Question about peanut allergy

[Annie G]

Ds is involved with Christian Youth Theater and for the first time in the 5 years we've been doing CYT, there is a kid with a severe peanut allergy.

We're at CYT for three meals per week- and often ds will bring a pb sandwich. So I know he shouldn't eat it in the facility, but could he eat it on the way or outside the building, and then wash his hands? The sinks have to be manually turned on so he'd still have to touch them.

 

I don't want him to be the source of a reaction, for sure. I'm afraid for him to even eat it outside because if the allergic child has a reaction, they'll likely think it's because of the sandwich ds had. But how can you know whether the bathroom faucet was used by a kid with peanut butter on hands, or the table used Sunday was washed after use?

 

He'll try not to bring this but since the kid is much younger and he doesn't know him, I'm guessing he'll forget at least once or twice. Plus, he's so used to just making PB sandwiches when I'm working and he's on his own for packing dinner.

 

Those of you who deal with this regularly - wow, what stress this must bring to you.

[Spryte]

Thank you. For thinking this through so well. You are the kind of parent we'd all like our kids' friends to have!

 

Here's my answer... and I have a severely allergic kiddo, who is super sensitive. ... My preference would be that another child in my kiddo's group not eat pb outside the facility or on the way. That said, of course it's really out of my control, and everyone is free to do what they feel they must. The very fact that you are thinking about this really warms my heart, and gives me hope that we can start branching out a bit more with my DS.

 

For your kiddo's sake... can you imagine his feelings if this other child did have a reaction? Even if they could never pinpoint the source? I wouldn't want that stress on him, either. Could you brainstorm some other food options for him, so he has plenty of easy alternatives?

 

You might also consider asking the mom of the allergic kid. That could really help, actually, as you'd get info about that particular child's allergies.

 

As for this...

 

But how can you know whether the bathroom faucet was used by a kid with peanut butter on hands, or the table used Sunday was washed after use?

 

 

We never know. Never. And that is why we live on edge, we carry epipens, we keep benadryl on hand all the time. That's why when we go to a movie theater, we arrive early enough to physically *clean* the seats and surrounding area, and we wipe down every table and chair before sitting. Yep, we get weird looks. But the weird looks are better than the alternatives that we've faced in the past.

 

Every gesture made by another family, every small sacrifice (not eating pb & j on the day of the activity) is deeply appreciated. You are giving the gift of more safety to that child, the gift of less fear, less feeling excluded, less feeling different.

 

Thank you so much for being so thoughtful, and caring!

Edited December 12, 2011 by Spryte

[Dana]

It is a TON of stress.

 

My suggestion is to check with the child's mother. Each child has a different level of sensitivity to allergens. For some, a sandwich before and washing may be okay while for others that still presents a level of risk where if your son could eat something different, it would help keep her son safer. (not safe...no such thing)

 

Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network has good info where you can do some reading in advance if you're interested.

 

But to be sure, check with the child's parent.

 

You can also see what a reaction can be like in Jennifer in MI's thread from last night here.

[Annie G]

Thanks for the information. Part of my concern is that I work for CYT as an assistant so I'm around when kids come and go during snack breaks and such. Classes run for 2 hours, starting at either 4:45 or 6:45. LOTS of kids bring food to eat. What do I say to kids who bring their usual PBJ? As I mentioned, it's never been an issue before so this is going to come up many times this session. Do I take the food away from the kid and then hear from the parent when the hungry kid complains? I think my only option is to let that kid have a snack from what we sell, but it's total junk (chips, cookies, etc.).

 

Yeah, we're brainstorming other things he can take and I know it'll just be a small adjustment for us, especially compared to what the allergic kid goes through. If it was his friend, it would be easier for him to remember- it's an 8 year old kid he probably won't even see during these ten weeks- about 160 kids in classes.

 

Thanks again- I need some allergy education.

[Jennifer in MI]

Ask the mother of the allergic child. Some allergies are more severe than others. My ds is fine as long as he doesn't ingest the food. So, if your ds wanted, he could eat it near my ds and then wash his hands and rinse his mouth.

 

I agree with the others - thank you for thinking about this.

[Dana]

Further suggestion...

read the links to get some basic ideas.

The child's parent has probably asked some questions when registering (or sure should have).

When my son has taken courses, I stay on site - and when we had an issue with another parent sending in snacks, I stayed WITH my son the whole time.

 

You may need some policies in place through CYT to be sure this child remains safe. Some of the severe food allergies are protected under ADA, so depending on what's needed and how you're set up, there definitely may need to be some discussion & procedures set up. For instance, who'll be responsible for the child's Epi-pens & who can give medication? Do they have an Emergency Action Plan? Do the leaders with the child know what to do in case of a reaction?

 

A bit of reading first to get some ideas is good, then a discussion with the child's parent & with leadership over CYT is likely the best way to go.

 

And I agree also with Spryte... thanks for thinking about it in advance.

[Annie G]

Further suggestion...

read the links to get some basic ideas.

The child's parent has probably asked some questions when registering (or sure should have).

When my son has taken courses, I stay on site - and when we had an issue with another parent sending in snacks, I stayed WITH my son the whole time.

 

You may need some policies in place through CYT to be sure this child remains safe. Some of the severe food allergies are protected under ADA, so depending on what's needed and how you're set up, there definitely may need to be some discussion & procedures set up. For instance, who'll be responsible for the child's Epi-pens & who can give medication? Do they have an Emergency Action Plan? Do the leaders with the child know what to do in case of a reaction?

 

A bit of reading first to get some ideas is good, then a discussion with the child's parent & with leadership over CYT is likely the best way to go.

 

And I agree also with Spryte... thanks for thinking about it in advance.

 

You're so right about everything. We're a large organization (Chicago branch) and some things they just don't 'get'. Every session it's something new, and we're fortunate we haven't had something go really wrong.

[Annie G]

Further suggestion...

read the links to get some basic ideas.

The child's parent has probably asked some questions when registering (or sure should have).

When my son has taken courses, I stay on site - and when we had an issue with another parent sending in snacks, I stayed WITH my son the whole time.

 

You may need some policies in place through CYT to be sure this child remains safe. Some of the severe food allergies are protected under ADA, so depending on what's needed and how you're set up, there definitely may need to be some discussion & procedures set up. For instance, who'll be responsible for the child's Epi-pens & who can give medication? Do they have an Emergency Action Plan? Do the leaders with the child know what to do in case of a reaction?

 

A bit of reading first to get some ideas is good, then a discussion with the child's parent & with leadership over CYT is likely the best way to go.

 

And I agree also with Spryte... thanks for thinking about it in advance.

 

I'm not sure what we can say to the parents- we have to be sure not to promise to keep the student safe- because we can't guarantee that. The teacher knows about the allergy but if she has a sub, not sure if the sub will be informed. I'm going to pow-wow with the area coordinator about it tonight. All this info is very helpful!

[Annie G]

Ask the mother of the allergic child. Some allergies are more severe than others. My ds is fine as long as he doesn't ingest the food. So, if your ds wanted, he could eat it near my ds and then wash his hands and rinse his mouth.

 

I agree with the others - thank you for thinking about this.

 

The mother said life threatening and asked for no peanut foods be allowed in the facility. One issue is that Upwards Bound basketball is practicing at the same time, using the same bathrooms, and the same kitchen.

We actually have another kid w a peanut allergy but it's mild. She's been in the greenroom with 80 other kids eating peanut butter crackers and had no problems!

[jplain]

I agree that a policy needs to be drafted and distributed to parents, and the adults in charge need to decide what procedure to follow if/when someone does bring peanuts to events.

 

For your own son, can you get an alternative nut butter for him to use on days he goes to CYT? We don't have peanut allergies, but we do have friends who are allergic, so we don't do peanut butter on sandwiches. My kids love sunflower seed butter (sunbutter), which can be found at Trader Joe's and many other grocery stores. Soynut butter or other nut butters (almond, cashew, macadamia) might be safe, but you do have to double-check labels for cross-contamination warnings. Almond butter is yummy. :D

[Ellesmere]

The mother said life threatening and asked for no peanut foods be allowed in the facility. One issue is that Upwards Bound basketball is practicing at the same time, using the same bathrooms, and the same kitchen.

We actually have another kid w a peanut allergy but it's mild. She's been in the greenroom with 80 other kids eating peanut butter crackers and had no problems!

 

I wanted to link this site. I like FAAN, too. If I recall this site also had recommendations that struck a good balance between community and parent/child responsibility.

 

Obviously there's huge disagreement but I think it's too much to ask for no peanuts in the facility. As someone else said, we never know where we will find accidental exposure. What if we're at the library and someone had peanut butter during the previous hour's story time and we had no idea? That's why it's up to us to always be ready for an emergency. We don't expect the world to manage our condition.

 

The other frustration (just for us) is when people ask for peanut-free facilities it does absolutely nothing to help those dealing with one of the other major allergens. We are only dealing with moderate peanut allergies. Tree nuts (esp. almonds and cashews) are out of the question for us.

 

But even if a facility were "tree nut free" I would take the same precautions: emergency medicine and plan on hand and ready to go if needed. When one of mine was in a program and the director told me they were eliminating allergenic snacks, I wondered how that would actually happen and hoped it wouldn't mean less training on emergency situations.

 

But my biggest wish in this sort of situation would be that the staff would learn how to administer emergency treatment with no hesitation. If the child is old enough, let them carry the Epi-pen or have it stored safely close to the child. Be sure there's easy access to calling for medical attention. Finding out how younger children describe anaphylactic symptoms is helpful.

 

Here is a video about using Epi-pens from the mfr. website.

 

You are starting well by not making unrealistic promises and being sympathetic to the stress a family with severe allergies faces. The small things others could do to help are appreciated when they happen, especially when they realize it does not compare to living with it every day. Thank you and I hope this works out for everyone. :)

[Annie G]

I wanted to link this site. I like FAAN, too. If I recall this site also had recommendations that struck a good balance between community and parent/child responsibility.

 

Obviously there's huge disagreement but I think it's too much to ask for no peanuts in the facility. As someone else said, we never know where we will find accidental exposure. What if we're at the library and someone had peanut butter during the previous hour's story time and we had no idea? That's why it's up to us to always be ready for an emergency. We don't expect the world to manage our condition.

 

The other frustration (just for us) is when people ask for peanut-free facilities it does absolutely nothing to help those dealing with one of the other major allergens. We are only dealing with moderate peanut allergies. Tree nuts (esp. almonds and cashews) are out of the question for us.

 

But even if a facility were "tree nut free" I would take the same precautions: emergency medicine and plan on hand and ready to go if needed. When one of mine was in a program and the director told me they were eliminating allergenic snacks, I wondered how that would actually happen and hoped it wouldn't mean less training on emergency situations.

 

But my biggest wish in this sort of situation would be that the staff would learn how to administer emergency treatment with no hesitation. If the child is old enough, let them carry the Epi-pen or have it stored safely close to the child. Be sure there's easy access to calling for medical attention. Finding out how younger children describe anaphylactic symptoms is helpful.

 

Here is a video about using Epi-pens from the mfr. website.

 

You are starting well by not making unrealistic promises and being sympathetic to the stress a family with severe allergies faces. The small things others could do to help are appreciated when they happen, especially when they realize it does not compare to living with it every day. Thank you and I hope this works out for everyone. :)

 

All good info, and lots to think about. My middle daughter was deathly allergic to yellow jackets and was stung once as a child. She had a terrible reaction but we made it to the hospital in time. She carried an epipen for years after that, and was fearful as a child because she was worried. She was stung as a teen but she used her epipen and got to the ER quickly. We just felt more in control of a bee allergy than I feel about this.

 

The child was cut from the show (unrelated to the allergy!) but I'm sure she'll keep auditioning and make it into the cast eventually. That will be even more challenging, as the kids do 10-12 shows in 4 days and many rely on sandwiches and stuff. Plus 8 hours a week of rehearsals that go through 2 different mealtimes.

 

We do have easy access to emergency help, and actually have a list of parents who are doctors or nurses so when there's an emergency we can check who is there first. The kid carries an epipen and benedryl but we have some teachers who are as young as 19- they would definitely need training.

[TravelingChris]

Yes, definitely ask the parent of the child. I always put down that my youngest has peanut allergy and she does. But she only has problems if she eats it and now that she hasn't been eating it for more than ten years, it actually probably has to be more than one peanut.