Your comments on peanuts for under 5s please.

[bobbybob]

I have always lived with my ds's allergies and I think I cannot be totally objective about anything to do with peanuts, so I wondered how other people feel about giving peanut containing products to the under 5s.

For instance; how would you feel if you found out the "healthy hot lunch" at pre school contained peanut product a couple of times a week, but with a very general description like "winter casserole" or "meatloaf"?

I don't have a problem if the contents are labeled, but not labeled sounds really really bad.

peanuts are supposed to be fine for non-allergic after the age of 3

BUT

if there was a child with a nut allergy at the nursery at all then they should use other protein sources without a question

I think they should be labelled.

Wouldn't affect me, but given that peanut allergy is so dangerous and growing, it's a bit incredible that they don't warn people.

I'm completely and utterly relaxed about peanut for my kids.

But the fact is, it's a real problem for a lot of other kids. The rule at DS1's school is, nothing given to the kids must have nuts in it. I can put nuts in DS1's lunch (now - but next September there will be an allergic child in his class, so no nuts from then), but a birthday cake must be nut-free.

Very weird that a pre-school would behave differently, IMO. And I say that as someone who gives nuts to her baby.

Bobbybob, I was shocked at yur other thread, I think the main problem is that most people don't realise that something that seems so inocuous could be so dangerous. I have had several conversations in Mumsnet and people who have no allergies in the family think they are great, other think they are not but don't know they need to be avoided until after 3 regardless of family being non allergic (There's no single person in my family who have heard of peanut allergy before, I have no allergies nor DH and as you know, DS licked a peanut a few months ago (already over 2 yrs old) and he got the allergy.

I think peanut should be labeled as not suitable for under threes but then, I have heard people from the medical profession saying that peanut is great and it's OK to give it to under ones (that from a midwife), how do you convince the people then that there are some risks?

I have spent weeks speaking to my very peanut lover mother about DS's allergy and how dangerous it could be, and the moment I look the other side she gave him a chocolate that contained peanuts' chunks . His face began to swell and he got the rash in less than a minute and while I shoved piriton in DS mouth, she told me, see? is not that bad! you worry too much!

I deliberately avoided giving ds1 (now 5) peanuts until he was at least 3 as there is a family history of allergies. I would be annoyed if a pre-school hid the fact that they were using nuts in their food. Surely they should at least label it clearly and give parents the option to ask for a nut-free alternative?

very laid back about peanuts but rather alarmed to read you aren't supposed to give them to under threes. who says this???

I think had better stop giving ds peanut butter snadwiches!!!!

having said that though my friend's dd has lots of allergies and epipen so am very careful to put all away when she is around.

ds is 20 months - is that too young for peanut butter?

Hi bobbybob - I would not be happy about it, I would expect preschool to be a nut free place

Agree with Caligula, since mine both eat them with no probs I wouldn't mind but absolutely think parents ought to be told and warned, loud and clear.

The recommendation about delaying introduction of peanuts until after three is for families with a history of allergy only.
Having said that, and despite giving ds peanut butter sandwiches etc, I would not expect peanut products to be served in a nursery, no.

Eat them.

...can i be controversial? there was a programme on tv a couple of weeks ago called alergic to everything or something like that and it was about a girl at university (so 18-21ish i guess) who had so many allergys and very severely so that even if someone opened a bag of peanuts in the same room as her she found it hard to breath. They were discussing this programme on richard and judy and one of the doctors implied that a reason for the growth of allergys and allergic reactions was due to 1) the super cleaning of our environment wth bleach etc and not exposing our children to a bit of dirt/bacteria in order to fuel their immune system and 2) the introduction of 'strange' foods into our system that we hadn't experienced as young children i.e kiwi fruit. And our bodies not knowing how to react to them. I have always been concerned over nuts with ds for no particular reason just because of all the scares sbut after watching this programme i cautiously gave him peanut butter (and dp offered him one of those new ciotti with hazlenuts in) and he's been just fine! ds is 14mths by the way, and there are no histories of allergy in dp or my families.

Here Here jingly bits! We have no history of allergies either so I wont be scare mongered. Kiwi fruit? I feed my 6 month old this.

I only wish I had been scaremonged on time, as I said, nor DH or I have allergies but we have a very allergic child.

I don't believe the thing about our houses being too clean either, we are very fond of carpets and pets inside the house, and none of which are recognised as favourable factors to have an extremely clean house.

Unfortunately, there are so very few medical professionists specialised in allergies in this country, I'm sorry, I don't want you to feel I'm picking at England because I'm not, but the ratio of allergists per habitant is worringly small (so small that we are not expected to be seen by an allergist in the long term, even when DS had a confirmed nut allergy). So it is impossible to rationally assume that the work and knowledge of the allergists have permeated to a great majority of GPs and HVs. Unfortunately, once you get an allergic child, not much time will pass before you realise you are far better informed about allergies than your GP, unless he is also a very allergic person or have a very allergic person in the family .

Aloha, if there's a history of allergies in the family the recommendation is to wait until 5 yrs old, if not, until 3.

bump

Um, according to my research three is the recommended age for families with allergy. This is government advice via the food standards authority. Five is the recommended minimum age to give whole nuts - but that's because of the choking risk and not allergy. Of course, it would be fine to never give a child peanuts or peanut butter, but that isn't the official advice. And of course, I am very glad that my son doesn't have a peanut allergy. It must be very difficult and very frightening.

This is from Babycentre - but you'll find the same stuff on the food standards website.

When is it safe to feed my baby...?

Nuts
It's true that you shouldn't give whole nuts to children who are under five years old, because of the risk of choking. But nut butters and finely chopped nuts are fine for babies and children who do not have a family history of allergies.

Serious allergies to nuts and nut products and some seeds do affect less than one per cent of the population. Your baby may be at higher risk if you, your baby's father, brothers or sisters have certain allergic conditions such as hayfever, asthma and/or eczema.

If your baby is in this higher-risk group, avoid eating peanuts and peanut products while breastfeeding and during the introduction of solid foods. Until the child is at least three years old, peanuts and peanut products should be avoided.

If you think your child might be allergic to peanuts, contact your GP who can arrange for your baby to see an allergy specialist.

If you do not have a history of allergy in the family, you can give ground nuts and nut spreads, including peanut butter, from six months old. Read our article on is it safe for my baby to eat nuts? for more information.

oops I've been giving Dkids peanut butter and jam sandwiches from when they could eat them, but according to that report we're higher risk (due to asthma) Oh well, too late now - we've not had a problem.

There are two children in the DS's school who have severe nut allergies so the school as a whole is nut free. The staff aren't even allowed to have anything in the staffroom because of the dangers of transference from their hands/clothing to the rest of the school. I do think your nursey is out of order bobbybob.

In the letter they sent me, they say that they will not dictate to staff what they eat in their lunchbreak, and I understand that and accept that risk.

I just would never forgive myself if he was hospitalised in a way that was directly attributable (I would have to go over the menus and our hospital/emergency doctors visits to establish a previous correlation) and I had not either campaigned for change (and got it) or pulled him out of the nursery.

I just feel that the numbers who go to these nurseries and the incidence of nut allergy - one day they are going to have a new child whose parents have avoided nuts thus far and the second day they are going to die at lunchtime.

TBH I can't understand their attitude. If something happened to your DS surely they would be liable? So, even if they can't be bothered to protect him for his own sake, don't they want to cover themselves? It would make me wonder what other things they are lax on as well.

If they were willing to take your son knowing about his allergies, then they have a moral (and legal?) responsibility to do everything to keep him safe.

I'm very with them on your behalf.