To think this 'nut free policy' is OTT for a school

[MerryMarigold]

So, letter home about next term's 'nut free' policy and I think it's a bit extreme but tell me what you think. In packed lunches (I will have 3 having packed lunch next year), we are not allowed to include:

• Fruit and cereal bars which contain nuts
• Sesame seed rolls
• Nutella
• Peanut butter
• Cakes made with nuts
• Muesli bars
• Baklava/ Nougat/ Turkish Delight
• Any packets of nuts

I would assume we are not allowed to give them pistachios in a Tupperware box either.

Anyway, my point is that how can they police it this closely? I know some kids cannot come into ANY contact with nuts, but for example, my kids would have nuts in granola at breakfast and probably not always wash their hands before school (if they remembered to clean their teeth when they first get up). I also refuse to check the ingredient list of everything I put into a packed lunch for 3 children so there are bound to be nuts in something they end up having.

Nuts are very healthy and nutritious, so we basically need to swap nut based products for something less healthy. I am most upset about the Muesli bars and no cakes made with nuts. Ds1 is a major food-refuser. He has never managed school dinners and food at home is an issue too. He nearly always has a muesli bar in his lunch, which I suppose I will need to substitute with biscuits. And sometimes I would include cakes made with nuts just to up his nutrition at lunchtime a bit. He doesn't like any form of meat, fish or cheese in his sandwiches.

I do sympathise that there are (a very few) people who have a 'life threatening reaction to nut products' (quoted on the 'nut free policy' letter). However, I would assume they do carry an epi-pen as it is impossible to create a completely nut free environment in a large school of children who are eating nuts at least at home. So, in reality it is not life threatening unless there is a child who has an unknown severe nut allergy. I would even be compassionate if it was stated that a child (without mentioning names) had had a reaction several times in school, but I very much doubt a child has reacted at school, and there may not even be a child with a severe nut allergy, so this is just scare mongering really.

SO, I do need to feel more positive about this and the extra work it will cause me, the extra moaning from my child and the reduction in nutrition. Please tell me off gently! I've had a bad night with not much sleep though, so please bear with me.

This thread is very scary since my DD will never be able to understand her allergies..plus school have let her grab allergens 6 times

We had a very similar letter when a new head started. This was 5 years ago. My son took a small cake in once, made by me, as it had no ingredients label it got taken off him!
One child in a different year had a nut allergy. Said child left 2 years ago but still not allowed nuts.
We've just had to accept it.

"allergy uk advise against a ban - why are so many people pro ban?"

As was explained only a few posts up the advice against a ban is from 8 years up.

See now no ban from 8 years and above is very sensible and makes perfect sense to me. It's ridiculous to expect small children to be able to manage their allergies without any (potentially fatal) mishaps.

bostonkremekrazy, my ds is allergic to things you listed except for fish and soya, and few more extra veg and fruits. Two of them are fatal.

But I don't ask school to ban them, because he needs to ingest it to have severe reaction.

My ds was isolated at lunch time during KS1, after the incident some other child tried to force him to eat something he was allergic to. He was closely monitored.
Now he is in yr3, he is allowed to sit with his friends, because they are more mature, and understand these things aren't joke.

I have to cook 3 meals every single day avoiding things like wheat, daily, eggs plus lots of extras, avoiding nuts only for lunch box seems easy enough.

DD is 9 and is severely allergic to milk so carries an epipen at all times.

her school has a nut ban like so many others but I have a real issue with it as I'm not sure the school really understand what they are trying to achieve.

In the past parents have been asked to bring in cheese, cheese sandwiches, cheesy pizzas to class parties knowing full well DD would be put at risk; this year, the caterers offered milkshakes poured from open jugs into cups at lunchtime. Then to cap it all, last week her year went on an overnight outward bound trip. There are no children in the year with a nut allergy (or at least none that the families admit to - I know because I buy the allergen friendly chocolates at Xmas time on behalf of the pta for the children) but there was still a blanket ban on nuts. And yet it was considered Ok to offer every child a cup of instant hot chocolate laden with milk powder.

so there they were protecting a fictitious child from dying from nuts and yet doing nothing to protect the child allergic to milk...

If I could get the school to explain this hypocrisy then I would. be better able to understand the motive behind the ban

mintyneb , does she go into anaphlexis just be in the same room with children drinking milk near her?
If not, it's same situation as my ds. At 9, she can avoid it herself.

The difficulty with the 8yo threshold is that primary schools go to 11. All my kids will be above 8 after October and the Ds1 will be 11 soon.

I am a bit sick of people saying "it should be easy enough to be nut free as I have to be dairy, egg, etc. free and you only need to do nuts." "There are cereal bars which are nut free". Have you ever tried to provide 3 meals a day (which contain at least some nutrition) for a child who refuses so many different foods and has to eat the same ones/ certain brands? And no they don't 'eat when they are hungry' either. Ds1 is borderline underweight and it is a struggle to keep him there, despite consuming a lot of high fat/ sugar foods. I can tell you it is a very major PITA. I guess we need a 'food refuser awareness' thread too.

Irvine, no she won't go into anaphylaxis by sitting next to a glass of milk but if it was spilled/ splashed on her near her face or she inadvertently touched it and then put her fingers in her mouth then she would be at risk

I do not believe it was suggested your child never ate nuts. It is being asked that you do not include nuts or nut products in your child's packed lunch for school.

MerryMarigold, I can understand it's hard, but thing is, my ds has severe food allergy, chronic illness of digestive organ , and texture/temparature sensitivity to food. He is underweight. I make daily notes of what he has eaten every day and get checked by nutritionist so he is ok.

So answer to
"Have you ever tried to provide 3 meals a day (which contain at least some nutrition) for a child who refuses so many different foods and has to eat the same ones/ certain brands? "

Yes, I do, except refuses= can not consume in my ds's case.

Me too

irvineoneohone - I think the point mintyneb was making is that before her dd was 9, the school still didn't have a ban in place - i.e. before she was old enough to 'avoid it herself'.

There is a huge double standard with allergies, nut allergies are treated with much more gravitas than other allergies. Give all young children with potentially fatal allergies the same support, that way you send the right message (to them and others!).

Andro, I do understand what you are saying. But still I think the biggest difference is that for some allergy, you need to consume it, and some, you need to be just in the same room, or be in contact with residue to cause fatal result.
I had meeting with school prior to ds starting school. They knew what's ok and what wasn't.

Actually my ds's nursery asked parents to not include one fruit he was fatally allergic to in their lunch box. I didn't ask for it. All the parents seemed very sympathetic.

irvine, I totally understand that some children are so sensitive to an allergen that they can't be in the same room as it. But it's the misconception that everyone with a nut/peanut allergy is in that boat. They're not.

Firstly nut allergies can kill , from inside out and you don't know till the person goes into aniflactic shock. It's worth every parent getting themselves educated and first aid trained . There is no history of allergies , etc in my family till ............
My daughter has 100 too allergies - bingo she test positive to everything , she is now 14. She does not have an epi pen as there's to many things she reach too. She has learnt not to eat food that is left open or unlabelled and if she has a tingly throat she has antihistamine. If she feels very ill ring 999.
Let's do our bit for society and support this policy . The little ones have to trust everyone is being diligent and looking after there interest . When the kids go to high sch it is down to the individual to look after themselves.

If my child were as severely allergic as some posters' dcs, then they would come home for lunch. It is impossible to police everyone's lunchbox. It wouldn't be about concern over others' inconvenience, it would be about fear for my child. If the allergy were terribly severe then I wouldn't care about going to work, I'd see it as my job to keep my child safe.

A while ago there was a case where a baby died at nursery because it had inadvertently been given milk. Judgy pants hoisted here, but what the hell was a parent doing putting their severely milk-allergic baby in a nursery ?

Some people have no choice but to work regardless of their child's extra needs because they need a roof over their heads and food on the table.

Maybe they couldn't afford not to work and trusted the nursery to take the milk allergy seriously?

I do not believe it was suggested your child never ate nuts. Well, some people were saying he shouldn't have them for breakfast as he will then have traces in his mouth, on hands, clothes.

I am not saying it is not hard to have a child with allergies. I am not trying to compete. I am just getting annoyed with people saying I am selfish for having a moan and assuming that it's 'so easy' to 'just swap a few foods' and 'he will eat if he's hungry so don't give him biscuits'. These are the same people accusing me of being uncompassionate .

You might change your tune if you had a child with severe nut reaction. Why not make your own muesli bars at home with your children. You can make sure they're full of good seeds and have fun with the kids at the same time. Biscuits don't have to be the only option! It's a good opportunity to talk about these issues with our kids so they are aware too. Good luck with the baking and keep positive for others!

I couldn't cope with home educating my DD due to her allergies. So judge away.

Merry, probably a silly question but** have you seen a nutritionist for your dc's food issues? Sounds like you both could do with some extra support in regards to their eating.

Shocking to victim blame the parents of the baby who died BTW. Shame on you.

Unless your child is medically diagnosed as a "food refuser" due to behavioural issues (my sons friend is) and has to have prescribed nutrition then I am sorry but your child is just s fussy eater. I have one of those too but the diffetence is that no child ever died from being a fussy eater. Please do not try to compare the 2 as its embarrassing and shameful.