To think allergy mum is OTT

[Boogiewoogieanddance]

I genuinely don't know if I am or not, this is a genuine question as I thankfully haven't got any experience in having a child with serious allergies. I am, of course, happy to do what I can to prevent a reaction.

There is a child in my DDs class who is allergic to a list of things so we aren't allowed them in pack lunches. That's fine, I have no issue as I know kids can be careless and gross about their food hygiene. My issue is with the nuts, literally anything that says "may contain nuts" or "may contain traces of peanuts" is not allowed... if the occasional time I don't realise and send something (These are not nut flavoured things or anything with nuts in the ingredients, but I assume are just made in the same factory as nuts.) it is sent home unwrapped and she hasn't been allowed to eat it.

But is it really possible that an allergy can be so served that something that may contain nuts could cause a reaction if opened in the same room.

Many thanks!

That's a different scenario altogether.

It would be the same if the boy had died after a kid threw a biscuit that may contain milk at him. But that wouldn't have happened as it's also ridiculous.

Well I'm sure the school this young boy went to regret not banning doing so.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/may/02/boy-with-allergy-died-cheese-flicked-at-him-london-inquest-told

If the child has an allergy so severe that school is not allowing "may contain" or insisting classmates can't eat nut containing foods at home, then quite honestly, the child should be home schooled.
A whole class/school shouldn't have their diets unreasonably restricted (not bringing in actual nuts like snickers or pb sandwiches is ofc reasonable) for the sake of one child, especially when several of them will already have diet restrictions of their own due to allergies or intollerances of their own, SEN regarding textures etc, or cost of living impacting what the parents can afford. A jar of peanut butter is a much cheaper and multiple meal protein source when parents cannot afford meat for example. And vegetarians and vegans also may use nuts as their primary source of protein.
Sadly with a health condition that has such a major impact on everyday life, its fairer to change the setting for the one, than majorly restrict the whole.

Yes it is possible to be that allergic

But to to then deny an entire class most food because of it is ludicrous
My kids can't eat anything with nuts at school but I mean they eat a sandwich with peanutbutter and then go to school with peanutbutter on their hands our mouth sometimes. So by that logic they shouldn't be allowed to go to school 🤔

If someone's allergic that badly they should consider home schooling tbh

And if I were you I'd continue to buy nut free things but take the wrappers off and poor the drink into a different container for everything that "may contain nuts"

because this request for banning everything that MAY contain nuts is beyond nuts.. (yes. Pun intended)

The degree of sensitivity and also severity of reaction on exposure varies from person to person and also across a person’s lifetime. For example, I know two people both with nut allergies. One happily eats things labelled with a may contain advisory. The other reacts if they are in proximity to another person eating them (they ask before entering a lunch room. Some people don’t care so he ends up in hospital again because it surely can’t be that bad, right?)

These home schooling suggestions baffle me. My son is severely allergic to peanuts, autistic and asthmatic. I suppose we should just keep him home for the rest of his life so not to inconvenience anyone?

I think it’s reasonable that there be some allowances made on both sides. I do agree that banning things that may contain traces is a bit much.

You've missed the point. It's not about banning the allergens which would be reasonable. It's about banning may contains which is not reasonable.

It’s really tricky.

I have a kid with ARFID who will only eat peanut butter sandwiches as a lunch item and I’m dreading this coming in at our school

as a parent of a child (who is now an adult) with a severe life threatening peanut allergy- this policy is ridiculous.

Food that contains nuts= should not be brought in.
Food that ‘may contain traces of’ = absolutely fine, on the understanding that children at school should not share their food with each other.
It’s all very well your child’s primary school being so OTT about it, but what will happen at secondary school? My DD’s secondary allowed nuts and peanuts, from age 11 she had to manage her own food and allergies without the bubble wrap that she had in primary school. Yes, we had a few allergic reactions at senior school over the years, some worse than others which was horrible some through other people being careless, but it prepared her for the real world, meaning that by 18 she was ready to go to uni and live in shared accommodation with a shared kitchen.

And a lot of them!

My oldest is no longer nut allergic, but when she was we would take 3 sets (6 epipens) on any flight based on the approximation of how long it would take for an emergency landing at the nearest airport - one pen per 15 minutes between her and medical care.

Also, if she had been allergic to it airborne, we simply would not have flown. She was allergic to contact to ingestion, both of which we could decently prevent on a flight. Allergies are life altering conditions. You don’t always get to do what other people consider normal.

I was wondering when they had the time to check each child’s packed lunch tbh. Surely the staff don’t have the time to go through every child’s lunch? I know I didn’t when I was teaching nor would the LA’s as we were always so busy. Have you emailed the school to ask what the procedures are?

At my school (retired teacher) we had a special table that was designated as “nut free”. At the regular tables the children could eat food with nuts. The tables were outdoors so I suppose that makes a difference. We had a child with a severe nut allergy and her mum worked at the school.

Another of the many nut allergy parents on here saying this is a ridiculous and unworkable policy.

DD’s schools here in the US followed the common advice from organizations that specialize in this area, and allowed nuts in the school. What they focused on was educating the children in how to keep themselves and their friends safe. No sharing food, everyone washes their hands after eating, no throwing food around.

DD is now 19 and at college and able to manage the fact that she may be in situations where there may be allergens, and knows how to manage them.

I don't think YABU OP. What happens if your child has peanut butter on toast, after brushing their teeth, and then goes to school?

I would hate for anyone who has such allergic reactions to be exposed to an allergen, but how is the above policed?

I think the school need to be sure that the child has an EpiPen which is in date, and that they are aware of how to administer it if needed.

I also hope your child is substituted with food if theirs is taken away.

I think it's OTT. Companies need to cover themselves by saying may contain nuts or they might get sued.

That's crazy and the school are very unreasonable to impose this. Not to send in nuts and nut products - fair. This, however, is OTT and I'm a parent of a nut allergic child.

If one can't share a space with someone eating bread for example, they should be isolated in the hospital as a life-saving measure.

Not only was I killing grannies during Covid, now I'm killing kids by making a packed lunch for my own. Oat and raisin cookie!! 😱

People suck.

No, I am seriously wondering about this. I don’t have severe food allergies, but I have severe allergies to dogs which trigger hives and asthma attacks. Obviously avoiding dog exposure is much easier than avoiding exposure to foods that could be literally anywhere.

You avoid the foods by not eating them. As a parent you teach your allergic child never to share foods and never to eat anything unless they’ve read the label or they know who made it and what ingredients were used.

So for example my daughter doesn’t eat anything homemade from a bake sale, but she’ll eat a cookie from a packet after she’s read the ingredients.

The one time she had an anaphylactic reaction was when she ate something from a bake sale that had been mislabeled. She will never make that mistake again.

I have a serious airborne allergy. I don't go to Pret or Starbucks or even M&S food hall, M&S took me two anaphylactic reactions to learn. Things that may contain dairy are allowed in my house, I just don't eat them myself.
The school or maybe the mum are being OTT.

@BellaBlossoms I don't know if the entire schools lunches get checked but I know my DDs class does. They all eat in their class rooms. I have never raised it with the school as I manage to find things for her lunches and I didn't want to come across as ignorant.

But I think while yes I will accommodate as best i can to make sure kids are safe and try to ensure my daughter is educated about allergies (she actually checks food herself if we have a new treat in the house and she wants to see if she should even bother asking me can she take it!) I just think the "may contain" is a bit overly cautious which is backed up by a majority of posters.

I was literally about to say the same thing - like if say a kid had Nutella on toast for brekkie, had already brushed their teeth before toast, then sat next to an allergic to nuts kid on the school bus. There becomes a point when it gets ridiculous

I'm in the US. My oldest son is allergic to peanuts, mild form. However - explaining to the sample lady at Sams Club that chips (crisps) fried in peanut oil were not necessarily healthy to him was a chore. She argued with me that they were.

Yes, I understand that, but I was referring to the type of severe food allergy mentioned in previous posts in this thread, where even being in the same area as another person who has consumed that food (or having cheese thrown at you) triggers a severe reaction.

It's incredibly rare that it happens. For an airborne allergy to be triggered the food generally needs to be aerosolised. So it's more likely to happen in a kitchen or a production facility, not a school classroom. And airborne allergies, which are in themselves rare, almost never result in serious or anaphylactic reactions.

But in the incredibly rare situation where it does happen, you have epipens and 999.

https://www.austinallergist.com/all-about-airborne-food-allergens/

Thank you for explaining and the link, good to know that reaction is, thankfully, extremely rare.