holidaying in spain with child allergic to all nuts any help greatly recieved

[n19]

first time we have been abroad with my son since his anaphylactic shock. any help with products that people know is safe would be a great help. have obtained translation cards from allergywise uk but any more help would be much appreciated
nicky

Hi Nicky

What do you need to know - live in Madrid and speak Spanish and have to deal with allergic children here so hopefully have enough knowledge to help you.

What type of products are you looking for?
How long are you coming here for?
Do you have Epipen etc?

They are quite good on allergies over here both in restaurants and medical centres but as with everywhere actually lacking specific knowledge as to what you mean by 'must not have x' in relation to ingredients.

You give me wish list of things you need while here and when I go to the supermarket on Monday I will check out safe brands for you. If that helps.

Louise

Hi n19,
Used to live in Spain and our DS has nut, seed and egg allergies.

Definitely make sure you take your Epipen with you plus even pack some Piriton (can buy over the counter in local pharmacy before you go) as a back up and carry both with you.

The translation cards from allerywise should give you the sentences to speak / or point to in a restaurant plus if you do need to go to a hospital, then keep the card with you all the time.

Ice cream wise on the beach, for example, we found normal Callipos were fine and were not made in a factory with nuts.

The other thing to say is to look for the phrase 'frutos secos (nuts in Spanish)' and if this is anywhere on packaging, then we steered clear.

If you're really worried and also going self-catering, maybe stick to brands that you know or even shop in English / British supermarkets.

Not sure if that helps - good luck.

Helen

We went to Spain last year with DS who is allergic to nuts and it was fine. Restaurants were very helpful - we followed our usual plan of DS having stuff which should be nut free and then double checking. The translation cards should be helpful if you don't speak Spanish - I used to explain he had an allergy and then emphasise that this was really important.

If you're flying to Spain don't forget to get a letter off your GP saying that you need to have his Epipen on the flight as needles are prohibited unless for medical purposes. Your GP should do you one for free. Also make sure your travel insurance covers DS allergy - lots of companies will insure the allergy sufferer but exclude any allergic reactions which is pretty pointless. We use Flexicover who charge around £50 extra if there's been a hospital admission (in the last 12 or 24 months) and don't charge anything extra if there hasn't been a reaction in the last couple of years.