Is this really sustainable r.e. nut allergy?

[Sustainability]

Interested to hear as I don't know much about this.

DC signed up for a weekly sports lesson. We've just received an email that there will be someone on the course who has a life threatening allergy to nut and an allergy to egg. We've been asked to make sure anyone attending (i.e. kids and adults) don't eat nuts, nut products or foods with traces of nuts, eggs or egg products on the day of the lesson. That we should be freshly washed (showered if possible) and wearing clean clothes.

Now, obviously I'm happy to comply and my DC will be walking around in clean coats for a change. But how is this possibly going to be sustainable when the child starts school in the Autumn? I've been parcelling their sports clothes up as soon as they come out of the wash, but realistically if it rains the day before their lesson, I'm going to have issues washing and drying their coats in time. Neither can I clean the shoes they wear to get there as they'll be wearing them at school.

It’s not. You can’t realistically expect a majority to pander to a minority’s even if it’s a matter of life and death. With all the will in the world people will forget or not be bothered to comply.

The parents have to make the decision whether to expose their child to possible risks. It must be very frightening for them to place their trust in the world around them in order to give their child a normal life.

I'm afraid I can't see how it is at all possible.

My son has an epi-pen and he can be in the same room as his allergens. Tbh if his allergies we worse I certainly wouldn't trust strangers to keep away from his allergens that day.

Yes, we've been asked to make sure all clothes are clean.

But my coat is not machine washable, I can't wash it every week. And I figure I'm not going to come into contact with this kid as my DC could.

I really feel for the mum, it must be scary. But with the best will in the world, I couldn't send my DC to school in clean things every day. Nor can I see how they can ask the pupils in the school to not eat nuts and eggs for 5 days of the week. Apparently traces can remain on the breath for up to 24 hours after eating.

From sad experience (I used to have a teaching colleague with a severe nut allergy) some will see this as a sport.

Have you also been advised on the dangers of spray-on deodorants as many contain nut oil?

What do you mean, see it as a sport? That the stringent requirements will make people more likely to see what they can get away with?

No deodorant mentioned, but it is a pre-school and sound primary age group.

Young not sound!

My ds has a nut allergy, I've never heard of taking such precautions, nor does it sound realistic. Did their consultant advise all this? Sounds like overkill. And I do speak as a parent who takes allergies seriously. All I can think is their child has had serious reactions to some trace amounts of the allergens in their environment which is awful but they won't be growing up in a bubble, hopefully they'll become less allergic as they get older.

This does sound extreme but my two sons (15 and 12) have such a severe allergy to nuts and eggs that they can't be in the room with them. I had eaten something on one occasion which must have contained a trace of nuts (it definitely wasn't a listed ingredient) and I kissed my sons cheek and almost killed him. It had been hours since I had eaten but before my eyes I saw his lips start to swell and his throat started to close up.

@Sustainability

In this particular case (secondary level) there were attempts to see my colleague go into anaphylactic shock every few days - be it by purposefully eating a nut bar in their classroom, using nut-based oils or spraying deodorant.

Every single incident could have been fatal and the colleague didn't last long.

My point is, there will be some idiots who will try to cause a reaction "for fun". So no, it is not sustainable.

not sustainable, plus what about school trips and going out into public places?

theres reasonable and then theres unreasonable!

Ok, so now DD has been invited to a party... how do I deal with that?
Ask the hosting mum not to let her eat nuts and cake?
Cancel football for both DC?
Let DS play and make DD sit on the side of the pitch? Is that really different to letting her play?

You don’t do any of that stuff. She goes to the party like normal and then she goes to football. That’s far far too restrictive.

Also, if she goes to a party first her clothes won’t be clean. Are they really expecting every pre-schooler and parent to be in freshly laundered clothes every week?!

The ages are 4-10 so they split it by age with older kids vs older and younger vs younger. DD is an older kid, boy with allergies a younger. They've never been in a group together but....I obviously don't want to make this child ill. (I could understand it more if it was inside, but they're outdoors on a football pitch)

Clean clothes I can do. I've been washing their sports kit every week and bagging it as soon as it's out of the wash. Raincoat I can't if they need to wear to school though.

Actually, having thought about it, I would pull them out of football, ask for a refund and explain why. I wouldn’t want to make them ill either, but that’s a level of organisation for a child’s club I wouldn’t want to deal with. There are other football clubs, just find a different one.

It is not sustainable at all. You can ask other people to take reasonable precautions, such as not bringing nuts/eating nuts just before practice, but the child has to learn to take responsibility for handing their own allergies and the younger they are when they start doing that (with supervision, obviously) the more it becomes second nature. But the world will not cater solely for this child and nor should it. He is no more important than anyone else on the planet. I also speak as someone who takes allergies very seriously, as DD1 has nearly died on more than one occasion.

Take sensible precautions, such as you and your DC not eating nuts before taking part in the sport, but they can't expect you to have washed your coat etc every single time. That is overkill. If the child is that sensitive, then it is the parents' responsibility to ensure their safety and it sadly might include no longer participating in group sports.

We have children with severe nut allergies at nursery. We are not allowed to take things like birthday cake in unless it’s shop bought in a sealed package with listed ingredients, and are asked not to give our toddlers nut products at home on nights before or mornings of nursery days, in case traces get under their nails etc. but nobody’s mentioned the clean clothes thing.

I have severe nut allergy. I don’t ask people to wash their clothes before they are permitted into my presence. That is absurd.

Unless this is a very special situation and the child turns up in a sterilised vehicle and doesn't leave their home....then there is a possibility they will walk past people in coats who have eaten nuts so asking you to wash coats every week is not sustainable or reasonable. (And most parents just lie and say they have done it). Asking you not to eat nuts that day is fair enough and most schools are but free so that shouldn't be an issue. You need to speak with the coach to see if there is something 'extra special' about this child, and if so decide if you feel that is reason enough to comply (e.g. if the child has a short life expectancy due to this you may go along with it)....if not it seems extreme and I would tell the coach you can't do this.

I think that’s just unrealistic I’m afraid.

I grew up vegetarian - it would have been flat impossible for us not to eat eggs and nuts as they were main sources of protein.

I think in your shoes I’d contact the club organisers and explain (as you have here) that you will try to comply but can’t guarantee it so they can warn the parents. If the allergies are really that severe then this child may be too young to come to such a club. It’s obviously sad if that means they are excluded, but the whole class can’t realistically comply with these restrictions.

The rules for the club are very clear. You either comply or leave. All this ‘I won’t do this, I won’t do that’ is beside the point - you have been given the rules and if you think they are too much for you to cope with to potentially save a child’s life and let them participate in a fun activity then release the spaces to let kids with more organised parents join.

The point regarding the party is ridiculous by the way. In that case neither child goes to football of course, unless you like playing silly buggers with a fatal allergy and want a child’s death on your shoulders.

I think the parents are probably still a very scared and therefore maybe a bit ott phase but what they are asking isn’t realistic and I very much doubt any medical professional has suggested it to that level.

My sister is severely allergic to peanuts. She had a reaction in school once when someone decided to eat a snickers in their nut free classroom. She had had to leave places before now when she had realised people nearby are eating nuts (including having to move seats at the theatre) but she can’t control others to the extent that the family in the opening post are.