School nut allergy policy

[PigeonPairinSomerset]

I’m fully prepared to back down on this one but keen to know if anyone supports my view - our school has a nut free policy which I know is common. I am aware how severe these allergies can be in some cases. At our school however , there are children who would only have an allergic reaction if they actually ate food containing nuts. Some of my children’s favourite foods are peanut butter and houmous, which they can’t have in their packed lunches. AIBU to think that the school could just encourage kids not to share food? And for the parents of those affected kids to teach their kids not to eat their friends’ food?! I feel like some really healthy options for my kids are now off the table.

I wouldn’t risk it. Yes, it is unlikely that any allergy suffering child would be in contact, but why take the risk? The stress for those kids and their parents must be terrible. Also, imagine how you’d feel if your kid’s sarnie caused someone else’s to have an anaphylactic reaction?

There’s been so many threads on this over the years but ultimately nut free blanket bans in schools is not a policy recommended by Allergy uk and for good reason, schools should have action plans based on individual pupils needs and not elevate nut allergy to be a risk any more serious then all the other food allergy groups.

Mum of child with nuts and sesame seeds allergy here (to clarify some questions: children allergic to peanuts are often allergic to sesame seeds too. I wasn't aware some schools are saying also no to hummus, mine only bans nuts).

My son is 5 and has been aware of his allergies since nursery. He now knows not to accept food from others, to always ask a grown up to check the ingredients etc. However, I would not bet he'd do that at all times, or that when he started reception at 4 he was 'well trained' to do so. Or that his 4/5 year old school friends would understand not to insist to share, or not to smear the content of their sandwich on some toys etc.

Unfortunately, the consequences if something goes wrong are potentially lethal, so I am welcoming a no nuts policy, at least in primary schools. I know times have changed and there so many cases of severe nuts allergies nowadays, and I have no idea why, but we just can't deny the issue.

This isn’t true. My son goes to a secondary school that have a nut free policy and I do find it surprising that they think they can enforce it in a school with 1600+ people in it. I’m pretty sure there must be kids taking in food containing nuts.
I sort of get the primary school thing as they’re young and things get shared around but surely secondary aged children will know to avoid nuts. What happens when they go to restaurants, on public transport, large social gatherings etc? Where do you draw the nut-free zone line?

You could try sunbutter. It’s made from sunflower seeds so fine for the school’s policy and not sure my kids can tell the difference. DD1 went through a shockingly fussy toddler phase and was given sunbutter and jelly sandwich everyday at her American daycare (also had a nut free policy) for about a year, which is not something I loved for the pandering and sugar content but if having a ‘nut’ butter sandwich really is that important to your DC and not something they’re happy to confine to breakfast/weekends then it could be worth trying. Also, you can make your own houmous and leave out the tahini if you want to make that an option. Personally I’d just feed them something else though. Nut allergies can spread on contact and be really serious so it’s understandable they’re so strict, it isn’t worth the risk.

Are you talking about primary school? My son has a severe nut allergy (since the age of three). He loves chocolate, but obviously not all of it is safe. How would you stop a 4/5 year old in reception from accepting a chocolate bar from his friend? It's all well and good saying 'tell your children to not eat other people's food' but at that young age they won't always understand the risks. My kid is 10 now, and he still gets his friends offering him bits of their lunch they want to share (to be nice), or give away because they're not keen on it. My boy knows how to manage the risks now, but I don't know how you get kids to not share. Not to mention the mean kids who would absolutely use this to bully others with. His school is nut-free, but even then it's not perfect and you still get others bringing in nutty things on the odd occasion. I don't think I'd cope if the school was a free for all. And for what's it's worth, you don't know that the children at your school will only react if they only ate nuts rather than being around them. My son would break out in hives if someone ate walnuts next to him, and accidentally eating one would kill him. He is less allergic to other nuts, but still needs to avoid them. But there will be other kids who will be more or less allergic, but I wouldn't know the ins and outs of other children, so I'm not sure what makes you think you do. Some children might be airborne allergic but not even know it until they have a reaction, so why bring that extra risk into schools? No one can predict how severe their next reaction will be, and many others can suddenly be allergic to something they've always eaten in the past. Just be grateful your child doesn't have allergies for now, and save the nutty food for at home.

The problem is the traces - small children just aren’t going to clear their hands throughly enough - peanut butter and hummus sticks. Also for children with allergies, there’s often birthday parties where they can’t eat everything, restaurants where they can’t join in, playgrounds where they have to leave. Your kids are being asked to avoid some favourite foods for one meal a day in order to avoid a risk of another child dying. That’s the bottom line. Yes, some allergens aren’t restricted and that’s very difficult - I say this as a mother who has a child with an allergen that’s super common in foods so won’t be restricted in schools. Despite that, I support other parents in keeping their kids safe. I would say most kids are amazingly compassionate though and great at supporting their peers, more so than adults in my experience. Just be grateful you don’t have to change your life to keep your kids safe.

I agree with you on this but it’s such a difficult one. Obviously children need to be safe in school but they need to be able to eat as well and it only seems to be nuts that are a problem despite anaphylaxis occurring with plenty of other allergens.

So many children have difficulty with food and if peanut butter or homous is one of the few things they eat then it’s wrong to stop them having it for the sake of another child’s needs. Schools need to think of solutions that work better than bans.

The major allegy related charities/pressure groups such as Allergy UK and The Anaphylaxis campaign do not support nut free (or anything else free) school policies. My DS has multiple allergies including being anaphylactic to a selection of foods and never went to a "free from" school and never had an accidental exposure at school. It's more work for schools so I can see why they prefer to (try to) create free from environments but it's not actually the best way to manage the situation. There's a bifg section on school policies on the Allergy UK website if anyone is interested

@PigeonPairinSomerset hummus does NOT contain any nuts so is fine to bring into school.

The problem with peanuts is that some children can go into anaphylactic shock just inhaling the dust.

Hummus contains sesame seeds which is a known allergen to some, but as is celery, egg, fish, milk, soya etc... so where do you draw the line? Unless the school has specifically said they have a child with a sesame seed allergy then it's fine to take hummus.

Most secondary schools are NOT nut free because by 11 years old you should be able to manage your own allergy. We have a pupil in school who has a severe peanut allergy so we are not allowed to eat any nuts in classrooms. The child carries two adrenaline pens and there are also spare ones in various locations around school just in case.

Youngest DS has severe allergies to nuts, peanuts some other legumes, eggs, fish, milk….he is a joy to feed (not) his school had to put measures in place as part of his ECHP under the guidance of the school nurses and his various doctors. he once sat next to a child who had used a soap containing nut oils at home……that ended up as a trip to A&E……I support infant years being nut free when their is a child who NEEDS epipens as its a matter of keeping a child safe whilst they learn to manage their allergies and to politely refuse foods. If a child is so horribly allergic their ECHP covers HEMS and checks their is room on the playground for HEMS due to the speed and life threatening nature of a legume allergy (hence the ban on foods containing peanuts and chickpeas….) then yes that is the time for the whole school to be legume free. Peanuts despite the name are not tree nuts.

Nut allergies can just randomly get worse, or develop suddenly. Not worth the risk i dont think

Allergies aren’t ‘just’ about whacking someone with an epipen. My DDad had a huge anaphylactic reaction that scarred his lungs and he never recovered normal
lung function. The impact can be catastrophic even if you don’t die.

My child will have only just turned 4 when she starts schools in September, she has an epi pen for nut allergies. Yes I've explained to her why she shouldn't share food but seriously you expect a 4 year old to be in control of this?

DD was in Reception with a child with milk allergy.

They were all taught, from day 1 they could not share food, as it could make other people ill. The whole class. Milk products could only be eaten at one table. They all had to wash hands and faces after eating. They continued to serve the others their free milk.

FFS Which is more important: your child keeps their favourite sandwich filling, or another child keeps their life?

Wow.
I have a nut allergy; very severe and I carry several epipens with me everywhere I go. Having this allergy was always embarrassing to me when I was growing up, but with groups like Natasha's Foundation I finally feel seen. My youngest DD also has a nut allergy, and I do everything in my power to advocate for her so she's never embarrassed by her allergy. School's being supportive and understanding plays a fucking HUGE part in this. Your comments, OP, make me really sad, and you are incredibly selfish.

@TheSerenePinkOrca

Humous contains sesame.

Move took hummus wraps to school most days, definitely wasn't banned, only nuts. The bread my children had on non wrap days contained seeds anyway and anything I cooked for lunches used sunflower oil, also commercial crisps are sunflower oil

Allergy family here, whose DS is free eating his allergens - so I can see both sides of this.

I totally understand your frustration and agree about false sense of security - especially in senior school. But really, it’s just not worth it for the sake of sharing foods.

every allergic response is different and a one DC may have mild reactions or tolerate something, but then another time, the same exposure could trigger anaphylaxis. It depends on so many things - prior reactions, if they have a mild temperature, or an ulcer or cut in their mouth. Having a raised heart rate, a mild cold or seasonal allergies. All affect the response. It’s unpredictable.

Schools obs have to do their health and safety assessments and this makes it much easier for them, rather than trying to monitor lots of children who may share.

My DS missed out on quite a lot at school with trips, treats and parties but I was always very grateful to all those parents who followed food guidelines with grace - it’s pretty stressful and isolating being an allergy mother.

As a mum of a teen dd with both peanut and sesame allergies I can say that it may be an inconvenience not to send your child in with peanut butter or hummus but it's a reassurance to an allergic individual. It will never be 100% adhered to because people sometimes don't think, but if it makes someone feel more comfortable then isn't that good? You simply can't know how severe a reaction will be, as my dd has got older she's started having airborne reactions to peanuts and sesame which is extremely scary. It's also not about sharing food, because virtually every allergic child will be more than aware not to do that.

It's always a constant amazement to me that there is something about allergies that always annoys people - like those people on flights who get angry they can't have their peanuts. Would they really rather carry the responsibility of a potentially dangerous medical emergency on their shoulders, just to eat some peanuts???

Allergies are often not static

5 years ago I could eat anything I like

today an apple or cherry could kill me

YABU - You have no idea when a new starter will join with a severe nut allergy. A child could move into the area and start at the school next week.
My friends son has gone into anaphylaxis 3 times due to his allergies. I've also seen someone go into anaphylaxis (coconut allergy) and we had to call 999.
Schools have a duty to safeguard every child.

Some worthwhile points there, and what I never understand is how the allergic are expected to cope outside school

Very obviously we'll never be able to provide a totally nut-free world, so the thing about this "not preparing children safely for other environments" seems valid

So you know for a fact the in depth details about everyone of these child’s allergies ???