Conkers and nut allergy

[greenbananas]

If a child is nut allergic, is he okay with conkers?

My DS has nut-allergy (according to RAST tests) but has never been exposed to nuts. He also has milk/egg/various other allergies and has reacted with swelling, hives, breathing difficulties and drowsiness when exposed to tiny traces, so I am quite (irrationally?) scared...

He is 2 years 1 month. He tried to pick up a conker the other day and I distracted him by saying "Look at the squirrel..." Obviously I will not be encouraging him to play conkers, but I would like to know what the future holds for him... does anybody know about this?

I think my DD has many of the same allergies as your DS, and we were advised by our paed to stay well away from conkers as they are, as you say, a tree nut.

If it helps, the only reason I asked my DD's doctor was because my mum rolled her eyes at me when I wouldn't let her give DD conkers to play with, and I thought I was paranoid!

I thought conkers were ok but I can't remember why. I think they are related to latex allergy rather than tree nut for some reason.

anaphalaxyis website but you have to be a member to read it and I'm not.

Agree with bobblemeat conkers are more related to latex allergy than nut allergy

from the anaphylaxis campaign website

Q: Are nut-allergic children at risk from conkers?

A: A few children have reported that they break out in a localised skin rash when they handle conkers, but we are not aware of any severe reactions. A few schools have banned conkers because they have been told there is a risk to nut-allergic pupils, but this may be an over-reaction. Nevertheless it is difficult to offer a clear-cut answer and there may be a few people who do react badly to conkers. Research from Southampton suggests this is a rare problem.

We cross psted bobblemeat

It's weird

I managed to get into the anaphylaxis compaign website without being a member, through a google that went straight to FAQ
HOwever when I first tried your link, it said something about membership, but after that I managed to go in.