# Homemade baby food NOT allowed in daycare?!



## lilmissmommy (Jul 2, 2010)

I'm going to be starting working full-time in August at a school. The school has a daycare. I want to enroll my 7month old baby. I was just informed that the school doesn't allow homemade babyfood, it has to be commercial jarred babyfood. I do not agree with this! It's a measure of caution of the daycare because of the risk of contaminated food, but this seems to be a deal breaker for me. My son is exclusively breastfeed and is only fed homemade food! I am going to schedule an appointment with the school's principal.

Why do so many parents negotiate optimum nutrition for the children for convenience?


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## lynsage (Jul 13, 2004)

What if you canned the baby food in little jars and put computer-printed labels on it? Tell them you buy it at the farmer's market or something


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## lilmissmommy (Jul 2, 2010)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lynsage* 
What if you canned the baby food in little jars and put computer-printed labels on it? Tell them you buy it at the farmer's market or something









lol Not possible. Not even healthy! It is not recommended to make homemade canned food because of the risk of bacteria.


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## rhiOrion (Feb 17, 2009)

I'm wondering if I'll run into this issue. My daycare is pretty strict about food. Food for parties can't be homemade. You have to have a medical note in order to have any substitutions at all from the daily menu (in the older classrooms, of course).

The handbook doesn't address baby food, really. But of course all the baby food I see there is jarred. I'm not opposed to jarred food, really (many of them have a short ingredient list- the food it is supposed to be, and water), but I'm not sure yet if I want to do purees.

My daycare also doesn't allow breast milk once they're out of the infant room (so, 12-15 months) for "sanitary reasons." They give them cow's milk, instead. And if you want them to not have cow's milk, you need a dr note, and then they give them juice. I'm going to cross that bridge when I get to it.


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

The no breastmilk for toddlers thing is worth fighting, IMO. Why should a toddler get inferior milk when the best is available? And why should a cow's milk-allergic baby be denied milk? What if you wanted to give your child goat's milk or organic cow's milk? It makes sense to say "we're providing cow's milk, if you want anything else, you need to provide it." IMO, juice isn't a great beverage for kids anyway, certainly not in the quantities most people seem to serve it.

However, I can see their point about baby foods. Homemade foods need to be frozen before serving, or at least refridgerated for the day. Then they need to be carefully warmed up before serving. It's a lot more work than keeping a bunch of jars at room temperature and then opening right before feeding. When you've got one adult and 4 infants, the extra "convenience" means that she's got more energy to care for the children (instead of spending the energy caring for their food.)

You can find organic jarred baby foods with simple, pure ingredients. IMO, this isn't worth the fight. You can buy the jarred foods just for daycare and continue to use the homemade stuff at home. Or you can hire a babysitter instead of using a daycare center.


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## meg_shannon (May 21, 2010)

Wow...that's ridiculous, all the daycare policies just mentioned. The WHO recommends breastfeeding for at least 2 years. Jarred food is more likely to contain BPA. Juice is full of sugar. Etc, etc, etc.

I would expect a daycare to provide evidence for their decisions, for "sanitation" (in reference to the breastmilk) is not a legit answer unless they back it up with what type of bacterial contamination they are concerned about. As a biochemist this stuff pisses me off; a lot of lay people make claims about risks without having even the slightest understanding of the subject material or research available.

My rant is over....I would print off the pertinent studies and public health policies/recommendations, and request that the facility take current information into account. If they are unwilling to do so contact the necessary local groups.

At the very least I would expect them to explain themselves (who is a daycare provider to challenge the WHO?)


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## rhiOrion (Feb 17, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ruthla* 
The no breastmilk for toddlers thing is worth fighting, IMO. Why should a toddler get inferior milk when the best is available? And why should a cow's milk-allergic baby be denied milk? What if you wanted to give your child goat's milk or organic cow's milk? It makes sense to say "we're providing cow's milk, if you want anything else, you need to provide it." IMO, juice isn't a great beverage for kids anyway, certainly not in the quantities most people seem to serve it.

.

My plan is to wait and see what DD is doing at that stage. I'd hate to raise a big fuss about it now, only for it to turn out that she doesn't want milk during the day at that point, or something. Once she's on solids and I have a better feeling for her breastmilk intake during the day, I'll fight it. I could see them saying they won't warm it up, or whatever. Or no bottles. But I see no reason they can't offer her breast milk in a sippy cup. I'm assuming they probably dont' have fridges in the toddler room. So maybe they don't want to put breast milk in the main fridge in the kitchen?

Hmmm. Sorry to derail your thread, OP


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## Magelet (Nov 16, 2008)

my thought with the no breast milk for toddlers cows milk only thing is that maybe they wanted to simplify. with breast milk, they have to keep the milk seperate, keep track of whose milk is for whom. with cow's milk, they have a big box/jar in the fridge that all the kids get except the ones who get juice.


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## nurturebaby (Jul 8, 2008)

The reason they probably want to restrict breastmilk for the toddlers is because with toddlers, whatever beverage/food the child is consuming, the chance of inadvertently 'sharing' it goes up. Whether it's actually sharing their cup with another child, or even just spilling some on the counter and having another kid put their hand in it and consume some that way.

Since breast milk is technically a type of body fluid, I can see how they would want to put some restrictions on this. It's the same reason why some schools restrict peanut products in preschool classes while the upper grades do not.

But I don't get the reason they only offer cow's milk or juice, other than the convenience factor.


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## Rosehip (Dec 30, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *meg_shannon* 
Wow...that's ridiculous, all the daycare policies just mentioned. The WHO recommends breastfeeding for at least 2 years. Jarred food is more likely to contain BPA. Juice is full of sugar. Etc, etc, etc.

I would expect a daycare to provide evidence for their decisions, for "sanitation" (in reference to the breastmilk) is not a legit answer unless they back it up with what type of bacterial contamination they are concerned about. As a biochemist this stuff pisses me off; a lot of lay people make claims about risks without having even the slightest understanding of the subject material or research available.

My rant is over....I would print off the pertinent studies and public health policies/recommendations, and request that the facility take current information into account. If they are unwilling to do so contact the necessary local groups.

At the very least I would expect them to explain themselves (who is a daycare provider to challenge the WHO?)

Additionally, should they think that WHO only applies to developing countries, here is the American Academy of Family Practitioners' take on the topic:

"NURSING BEYOND INFANCY
As recommended by the WHO, breastfeeding should ideally continue beyond infancy, but this is not the cultural norm in the United States and requires ongoing support and encouragement.69 It has been estimated that a natural weaning age for humans is between two and seven years.70 Family physicians should be knowledgeable regarding the ongoing benefits to the child of extended breastfeeding, including continued immune protection,71 better social adjustment,72 and having a sustainable food source in times of emergency. The longer women breastfeed, the greater the decrease in their risk of breast cancer.73 Mothers who have immigrated from cultures in which breastfeeding beyond infancy is routine should be encouraged to continue this tradition. There is no evidence that extended breastfeeding is harmful to mother or child. Breastfeeding during a subsequent pregnancy is not unusual. If the pregnancy is normal and the mother is healthy, breastfeeding during pregnancy is the woman's personal decision. If the child is younger than two years, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned. Breastfeeding the nursing child after delivery of the next child (tandem nursing) may help provide a smooth transition psychologically for the older child."

http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/p...tionpaper.html


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## mommy212 (Mar 2, 2010)

Well I would be annoyed, mostly because my baby has become a bit picky and won't eat the jarred foods we bought for our trip. We ended up going out and buy foods to make him. So, this wouldn't work for us. But some jarred foods out there are not bad, and if you can find some he will eat i would not be too worried


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## emilysmama (Jun 22, 2005)

I'll bet you can get around the rule. Go sit down with the director of the daycare and have a little chat. If the issue is that they lack the refrigeration to keep the food cold, then tell them you'll bring the food in a little insulated cooler with a coldpack inside. If the issue is licensing or state regulations, have them show you the exact wording of the regulation, and then tell them that you'll bring a physician's note that they can keep on file for the regulators. (Your pediatrician will be happy to write such a note stating that the baby must have homemade baby food.) If they are worried that you'll have remember to bring food in everyday, instead of just stockpiling a month's supply, then reassure them on that point. Most likely no one has ever asked to do this, so they haven't had to think of their solution. If they bring up an objection, just smile sweetly and ask if the two of you can brainstorm together to think of a solution, and then offer a possible idea.

I never had problem bringing in homemade food, but I was told that cloth diapers were against state regulations. I read the regulation carefully, and figured out that if I got a doctor's note, the regulation would still be satisfied, and the owner agreed to let us use cloth diapers. My dd was and is the only child in the history of that daycare to use cloth diapers, so it was just that they had never given the issue much thought and that their knee jerk reaction was to forbid it. But they were perfectly willing to try unorthodox solutions, as long as their license would not be in jeopardy.


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## lilmissmommy (Jul 2, 2010)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rhiOrion* 

The handbook doesn't address baby food, really. But of course all the baby food I see there is jarred. I'm not opposed to jarred food, really (many of them have a short ingredient list- the food it is supposed to be, and water), but I'm not sure yet if I want to do purees.

My daycare also doesn't allow breast milk once they're out of the infant room (so, 12-15 months) for "sanitary reasons." They give them cow's milk, instead. And if you want them to not have cow's milk, you need a dr note, and then they give them juice. I'm going to cross that bridge when I get to it.

Stage 2 babyfood and up have fillers added.

Toddlers aren't supposed to be filling up on juice, they should have 3 meals and 2 snacks daily. When they are 12 months and up they should only be drinking 16oz of milk a day (2 cups of milk). I can't see how it is "unsanitary" unless they don't have a fridge in that room. A way around this problem if that's the case? Ask if your child's milk can be stored (with his name written on the milk storage bag or bottle) in the nursery. How far could that be from the other rooms? Breast is best, not only for infants!
My pediatrician actually doesn't recommend that people ever drink cow's milk because it was never meant for human consumption!


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## lilmissmommy (Jul 2, 2010)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ruthla* 
The no breastmilk for toddlers thing is worth fighting, IMO. Why should a toddler get inferior milk when the best is available? And why should a cow's milk-allergic baby be denied milk? What if you wanted to give your child goat's milk or organic cow's milk? It makes sense to say "we're providing cow's milk, if you want anything else, you need to provide it." IMO, juice isn't a great beverage for kids anyway, certainly not in the quantities most people seem to serve it.

However, I can see their point about baby foods. Homemade foods need to be frozen before serving, or at least refridgerated for the day. Then they need to be carefully warmed up before serving. It's a lot more work than keeping a bunch of jars at room temperature and then opening right before feeding. When you've got one adult and 4 infants, the extra "convenience" means that she's got more energy to care for the children (instead of spending the energy caring for their food.)

You can find organic jarred baby foods with simple, pure ingredients. IMO, this isn't worth the fight. You can buy the jarred foods just for daycare and continue to use the homemade stuff at home. Or you can hire a babysitter instead of using a daycare center.

I agree. I can't believe that their proposed solution would be to offer juice! Kids don't need to be drinking juice all day! Too much sugar, cuts into their appetite, teaches them unhealthy eating habits, fills them up instead of eating a healthy snack for example. Stealing the cow's milk campaign slogan: "Breast milk- it does the body good!"

Maybe for other mom's this isn't as important, but I do not agree on having my child eat jarred food. I like to know exactly what is in his food!


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## lilmissmommy (Jul 2, 2010)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *meg_shannon* 
Wow...that's ridiculous, all the daycare policies just mentioned. The WHO recommends breastfeeding for at least 2 years. Jarred food is more likely to contain BPA. Juice is full of sugar. Etc, etc, etc.

I would expect a daycare to provide evidence for their decisions, for "sanitation" (in reference to the breastmilk) is not a legit answer unless they back it up with what type of bacterial contamination they are concerned about. As a biochemist this stuff pisses me off; a lot of lay people make claims about risks without having even the slightest understanding of the subject material or research available.

My rant is over....I would print off the pertinent studies and public health policies/recommendations, and request that the facility take current information into account. If they are unwilling to do so contact the necessary local groups.

At the very least I would expect them to explain themselves (who is a daycare provider to challenge the WHO?)


I think society is just way too use to babies drinking formula, eating jarred foods, and tots with their sippy cups filling up on cow's milk and juice the whole flippin' day. What right does a daycare have in going against a parent's personal choice when breastfeeding and eating homemade food is in the best interest of the child's health?


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## lilmissmommy (Jul 2, 2010)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Rosehip* 
Additionally, should they think that WHO only applies to developing countries, here is the American Academy of Family Practitioners' take on the topic:

"NURSING BEYOND INFANCY
As recommended by the WHO, breastfeeding should ideally continue beyond infancy, but this is not the cultural norm in the United States and requires ongoing support and encouragement.69 It has been estimated that a natural weaning age for humans is between two and seven years.70 Family physicians should be knowledgeable regarding the ongoing benefits to the child of extended breastfeeding, including continued immune protection,71 better social adjustment,72 and having a sustainable food source in times of emergency. The longer women breastfeed, the greater the decrease in their risk of breast cancer.73 Mothers who have immigrated from cultures in which breastfeeding beyond infancy is routine should be encouraged to continue this tradition. There is no evidence that extended breastfeeding is harmful to mother or child. Breastfeeding during a subsequent pregnancy is not unusual. If the pregnancy is normal and the mother is healthy, breastfeeding during pregnancy is the woman's personal decision. If the child is younger than two years, the child is at increased risk of illness if weaned. Breastfeeding the nursing child after delivery of the next child (tandem nursing) may help provide a smooth transition psychologically for the older child."

http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/p...tionpaper.html


Thanks so much for this information! I plan on breastfeeding my son until he weans himself. I







my baby so much that I want him to have the best nutrition that I can offer him.


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## lilmissmommy (Jul 2, 2010)

I am only permitted a 30 minute lunch break







. In 30 minutes, I have to feed my baby his homemade food, and with the 10 minutes or less left over, I eat what the school's cafeteria is serving, or I bring whatever I made for dinner the night before. The school's director decided that under no circumstances would anyone give him the homemade food except myself. So I have to feed us both in 30 minutes. I find this rather inconvenient, but I will not negotiate with his nutrition and have them give him jarred foods. My son is now 9 months and 1 week and he still eats homemade food 24/7.


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## sewchris2642 (Feb 28, 2009)

Never mind.


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## CliffRose (Apr 19, 2010)

Can you eat your lunch and feed your baby at the same time? It seems doable to me, and might get your kid interrested in eating more types of foods too, by watching mama eat her lunch


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## SubliminalDarkness (Sep 9, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lilmissmommy* 
lol Not possible. Not even healthy! It is not recommended to make homemade canned food because of the risk of bacteria.

What? People can food all the time.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

Yes, people can food, but not purees - thats why you can't really home-can pumpkin. Its too thick and you just can't get it hot enough to fully kill bacteria cause' its so thick.


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## SubliminalDarkness (Sep 9, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamadelbosque* 
Yes, people can food, but not purees - thats why you can't really home-can pumpkin. Its too thick and you just can't get it hot enough to fully kill bacteria cause' its so thick.

Perhaps that's my confusion. I didn't necessarily think this mom's "baby food" was purees.


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## Toolip (Mar 7, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamadelbosque* 
Yes, people can food, but not purees - thats why you can't really home-can pumpkin. Its too thick and you just can't get it hot enough to fully kill bacteria cause' its so thick.

are you talking about water-bath canning? Because you can pressure can purees.


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mamadelbosque* 
Yes, people can food, but not purees - thats why you can't really home-can pumpkin. Its too thick and you just can't get it hot enough to fully kill bacteria cause' its so thick.

I don't know that that's totally true. I have a USDA recipe right in front of me, for instance, for "fruit puree." And one for tomato puree.


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lilmissmommy* 
Stage 2 babyfood and up have fillers added.


No, they don't. The foods that have added starch are the mixed-food "dinners" that have vegetables and meat together. Those often have added rice starch. The ones that are labeled as containing "cereal" also contain rice, wheat, barley, or other grain starch. The single-ingredient and mixed-veg and mixed-fruit foods have no added ingredients other than water and occasionally citric acid, which is added to protect fruits that would brown when exposed to air, like bananas. There is no major brand of baby food on the market in the US that contains added salt, other than a few of the "dinners," and the only ones that contain added sugar are the ones labeled "dessert." Those are easy enough to avoid.

This true for all of the brands we have occasionally used for our babies: Beech-Nut, Gerber, Gerber's organic line, Earth's Best, and the other organic brand that Whole Foods carries-- I can't recall the brand name of it.

There are no preservatives, colorings, or non-food additives in any of those brands. In the organic brands, the starch used is generally brown rice starch. And even that is easy to avoid if you stick to the single-ingredient brands, and buy the meat separately from the veg and fruit.


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## Amatullah0 (Apr 7, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Llyra* 
No, they don't. The foods that have added starch are the mixed-food "dinners" that have vegetables and meat together. Those often have added rice starch. The ones that are labeled as containing "cereal" also contain rice, wheat, barley, or other grain starch. The single-ingredient and mixed-veg and mixed-fruit foods have no added ingredients other than water and occasionally citric acid, which is added to protect fruits that would brown when exposed to air, like bananas. There is no major brand of baby food on the market in the US that contains added salt, other than a few of the "dinners," and the only ones that contain added sugar are the ones labeled "dessert." Those are easy enough to avoid.

This true for all of the brands we have occasionally used for our babies: Beech-Nut, Gerber, Gerber's organic line, Earth's Best, and the other organic brand that Whole Foods carries-- I can't recall the brand name of it.

There are no preservatives, colorings, or non-food additives in any of those brands. In the organic brands, the starch used is generally brown rice starch. And even that is easy to avoid if you stick to the single-ingredient brands, and buy the meat separately from the veg and fruit.


IMO, rice starch and cereal are fillers.

and I wouldn't be happy with my DC eating commercial purees in daycare either. Maybe one jar of a plain food a week, maybe mixed with real rice or pasta, and some spices or some other food, but in general, i consider the purees to be junk foods. DS got only BM and formula until he showed interest in food, then he shared with us at the dinner table, and only got the purees to add flavor to something, like plain rice and some spices if, say, we were eating something that he did not enjoy(usually only if it was too spicy).


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Amatullah0* 
IMO, rice starch and cereal are fillers.

.

Of course they are. But what I'm saying is it is easy to avoid the fillers, by reading labels and choosing foods that don't contain those, because they are widely available.

We used purees on an occasional basis, and were comfortable with their use. The processing these foods undergo does destroy some of the more delicate vitamins and antioxidants. And certainly BPA is a concern; information about that was less widely available when my kids were babies. But I don't think I'd go so far as to call jarred peaches or peas "junk food." I'm not saying they're ideal-- I'm just saying they aren't the nutritional end of the world, either.


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

Wow, my kids would never eat jarred food. I made their food starting out and it was thinker than even the stage three foods. and I started my kids on solids around 5 months. lily started on fruit loops when she was 5 months old. (found her sitting in the cupboard chowing down. doh!) My kids just didn't want to drink their meals. even before teeth they were interested in eating real food. I wonder what the daycare would have done with a kid who just didn't know what to do with the soupy mess that comes in a jar. Will your child eat finger foods? Would they be willing to feed him that?


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## Amatullah0 (Apr 7, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Llyra* 
Of course they are. But what I'm saying is it is easy to avoid the fillers, by reading labels and choosing foods that don't contain those, because they are widely available.

We used purees on an occasional basis, and were comfortable with their use. The processing these foods undergo does destroy some of the more delicate vitamins and antioxidants. And certainly BPA is a concern; information about that was less widely available when my kids were babies. But I don't think I'd go so far as to call jarred peaches or peas "junk food." I'm not saying they're ideal-- I'm just saying they aren't the nutritional end of the world, either.

I misunderstood you, I thought you were saying that they don't contain fillers, just starch or cereal(as if it isn't a filler, which I am sure a lot of parents go, oooh! it says rice, must be healthy!)









on the label "junk food" know that i'm coming from a place where I consider fruits to be "occasional foods"(i.e. dessert foods, not "health foods") so to me, to stick it in a jar and destroy some of the nutrients is a big







as for the jarred veggies, ok, maybe they are not JUNK foods, but to feed a plain jar of liquid peas as a meal is just not acceptable to me. You need to at least mix it with another jar(or two), and preferably add some protein, fat, and spices. (I add spices to jarred baby food (sans salt) that we use every day in our meals, as I believe that our babies need to learn to enjoy our foods(indo-pak food) before they would ever need to learn to eat plain mashed up peas. I mean, when was the last time you ate plain mashed up peas?

I should add that I've never shopped for jarred "meals" as we used wic for all of our jarred baby food "needs"(they only pay for plain fruits and veggies).


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## lilyka (Nov 20, 2001)

I also added spices and seasonings to my baby's food. Everyone thought I was nuts. but for petes sake...If I wouldn't eat it why would she? Besides I wanted my baby to experience real food. Real food has flavor. I was also the bad mama who introduced more than one food at a time and did not follow any of the rules.


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## Carley (Aug 16, 2005)

It's most likely a licensing and liability issue. It sure would be more convenient for them if nobody had contact allergies and everyone provided their own food, but times just aren't that way anymore. You can't just "promise" that your baked yams weren't contaminated with peanuts, and many state regulators have caught on to that and tightened nutritional programs.

I think the suggestion for a doctor's note is a great idea. You might also check with your state's childcare resource department to see what the nutritional requirements are for licensing _before_ you go speak with the director. Here many large CDC's are on the state subsidy nutritional program and all centers have strict nutritional regulations they're bound to if they want to keep their license. All must make exceptions for children with special needs (though that does _NOT_ allow for homemade food).


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