child with severe peanut allergies

[sheilag]

HI there - does anyone have advice for how to do Disney dining with a child that has severe peanut allergies?

Any advice and/or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Sheila

 

[Selket]

Welcome to the disboards!

If you look at the FAQ for the board (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=595713) and scroll down through it you will find some links to posts about dining with food allergies.

My 5 yr old is severely allergic to peanuts too - and we've been a lot (he is also a type 1 diabetic). Frankly the peanut allergy is a bigger constraint on his eating. We tend to eat sit-downs rather than CS because at the sit-down places you can work with the chef to have things that they like to eat. You should note the allergy on the ADR and you can call about the dining ahead of time with any certain requests (we sometimes request a hot dog at places that don't normally have them, or a certain thing for dessert - usually the dessert is the bigger issue - he used to not eat ice cream and that was their standard thing for someone with a peanut allergy, etc.).

Also call Brenda Bennett and she will send you by email a bunch of documents about what is safe or not to eat in the parks - counter services and carts. She can also help with any questions on dining. She is wonderful! Brenda B's email is in the FAQ and her phone number is in some of the posts on food allergies that the FAQ mentions.

The counter service (CS) places all are supposed to have big binders of info you can look through - it is ingredient labels. Frankly.... I found this to be WAY too cumbersome. It is more doable if your child is a somewhat limited eater and you want to make sure the chicken nuggets, fries and fruit cup are safe or something - and they won't ask to try something off your plate, etc. I just found I held up the line and it was too much info to sort through (but the restaurant was extremely busy). Folks here have made it work for them. Maybe it is just my excuse to always do sit down places!

Supposedly Divvies are being sold at many places at WDW - a peanut/TN free jelly beans, carmel corn, brownies or some sort of baked goods. Brenda's email will list the items and places to look for them. We go in less than 3 weeks and I can't wait to try some of those out!

WDW is great with food allergies- they really get it most places. If you have specific questions let me know.

 

[hildarumpole]

2 of my kids have peanut/tree nut allergies. WDW is a blessing. When you make a reservation for a table service restaurant, it's noted, so when you check in you're server is notified. A chef will come to your table and talk about all of your safe options. We never had a problem getting something the kids enjoyed. Most of the restaurants have a fruit cup for dessert. They were also able to eat vanilla ice cream some places, as well as worms & dirt at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. The bread basket at every TS was always off limits, not because they contain nuts, but Disney had no control over the production. If you go to buffets, the chef will usually walk you through the line. At counter service restaurants, all the kids meals (chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, burgers, pizza, hot dog) were fine, except the chocolate chip cookie. We usually got fruit or jello. I emailed Brenda Bennett and she emailed back a list of the foods with allergy info, so I didn't have to ask for the binder at any CS places. The only food stand I had to check the binder was the donut place at Blizzard Beach. The cashier was very helpful and it turned out the donuts were a safe treat. Stay away from the kinds of places you would avoid outside WDW, like Chinese, and you'll be fine. We also didn't go to any of the African restaurants at Animal Kingdom Lodge, because the cuisine uses peanuts a lot. My 9 yr. old daughter is a big worry wart about her allergies whenever we eat at a restaurant and rarely eats well, but at Disney she felt safe, thanks to all the attention and reassurance she got from the chefs and servers. She really enjoyed eating out for the first time.

 

[sheilag]

I appreciate all of the excellent info!

 

[mrmagicmph]

The counter service (CS) places all are supposed to have big binders of info you can look through - it is ingredient labels. Frankly.... I found this to be WAY too cumbersome.

I've used the CS books, especially at Aloha Isle, and found that I do NOT trust them at all! Let me give you this example. We went to Aloha Isle and, because I'm latex allergic and know that pineapple is a cross-reactive problem for me, asked to see the book. I looked it over & it said (& the CM working the counter, who was NOT "happy" to have the question even asked of her, also "confirmed") that the vanilla soft ice cream had no pineapple in it. So, I ordered a vanilla cone, while my wife got a dole whip (she can have it safely, I'm the one who can't).

Lo & behold, I had a lick or two and noticed that (1) I could taste pineapple, & (2) I was starting to have a reaction. So, after Benadryl, I was doing better, but found that I DO NOT trust those books at all. So, for me, I stay away from any of the CS places where I know I'm likely to have a POTENTIAL problem.

I'd recommend taking the other advice you'll find here in this thread and be sure to contact Brenda Bennett with any questions. WDW IS great about allergies, so be careful, but ENJOY THE MAGIC!

 

[Selket]

I emailed Brenda Bennett and she emailed back a list of the foods with allergy info, so I didn't have to ask for the binder at any CS places.

What Brenda emails is just a sampling of information and wasn't meant to cover allergen information across the board for all the CS places. I got about 5 different documents (I just got an email from her Thursday) and in one specifically dealing with nut issues she said:

The following are just a few items that you will be able to pick up in some of the quick service restaurants, some just let you know what the ingredients are just in case you were interested whether or not your daughter would be able to have it or not.

I don't think her info is meant to imply that if she didn't put it in the letter then it is safe for William to eat (I have a son not a daughter - I think she got that confused!). I don't want folks to think that her info covers everything - you still have to look at the book because 99% of CS items are not mentioned in her email - just a few things like hot dogs, buns, hamburgers, popsicles, fries, etc. - the most popular kid items. At least from talking to her and getting that info for years that is my understanding.

Also some of us have different levels of comfort with "may contains" - I would not trust most of the baked goods at WDW except a few (buns and a few other things). Other people might not be anaphylactic to peanut so the cross contamination issue isn't a problem as much. (I just put that in bold because I think it is helpful to keep in mind when reading other posts about dining with allergies here at the disboards.)

For example I know at one point the Main Street Bakery sold Krispy Kreme donuts. I consider those donuts safe for William BUT....when they unpack them in the morning to put out they mix all the donuts together on big tables so the potential for cross contamination is high. I talked to one of the chefs back in the bakery about it at length. He explained the process and we both agreed that for those who avoid potential cross contamination it would not be safe for us to get a donut. (The donuts at BB might be fine - I've never been there!). The baked goods at the resorts are the same way. Unless they come prepackaged usually (and stay in that package) - we don't get them for William.

I think MrMagic's example of the pineapple is a good one. I hope you let Brenda know about your experience there so they can take a look at what they tell the customers (or why something got cross-contaminated if it shouldn't have been).