OT-Peanut-free lunch/snack ideas

[CanadianPaco]

Like so many others, our school is peanut free. I thought maybe we could comile a list of snacks to make life a little easier. I'll start:
- pudding cups
- apple sauce
- cut up fruit with dip
- cut up veggies with dip
- tortilla rolls with cream cheese spread (lots of flavours)
- "peanut free" granola bars
- crackers and cheese

And if you know of peanut free cookies - please be specific!

THANKS

[digskat]

Our DD is entering her 6th year at a nut free school.

Oreo cookies
Chips Ahoy (not minis)
Goldfish crackers
Teddy Grahams
Nabisco Animal crackers
Ritz crackers (not sandwich crackers though)
Kraft CHeese and crackers
Nilla Wafers
Lays/Doritos/Fritos/Ruffles chips
cheetos
pretzels
popcorn
fruit roll ups
fresh fruit or DelMonte Fruit cups
Cut veggies and dip
salad
Kellogs Rice Krispee treats
Jello pudding and pudding tubes
Starburst candies
Tootsie Rolls
Skittles
Sour Patch Kids
Hershey Kisses
Kit Kat Bars
Hershey Milk Chocolate bars
Lunchables
Yogurt
cheese
Kellog’s NutriGrain Bars
Quaker Fruit and Oatmeal bars

Most products bear the 'Nut free'label, or a warning in bold letters.

[Northstar]

Not a snack, but a hard boiled egg with a tiny packet of salt replaces a PB sandwich for my daughter.

Checked with our school about SEEDS because we have a nut-free, not just peanut-free, policy. They had doubts about sesame (I like to send hummus) and sunflower seeds but felt pumpkin seeds were safe.

[drag n' fly]

Actually I appreciate this list as my ds is starting playschool this fall and snacks need to be nut free.

[NikP]

As a parent with a child with a peanut allergy I am happy to see parents interested in safe foods for school. My son with the allergy is not going to school till next year, although my older son does attend a so called nut free school. But at his school parents continue to send in peanut snacks. My older son does not eat any nut products just to be safe. So he is in the habit of asking if there is any nuts in any treats that are shared at school. (eg. treats sent in for Birthdays, Christmas etc.) Parents have sent in peanutbutter cups at halloween and other treats aswell.

Just one thing I would like parents to know all "Our Compliments products are NOT safe". Sobeys puts the may contain disclaimer on all of their products. Good cookies are Dare Bear paws with the peanut free label. A lot of Dare cookies are nut free, but you must read the label carefully.

Thanks for complying with nut free policy, and happy label reading!
NikP

[digskat]

Neither of my kids have allergies, but my DD has a boy in her class that is severely allergic. The extra 15 minutes it takes to look for the labels is well worth it, since I wouldn't be able to live with myself, if my stupidity/laziness caused him harm.

[CanadianPaco]

I feel the same way! It takes nothing for me to read a label. It's just I am in dire need of variety and these suggestions are great!!

[digskat]

Originally Posted by CanadianPaco

Like so many others, our school is peanut free. I thought maybe we could comile a list of snacks to make life a little easier. I'll start:
- pudding cups
- apple sauce
- cut up fruit with dip
- cut up veggies with dip
- tortilla rolls with cream cheese spread (lots of flavours)
- "peanut free" granola bars
- crackers and cheese

And if you know of peanut free cookies - please be specific!

THANKS

I believe the Dare cookies are peanut free. They have the peanut free symbol on them. And state "manufractured in a peanut free facility".
As my DH has pointed out we are very careful in what we send to school. And our children are very careful also. I have caught my daughter reading labels at the store to make sure they are "peanut free". Because of the issues of diabetics and nut allergy's in our childrens classrooms I have been creative with what I send for clas parties. My skeleton made out of veggies with (green pepper filled with dip) brain dip goes over really well at hallowe'en. And the year I did a christmas tree made out of cheese with crackers was a hit also. The teachers inform me that these were the first .things the kids gobbled up. FamilyFun has some great ideas. TTFN Kat

[BitsnBearsMom]

Great post and I thank you all for being so careful. My 6.5yo little guy is going into gr 1 and is allergic to TREE nuts. Please be careful of granola bars as many contain tree nuts and warnings. We were at the grocery store last night and finally found the quaker chewey granola bars that have the big 'made in a nut free facility' label - ds was beside himself he was so excited. Please make sure to always read labels as they change things frequently

His fav snacks
fishies
cheese strings
applesauce with teddy graham cookies to dip in it (not the PC brand ones though as they have nut warnings)
fruit cut up with a tooth pick to spear them with
bagels - cut and buttered only I'm told
fruit
veggies and dip
frozen yogurt tubes
mini go's
YOP drinks
Dad's oatmeal cookies (at least last time I checked - they are always changing them)
I think it's Mr Christie and Dare that have the no nuts cookies - maybe it was peek frean too??
Nutrigrain bars
special K bars
fruit loop bars and the frosted flake ones
dunkaroo's
fruit by the foot
real fruit gummies
nestle treats and mars bars (not that he takes these to school!!)
cut up apples tossed in sprite to keep them from going brown
oranges cut into smiles
graham crackers and cream cheese
oreo's
sunchips
many many crackers are nut free

No bakery items are safe.

My ds has the rule that he's never to ever share food or take food other then what I've sent in - this is a good rule to make sure ALL kids keep too. I found last year the kids in ds' class were so very careful to make sure their lunches didn't contain anything with nuts - it was really nice to see from a group of KG kids!!

[maddiel]

Originally Posted by NikP

Just one thing I would like parents to know all "Our Compliments products are NOT safe". Sobeys puts the may contain disclaimer on all of their products. Good cookies are Dare Bear paws with the peanut free label. A lot of Dare cookies are nut free, but you must read the label carefully.

Thanks for complying with nut free policy, and happy label reading!
NikP

I have a question about this.

My kids' school has been "peanut-smart" for the last 6 years. Peanut-smart means no products which contain nuts, but products with "may contain traces" or "may have been in contact" are allowed - so the the Our Compliments products would be okay. When you warn about Our Compliments - do you mean they wouldn't be okay to bring to school for an individual child to consume or they wouldn't be okay to bring to share, which (for me) means a higher lever of vigilance?

BTW, Dare makes Girl Guide cookies and they are nut-free.

M.

[dancin Disney style]

These are all really great snack suggestions. I can't believe it's time to get back in that mode already!!!!


I heard the other day that there is the possiblility of new legislation that would require all schools to become totally nut free. If anyone knows about this I'd be interested to hear more about it.

[BitsnBearsMom]

Do a search for Sabrina's Law. They put this into effect in Jan of this year to protect students with anaphylactic allergies.

School's can never claim to be nut free b/c of legal issues - the words they use on the sign that is on the doors of the school is that it is a NUT SAFE environment. It's too hard to control what other parents send in to school to call it nut free.

[maryliz]

Originally Posted by maddiel

I have a question about this.

When you warn about Our Compliments - do you mean they wouldn't be okay to bring to school for an individual child to consume or they wouldn't be okay to bring to share, which (for me) means a higher lever of vigilance?

This is a great question ... I've wondered the same thing when reading labels. BTW, our school was NOT peanut-free last year (we were allowed to send in PB&J sandwiches if we wanted to), so I never had to really worry about reading the labels for my own kids lunches ... but anything I sent in for the class to consume, I always made sure -- can't buy the mini-cupcakes at Loblaws as they have a "may contain traces" warning. We have not received any notification that they have changed the policy for this coming year, although I strongly suspect that it will have changed.

Keep the suggestions coming ... last year was the first year for me to pack lunches as they previously ate lunch at the daycare provider's. Just packing them was challenging enough for a newbie -- so labels will be this years challenge for me. I appreciate all of the input.

MaryLiz

[ferris198]

Although my son is not allergic to nuts, this is an issue that is close to my heart as years ago, a young girl who I used to babysit was allergic to nuts, and unfortunaley died at the young age of 15 as a result of eating a cookie that had been made with peanut oil.
The tragic thing was, from the age of about 3 or 4 she was aware of her allergy and always asked if there were peanuts or peanut by products in anything she was offered.
One day she bought a cookie at a mall kiosk and was told there were no peanuts, unfortunatley the person behind the counter was mistaken and she collapsed as soon as it touched her lips.
As it happened 14 years ago, people didn't carry Epipens as they do now, and a few days later her parents had to make the painful desicion to take her off life support.
It was a tradgedy that I would hate to see repeated.

[crazymama]

Thanks for this thread. As the mom of DS6 who is allergic to peanut, sesame and salmon/trout fish family the fear of accidental exposures is always on my mind. She has had 2 last year in Grade 1.. one which required the epipen. She's a pretty careful child but... still is only a 6 year old...so stuff happens. All you can do is make sure that the people around her are aware... students, teachers and parents. I love reading these kind of posts where people are so conscientous and concerned. It wasn't that long ago when people would get very bent out of shape at not being allowed to send PB to school but I think they are getting more educated now. I don't hear the complaints much any more.