Do you suppose we can actually DO anything about this idea that only nut allergies are really serious?

[BlameItOnTheBogey]

Inspired by comments on another thread. But serious question: what can we do to educate people that there is a not a pecking order in terms of which allergies are 'worse'? And that an anaphylactic reaction to e.g. dairy is just as serious as an anaphylactic reaction to nuts?

I am so sick of people saying 'oh well, it could be worse, she could be allergic to nuts' when I tell them that DD has a serious and life-threatening contact reaction to milk. I am also sick of others saying 'oh yes, my sister's cousin's dog is also lactose intolerant'.

I know it's not their fault. But it is frightening. Because unless we can make sure that people understand that all anaphylactic reactions are equally serious, then I worry about how I can ever feel confident letting dd out in someone else's care.

What do you think? Is there anyway we could do anything about this?

pop can't speak for everyone but currently there is a thread about the 'banning of nuts in schools'. Basically what most of us say is that gives a false security, that handling of it is done by the sufferer knowing what they can/can't eat, taking their own food for when they're unsure and schools encouraging and practising safe practice with spillages etc.

You can have an anaphylatic reaction to anything! It's actually the body rejecting a substance as opposed to the substance itself iyswim? (very basic explanation!) There are common allergens those like the ones mentioned on this thread.

Thanks for your reply, BOO. I think it's a good idea to get the information out there as I now understand why our school sometimes has classroom bans on eggs and dairy (nuts are banned in all schools and at all after-school activities, indoor playgrounds etc.).

Who BB ? I'm trying to keep up but keep tripping on my orange cape and may have missed this.

Is it me? (am feeling very paranoid, because I do kind of understand why some parents want bans )

Oh the food fighting terrifies me. Last year the birthday parties we attended were all for 1 yo so very civilised, mostly non-mobile babies with a limited range of food. And it was very easy to control everything dd ate. This year we've had one birthday party so far and there was a wide range of children and lots of food throwing and chaos, it was horrible. Not sure how many of these parties I can cope with :(

It does get a bit easier as they get to junior school and parties get smaller and DCs can read their own labels (or hopefully grow out of it?)
One thing I am glad of with DSs allergy is that he reacts so quickly he made the link very quickly between eating milk products and discomfort, so he doesn't sneak foods he can't have, and when well meaning people try to give him e.g. Yoghurt because "well, it's not milk" he refuses, knowing how awful it would make him feel. Now he only gets caught out by stealth dairy, like buttered burger buns or the wrong ketchup in a Heinz bottle.

no, Im still here! Just on holiday and not MN as much as usual.

Thanks inmysparetime, I really hope so!
I was just wondering, what age should I start making dd aware of asking about food? I really don't think she has any concept at the moment, and if anything we are trying to create less fuss about food because she's only fairly recently got her appetite back after getting to the bottom of all her allergies (although it's likely there are more :( ) so we are meant to be making food as much fun as possible. And like is aid she still puts all sorts in her mouth so it's hard enough trying to encourage her not to put random objects and rubbish in her mouth let alone be careful about food. but at the same time I get the impression that by 3 that a lot of your dc's are aware of what not to eat. So I was just wondering when you all started emphasising the need to be careful with food?

witches I hope you are having a lovely holiday. And your efforts to make all LO's feel involved are very much appreciated, thank you! :)

Starting school is a good time to teach about asking re. Food labels, you can teach her where the "allergy advice" section is, and how to read the allergens that will affect her, or ask an adult what the product contains.
When DS was little, I had a system where at toast time DS would get a whole crust instead of a sliced piece of toast, so even across the room I could tell he had an unbuttered slice. I had to give him a whole slice after I got tired of explaining not to cut it with the butter knife.
We have never gone to see father Christmas without me vetting the gift first, as surely father Christmas would know not to give him chocolate!
When school has cake sales, I send in a batch of milk-free on a blue flowery plate. DS knows he can eat those cakes, and I label them for any other allergy sufferers.
Unfortunately the toddler stage just requires constant vigilance and a ready supply of piriton ( the liquid is fine, although piriton tablets contain milk for some annoying reason)
You'll get through it and your DD will get more aware of allergens, how they affect her, and how to avoid them.

chocamum My dd who is 5 is allergic to egg. She started being aware of it at 3. She used to make the other mums in toddler group smile because she always asked if there was egg in anything they offered her - even things like apples!

She did go through a rough time when she started pre-school last year though. She became very anxious about eating outside of home even if I reassured her something was fine. We went to several birthday parties where she refused to eat anything including the food I brought from home.

It is difficult because we still haven't reached a point where family/friends make an effort to include her in the plans. I always bring my own food now.

She sees a play therapist and she said it was normal because she was becoming more responsible for herself. The play therapy helped a lot and she isn't so anxious about it anymore.

Thanks so much, that is really helpful. With dd being my pfb, it is hard to imagine her being an age where she can start being careful about food and asking people about her list of allergens.

I have to lovely RL friends who do go out of their way to involve dd with the foods they have, but the rest of her little friends houses make me feel very anxious because food just goes everywhere with toddlers. Families are variable but getting better. I think my main worry at the moment is that I remain as vigilant as I am come next year with dc2 due in January, I really hope the exhaustion of having a toddler and a newborn don't lead to anymore anaphylactic reactions. Thanks again, all advise is very grateful in the world of allergies. :)

Things do get easier as time goes on. With my dd and I having one of the same allergens makes things a wee bit easier I don't let her have what I know contains Latex. And if I am not sure then I handle it first to see if I react. Tis bloody silly thinking about it but I'd much rather react and go in to anaphylaxis rather than her.

It's not silly at all, I would much rather I had all of dd's allergies instead of her. I'm sure any mother probably feels the same - we'd do anything to protect our dc's.

Just to voice my support for you all and any awareness campaign you might manage to start.

DS was dairy intolerant for the first 10 ish months of his life and that was hard enough. I had to go dairy-free cos I was bfing, being a biiiig fan of cheese/butter/anything-from-udders I found it rubbish, and I was surprised at just how much has whey/milk protein in. He was so intolerant that if I had half a biscuit he'd be screaming in pain for several hours after his next feed.
Thankfully it was only an intolerance so caused severe pain but not anything more serious, and he's now grown out of it but it did open my eyes a tiny bit to the sheer effort of avoiding things, making sure he didn't eat something by mistake, wrestling jammy dodgers off well-meaning grandparents etc

I hope that if the DC have friends with allergies that I can make our house a fun place to be both for them and their parents and respect to all of you who do what you need to so your children can still enjoy soft play/parties!

suiledonn1 - that's very interesting about your DD seeing a play therapist to deal with her anxieties. We are having similar issues with DD1 - refusing to eat the pre-school snacks even though they are very carefully planned for her, etc. Its great that she's so responsible, but I hate seeing her so anxious about food outside the house. How did you find a therapist?

Hi lukewarmmama , I found our play therapist through a recommendation from a woman who attended the same play group as we did. I had been looking for some way to help dd and it sounded right for her. She has asthma and eczema as well as allergies. She had many hospital admissions as a toddler and was full of anxiety.

We are seeing the PT privately (in Ireland btw) and although it has been expensive it was worth every penny. DD started school this September and is so confident and happy compared to this time last year. She doesn't realise she sees a 'therapist' - she just goes there every few weeks for special play time.

It's definitely worth checking into for your dd. She sounds like mine - very aware of her allergy which is good but the anxiety about food outside the house is difficult for them.

hth