooler in particular roamed the playround’s peastone pathways, kicking and shuffling through the pebbles. Every teacher she came near asked her not to kick the stones, but she continued. Children were also continually being reminded to keep the trikes on the cement path. Obviously, rules are important on any playground, but I wonder if slight changes in the design might reduce the need for continual “policing” by teachers.

I had a chance to talk with some of the teachers about their new playground. In general, they loved it. One commented that the grass turf was wearing out faster than expected in some sections of the hillside, but most of the comments were very positive, including seeing less bickering  between children over playground equipment and more imaginative play.

I’m curious to see if elements of the playground end up being changed over time.

To read the previous entry on “Watching 2 Natural Playgrounds Develop” click here.

The Power of Pictures

When I think back on my childhood memories, I find that many of them are rooted in the photos that make up my family photo albums. I’ve often wondered if I actually remember the moment, or have just created a story based on the picture…

In the end, it doesn’t matter. Our memories (whether pure or photo-based) are what make up our experiences. As young people, our experiences helped to build our vocabularies, helped us to understand our environment and to make sense of new situations. We continue to draw on our past experiences every day.

My children and I look through family pictures all the time. My 2 year old son’s speech therapist first recommended this activity as a way to encourage his speech and build his vocabulary. It works. He can’t help but call out “fishing!” at the sight of himself holding a fishing pole at a nearby lake. He repeats the names of family members who came to visit over the summer as he sees them in photographs. He tells stories of what we did together.

I can also see the positive effect it has on my 5 year old daughter. Looking at these pictures has really helped to cement family vacations and fun experiences in her mind. She makes current connections to past events in a way that I don’t think would be possible if we didn’t make frequent trips “back in time” through the family album.

I’m not sure why photographs are so powerful. I wonder if it is related to the concept of Multiple Intelligences. Perhaps a photograph has the unique ability to transport us back to a multi-sensory experience. We remember the people we were with, how we were feeling, what we were doing, etc.

I have no doubt that pictures can be just as powerful in the classroom. When children can see themselves at work during various stages of a past project, or revisit a field trip through photos, or use photos to watch a tree in the schoolyard change through the seasons, their understanding becomes deeper, their vocabulary richer, their ability to communicate and make connections, stronger. I also love the way photos can bring parents into the classroom and help to start conversations that might never have happened otherwise.

When is Government Too Involved in Child Care?

A recent article in a Louisiana paper, The Advocate, describes a debate government officials are having regarding the licensing of child care facilities. Of course, we want to ensure that our children are safe, but when is state regulation going overboard?

Louisiana regulators are trying to decide whether or not children’s enrichment programs, like karate classes and a week-long summer camps, should be subject to licensing and regulations. Yikes!

I can understand the desire to ensure children’s safety, but such requirements could shut down a lot of valuable programs. Not because the programs aren’t good places for children, but because the burden of going through the licensing process is too much.

Take our local children’s museum for example. Most of the time children attend the museum with their parents, caregivers or guardians. No license required. But once a year, they run a week-long summer camp. The camp began at the request of many parents who were struggling with a gap in child care options the week before the school year started. All of the area summer programs were over by then and care options were few.

The summer program is in its third year and by all accounts, it’s a great success. Now, had the museum needed to get a state license to provide this service, it never would have happened. The process would require more staff time, money and other resources than would be feasible for the museum for such a short program. The gap in care options for that week would continue. If my daughter’s dance studio had to get a child care license to teach her after-school dance class, chances are that studio would stop the drop-off children’s program too. Parents and children would suffer.

Enrichment opportunities are important for children and the more options families have to find opportunities that suite their child’s intrests, the family’s budget and everybody’s schedule, the better off a community is.

The licensing and oversight of child care facilities is important. Many parents have no choice about placing their child in child care, and often time few options as to which facility they end up using. It is important that all child care facilities are safe and of high quality. This is not true of enrichment programs. Parents do have a choice, and the more choices available, the better. Bad programs can be weeded out and good programs can thrive. When it comes to enrichment programs and short-term summer camps, choice is what will ensure quality.