Originally Posted by SilverSabre25:
The scent policy is totally reasonable. Scent allergies can be as bad in their way as peanut or shellfish allergies. When I was in high school, one of the teachers was extremely allergic to scents and her classroom was a scent-free zone. The students in her classes could not wear perfumes or strong scents. I never took a class from her, but as far as I know, everyone complied. My step-mother is very allergic to scents and gets terrible asthma attacks if she is exposed to too much scent--and this extends even to deodorent, laundry detergent, etc. When we go visit my dad (and back when I had to go spend every other weekend there) we bring scentless deodorent, shampoo, soap, conditioner, everything.
People in America use WAY too much scented stuff. More people are sensitive to scents than realize it--a lot of people who have chronic headaches are suffering from scent sensitivities. Think about all the products you use in a single day that are scented...and some people use so much perfume everyday that they smell like they are marinated it in. My MIL is one, and I get a terrible headache around her. Some of my dcks even come smelling like perfumed stuff sometimes.
i agree that people go overboard on the scents, and i can see making adjustments to keep an allergic child safe. what i can't see is passing the responsibility and the bill onto all of the other parents. asking dads not to use aftershave and moms not to use lotion with scents goes beyond the children. not only do they have to think about the child at the daycare when they shop, they have to think about them if their child stays with a grandparent or someone who might use scented soap or detergent AND the bill for the unscented products is passed onto the parents of the children without allergies - even though nan says she's paid an "awesome salary" to provide a scent free zone, she isn't providing it - the parents are.
i just can't believe that there are so many parents who would adjust their lives in such a way and not be allowed to see their children interact with the provider and their peers, but as a PP said - they're the ones to blame for agreeing to such nonsense, not nan.