Allergy free school frustration

[laura001]

I believe that this is the first time I have ever replied on this board but I saw it on the main page and had to have a look.

I too have severe allergies, both food and environmental. I can't imagine ever having anyone exclude something because I was allergic to it, that being said I am not a small child. BUT when my kids were in school it would outrage me that they would not be allowed to have peanut butter in their lunches. I believe that it is going way beyond what is necessary.

In my office we do have a sign posted that we are a scent free environment, it is because I have an allergy to some perfumes etc. and end up with a severe headache and/or cannot breath. That is totally out of my control as I can't control the fact that I need to breath, but there are many times when I am out in public and need to steer clear of someone that has their perfume caked on.

I am editing to say that my main food allergy is natural and artificial flavouring, sometimes it is ok and other times the blends send me to the hospital and turn my life upsidedown for a week or so til I recover. Those products are usually pretty bad for me especially when they are fruit based, so that pretty much covers all candy, flavoured soda, fruit drinks (notice I didn't say pure or 100%)of all kinds, fruit rool ups etc.. Imagine having to tell your school that no one can have any kind of artificially or naturally flavoured products because of me(when I was a child)...I can't imagine that every happening. I don't expect anyone to work around my food allergy, if I think I shouldn't have it, I don't, and every once in awhile (thankfully, I haven't had a bad episode for about 2 years now) I hit something and then I add it to my list, thankful that I have survived yet again.

I believe that if it is something that you can control on your own....(peanuts etc. ) then why should everyone else suffer or go without? Just my opinion.

 

[camlace]

The food allergies to shellfish and mangos, I don't think of as that severe in school because I'm hoping that most elementary kids aren't eating these foods at school. She does have a life threatening allergy to tree nuts which is severe like peanut allergies.

Not sure why you feel safe knowing that elementary school kids don't eat mangos and shellfish???? I was a very picky eater as a child and one of the only things I would take for lunch was shrimp cocktail. I was in 1st grade when I first brought it for lunch and it was something that was packed in my lunch more days than not. And mangos...its a sweet yummy fruit, why wouldn't a kid eat it? I have seen kids at my daughter's daycare with cut mango, I've mixed it in yogurt for my daughter at times.

So really there is no truly safe place, making it all the more important for allergic kids to start learning at a very young age to be responsible for their own well-being and to know what is and isn't safe to eat.

Cindy (tree nut allergic, 35 yo that somehow survived going to public school with no bans in place)

 

[Aristomommy]

I am from a family with allergies of all kinds. You name it and there is a family member somewhere that has it. I don't think making schools peanut free, dairy free, egg free etc. makes children safe. Unless the school serves and prepares the food, there is no way of knowing which students may have inappropriate items. My youngest brother knew from early on not to eat other people's food, to wash his hands often and when a classmate brought a snack to share, he would have his own snack that the teacher kept for him for these occasions.

Now DD9 (5th grade) is not allowed to share a birthday treat, because of other's allergies. I think she will share pencils instead because someone in the class has a dairy and egg allergy. As a parent, I wouldn't stop others from having a treat at this age, but this may be the school's decision.

 

[SLK1]

I believe that this is the first time I have ever replied on this board but I saw it on the main page and had to have a look.

I too have severe allergies, both food and environmental. I can't imagine ever having anyone exclude something because I was allergic to it, that being said I am not a small child. BUT when my kids were in school it would outrage me that they would not be allowed to have peanut butter in their lunches. I believe that it is going way beyond what is necessary.

In my office we do have a sign posted that we are a scent free environment, it is because I have an allergy to some perfumes etc. and end up with a severe headache and/or cannot breath. That is totally out of my control as I can't control the fact that I need to breath, but there are many times when I am out in public and need to steer clear of someone that has their perfume caked on.

I believe that if it is something that you can control on your own....(peanuts etc. ) then why should everyone else suffer or go without? Just my opinion.

I LOVE this! I don't have a perfume allergy per se, but wouldn't it be nice to have places be scent-free, like being smoke-free. What smells good to some just doesn't smell good to others! Great idea!

 

[2Princes2Princesses]

I agree with Camlace about the mango. My DD5 took sliced mango THIS morning for her morning snack in Kindergarten. I would never assume kids are not eating something because they are young.

I am a little confused about the gluten thing. I have celiac disease, so gluten is a no-no, but if my husband eats it, nothing bad happens to me. So why would the entire school have to be gluten free. Seriously, that seems a little extreme. Gluten free kinda stinks, and I would not expect anyone around me to adhere to the diet on my account. If I bathed in a tub of gluten, I would be ok. So why would a school have to go gluten free? We thought my daughter had the same issue and she would have been instructed on what not to eat, or I would have packed her gluten free lunches at home.

 

[mickeymouse1017]

First, this reminds me of a discussion that I just had recently with a friend of mine. She has her DD4 in a cooking class and was very upset because the entire curriculum had to be changed over an irate parent of a child with a food allergy that demanded that the teacher teach nutrition and allergy facts pertaining to her child's issues rather than the fun activities that had been planned. She was angry that they were not learning any type of cooking skills but were learning all about this other child's allergy. While it is probably good to learn about this other child, it is not right of the parent to expect the others to miss out on their cooking sessions because the parent has not taught her child what they can and cannot have.
Second, for those of you whose schools have food bans, what do they do to you if you send in something that is on the "do not send" list? Just curious.
Ok, I am editing because I don't know how that thumbs down got on my post. I know it is OT but does anyone have any ideas???

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Why were fruit snacks banned?

because they carry the warning - may have been packed and or in an area that peanuts were processed... No M&M's, no granola bars, very specific candy, potato chips etc....

 

[K and K's Mommy]

My son is 3 and in a peanut free room for preschool. I'm okay with it because the kids are 3. I don't think they are old enough to understand yet. It would be awful if my son gave the peanut allergy kid a hug having just eaten peanuts or played with the same set of toys.

Last year my DD had a peanut allergy child in her kindergarten. They had a peanut free table for her. By this age, I think the children should start to understand. All kids had to watch their hands after lunch.

My cousin has a child with a peanut and egg allergy. She had some training on what to feed, how to protect him, etc. Most of us have never had this. I am assuming eggs are in a lot of stuff!

My DS 9 has a severe cat allergy. His good friends all have cats. We tried one sleepover, and we had to go get him at midnight. The poor guy was sitting outside with the mom. So, all sleepovers are at our house now. I feel bad for my DS but it is a fact of his life.

 

[imthatgirl]

i understand the peanut free thing, personally i would prefer if the entire country went to a peanut free school system at least through 4th grade. but i dont get the tomaoto thing. a tomato allergy isnt an airborn allergy. infact most people that are allergic to tomatoes can even touch a tomato with out issue, its the eating of the tomato thats the problem. where as a peanut allergy is an airborn one.
so if the kid brought ina pizza as long as the othe rchild didnt eat it they would be fine.
so yeah i dont get that one.
and the latex one is quite interesting. i am allergic to latex, have been my whole life. again ive never of this being an airborn problem?
it seems the school is a bit out of control.

 

[Erin1700]

I understand the PB ban but not tomatos. I have worked with children for 15 years and you can often tell when a kid has had PB with his breakfast. What do the children with allergies do about this? What if the kid sitting next to them smells of PB from home?
Also, can they not go to the movies? What if the person sitting next to them buys chocolate covered peanuts at the snack bar? I am just wondering b/c I will think twice about eating something PB in public now.

 

[imthatgirl]

I understand the PB ban but not tomatos. I have worked with children for 15 years and you can often tell when a kid has had PB with his breakfast. What do the children with allergies do about this? What if the kid sitting next to them smells of PB from home?
Also, can they not go to the movies? What if the person sitting next to them buys chocolate covered peanuts at the snack bar? I am just wondering b/c I will think twice about eating something PB in public now.

most children will grow out of the extreme period by the age of 7-9. its the young years that its a big problem.
if a child has peanutbutter for breakfast and then they come to school, its usually been enough time for it not to be an issue. the problem occurs when its a fresh allergyn in the pressence of an allergic child.
i have a neighbor whos son is severely allergic. he can not even go to the supermarket. hes 8. he has over the past year gotten better. he can now ride the bus. where before he couldnt. he can come into my home as long as the peanut butter is put away. where he couldnt a year ago. hopefully in the next 2 years he'll be able to be around peanuts as long as he isnt eating them.

i know someone said, but it wasnt like this when we were kids. no, thats true. peanut allergies have increased 100 fold in the last 10 years.

 

[fortheluvofpooh]

i understand the peanut free thing, personally i would prefer if the entire country went to a peanut free school system at least through 4th grade. but i dont get the tomaoto thing. a tomato allergy isnt an airborn allergy. infact most people that are allergic to tomatoes can even touch a tomato with out issue, its the eating of the tomato thats the problem. where as a peanut allergy is an airborn one.
so if the kid brought ina pizza as long as the othe rchild didnt eat it they would be fine.
so yeah i dont get that one.
and the latex one is quite interesting. i am allergic to latex, have been my whole life. again ive never of this being an airborn problem?
it seems the school is a bit out of control.

there are different forms of latex allergies. All 3 of my children have a skin reactive latex allergy, they touch it then they get a rash. One of my best friends has a true latex allergy and she is in the medical field. She can not be in a room with latex balloons, glove anything, it sets her into a severe asthma like reaction. She doesn't break out on the skin, it is airborn and gets into her lungs.
Peanut allergys are also airborn. I have never heard of tomatos though. And liek the PP said about gluten free, if you bathe in it nothing is gonna happen, it is only if you ingest it.

 

[bechtelca@comcast.ne]

Growing up, there was no such thing as an allergy free school and guess what? we made it through! I never even heard of such a thing until just a few years ago.

There has been a dramatic increase in the rates of peanut and other food allergies. There were no peanut free schools years ago b/c it simply was not as great of an issue.

My 3 y.o has a life threatening peanut allergy. My vote is absolutely for peanut free areas. do I trust small children, even elementary children to be vigilant in hand and face washing? Absolutely not! How many kids wipe there hands on their clothes and then play in close proximity or even hug my child. Many I am sure. The smell, oil, or actual peanut product coming into contact with my son could kill him in a matter of minutes. Do we have an epi pen? you bet. Is it worth the risk though? I know it is hard to deprive our children of their favorite foods, etc. But how would they feel if a friend or classmate died because of what they had in their lunch box? We are talking about a little inconvienece for one family compared with a life threatening emergency for another. There really is no comparison. please do not read this with an edgy tone, my goal was to just give you my viewpoint. I also believe in educating my son on his food allergy. You should have seen him last year trick-or-treating. He asked every last person if the candy he was getting had any peanuts. It was so cute!! Should be interesting this year at MNSSHP!

In regards to some of the other allergies mentioned (tomatoes, gluten, etc.)- it sounds as if the school system is not making educated, researched based decisions on banning these products. The research does not support the need to remove these items from the area of children with these allergies as these most likely need to be ingested to cause the reaction. these will also not likely cause an anaphalyctic reaction. (the latex could though!).

Anyway, just my 2cents worth. I'm still praying for my son to outgrow his allergy so we don't have to deal with it anymore. However, I would stil lbe in favor of peanut free areas at schools!

 

[mjantz]

I work in a peanut-free preschool but my kids school has no food bans. PB wouldn't be too bad unless it extended to 'No PB before school' because we frequently give DS PB toast because he needs protein in the AM to prevent a sugar crash. We do eggs or bacon sometimes too but PB is quick & easy on many a sleep-deprived AM. Other allergen bans (gluten, dairy, etc) would be more problematic as it would mean, for example, having 'home' foods & 'school' foods. Our food budget is tight as it is & having to buy soy yogurt, cheese & milk in addition to the same milk-based products would stretch it even tighter.
I also have a DD with an egg allergy. Fortunately its only if she touches or ingests straight eggs so stuff made with eggs is OK, thankfully. I've never expected her schools to go egg free or anything like that because I know eggs are a cheap(er) form of protein & healthy to boot. She's known since she was pretty little that she could not have eggs & will now tell teachers & people, 'I can't touch eggs'.

One final thing: I sometimes send my DS shrimp in his lunch as a treat. He's loved it since he was a little guy.

 

[Lilogirl]

Growing up, there was no such thing as an allergy free school and guess what? we made it through! I never even heard of such a thing until just a few years ago.

There has been a dramatic increase in the rates of peanut and other food allergies. There were no peanut free schools years ago b/c it simply was not as great of an issue.

My 3 y.o has a life threatening peanut allergy. My vote is absolutely for peanut free areas. do I trust small children, even elementary children to be vigilant in hand and face washing? Absolutely not! How many kids wipe there hands on their clothes and then play in close proximity or even hug my child. Many I am sure. The smell, oil, or actual peanut product coming into contact with my son could kill him in a matter of minutes. Do we have an epi pen? you bet. Is it worth the risk though? I know it is hard to deprive our children of their favorite foods, etc. But how would they feel if a friend or classmate died because of what they had in their lunch box? We are talking about a little inconvienece for one family compared with a life threatening emergency for another. There really is no comparison. please do not read this with an edgy tone, my goal was to just give you my viewpoint. I also believe in educating my son on his food allergy. You should have seen him last year trick-or-treating. He asked every last person if the candy he was getting had any peanuts. It was so cute!! Should be interesting this year at MNSSHP!

In regards to some of the other allergies mentioned (tomatoes, gluten, etc.)- it sounds as if the school system is not making educated, researched based decisions on banning these products. The research does not support the need to remove these items from the area of children with these allergies as these most likely need to be ingested to cause the reaction. these will also not likely cause an anaphalyctic reaction. (the latex could though!).

Anyway, just my 2cents worth. I'm still praying for my son to outgrow his allergy so we don't have to deal with it anymore. However, I would stil lbe in favor of peanut free areas at schools!

How do children with peanut allergies go out in the world? WDW for example serves peanut butter is tons of places. Peanuts are found in many places in WDW. I have seen people hand peanut butter sandwiches and snacks to their children in lines.

 

[princessmom29]

Peanut fre areas yes but I just don't think the whole school has to be paenut free to protect one child. A peanut free lunch table and not allowing food in the classroom of any kind should do it. At my child's school all lunches are kept it the cubby area off the classroom and taken to the cafeteria. Snacks are also eaten there.The allergic child's lunch could go to the teacher's desk area and they could eat at a peanut free table in the cafeteria. If it is far enough away from a table for kids who are eating peanut products airbone should not be an issue. No reason the other kids can't have their PBJ and have the child with the allergy stay safe too.

 

[BlondeAlligator]

I agree with Camlace about the mango. My DD5 took sliced mango THIS morning for her morning snack in Kindergarten. I would never assume kids are not eating something because they are young.

I am a little confused about the gluten thing. I have celiac disease, so gluten is a no-no, but if my husband eats it, nothing bad happens to me. So why would the entire school have to be gluten free. Seriously, that seems a little extreme. Gluten free kinda stinks, and I would not expect anyone around me to adhere to the diet on my account. If I bathed in a tub of gluten, I would be ok. So why would a school have to go gluten free? We thought my daughter had the same issue and she would have been instructed on what not to eat, or I would have packed her gluten free lunches at home.

Celiac (which I know about because my MIL has it) is not the same kind of sensitivity as that of some kids who have autism & are treated by eliminating gluten from their diet. My DD6 has autism & one of her classmates (who also has autism) is on the gluten free diet...although it never made a difference for my DD (we did try it for a time) her friend is highly sensitive & even exposure to things like stickers, shampoo (almost all shampoos have wheat protiens) and certain glues can cause a reaction. Of course, the reaction is much worse if he eats gluten, but with any exposure he stops communicating, has major emotional breakdowns, cannot control his temper & even loses control of his bowels. It basically takes the worst symptoms of his autism & cranks them up several notches.

That said, DD's friend knows what he can & can't eat...he takes his own glue sticks, soaps, etc. to school that he alone uses...all the kids in the class know his rules & look out for him...none of us (least of all his parents, friends of ours) would want the whole school to change just for him. Everyone has some issue...my DD's autism causes her to be highly sensitive to loud sounds (they actually cause her pain)...but I have told her to just cover her ears when the bells ring at school & she has learned down to the minute when to do that! I would never call the school & ask them not to ring the bells! Like another PP said...you can't put kids in a bubble...best to help teach them to take care of themselves, the earlier the better.

Of course, kids with life-threatening allergies should be looked out for by the teachers, aides & nurses very carefully...we know someone in that situation too (peanut allergy...very severe)...it's important to enforce those peanut-safe tables at lunch & good hand washing...

 

[WindyCityDisney]

At DS' preschool a couple of years ago, there was a child with a severe peanut allergy. A note went home asking for all parents to have children brush their teeth and wash their hands after breakfast because even the smallest touch -- brush hand on a seatbelt and then the allergic child touch the area -- was enough for a life-threatening reaction.

I thought that was a good way to handle it.

 

[SLK1]

At DS' preschool a couple of years ago, there was a child with a severe peanut allergy. A note went home asking for all parents to have children brush their teeth and wash their hands after breakfast because even the smallest touch -- brush hand on a seatbelt and then the allergic child touch the area -- was enough for a life-threatening reaction.

I thought that was a good way to handle it.

And that really satisfied the parents of the allergic child? Sorry, I just wouldn't be able to put my trust in that. If I could, I would home-school, in the hopes that my kid would outgrow the allergy. There is a false sense of security when you ASSUME people are doing what you have asked.

While we're on it, has anyone researched WHY there is such an increase in the severe allergic reactions kids are having? It just never seemed to be an issue when I was a kid...many, many years ago!!!

 

[lisadr]

I am going to ask a question and preface it with this-I am not being mean, rude or a smart a**, I am really curious. A girl I worked with was a helper(for lack of a better word) to a young girl who had some sort of learning/behavioral disability. She actually went to school with her and helped her manage ...well going to school. Now, if these allergies are as bad as parents are posting, why have their children not been listed as disabled? Again-not to label them but to get them assistance during school.I am only saying this because let's face it-a note can go home tomorrow saying "no peanuts", and I being a parent who would never want to put ANY child in danger would not send peanut products in. But what happens when a 6 year old sneaks a Reeses peanut butter cup in from her Halloween candy? Or a 7 year old brings a balloon with him-or whatever. The point being that there is a very real and innocent possibility that something like this could happen-and then where are we left? With a seriously sick child as the best possible scenario or at worst a child who could actually die. I just don't see how sending a letter how is enough, and I don't see it being fair to anyone. I think at least that there should be someone there to monitor these children for their own safety, because it seems silly to depend on just saying "you can't".

Just an opinion.