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.

Sarah, I don't understand your comment, an anaphylactic reaction can be different every time regardless of the allergen.

I've watched my DD (milk allergy) coughing to the point of retching and struggling to breathe followed by the next reaction of projectile vomiting and a body head to foot covered completely by angry re lumps and weals that took hours to go.

I have no way of knowing how she might react next time

thats not true sarah.

My DD has fish allergy. Started with rashes then next time was massive swelling of lips, then next time.. who knows.

I am simply repeating what my paediatric allergy consultant told me and explained was the reason that my peanut allergic son who had only ever had mild reactions (rash) needed an epipen and my egg and dairy allergic daughter who has severe but non anaphylactic reactions didn't. Perhaps you have had different advice. I'd be interested to know if your consultant gave a different message.

I've not heard that advice but can only go on my own experience which is far more relevant. In both instances above DD would have been described as having an anaphylactic reaction. I have no idea how she would react next time that's the problem

My daughter's fish allergy took much the same form as Fanjos an itchy rash that we didn't even associate with it being down to fish as she'd eaten it happily before. A fortnight later she swelled like a balloon and needed adrenalin and antihistamine injections and from then she has never had any contact with fish. Our consultant said that usually allergens in fish are lessened when the fish is cooked so seafood is usually the most common trigger but dd's reaction was down to a mouthful of fish finger.
Likewise with ds he had an anaphylactic reaction to Farleys rusks, he ended up on a strict exclusion diet as he had reactions to various food stuffs in his first year. Now as an adult he has no known allergies although a severely restricted diet because of autism and most likely the trauma of weaning in his first year means that we aren't going to put the theory to the test.

SarahS12345 that's not true anaphylaxis is anaphylaxis regardless of the trigger! And after reading some of the comments I'm now conflicted as obviously having a nut ban does trivialise other just as serious allergies and that makes it more dangerous for the people with them!

Sarah
My ds had milder reactions to peanuts and has had another test at 12 and was then clear and now eats peanuts and peanut butter, which was ok with his consultant. He is still allergic to sesame and tree nuts.
He had a odd delayed reaction to a sandwich the other week that affected his breathing which may have been seeds. But he was at work as a lifeguard so could have been a excercise induced.

It is scary, especially since DD's school have a poor record of letting her grab allergens.

I'm not saying that other allergens don't cause anaphylaxis. They do.

I'm saying that peanut allergies have a slightly different pathology to other forms of food allergy.

Allergic reaction is unpredictable.
My sister has allergies, and one of them was mango.
She never had anaphylaxis until she was 30 years old. She had curry in the restaurant which used mango chutsney in the recipe, which she didn't realise. She felt sick as soon as she put it in her mouth, shivers down the spine, and spit it out straight away. But unfortunately, she ended up in full blown anaphylaxis and taken to the hospital by umbulance.
As a parent with allergic kid, I can never be able to have peace of mind, just try to do my best to protect my child.

** dd's primary school were particularly vigilant with regard to allergies. They had a couple of children with severe nut allergies and so dd was lumped together with them in so far as her photo was displayed in the kitchens and dining hall with warnings of her fish allergy. On one occasion she lost her lunch box on a Friday (fish day) and the HT accompanied her for lunch in the dining hall that day and the kitchen staff made her sandwiches in the staff room and fetched her biscuits from the shop to ensure that she didn't eat anything that had come into contact with the fish they had cooked that day. Now in secondary she eats in school, they know of her allergy and there is no fish used during her food tech lessons as a precaution. Dd benefits I think because of the understanding of those with nut allergies.

we were told it was fine DD grabbed fish because "theres not much fish in a fish nugget"

See because dd had that massive reaction to a mouthful of fish finger (on the same reasoning that a very petite toddler's mouthful of fishfinger would mean a tiny amount of fish) her allergy was considered severe and life threatening.

yes I am very very worried about her having fish again insan1ty.

I have "educated" school somewhat now though.

DD is also allergic to lentils

Fanjo is your DD also allergic to chickpeas, beans and peas (basically the pulses family)?

I'm allergic to the whole family of pulses but to different extents. Lentils or chickpeas = severe reaction, runner beans = mild reaction with everything in between.

Beans yes. Peanuts. Lentils.not sure about chickpeas as haven't given her them. And she wouldn't eat runner beans :)

Also eggs, fish, cats, dogs, dust mites, you name it

Can you not have kidney beans either? Peas? I once got a v bad reaction after mushy peas, but was never sure it was them. I'm fine with other pulses.

I don't mind not eating lentils and chickpeas. I don't like that sort of texture anyway (though I suspect that is because I am allergic to everything with that sort of mushy texture!).

I really wish I could eat peas and green beans though. It would make me a much better houseguest!

I have a word document that I send to friends before they invite me over for dinner listing all of the nuts, pulses, soya, palm oil, shellfish and other random things related sort of to pulses (sweet potato, liquorice).

I always say to new friends, 'if once you have seen the list you want to revoke the invitation, please feel that you can!'. No one ever has – I have the most wonderful friends!

We were not allowed to have anything associated with nuts on a flight recently as a person had a severe nut allergy and were told not to eat anything that wasn`t purchased on the flight in case.

have just realised she has had mystery diarrhoea and sneezing recently and I have been giving her mini sausages which had chickpea in. So just called playscheme to tell them not to give her them today! Thanks for reminding me about the link :)

I also have a mystery allergy and can't figure it out. But have been coughing a lot after eating some things and glad.I have DD''s allergy kit with me just in case.