family-style at daycare

[Guest guest]

Yamani asked:

 

<<She seemed happy to accommodate us but she did raise an issue that I

am a little confused about how to handle and wanted to ask for some

other opinions. She asked how to handle it if he doesn't understand why

he can't have what the others are having. I thought he would be

delighted to have his own special meal but she brought up the fact that

part of this time is social and when they are all digging in, to stop

him and tell him he can't have something may upset him.>>

 

If your child knows anyone who can't eat something for religious or

allergy reasons, you can use that as a springboard for explaining that

your family also has a special way of eating.

 

It's true that toddlers have roving fingers, but they also understand if

you explain quite simply, with conviction, that this is an important

issue. My older daughter had a peanut allergy, and she never had any

problem explaining to people, at 2 years old, that she needed to know

what was in something before she could eat it. Even as early as 18

months, she understood that it was something that she could never, ever

" misbehave " about.

 

Educating the other parents will probably be important. Perhaps the

teacher(s) will allow you to write up a small memo to be distributed to

the other families, giving a quick, friendly heads-up on the fact that

you'd appreciate their assistance. Suggest to them that he would

probably get sick (right there and then!!) if accidently fed meat.

Suggestions about what would be universally acceptable in lieu of meat

could work, but don't expect that people will bend over backwards to

accomodate you. Some, if not most, will probably try to be accomodating

to at least a certain degree, which is better than nothing.

 

Liz