Allergies Involving Children

Allergies
Some children have food allergies which means that they cannot tolerate certain foods and they may become very ill which may lead to going into anaphylactic shock if they eat certain foods. Some children are allergic to nuts or eggs and it is very important to make sure these foods are avoided which means checking the ingredients of some food products very carefully as every small amount can cause problems for allergic children and also some medical conditions can be cause by a child’s diet e.g. food additives can affect the behaviour of some children with Attention Defiat Hyperactivity Disorder. Common food intolerances are:-
Lactose – This is found in milk and dairy products
Histamine – This is found in strawberries and ripe tomatoes.
Tartrazine – This is mainly found in yellow food colouring, some drinks and sweets.
Establishing different dietary requirements in your placement can be done by referring to the child’s parent, referring to the child’s record, speak to the children and referring to the other practitioners in your setting. Point which need to be considered are procedures, insurance, first aiders, allergies, photos in medical records, staff awareness, trained staff for administering medication and close contact with parents.
Children with different dietary needs
In a childcare setting you will encounter children with different dietary needs which are important because you may need to understand what can affect a Childs dietary requirements.
Medical Conditions
Medical conditions can affect a child’s diet in the following ways:-
Diabetes which means that the pancreas cannot regulate the body’s sugar levels and children will need to avoid sugar but should have regular meals and snacks and also each child’s needs will be different and you will have to work closely with your supervisor and the child’s parent to support a diabetic child.
Coeliac disease means that children cannot absorb their food normally and will need to avoid gluten which is mainly found in cerals such as wheat and barley and coeliac disease is usually detected after a child has been weaned from breast milk.
Food Preferences
Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish or any other products which come from animals such as milk, eggs and cheese. Also if children follow a vegetarian or vegan diet then special care must be taken to make sure all the essential nutrients are included in their diet.
All children in your care must be able to eat and drink safely so that food poisoning or related illnesses are avoided and also bacteria can grow quickly on food and your role in handling food and drink appropriately is essential and you will need to understand how to store, prepare and serve food.

Establish Different dietary requirements of children and young people
There are various dietary requirements that you need to consider to meet the different needs of children which include religious, cultural, allergies, health requirements and individual choices or preferences.
Religious and cultural
Muslims – * Eat halal meat, fish, shell fish which is slaughtered and is prepared in a certain way. * Do not eat pork or dairy products that contain rennet which is curdled milk from the stomach of an unweaned. * Fast during Ramadan
Jews-
* Do not eat dairy products with meat * Eat kosher lamb, beef and chicken which is slaughtered and prepared in a certain way. * Fast during Yorn Kippur * Fish should have fins, scales and backbones.
Sikhs-
* Do not eat beef as the cow is a sacred animal. * Some Sikhs may eat chicken, cheese, fish and shell fish. * Rarely eat pork
Hindus
* Do not eat meat as the cow is seen as a scared animal. * Do not eat dairy products that contain rennet * Usually vegetarian * Eat fish with fin and scales
Rastafarians
* Do eat lamb (some do) beef and chicken but do not eat shellfish.