Nuts.

[goodbeans]

DS had this message in his nursery diary: 'Please can you avoid pesto because of nut allergies within the nursery'.

This was in reference to him having been sent in with pasta and green pesto (DH on lunch duties, he forgot the rule). I did find it annoying though, as pesto is made with pine nuts, which are seeds and not nuts, despite the misleading name. (I know that some red pesto is made with cashews, and so I would never use that in food intended for nursery, although I suspect that most staff wouldn't question it as it could easily be mistaken for a regular tomato sauce...)

Anyway, I would like to send a note to the following effect back: 'We always avoid sending any food into nursery that contains nuts. However, pine nuts are seeds (despite the misleading name!) If there is a child with a seed allergy at nursery then we will of course be careful to avoid sending any seed containing foods in DS's lunch.'

AIBU to reply like this to nursery? Or is this weird kind of blanket ban (based on a misnomer) normal?! If it is then I will just suck it up, but it is frustrating given that it doesn't seem to have much basis in common sense.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to respond, and especially for the fab alternative recipe suggestions! I don’t know any children who suffer with a nut allergy so sharing your personal experiences/knowledge has been really helpful and educational. I suspect that cashews being used in many other pestos is the logical reason for asking parents not to send it in at all. However, I will query in person as if there are seed allergy issues as well then some of our other lunch options will need to be reviewed.

To the pp who said ‘my child's right to pesto overrides any other child's health which is really arrogant’, I would never knowingly/intentionally risk another child’s safety, and I can’t imagine that any other parent would either.

Pesto is the devils arse YABU

Tastes like*

My dd is allergic to almonds and peanuts but not other nuts. Everyone is different so u think yabu

Avoid
It is not worth the risk. It could be life threatening. Do unto others.......

Eating pesto was how we discovered our DS had a severe nut allergy. Allergy expert later told us that many pesto brands have pine nut, cashew and vitally, peanut in them as they're cheaper. We have to be really careful about pesto as it's so common in party food, picnics, etc.

Banning certain foods is pretty pointless
There will always be someone allergic to something and you can't ban everything. An anaphylactic reaction is an anaphylactic reaction regardless of the cause so why do schools etc only seem to ban nuts ?

I say this as a parent of children with severe allergies

hedgehog I can only presume they ban them as they (moreso than most other allergens) can cause problems with regard to spreading through the air rather than just being eaten.

We were advised to not have anything containing peanuts in the house when our newborn was due as the dust from them would eventually make it to the cot no matter what precautions we took.

However, banning any allergens cannot take the place of teaching children & people in general to be aware of what they are eating / drinking / touching / kissing etc.

And as previous posters have said or implied, I agree that a food ban should not extend to secondary schools as any 'allergic' person should be more than capable or aware at that age of the dangers.

It is difficult when you are trying to teach your child to share everything - except their food!

My did has a severe egg allergy and is affected by airborne egg.....dd1 made meringue once ds walked past her, paused, looked at the bowl asked what it was and left. A minute later his face and throat were swollen

We asked the school about a food ban years ago. Were told no and have since had to just tell him to avoid sitting near anyone who he knows for definite has egg and on days where egg on the menu for hot dinners he has antihistamines before school. He has medication and epi pens in school and we just have to hope
The school do have a nut ban though .....it's infuriating but I feel that bans are probably not what's needed despite wanting one initially

Avoidance is key where possible, preventative treatment like ds having antihistamine before lunch days where egg served or parties etc and having medication at school and staff trained to administer is the sensible option

Sainsburys do a lovely fresh pesto (next to the hummus, etc) that doesn't have cashew nuts in. Just sayin' in case anyone is looking for one. No use to the OP, though.

Just adding my tuppence worth - for those who have stated professionals don't support nut bans, the recommendation that both nurseries my son has attended have a blanket nut ban came from the hospital - from 2 different consultants, a (hospital) dietician and his health visitor. He has a severe allergy and could die just from being kissed by someone who had eaten nuts or handling a toy that had been played with by a child that had eaten them. His allergy is to peanuts (not technically a nut) but we have to avoid all and also kiwis as these appear to be linked.

He also had a dairy allergy but is thankfully growing out of that. That just caused diarrhoea and eczema, unpleasant but not deadly. It is also a different type of allergy in that careful exposure can build up a tolerance - this is the same for many allergies (hence eating local honey can help with hayfever) but NOT nut allergies - or bee sting allergies. With these any exposure causes a more severe reaction each time which is why they are so deadly.

We had a "milk challenge" programme for him set by the hospital to see if could gradually build up his tolerance for dairy but consultant was clear that they don't challenge nut allergies - if for some reason it was felt his allergy had gone (unlikely) they would blood test first and then undergo the challenge in hospital with full team standing by. He said it was extremely rare to do and would have to be at least aged 10 to consider it.

They are currently trialling exposure therapy with nut allergies finding that if exposed at microscopic levels it does seem to work. These are at early stages but hopefully will mean a safe future for many allergy sufferers.

So, if ever asked not to bring something or that it is a nut free zone please do respect it. My son is now 4, he always asks if he can have something and his friends do to but they are children - you can't expect them to remember or they may not realise the additional dangers of cross contamination. By all means query why if it's something different like pesto but please don't dismiss as fussy parents or schools being over precious - not saying you were in your OP goodbeans but am surprised by some of the responses on here.

I get frustrated myself with parents saying "oh tarquindandelion has a nut/dairy/food allergy, no I've never had him tested but he must, he's so sensitive to things". I've had many food establishments roll their eyes when I ask for the allergen folder. I don't want my boy to have this, he can never have the cake at birthday parties as I have not found any prepared fondant icing that doesn't say "may contain nuts" (believe me, I have tried. I am however getting fairly good at making my own although kitchen looks like bombsite afterwards). We don't wrap him in cotton wool, we do go out for dinner but we have to avoid things like Chinese buffets because it's too much risk.

Its not an inconvenience if he came into contact with the wrong thing, he could die.

Finally - yes it can be airborne. Its low risk in a normal environment but on something like a plane the risk is greater. There was a 4 year old girl a few years ago who went into AS after another passenger ate nuts on a flight, despite crew asking everyone not to.

Oh and wowpeanut butter is great. I adore peanut butter but can only have it if he's not around so it's a safe substitute. Its not the same of course but it's not bad and I love the lunchbox stickers it comes with :-)

Both wow butter and sun butter are not great of you are allergic to soy or seeds.

FFS parents should just follow the rules their school sets. End of discussion. If they don't want you to send in nuts/pesto then follow the damn instructions. You should have had a go at your dh for 'forgetting' not creating a thread debating the nuances of different allergies & to put the school down.

On the contrary, Fleur, I think it is important to think critically and question what you are told, and many interesting points have been raised in this discussion as result. Certainly I have a better awareness of the issues thanks to everyone who contributed. A far better approach than blind acceptance in my opinion.

goodbeans

the anaphylaxis campaign website is one of the best for info if you are interested.

ie
the major allergens

guidance in schools etc

also a very interesting article on food bans

Thanks bruffin!