School allergy policy and cosmetics - AIBU to think this is overkill?

Mumsnet has given me an insight into the mind's of other people and it is sometimes horrifying.

Oh no I wasn’t saying they would be fine if they used an epi pen, just that they would have one in case. It’s obviously so scary for parents who’s children are at school and out of their sight and supervision if they have an allergy or any medical issues, I just don’t think you can blanket ban anything from school that may cause a reaction in some people, no more than you can ban things from workplaces and public spaces due to other people’s allergies, teach people to be careful with their things so they don’t cause others to have allergic reactions, no sharing of products. No wiping your hand cream on another kid for a laugh etc

A child with a severe allergy will carry two epipens. But an epipen isn't a magic cure, it just buys time and anaphylaxis will still mean an ambulance and hospital treatment. Too many people seem to believe that a person in anaphylaxis can just use their epipen and be completely fine.

I think it makes sense for nurseries and primary schools to have a no nut policy, but by secondary it would be better to follow the allergy UK guidance and not have widespread bans.

My DH and DS both have allergies. We are used to reading packets and asking questions in restaurants and young people really do become adept at it.

This was my thought, but I do feel the schools job is primarily to educate (obviously keeping them safe is a huge job too) and in secondary especially they are in prime position to use allergy as the example when educating on why they should not be sharing around anything like food, cosmetic items etc. workplaces do not usually have this type of policing on what can be kept in personal bags, I’m sure if I started a job somewhere and a colleague had a severe allergy to something commonly in creams and lotions and things, the bosses would be just informing everybody to be careful not to leave things like that around in public spaces and to be careful that for instance if you apply a hand cream not to touch other peoples things or themselves (while it’s on your own skin) to minimise the risk

I presume the cream isn't allowed in school in case they share it... not because it is unsafe to have on her skin.

I'm the mother of a daughter with a peanut allergy. I was a single parent of little means. My father paid for me to take her on a week's sunshine holiday in Spain when she was a teenager - I was so grateful that no peanuts were served on our flights as the airline made a decision to protect her by making a reasonable adjustment. Other snacks were available. That daughter now has 2 beautiful children, one autistic, the other ADHD/autistic. I'm sorry that your children too have their own problems - and I wish that society would be more willing to truly look after all children whatever their particular needs in the most inclusive ways possible. And to support their families too. I know life must be very difficult for you, and that some people do not care - but please believe me that there are others out here who do care. I apologise for any hurt my harsh comment caused you.

This. I have a severe nut allergy and I manage it by washing my hands regularly, checking what I eat, avoiding foods/products with a high risk of contamination etc. My house is a nut-free zone, but everything outside my front door is beyond my control.

I still use public transport etc. because I need to live a normal life, commute to work etc.

I do not tell my colleagues what cosmetics or foods they are allowed to use/bring to work. I only ask that they don't eat nuts anywhere near me, and I don't share foods/products unless I am very sure they are safe.

Aiming to give children a risk-free environment makes sense when they are too small to understand the risk, but when they are older they need to learn to manage the risk themselves rather than expecting the world around them to change. Otherwise, they won't be able to navigate the world safely as adults, or live a normal life.

But…it’s like you’ve made up that the school have implemented a rule and then declared it ridiculous 😬

The person finds a way to mitigate against it or suffers the consequences.

See, thats a sad fact of life. Outside your home, no-one gives a damn about your kids.

With 3 autistic children, ask me how I know that. Also, I am not selfish enough to demand that everyone caters to my childrens needs or wants.

Are they going to start banning kids from wearing sun cream in school then?! Castor oil is used widely across many products and cosmetics .…this is becoming ridiculous and blanket bans are not advised…..AllergyUk does not support “ nut free “ school policies and there is ongoing hype around nut products when in reality dairy allergies may pose risks too.

@LondonFox i dont know any allergy parents who agree either. There's no proof it helps and just encourages complacency.

You will get butchered on MN!
But agree.
Every day there is a new restrictio and new alergy. It is getting bizarre.
All nurseries and schools have nut free policy, jet children eat peanut products and come in with hands, face and clothes covered in it. Apparently in this form no one will have issue but god forbid you send coconut oil product! Mad.

You can get nut free chocolate spread

My DS has an allergy. It is better for school life to be normal so they can learn to manage it. The above poster is right, there are too many allergies to exclude them all. I think he sits at an allergy table for lunch so they can be monitored for swapping food!

This must be awful for you as her mum, you must be drained emotionally from never being able to take a break from the worry, and obviously from the constant checking of ingredients. I say this with empathy and concern

It's fine, just make sure she's not hugging anyone with an extremely severe nut allergy.
Our son regularly has asthma symptoms and puffy itchy eyes when he's sat near a child who has a cat as he has a severe cat allergy. It's unfortunately just part of having an allergy, I'd imagine children covered in dander because of having cats and dogs are causing far more allergic reactions than moisturiser that's soaked in 12+ hours before but we wouldn't ask them to get rid of their pets.

My DD is severely allergic to a specific food item which is rarer than nuts plus has a severe nut allergy.
she goes in to complete anaphylaxis,

people always say the same thing well how do you manage it outside of school etc like that makes it ok 🙄

they are are school 6 hours a day 5 days a week often say In closed rooms and education is not something that should be avoided.

our life is very restricted
she has never been on public transport
she has never been to the cinema
she eats take outs that I strictly monitor but never inside a restaurant.
she does not go to school birthday parties
or ever played in a soft play

but in schools they can navigate it so that she can attend and that’s her right !

Castor oil is made from a type of bean so I’d say it’s unlikely to be an allergen. I think use at home would be ok as it would have sunk in pretty quick.

I use a blend of black seed oil, castor oil and rose hip oil on my face which I think would be nut free and not commonly allergenic.

YABVVU and ridiculous OP.
Fair enough for them to dictate that it can't be brought into school. There are so many ways a child could come into contact by accident.
But you using it at home before coming in, is irrelevant. Do you think everyone they come into contact with, in daily life is rigorously quizzed on what beauty products they've used?

I wouldnt expect you not to use it at home. The risk of cross contamination while applying or immediately after applying is what school ia guarding against. Using it at home is fine and that is why allergy children carry epi pens and wash their hands before eating to protect themselves.

I have sympathy for people who have serious allergies, but I do wonder how they manage these allergies every else besides school and their own homes? You can't stop all of the general public from using cosmetics or eating foods that contain allergens, so how do they manage then?

My sons school is nut free and I'm careful not to give him anything like chocolate spread in his sandwiches etc but it's never even crossed my mind until seeing this thread that cosmetics could pose a problem too, I pick him up from school every day with hair that's been washed with nut oil containing shampoo and a face that's been scrubbed with a nut based scrub etc. I'm sure I can't be the only one.

That’s a bit harsh really, isolation?

Actually legislation requires schools to adhere to the same rules as any other catering outlet such as labelling correctly, making ingredients available etc, and to have proper plans in place for their pupils with allergies including having individual allergy plans, staff training, schools can now keep adrenaline auto injectors on site that are not prescribed for a named pupil and so on, but there is no obligation to provide a completely "free from" environment. It's largely impossible to do so anyway. In fact the allergy charities such as Allergy UK and the Anaphylaxis Campaign explicitly discourage this type of approach.
From Allergy UK...
" It is not possible to guarantee and enforce a nut free zone as staff cannot monitor all lunches and snacks brought in from home. A free from environment creates a false sense of security and does not safely prepare children for environments where nuts may be present."
My DS is anaphylactic to a number of foods including nuts and seeds and I would be complaining to his school if they brought in a draconian policy like this. It's illogical, unworkable, doesn't effectively enhance safety of allergic pupils and inconveniences a lot of other people.
The safest way to manage severe allergies is to teach the affected individual to manage it, not to try to control their environment like this. If there is a child in the school with this specific allergy they are going to encounter their allergen if they go into a shop selling make up, get on a bus, go to the cinema - all kinds of things which cannot be controlled.

I don’t seen the issue here. She wasn’t told to stop using the product just to stop bringing it to school.