Food allergy nightmare at Neverland Club

[sandym718]

Glad your daughter is OK! sounds like a struggle to stay on top of all the time!

Sounds like it was handled wrong in so many ways - never should've been given the milk, most importantly! And repeatedly calling her by the wrong name and referring to her sibling? Kind of scary when dealing with a medical issue! I know they have a lot of children in and out, and I can understand misspeaking, but when calling a parent??

But, I can also understand that the CM's cannot administer meds. He never should have said they would, then you would have known. But, to ask them to go to the gift shop to get the Benadryl?? Even if they were allowed to administer meds (which they are not, and that should have been clarified in advance) - I'm sure it would only be those supplied by the parent, with a Dr's note, clearly marked with the child's name. Would anyone really want any CM (probably only trained in basic first aid and CPR) to go decide which medicine to purchase/take/whatever and then administer it?? What if they bought the wrong kind?? The CM never should have said they would do it, that was wrong, then you would've known to call 911. But, I also think it was an error to ask them to do that. This would apply, in my opinion, to any place you'd leave your child - Disney or not. Cannot ask them to go purchase medicine and then administer it!

If the allergy is serious/life-threatening, shouldn't the meds/Epi pen/inhaler always be with the child and shouldn't the child (until old enough to self-administer) only be left 1) with an adult qualified and allowed to administer or 2) an adult who knows to contact the parents immeidately who can decide if a 911 call is necessary (or just call 911 right away if that is the preference)? Shouldn't this all be discussed in advance, re: the need for medicine and what to do in lieu of the fact that they can't administer? I guess it probably seems like, "it won't happen, she knows better", but the fact is, with kids, it always COULD happen. Better to prepare in advance then to deal with an unfortunate incident and have complaints afterwards. And, luckily only complaints, not serious injury.

Disney definitely dropped the ball here, I agree. But, I think a lot of things should have been done differently on both sides.

 

[Sweetpeasmum]

Hi there, me again. I have written a few letters. I wanted to make sure that the higher-up were aware of the problem, and my suggestions. While I did not ask for anyone to be fired, I did ask for more education on the severity of food allergies. Like I said, my main concern is that no other child have an exposure at ANY of the kids clubs.

 

[bartleby1]

Wow.

I'm so glad that your daughter is ok, but as others have stated, this was handled wrong on so many levels. Hopefully they take your advice and suggestions seriously before anything else happens.

I applaud you for handling the situation with a calm and concerned approach. I'm not sure that I could do the same - I think I'd be a raging lunatic, lol!

Also, I just wanted to reinforce what some other posters have said about you doing NOTHING wrong. If disney is allowing children with allergies (which they should) to stay in their care, then they should be training their employees to handle a child with allergies. Allergies can be life threatening and should be handled as such. It should NOT be left up to the child to monitor the food that is given to them since many ingredients are hidden within the food and cannot be seen by the child. Giving a highly allergic child the wrong food is as severe as handing a child a loaded gun to play with. I do understand that mistakes happen, but they should be taking every possible precaution to make sure they don't and in this particular situation, it doesn't seem that the cast member knew what procedure should be followed after the mistake did happen. It definitely seems like policies and training needs to change to prevent something like this from happening again.

 

[lookingforward]

WillCad, my only issue was that when I asked him to give the benedryl to my daughter, he said he would. Had he said, I can't, I would have then told him to call 911. I understand the difficulty of trusting phone consents.

Katie does wear a medic alert bracelet, and she does a great job knowing hat she can and can't have. Had she been handed a clear glass of milk she never would have touched it. The real issue was that she couldn't wee what was in the glass. She now know to peek under the lids of any cup she can't see through.

You sound like an absolutely proactive, wonderful, organized mom and I wanted to commend you for keeping your wits about you during this crisis and for responding in such a responsible way. I work for a police department and I respond to crisis all the time. People panic and are unprepared for medical emergencies.

As for leaving your kids with Disney, well....of course you should. You informed them, they accepted, you had a bracelet on your child AND she sounds like she is responsible and educated to help herself. what happened was unpredictable and unfortunate.

 

[lenshanem]

I was thinking about this again today...

They really should have called the paramedics. I just don't understand why at no point they were called.

A few years ago my Mom was carrying my youngest daughter and she tripped on the sidewalk at the Poly. They both fell HARD and my youngest fell on the back of her head. A CM helped us and called the paramedics just to make sure everyone was OK.
We were going to the Luau that night and they gave us a ride in a cart to the show and then picked us up in the cart to take us back to our car, even stopping along the way by the beach so we could watch the fireworks from the MK. Both my girls were given huge Mickeys from them, too.

I guess my point is they are prepared to be there quickly in an emergency. The paramedics were there in minutes. And the Poly staff went out of their way to make sure we were not upset. I'm surprised they didn't handle your situation in a similar manner.

Sounds like they STILL have not properly trained on the severity of food allergies and this is especially important in childcare. I worked at a preschool last year and I had to go thru numerous staff meetings. I would think Disney would do this with their own childcare staff???

Like I said we used Neverland before with my peanut allergic daughter and I felt comfortable leaving her there after talking with them and I think I'm a pretty over protective Mom. Now I don't think I'd use them again, the place is just too big. (Thus calling your daughter by the wrong name, were they not reading her name tag?!?)
I plan on using Sandcastle Club in January. I'm gonna be calling them back again. One thing I do know is it is a much smaller place and I would think the kids would get more individual attention.

Again, I'm sorry you had to go thru such a scary thing.

 

[hollyb]

Everyone involed with this should be fired ASAP!!!!!! They knew her issues and yet this still happened. For the CM to tell you that yes he would give her the medicine and then didn't. That is horrible!!!!!!!

Our DD has asthma I can not imagine them saying "yes will give her the medicine" and then finding out they didn't heads would roll!!!!

 

[KikiFan]

OP I am so sorry. That's a horrible experience for you and your daughter. You definitely handled the situation a lot more calmly then I would have. You couldn't have done more to protect her then you did.

Have you considered letting your daughter carry her own inhaler? (With you carrying a back up of course!) Starting in first grade, my daughter always carried her own inhaler. There are too many times she needed it and didn't have access to it, or would have to race across the school, up a flight of stairs, while having an attack to get to the nurses office. The schools will usually tell you that the kids cannot carry any meds (Zero tolerance) However the law says different. In the state of Texas, it's the law that children be allowed to carry inhalers, they are one of the few exceptions to "Zero Tolerance" (Epi pens are the other I believe)

 

[drag n' fly]

I didn't mean to come off as being judgmental, however, I think that in a situation where one is far from home and their children's doctors, certain precautions should be taken, such as don't leave your kid at a Disney day care center. Obviously the CMs working at the day care center are going to be very busy and probably not going to focus as much as they should on a kid with food allergies. Didn't they call the OP's daughter by the wrong name and say something about a non- existant sibling? Would you want to leave your child with a food allergy with these people?

I think taking my post and then alluding that I think the OP should lock their kid up in a room for the rest of their life is ridiculous. We should be able to have opinions on topics such as this on DIS without being attacked.

Anyways, I'm glad your daughter was fine and you were able to get her the medication. I'm in the health care field, and these kinds of things worry me.

Maybe so but what you said was downright mean. This parent needs support not someone berating her. My comment was based on the incredible arrogance of your response. If you are so worried next time choose your words more carefully and think about how the Mom and daughter feels. Even with your second response you are still telling this parent what to do by saying "don't leave your kid at a Disney day care center". You requested to give your opinion without being attacked. Honestly I think that is the pot calling the kettle black!

 

[Sweetpeasmum]

Thanks to everyone for their support. It is appreciated. I wanted to clear up a few things. Katie has not needed her inhaler, ever. I was given the epipen and inhaler in case of an exposure. Thankfully, she had not developed asthma symptoms before this. The other thins is that they did NOT call her Barbara when I left her. It was only after I was gone that the mistaken identity occurred. We are going to her allergist tomorrow. I wish to make sure that her current treatment is correct.

Thanks again.
Beth

 

[lenshanem]

OP I am so sorry. That's a horrible experience for you and your daughter. You definitely handled the situation a lot more calmly then I would have. You couldn't have done more to protect her then you did.

Have you considered letting your daughter carry her own inhaler? (With you carrying a back up of course!) Starting in first grade, my daughter always carried her own inhaler. There are too many times she needed it and didn't have access to it, or would have to race across the school, up a flight of stairs, while having an attack to get to the nurses office. The schools will usually tell you that the kids cannot carry any meds (Zero tolerance) However the law says different. In the state of Texas, it's the law that children be allowed to carry inhalers, they are one of the few exceptions to "Zero Tolerance" (Epi pens are the other I believe)

We're in Georgia and my 8 year old daughter transports her medicine fanny pack (Epi, Benadryl and inhaler) throughout the school and hands it off to the different teachers.

I keep another med bag in my purse at all times that gets handed off to whoever she is with - grandparents, etc.

At WDW and even the DCL whenever she has been left at any type of kid's activity I have left her med bag with whoever is in charge and they have never told me that I couldn't leave it.
FYI -
FAAN sells the red medicine pouches online. They stand out and even have a clip attached to them. I just used a sharpie and wrote her name on the outside and her allergy, on the inside I put instructions and emergency numbers.

 

[robinb]

I am sorry that this happened to your DD and your family . I'm glad that she's OK!

My only question is ... why did you send your allergic 6-year old DD to a kids club half way around the "world" when there were ones much closer? Your DD could have gone to the Camp Dolphin or the Sand Castle Club which are both within a quick walk from Spoodles. I don't begrudge you an adults only dinner ... I'm just confused why you didn't pick something closer for your special needs child.

 

[honeymom]

I'm glad that your daughter is okay. And, I do not agree with the poster who critiicized you. In this day and age, there is plenty of knowledge about food allergies and Disney's staff should have taken more precautions with your child. I think that there is a laxness with dairy allergies as they often cause intestinal discomfort only. Your daughter has a more serious problem.

As to whether Neverland Club staff should have administered benadryl, you will have to check Florida laws that govern childcare establishments. I know that some states severely restrict, or make it very difficult, to administer medication even in emergency situations.

Yes, hindsight is knowledge and you have expressed things you would have done differently that night. I think one thing that you could do in the future is to ask staff how they would treat an emergency if you can't get there quickly - would they call 911 or give medicine? Then at least you will understand whether the childcare is truly equipped to deal with your child.

 

[Cool-Beans]

I think one thing that you could do in the future is to ask staff how they would treat an emergency if you can't get there quickly - would they call 911 or give medicine? Then at least you will understand whether the childcare is truly equipped to deal with your child.

A child who has allergies that set off anaphylactic reactions could very well die before the EMTs get there.

If the staff cannot use the Epi-pen, the child shouldn't be left there.

I realize that some people have intolerance, not true allergies. And even folks with allergies don't always have the life-threatening kind...although once you have an allergy, you never know if it will progress to anaphylaxis the next time.

Mothers of kids with life-threatening allergies MUST be SURE that there is someone THERE who can handle it. If they aren't absolutely convinced of this, the child shouldn't be left with those people. Not many things are a matter of life and death...this is.

I really think that unless Disney is prepared to handle this stuff, they should tell people who have children with these types of allergies that the day care centers can't handle it, and decline to watch the kids. It is the responsible thing to do.

 

[fldisneymommyto2]

I am so sorry this happened to Katie. As the mother of 2 food allergy children, I totally agree with you and understand your concern. So many people do not take food allergies serious. I hope they work out a better system and nobody else has to suffer.

 

[Hannathy]

I'm sorry this happened but both sides screwed up. Sorry but that is true. Disney should be more careful in serving the food or should not accept children with allergies. BUT Mom messed up also. I don't mean she should never go out ,but she was not prepared for an emergency which could happen any time not only when you have scheduled it. She did not have the child's meds with the child or even on herself. And I'm sorry but expecting a CM to go to the gift shop and buy meds is assinine on many levels. She also waited for her food! What I hope is learned is how to be prepared and react in an emergency not getting CM's fired. I'm glad her little girl is ok, kids are smart when I was working with diabetic children the kids usually understood things quicker than the parents. I think the OP is brave posting this on a forum ( since she made mistakes to) so others know what could happen and to be better prepared and I give her credit for that.

Please don't let a 6 yr old carry a hidden pill-that the staff don't know about- when she is in a situation like this unless it is contained in a way that another child could not get it and take it if she dropped it.

 

[lenshanem]

Disney should be more careful in serving the food or should not accept children with allergies.

Are you for real?!? So you think Disney should turn away kids with allergies?!? Who else do you think they should turn away? I can't believe I even just read that statement. Disney is very accommodating to many people with various types of needs and I would expect as more kids are developing these serious allergies that Disney will soon be just as accommodating for them. It is apparent, though that Disney does need to do more education and training on this issue.

 

[Sweetpeasmum]

First of all, I DID NOT wait for my food. I handed over my CC to pay the bill, and they brought out the boxes and packed it while I signed the bill. I did leave benedryl with them, and THEY couldn't find it. When I left it with them, they did not tell me that they coud not administer it. I told them to get some from the gift shop if they couldn't find it. I did not leave her at the SandCastle club because they were full, and she loved the NL club the last time we were there. I have admitted repeatedly that I made mistakes. I also said that I wasn't asking anything from WDW, EXCEPT that they take simple measures to prevent this from happening again. I also said that asked that no one be fired. You are right, it did take bravery to post this because I know I would be flamed. I thought it more important that others know what current procedures than what people would think of my parenting skills. Guess I was wrong.

 

[WillCAD]

Are you for real?!? So you think Disney should turn away kids with allergies?!? Who else do you think they should turn away? I can't believe I even just read that statement. Disney is very accommodating to many people with various types of needs and I would expect as more kids are developing these serious allergies that Disney will soon be just as accommodating for them. It is apparent, though that Disney does need to do more education and training on this issue.

There is a practical and legal limit to how much training and education would be effective. There are some life-threatening conditions which require specialized professional medical care, and Disney could not legally accept kids with those conditions at places like the Neverland Club without an actual doctor or paramedic on hand. They turn away kids who are not potty-trained - why not turn away kids who require more care than the CMs are legally permitted to give? Daycare providers all over the country turn away kids with special needs all the time because they are not properly equipped, trained, or certified to handle them.

I have always been in agreement with Disney's policy, which is that if someone gets sick in a park, resort, restaurant, or kids club, CMs are not permitted to dispense any kind of medication to them. This is most important for kids. Would you want a CM handing out Benadryl whenever a kid shows signs of an allergy? Paramedics go through months of training before they can hand out an even asprin; I don't want untrained, unlicensed people handing out meds to sick children. And even a trained paramedic or doctor is not permitted to treat a minor without a signed parental consent form, except in extreme life-threatening emergencies, so even if there had been a doctor at the Neverland Club, they could not have given Katie any on a verbal phone order from her mom.

I will not bash the OP; clearly she thought it was safe to leave Katie at the Neverland Club, and the CM who told her that he would give Katie some Benadryl was obviously improperly trained, since every CM should know that's a violation of policy, and the whole Club screwed up with the name mix-up. But I do think that the fact that Katie had a sip of anything from any cup without visually verifying that it was not something that could potentially kill her shows unequivocally that she is not yet old enough or responsible enough to be left at the Neverland Club.

Whether Katie was given the wrong drink by the CMs or she took a sip from another kids cup is irrelevant. The relevant fact is that Katie drank from a cup without looking into it to make sure it wasn't milk, a mistake which could cost her her life someday if repeated. She's only 6 years old; expecting that kind of attention to detail from her is unreasonable; it's the parents' responsibility to check her drinks, and to teach her to check her own. But it is also unreasonable to expect the CMs at Neverland Club to provide that kind of close supervision. It is a practical impossibility with a group of 20 6-year-olds. Ever see the threads arguing the merits of kid leashes? They are full of stories of 3-4 year olds who wander off in public like a flash of lightning; taking a sip of milk at a kids party happens even faster, and there is no way to prevent it unless a CM is standing right behind each child through the entire meal.

I find it disturbing that this thread has so many people complaining about the supposed lack of responsibility on the part of the CMs. Clearly, the CMs made at least two mistakes (getting Katies name wrong and telling OP that they would give her Benadryl when that is clearly forbidden by WDW policy), but I cannot blame the CMs for the primary mistake, which was that Katie drank milk. That's not their fault. Truthfully, it's Katies fault - except that she is only 6 years old and cannot be held responsible for that mistake, so everybody wants to lay it on the CMs, which is also unreasonable because they cannot provide that kind of one-on-one supervision.

So where does that leave us? Mom. Mom made a mistake in leaving Katie at the Neverland Club when she wasn't ready for such a social setting. Mom thought that Katie was ready; she would not have knowingly put her daughter at risk. But she was wrong. And blaming the CMs for that mistake is like treating the symptoms without going after the cause.

Mom knows better now. Katie is not ready to be put into that kind of social setting with other kids; she needs additional training and education herself - never eat or drink anything without looking at it first to see if it is a milk product. If she had had that training, the entire incident would never have taken place, and any subsequent mistakes by the CMs would have been irrelevant.

 

[marivaid]

So where does that leave us? Mom. Mom made a mistake in leaving Katie at the Neverland Club when she wasn't ready for such a social setting. Mom thought that Katie was ready; she would not have knowingly put her daughter at risk. But she was wrong. And blaming the CMs for that mistake is like treating the symptoms without going after the cause.

Mom knows better now. Katie is not ready to be put into that kind of social setting with other kids; she needs additional training and education herself - never eat or drink anything without looking at it first to see if it is a milk product. If she had had that training, the entire incident would never have taken place, and any subsequent mistakes by the CMs would have been irrelevant.

They give allergy bracelets to the kids with allergies, dont they ? So obviously they dont expect the kids to be 100% reliable. Why bother asking if a child has allergies, or to give them bracelets, if they're not going to take care of them properly ? In Katie's case she was allergic to milk. If a child is allergic to nuts, for example, there are many many foods that contain them but it's not obvious just by looking at the food.What do you expect these kids to do, request to see the label on the box ? Don't forget there are kids from all over the world at WDW, who may not speak any English. The parents trust the CMS at the clubs to take care of their children. If you expect 6 year olds to be responsible for themselves, then why bother putting them under any supervision at all, you may as well just leave them alone in the hotel room.

The mom made some mistakes and admits it but she's not the only one responsible. Maybe there were too many kids for the CMs to keep track of, I dont know, but what I do know is that these people couldnt even remember the child's name, let alone what she was allergic to.

When you put your child in clubs like this, school, or daycare, the people accepting her there are responsible for her. They had the information. The child was wearing a bracelet, in case they forgot about it. They're supposed to be trained to look after children and they didnt do their job properly.

 

[WillCAD]

They give allergy bracelets to the kids with allergies, dont they ? So obviously they dont expect the kids to be 100% reliable. Why bother asking if a child has allergies, or to give them bracelets, if they're not going to take care of them properly ? In Katie's case she was allergic to milk. If a child is allergic to nuts, for example, there are many many foods that contain them but it's not obvious just by looking at the food.What do you expect these kids to do, request to see the label on the box ? Don't forget there are kids from all over the world at WDW, who may not speak any English. The parents trust the CMS at the clubs to take care of their children. If you expect 6 year olds to be responsible for themselves, then why bother putting them under any supervision at all, you may as well just leave them alone in the hotel room.

The mom made some mistakes and admits it but she's not the only one responsible. Maybe there were too many kids for the CMs to keep track of, I dont know, but what I do know is that these people couldnt even remember the child's name, let alone what she was allergic to.

When you put your child in clubs like this, school, or daycare, the people accepting her there are responsible for her. They had the information. The child was wearing a bracelet, in case they forgot about it. They're supposed to be trained to look after children and they didnt do their job properly.

I don't expect a 6 year old to be responsible enough to look after themselves properly; very few 6 year olds are. But there is a big difference between "keeping track of" the kids, and supervising them closely enough to be 100% certain that a kid with a lethal allergy will never come into contact with their particular allergen.

It takes only about 1/2 second for a kid to take a sip from a sippy cup; whether it was her own or the kids next to her makes no difference - unless an adult was standing directly behind Katie the entire time, watching every single sip she took, there was simply no way to be 100% certain that she could not get a sip of milk. This is not the level of supervision offered at the Neverland Club, and I don't seem to recall ever hearing any claims to the contrary.

There are many different grades of allergic reaction, most of which are mildly uncomfortable to miserably uncomfortable, but not life-threatening. Leaving a kid at Neverland Club when they have a mild allergy that causes hives, itching, or sneezing is perfectly safe, because the level of supervision there is appropriate to that type of medical condition.

The level of supervision at Neverland Club and similar places is not, never has been, never will be, and never should be[/b] considered adequate for children with lethal allergies. A child with such a severe and dangerous medical condition should never be left without the higher level of supervision in a situation where their allergen is present, until they are old enough to care for themselves. If that means waiting till a kid is 8 or 10 years old, so be it - life ain't fair, especially for kids with severe life-threatening medical conditions.

I think the test is simple - if a kids allergy is so severe and life-threatening that the doctor has mandated that the parents or kid carry an epi-pen at all times, then the kid should never be left with anyone who is not trained, certified, and legally permitted to administer the epi-pen until the kid is old enough to administer it herself. The whole reason a doctor mandates the epi-pen is that anaphalactic shock can be fatal so fast that there is no time to wait for paramedics to arrive and administer an epinephrine shot.

If the kids allergy is not severe enough to mandate an epi-pen, that means that the doctor thinks its safe to wait for paramedics in the event of an allergic reaction, which means it's safe to leave the kid in the Neverland Club without immediate on-site medical attention.

This whole thing is a matter of degree. Neverland Club and similar places are capable of accepting kids with mild allergies, but they do not have immediate on-site medical attention available to treat kids with anaphalaxis.