Help with peanut/tree nut allergy

[skw444]

My daughter was recently diagnosed with a peanut/tree nut allergy. She had a reaction from contact (she didn't digest it, just came in contact). However, her reaction was quite severe and we're afraid of the type of reaction she might have if she were to ingest it. I hear Disney is a great place for people with allergies. We'll be going in September for our first trip. Are there any tips? Or recommendations for places to stay away from?

 

[disneyfool_1202]

My soon to be 4 y/o son has peanut and tree nut allergies and we've been to WDW with him twice. I make it a point to stay away from fast food eateries that serve PB because there could be traces of nut oils on the tables and chairs. If we do table service and the restaurant serves PB or nuts I ask for them to make sure the table is very clean (I always explain why and they are very accomodating).
I always bring disinfectant wipes with me and if we are going to sit on a bench or anything where someone may have been eating I wipe it down where he'll be sitting. I can't be obsessive and wipe down the rides but I do have his epipen with us wherever we go just in case.
My son doesn't have contact allergy (that we know of - his reaction was from ingestion and we've avoided ever since).
You can also email WDW.MK.Special.Diets@disney.com and they will send you a ton of info on what and where it's safe vs. not safe to eat. The information is beyond helpful. I emailed them and they not only sent me the info, but passed the info along to the cruise line who in turn called me to be sure I knew what to do when I got on the cruise which isn't even until next May! It just proved that once again, WDW went above and beyond the expected to ensure a child's safety!

 

[Selket]

My 5 yr old also is contact reactive to peanut butter and we've been many times since he was dx'd with that.

Here is an excellent article with phone numbers/email addresses: http://www.allergymoms.com/uploads/newsletters/allergymoms_newsletter_07_21_07.html

We do *not* avoid places that serve peanut butter - either sit-downs or CS but that is a decision you need to make for yourself of course! We have eaten at Crystal Palace many times, for example, and they do serve peanut butter which is self-serve out of a bowl on one side of the buffet. The chef often brings him things from the back and shows us what is safe on the buffet.

With sit down meals it is definitely easier to get what you want - and your meal catered to your child a bit more.

Many places at WDW also sell Divvies which are peanut free caramel corn, jelly beans, cookies, etc.

You should have no problem most places at WDW.

Be sure to read the FAQ here on the disabilities board as there is info and link to past threads on food allergies.

 

[hildarumpole]

Two of my kids are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. We didn't have any problems at Disney, but it required some preplanning. We mostly ate at table service restaurants, because we were able to have the allergies noted on the reservations. The chef at each restaurant visited us at our table and went over safe menu options for my kids. At counter service, there are binders that list ingredients of menu items. It's a hassle to go through them, especially with a line of people waiting to order, so go at slower times. Since your child has had a contact reaction, you probably want to be more cautious in your choices. Avoid the Asian and African restaurants, because of heavy nut and nut oil use in the cuisines. Ohana is another place to stay away from. They serve a peanut dipping sauce at dinner. If you've made some ADRs and didn't note the allergies, call back and get those added. If you haven't made any ADRs, do so as quickly as possible. I don't know how many places have openings at this late date, but it's worth a try. Also, take a look at the menus posted on www.allearsnet.com.

 

[ducklite]

I'm peanut/tree nut allergic, and Boma at dinnertime is my nightmare. (Breakfast is quite manageable.)

The Kona Cafe and Ohana are "iffy" but I have successfully eaten at both. I've found that generally the buffets are my biggest fear due to cross-contamination issues.

Anne

 

[Selket]

I'm peanut/tree nut allergic, and Boma at dinnertime is my nightmare. (Breakfast is quite manageable.)

Did you see the Allergy Moms newsletter that Boma was their 1st runner up for best place to eat with food allergies? I thought that was interesting. They had TJ for a chef whom everyone raves about. It doesn't say what meal they had. That place seems to be hit or miss for people. We haven't been to Boma since William was dx'd with the nut allergies.

 

[ducklite]

Did you see the Allergy Moms newsletter that Boma was their 1st runner up for best place to eat with food allergies? I thought that was interesting. They had TJ for a chef whom everyone raves about. It doesn't say what meal they had. That place seems to be hit or miss for people. We haven't been to Boma since William was dx'd with the nut allergies.

For me it's not just the nuts. I'm also allergic to coconut, and they use that in EVERYTHING at Boma. When we ate dinner there, TJ was not the chef. The chef that was there rushed through the buffet line with me, and basically all I could eat was pap. (I don't eat pork.) They never offered me an alternative, which I would have been fine with. Our server never bothered to check on us until DS and DH were done eating, and then said "Oh, you didn't eat anything" to me. Uh, there really wasn't anything I could eat. Then he offered to bring me something from the kitchen. Um, my DH and DS had already finished dinner and dessert. On top of that they had the nerve to charge me full price for the meal. I should ahve spoken to a manager right then and there. Instead we paid and I went to the Mara and got a burger.

Anne

 

[RxforDisney]

We had a great experience with my then 2 y.o. son last October. He is allergic to milk, egg, and peanut. Table service places and room service tend to be very accomidating since they have a chef on site, and facilities to prepare food separately. Counter service places take more planning ahead of time due to space and food limitations. My advice would be to contact Brenda Bennett at Magic Kingdom Foods. She can send you a list of safe counter service places and foods.

brenda.bennett@disney.com
407-824-5967

There have been several good food allergy threads over the past year that you might want to read. Here are links to a few.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1378516
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1262489
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1439370

 

[Dina]

My daughter was recently diagnosed with a peanut/tree nut allergy. She had a reaction from contact (she didn't digest it, just came in contact). However, her reaction was quite severe and we're afraid of the type of reaction she might have if she were to ingest it. I hear Disney is a great place for people with allergies. We'll be going in September for our first trip. Are there any tips? Or recommendations for places to stay away from?

We don't avoid places that serve pb&j--- but you should be warned that many of the buffets have big containers of peanut butter on the line (crystal palace is one)--- I'm uncomfortable with this, but it's my sons' favorite restaurant, so I grin and bear it. We are avoiding 'Ohana from now on (we've been there twice without problem) but they put a peanut dipping sauce on all of the tables--- they won't put it on your table, but just knowing that it has been on our table countless times before we sat down with people dipping food into it and dripping--- I'm not comfortable with it. We also avoid Beaches and Cream because they serve chopped peanuts on their sundaes--- and again, I'm just uncomfortable with it. That being said we don't avoid any counter service places that serve pb&j--- from what I've seen the sandwhiches are pre-wrapped--- i do understand the concern about it being on the table, but we don't avoid them. We just make sure we always have our epi-pens handy.

 

[Mish]

My son is allergic to Tree nuts and sesame seeds, I want to eat in Japan and I am little nervous as to what he will be able to eat. I heard the cook in sesame oil in Japan. does any one know if that is true.

 

[disneynewbeemom]

My son is allergic to Tree nuts and sesame seeds, I want to eat in Japan and I am little nervous as to what he will be able to eat. I heard the cook in sesame oil in Japan. does any one know if that is true.

You can call the disney dining number and ask for the phone number to this restaurant. I had a question about Captain Jacks (my son has a fish allergy, but we still wanted to eat there) and if they would be able to cook his hotdog in an area away from the fish. I emailed Brenda Bennett and she asked the chef to call me. The chef called me last night and it was wonderful to talk to her.

 

[hildarumpole]

My son is allergic to Tree nuts and sesame seeds, I want to eat in Japan and I am little nervous as to what he will be able to eat. I heard the cook in sesame oil in Japan. does any one know if that is true.

Sesame oil is used heavily in saucing Japanese food. I don't know what type of cooking oil they use, but it's probably not sesame, because it breaks down at high heat. The best thing is to talk to a chef from the restaurant. He or she will be able to help with accomodating your needs. If you really want to try Japanese food, but your son can't eat anything, you could just get something from the counter service for you and get food from a safe neighboring CS for your son.

 

[Selket]

The Epcot restaurants are different I've been told - not run directly by Disney. I would definitely talk to the chef with those concerns and not just someone in the main office for the park.

We ate recently at Rose and Crown for lunch - our first time there. The chef was just great! She made them both a grilled cheese and fruit plate which wasn't on the kids lunch menu.

It is funny that the servers are all native to that country in Epcot but the chefs are often (or so they appear) to be American and not from there.

 

[mikymouse]

I thought Disney Table Service was the most accomodating for people with Food Allergies! I have a severe walnut allergy and noted it on my ADR's. Every meal I would meet with the chef and they would review everything with me and what was safe to eat. We had the most wonderful experience at Bomas with TJ the chef. TJ was so friendly and made me a special dish and special dessert that was safe... Boma's is full of nut products on the buffet. In my experience, WDW chefs are fantastic at helping us with food allergies. The harder part is the unthoughtfully guest eating in line and touching everything with their unsafe for me food.

 

[KPeveler]

i didn't see it mentioned above, but arent the new soaps/shampoos that come in the room tree-nut or something? I thought i read that somewhere. that could be a big problem with a contact allergy

 

[Selket]

i didn't see it mentioned above, but arent the new soaps/shampoos that come in the room tree-nut or something? I thought i read that somewhere. that could be a big problem with a contact allergy

I have a bottle each of the H20 stuff from our room at CSR from a couple of weeks ago and I didn't see nuts listed (I can't get to the soap label). There is sunflower seed extract. I could have missed it or it could be listed under a name I don't recognize. A good point to check the labels though! My DS is contact allergic to peanut but not tree nut and he had no problems with the shampoo and soap.

 

[kyirish25]

i didn't see it mentioned above, but arent the new soaps/shampoos that come in the room tree-nut or something? I thought i read that somewhere. that could be a big problem with a contact allergy

I recall this as well. The new H2O soaps have Shea Butter, in which shea is a tree nut.

 

[Dina]

I'm the one who originally posted the info about the soaps. I called H2O to see if we could use the products--- Shea butter was one of the first ingredients they mentioned when going over the white bath soaps. The shampoos/conditioner--- whatever was in the bottles were fine--- I was able to read those ingredients and didn't see anything, but I called about the bath soaps. My kids always looked forward to using our mickey soaps when we get home from Disney trips.

 

[Selket]

Of course the soap is the one I couldn't get to the ingredients label when taking a look!