OT preschool snack help

[HappyDznyCamper]

Read the packaging on Rice Krispie treats, they may work, I have a student who is allerigic to peanuts so we keep them on hand for a treat. Not sure about dairy, but when you make them at home they don't have dairy.

 

[surfgirl]

Wait a minute.... if you have a list and those are the approved things, then why are you asking for advice ? I think its pretty clear. right?

What if you take a few of each of the approved things and put them in a cup so there is a variety. Yes, it is the same as they usually get, but packaged differently. Or use cupcake tins. That is what the kids like about popcorn surprise - the variety in it, not what it is called. I was trying to jumpstart an idea...

As for popsicles, just put them in a small cooler with freezer things (you know, the blue things that stay frozen - what are they called ?). We do this all the time for summer camp for kids' classes. One fun one that isn't so messy are the Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade or Limeades. Don't know if they have dairy, but they are in a cup so don't have the mess as popsicles. For the ones in a tube, the ingredients are: water, sweetener (sugar, corn syrup), maltodextrin, concentrated lemon juice, less than 1% of pectin, guar gum, citric acid (provides tartness), natural flavors, turmeric (for color). Not the 'healthiest', but certainly is variety!

 

[RachaelRol]

What about canned mandarin oranges, fruit cocktail or peaches in either juice or light syrup? Easy for you, still fruit and prepacked...

 

[kc10family]

I have done, f
1- fruit cocktail (I drain and rinse the syrup off) drain overnight in the fridge. In the morning add banana's and other fresh fruit. I then add fat free coolwhip and package it in individual cups with lids. I do make two w/o coolwhip because of a dairy allergy in the class. Made extra for the teacher and they loved it also.

2- mini muffins blueberry and mixedberry from a package (the just add water kind), they went over very well.

3- corn muffins, just add water kind also. But added honey to the mix for a bit of sweet flavor. (checked w/ teacher about honey before I made them) These went over well also.

Best of luck finding something different to make a change. I know my DD loves it when they have something different then the "craker, apple or blah blah blah".

did you search google?

 

[Princess Roo]

Twingle - Fruit kabobs sound fun! I think I'll bring that for DS's next party at school. Thanks for the idea

 

[monorailsilver]

My son has a nut (peanut & tree nut) and a dairy allergy too-his dairy is so bad that if he touches something with dairy he will get a hive or a few.

Fruit is a safe bet-banana's, apples cut up, apple sauce, orange slices, strawberries, blueberries, etc...

Jello

Tomorrow I have to bring in a snack for yellow day & I am bringing in Jello jigglers (yellow moon ones) & I made rice krispie treats but I used safe 'butter' (Earth Balance or you can use fleishmans UNSALTED-green lid)

Popcorn but I use store brand (Stop & Shop Kapop natural flavor) for my ds

I am also able to give him store brand cookies, chocolate cookies I might add from Stop & Shop & Walmart-but I'd check with the mom on that one because they do say made on the same equipment as dairy & nuts (but the equipment gets washed between uses)

I am able to make boxed brownies & I want to say they are Dunkin Hines fudge or extra fudge-no nut one but there is one with dairy

Cereal-Kix, cherrios, Frosted Mini-wheats (there are more)

Tings which are Pirate Booty & they taste like cheetos

I could list more but I have to go work but you can PM me if you'd like.

We make a treat that is very well received called 'popcorn surprise'.

I put popcorn, goldfish or goldfish pretzels, teddy grahams (maybe even chocolate ones to break it up), and then I throw a few m&m's in it (maybe 3?) - you can do this with pretty much any small snack.

I don't know what is allowed and what isn't with your restrictions, but even if you just mix in teddy grahams and goldfish pretzels in a small cup, that would still be fun and different !

(if it is around a holiday, I get the colored m&ms that match... Halloween or xmas or Easter, etc.). Could you throw a few (just a few) fruit snacks in each to breat it up ?

good luck!

FYI-M&M's have milk in them so that wouldn't be allowed (the OP realized that though). And in the case of my son he could not have teddy grahams which are safe mixed with pretzel goldfish or any other safe food. He would have a reaction to it whether he gets hives or a full blown get the epi-pen ready reaction.

I would stick with items in a package with all items listed. Products now have to have a "warning " if they contain peanuts or dairy or eggs. Fruit is also good. Wash really well. I would not mix it into salad, just keep it simple. Rasins are good. I would check out the snack craker section and read everything. Our children like sliced ham with crackers too.

Good luck. The children's parents are luck to find a preschool with parents so willing to protect them.

MsSandra

It is very difficult to get parents of non-allergic kids to understand how hard it is at times. My ds's preschool provides snacks & they have a list of what he can & can not have & they give that to all the kids but for parties, I make him a treat & I still get nervous.

My kids love when they get fruit at school! You could even send individual prepackaged fruit cups. They also love fruit snacks and the cheese and crackers with the spreadable cheese.

I use twizzlers and tootsie rolls with my preschoolers at work and they really love those.

cheese & crackers wouldn't work for her because it has cheese in it & tootsie rolls have dairy in them too.

Read the packaging on Rice Krispie treats, they may work, I have a student who is allerigic to peanuts so we keep them on hand for a treat. Not sure about dairy, but when you make them at home they don't have dairy.

pre-packaged RK treats have dairy in them due to the butter.

 

[Twingle]

Twingle - Fruit kabobs sound fun! I think I'll bring that for DS's next party at school. Thanks for the idea

Glad you liked it! When my girls are reallllyyy good, I'll make them fruit kabobs with dip (usually strawberry yogurt) and what we call lunch cabobs, which are cut up lunch meat, cheese, and usually baby carrots on a coffee stirrer (which they then dip into ranch dressing). I know that wouldn't help with the OP, but I am quite the Queen Mommy as far as my girls are concerned when we have a "food on a stick" day!

 

[Ilovemyprincesses]

Wait a minute.... if you have a list and those are the approved things, then why are you asking for advice ? I think its pretty clear. right?

As I said I asked for something different that would be ok for the allergic child because the poor kids have the same snack every day. I know I don't want to eat the same thing every day and I feel bad that the kids have to.

 

[ash&abby'smom]

What about ham or turkey slices rolled up. My dd's class loved those for snacks. Or what about taking cubes of ham and turkey and make kabobs.

 

[Selket]

Perhaps ask the parent of the allergic child for any other choices that could work? Or ask the school teachers to ask the parents about other things (like things mentioned on this thread - some good suggestions).

I think anything made at your house (or prepared at your house like cut up fruit) is probably out because of the chance of cross contamination with dairy or peanut.

 

[surfgirl]

As I said I asked for something different that would be ok for the allergic child because the poor kids have the same snack every day. I know I don't want to eat the same thing every day and I feel bad that the kids have to.

My bad. I understood you were limited to what was approved. Hence the confusion.

I know the mom has asked for no-homemade treats -- I'm sure she is afraid that people will forget about the restrictions. What if you called her and explained that you would like to do something different and make something. Tell her all the ingredients, that you will wash (in the dishwasher - can you run them on a sanitize cycle?) all the dishes, utensils, etc. before using them, and only you will handle them ? Maybe if she understands that you are trying REALLY hard (and you are) to meet the requirements and be creative, she will understand.

 

[Tosie]

Sorry, but I think the kid's parents should be responsible for his snacks. I would NEVER EVER EVER rely on another parent to feed my daughter. Even the most well meaning person can put her in a life threatening situation unknowingly. She is 6 now and I provide her snacks for kindergarten and for birthday parties.

It is dangerous for that school to allow other parents to provide for a food allergic child, and his parents should be a LOT more responsible. Sheesh.

That being said, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for taking the time out to ask. Many people wouldn't.

 

[maciec]

My dd has a little boy in her class that has a peanut allergy. I never realized how many things are made with nuts!

With that being said, his mom said that she didn't mind him having homemade items just as long as you send in the list of ingredients also. For example, and I know that this won't help the OP because of the dairy, but I often make cut out sugar cookies that come in the Betty Crocker bags. Every time I make them, I use a different cookie cutter. One time I made feet and sprinkled them with green colored sugar and we called them "Stinky Feet." DD handed them out to the boys and the girls got yellow and blue stars.

Like I said, I know that this won't help you Ilovemyprincesses, but maybe you could find something to make and send in the box or bag to show that there was no dairy or peanuts in the ingredients.

 

[Ilovemyprincesses]

Sorry, but I think the kid's parents should be responsible for his snacks. I would NEVER EVER EVER rely on another parent to feed my daughter. Even the most well meaning person can put her in a life threatening situation unknowingly. She is 6 now and I provide her snacks for kindergarten and for birthday parties.

It is dangerous for that school to allow other parents to provide for a food allergic child, and his parents should be a LOT more responsible. Sheesh.

That being said, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for taking the time out to ask. Many people wouldn't.

I agree that his mother should bring a special snack for him but clearly no one else thinks that so I am SOOL.

His mother is the one deciding what snacks we send, not the school. As the yr has gone on the snack options have gotten to be smaller and smaller. I am mad about it and because of 1 kid 3 classes of kids have had their snack limited.

I don't want to spend all this time and money on a snack and then have his mother say he can't have it anyways. I am going to try and speak to her next week.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I, too, agree that in this day and age with food allergies kids should be bringing their own snacks. I have 2 students in my 1st grade class with severe peanut allergies and I would be panic stricken every day if they were eating other kids food.

That said, DD has a pre-school friend who is allergic to nuts, dairy, wheat, gluten etc... and her mom get most of her food at Whole Foods. There are many cereals out there which are dairy and nut free and kid friendly (you know those animal ones? I can't think of the names. Environkids or something?) and I'm wondering if you brought in several boxes and mixed them at the school then it could be kind of like your own little "Chex Mix" and not considered homemade. Even baggies with pictures might make it interesting. I agree with the different packaging approach to make things more interesting.

Also, does anyone know if soy butter contains dairy? If not, it would be great to dip those fruit kabobs in.

 

[mjantz]

Where I work is peanut-free but I know in 1 classroom there was a child with several allergies & instead of doing rotational snacks, each child brought their own snack.
Once they get to public school each child is responsible for providing their own snack except in very rare situations like school parties & such.
Personally, I think its almost too great of a liability/risk to have either the school or parents rotate to provide snack. I understand it is one more thing a parent would have to do but I know that as a parent, I'd be terribly worried if I had to provide snacks for a child with food allergies.
I don't know if this will help, but there is a website/blog called 'Vegan Lunchbox' that has lots of great lunch ideas. It might help you with an idea you can adapt for a snack. Off the top of my head, I know she has a gingerbread recipe & one for popcorn balls.

 

[camouseketeer]

His mother is the one deciding what snacks we send, not the school. As the yr has gone on the snack options have gotten to be smaller and smaller. I am mad about it and because of 1 kid 3 classes of kids have had their snack limited.

While I am sorry for your frustration over your snack choices, I can't be too sympathetic to your anger.

I'm not sure how often you have to bring snack, but it can't compare to the anguish parents like myself go through on a daily basis to find three meals a day plus snacks plus desserts that are safe for our children.

This mother, not the school, is the most informed person about what is safe for her child. Who else but her should be deciding what this child eats?

While it's easy to say that she should be bringing snack for her child (I do this for my DD) it is also unsafe for other children to be eating foods that this child is allergic to. The proteins from any dairy or peanut containing foods can be inadvertantly wiped onto toys, books, etc. in the classroom that this child can then touch and react to. That is a very dangerous situation. (We try and remedy this problem in my DD's class by wiping every child's hands after snack, but my child has a minor allergy. This may not work for in this situation.)

What this mom is doing, while occasionally inconvenient to you, is keeping her child from DYING! Isn't that worth a little extra effort of families in the three classes? Wouldn't you want everyone to do all they could for your child if the roles were reversed?

Children, especially those at the age I'm guessing these children to be, are creatures of habit and often ENJOY eating the same foods daily. I wouldn't worry about that.

I do encourage you to speak to the mom for any suggestions. I KNOW she has thought a lot about it, just as you have.

Fresh fruit sounds like a great idea. It's healthy for all (except my DD who's allergic to melons) and there are a variety of fruits from which to choose.

 

[maciec]

I agree that his mother should bring a special snack for him but clearly no one else thinks that so I am SOOL.

His mother is the one deciding what snacks we send, not the school. As the yr has gone on the snack options have gotten to be smaller and smaller. I am mad about it and because of 1 kid 3 classes of kids have had their snack limited.

I don't want to spend all this time and money on a snack and then have his mother say he can't have it anyways. I am going to try and speak to her next week.

WOW! That's a pretty insensitive comment. You may want to go back and re-read what you just wrote. You need to consider that being around these certain foods can cause the child to go into anaphylactic shock and potentially kill the child. Consider if this was your child. I don't think a small inconvenience such as finding a snack once a month is worth a childs life.

 

[Ilovemyprincesses]

you really don't know the full situation so you really can't say. I will say that this thread was about a snack and I said something in response to another parent. Truth of the matter is 3 classes share 1 room and share all of the toys, bathroom and tables. Until 2 weeks ago the other 2 classes were allowed to have peanut and dairy for snack. It is only the class that he is in this one that has been no nuts, no dairy since the start of the yr. If his parents were being careful about the chance of him getting sick surely they would have mentioned to the school that this was a danger. I feel like this whole thing has been left in the teacher and the other parents hands. If my child was the allergic one you better believe she wouldn't be eating anything that I didn't send. If my child was life threatening allergic I would be home schooling. I would not risk my child's life every day. Personally my DD can not drink milk, I told the school I would send her a drink every day. I would not dream of asking all of the parents to do something special for my child. I am responsible for my child. I am the ONLY one.

YES I am fed up dealing with this every month. I am sorry that he has allergies but he is not the only one. My children have allergies too as do many other kids.

 

[camouseketeer]

you really don't know the full situation so you really can't say.

I don't know about your situation in particular, but I deal with the realities you describe on a DAILY basis. I certainly know about the frustrations of only being able to serve a limited variety of foods to my DD.

I will say that this thread was about a snack and I said something in response to another parent.

You're right. When I first read the OP, I applauded your efforts to find something
interesting and safe for all of the children. It wasn't until your tone turned selfish and ignorant that I posted. This is a forum for all to post. I chose to do so regardless of whether or not you were posting a comment to me.

Until 2 weeks ago the other 2 classes were allowed to have peanut and dairy for snack.

I'm curious why things changed. I'm guessing it was because of a reaction by the boy. I'm also guessing that the parents didn't want to disrupt too many classes (for fear of repercussions of parents like YOU!) They probably left it with the school that they would not limit snacks in the other class unless there was a problem. I'm guessing there was, so therefore the change.

If his parents were being careful about the chance of him getting sick surely they would have mentioned to the school that this was a danger.

You have no idea what conversations went on between the parents and the school. I'm sure you weren't invited into the office every time the parents came to discuss this issue.

His parents ARE being careful. Perhaps, in hindsight, they made a poor judgement to not involve the other class. But it looks like they have remedied that now. Please don't attack the vicitm here.

If my child was the allergic one you better believe she wouldn't be eating anything that I didn't send.

I agree with you on that. But again, I think the measures these parents have taken are ensuring that the other children's snacks don't affect him either! Cross contamination is a HUGE issue with food allergies. It's not just a matter what a food allergic child eats. It's also what s/he touches, breathes, etc.

If my child was life threatening allergic I would be home schooling. I would not risk my child's life every day.

Many parents of food allergic children do just that. Of course every child is entitled to a free, safe public education. Public schools are required to make accomodations to children with food allergies, just as they would for children with any kind of issue that hinders their learning or success in school.

If you chose to home school your DD, would you also never let her leave the house for any reason? Any time a food allergic child interacts with the rest of the world, there is a potential for danger. Grocery carts, playground equipment, public benches, etc. may all have been touched by a person just finishing a peanut butter sandwich or a cup of yogurt. Parents like mysef try to wipe down everything we can, but we can't close off the world to our children. Keeping them safe isn't as easy as you make it out to be.

I understand that this is preschool but MANY preschools are now completely peanut free because of the prevalence and DANGER of peanut allergies in young children. Ironically, peanut allergies are usually not outgrown. My guess is that you will deal with similar issues when your child is in elementary school.

I would not dream of asking all of the parents to do something special for my child.

You would if it meant keeping your child alive.

I do agree that the situation you are in is extreme. Again, however, isn't the life of a child worth the effort?

I am sorry that he has allergies but he is not the only one.

I know the realities of this statement all too well with my own DD.

My children have allergies too as do many other kids.

Your lack of compassion leads me to believe that your childrens' allergies are on a different level that the ones of this child. If they were similar, I don't think we'd be having this discussion.

Be glad the school year is almost over. You have to deal with this, what two maybe three more times?

I have to deal with this right now as I get some breakfast for my DD. And then for lunch, and then the birthday party we're going to, and then dinner ...