Not a WDW ?, but ? about school lunches...

[Strings]

Well, I was curious, so I asked my neighbor. He is one of the elementary school principals. I aked why the entire district is peanut free when many schools just do a table. That had been their policy until 1996. Any child who was to sit at the peanut free table needed to sign a contract. The parents, not the child. The contract states the child would not have anything with peanuts, or peanut products in it. This worked well, until a parent didn't read a label well enough. Their child wasn't allergic, but a friend of an allergic child. Apparently the allergic child to a snack with peanut oil in, the child just touched it. He was intubated and in the hospital for quite a few days. After that incident, the district adopted the district wide policy. I do not know if teachers were also checking labels, but that is the reason I was given for our ban. The kids with allergies are still isolated at their own table regardless of the ban.

It will be a pain, but I will certainly comply with it.

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

Just one other suggestion for the parents of kids that will only eat PB.... I'm not sure if you have it down there in the US but here in Canada we now have a product called PEA butter.... it looks and tastes jsut like peanut butter... I gave it to my non-allergic 10yo that used to love PB and he got mad at me b/c he thought I had brought PB into the house..... it really does taste like PB! not that much more expensive then Pb either!!

 

[skiwee1]

Never heard of pea butter here in Maryland but I will certainly keep an eye out for it!

 

[LadyBears]

pjlla - as I have said earlier:

Originally posted by LadyBears
[BI don't want to think of how hard it would be if I had to tell her (or any other 5 year old) "Sorry honey, you are not allowed to eat for the next 5 days during the majority of your waking hours because 1 child has an allergy. You just sit there & watch that 1 kid eat. No you can't have anything to drink either, some kid might be allergic to that too."
[/B]

If the school wants to set a table or a "special room" aside for the kid, then fine.

I agree with skiwee1:

Originally posted by skiwee1[/]Sorry but I will not let my child go hungry " a few times a week" until he/she caves and eats what is forced on them. My DD only eats PB&J and that is what she will get. School can be stressful enough without having to think one might go hungry for the day. While I sympathize with anyone that has a child with allergies I think the way our schools handle it works for everyone. Establishing a peanut free table works for everyone and ensures that no one has a "hungry" day.

My DD (like the rest of our family) is not a big breakfast eater. It is very hard to get any of us to eat before 11am. She will eat a "hold me over" of 2 mini muffins (on a good day), but that is about it. So, what you are saying, pjlla, is that my DD is only going to be allowed to eat 1 meal a day? If she waits until she gets home from school to eat, she wouldn't be hungry at dinner time. That means I would have to wake her up after her bedtime to be sure she gets in a second meal. Sorry, but I DO NOT THINK SO!!!!

When my DD was a baby, we were on WIC. Even the state agrees that peanut butter is good for little kids & their moms!!
"The Massachusetts Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program, or WIC, has served as a health, nutrition and prevention program since 1974. This program has been heralded as the most cost effective, preventative nutrition program of its time. WIC contributes to reduced infant mortality and morbidity, improved participant health outcomes, and savings in health care costs. WIC participants receive checks for nutritious foods, such as milk, cheese, fruit juices, iron-fortified cereals, peanut butter, dried beans and eggs. The WIC Program collaborates with the Department of Food and Agriculture to provide WIC participants with coupons, redeemable at Farmers' Markets for fresh fruits and vegetables. WIC also collects and reviews the immunization status of its infants and children and makes referrals to keep children up to date on their shots. A statewide community network of 37 local programs with 130 sites and 800 retail stores provides WIC services to income-eligible pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women, infants, and children up to age five who are determined to be at medical and/or nutritional risk."

WIC was a tremendous help to me - & many others in this state.
We are no longer on the program (we are lucky enough that we no longer need to be), but if we weren't, there would have been times where my DD would have nothing to eat at all. As much as I feel bad for a kid with allergies, to me my OWN child comes first!! Making sure she is healthy & not malnourished is more important to me (Her height & weight is just under the 50% mark on the growth charts). That peabutter wasn't on the WIC list. Therefore, I wouldn't have bought it even if it was available in the market. Yes, it is only for kids up to age 5, but my DD was in daycare with other children while we were on this program. I don't mind if she has to wash her hands because she just ate something if it will help the situation, but I will NOT forbid her to eat something because of someone else. I am allergic to strawberries, but I don't forbid HER to eat them!!

 

[maggiew]

Originally posted by Strings
Well, I was curious, so I asked my neighbor. He is one of the elementary school principals. I aked why the entire district is peanut free when many schools just do a table. That had been their policy until 1996. Any child who was to sit at the peanut free table needed to sign a contract. The parents, not the child. The contract states the child would not have anything with peanuts, or peanut products in it. This worked well, until a parent didn't read a label well enough. Their child wasn't allergic, but a friend of an allergic child. Apparently the allergic child to a snack with peanut oil in, the child just touched it. He was intubated and in the hospital for quite a few days. After that incident, the district adopted the district wide policy. I do not know if teachers were also checking labels, but that is the reason I was given for our ban. The kids with allergies are still isolated at their own table regardless of the ban.

It will be a pain, but I will certainly comply with it.

I don't want to get in the Peanut allergy debate, but I am curious about something. I am wondering how the district's solution - district wide peanut free zone - would have helped in this situation??? If the mother misread the label before the ban, what is to stop this now that the whole district is peanut free??? It doesn't seem to be a solution that would have helped in this case. I could maybe see having a teacher read labels from the food at the "peanut free" table to have been a better solution.

Maggie

 

[aprilgail2]

I brought PB&J to school every day from 1st grade through high school....its also the only kind of sandwich that my daughter will eat. She will not eat any kind of cold cuts and I really dont like packing them for lunch and having them sit out for 4 hours until its time to eat anyway...she brings PB&J for lunch and peanut butter and crackers for the classroom snack..
If they have peanut free tables why don't only the kids with peanut allergies sit there or have them sit and eat in a classroom just to be safe. I would rather my child sat and ate lunch alone than worry about them coming in contact with peanuts that could kill them.

 

[Miniefan]

I am not trying to get into the peanut debate but I am curious, since this is the disboards, I am sure that most of us are frequenters of WDW, who has pb&j sandwiches on just about every one of their children's menus everywhere, and those with peanut allergies are not only succeptible of annaphylactic shock by merely ingesting it, but also by the airborne oil of it, how do you parents encounter this situation, or anywhere else for that matter, or maybe if you went to a restaurant that uses peanut oil to fry in?? Just curious.

On the school lunch issue as a whole, in our area my kids school lunch is $2.10/ day, last year we didn't qualify for free or reduced price lunches, but I tell you, the prices I have to pay if both of them eat all week, $21.00, and the breakfast is $1.00/day It really makes me want to just lie on the application so they could get the free or reduced price lunch. But I let them make their choice, the school puts out the menu at the beginning of the year and every week we go through it and decide the days they will eat at school or bring a lunch. They don't always have the best options for food, but I try to make the best decisions for them while keeping in mind what they will or will not eat. My son is picky when it comes to some things, and my dd is ok and tries some things. But when I pack a lunch it is usually Pbj or ham, banana, box of raisins, maybe a cookie or two, sometimes a few flavored pretzels if they're lucky a few cheetos, and a juice box or sometimes they buy milk. My son who is picky, loves alphabet vegetable soup so last year we used the thermos and packed it to see how it worked out, well, my son said it wasn't hot at lunchtime so we didn't do that again, not to mention he spilled it all down the front of him and inside his lunchbox. Needless to say we didn't do that again. hope this helps you. And to some of you who give your kids lunchables all the time, be careful because they are full of sodium. I let mine have them occasionally but some kids in their classes bring them every day and each one has well over the daily limit in it for sodium. Just wanted you all to know.
Kim

 

[BitsnBearsMom]

I am not trying to get into the peanut debate but I am curious, since this is the disboards, I am sure that most of us are frequenters of WDW, who has pb&j sandwiches on just about every one of their children's menus everywhere, and those with peanut allergies are not only succeptible of annaphylactic shock by merely ingesting it, but also by the airborne oil of it, how do you parents encounter this situation, or anywhere else for that matter, or maybe if you went to a restaurant that uses peanut oil to fry in?? Just curious.

We are lucky here in the sense that our ds is outgrowing his peanut allergy according to the allergist (reaction levels have consistently dropped in the last 3 tests) But he is still deathly allergic to tree nuts. We have to do our research before we go out for dinner (I don't think there are any restaurants in Ontario that use peanut oil.... at least I've never encountered any) ..... I have to make sure that the restaurants are nut free or since that is a super difficult feat.... we have to make sure they can accomodate his needs by keeping food he eats separate so it doesn't come into contact with nuts. through experience now we just know here in Ontario where we can and can't eat and you can bet when we get to Florida we will be checking out the places we are ok to eat there.

I do know of a lady who's son has the peanut allergy so bad that even the smell can cause a reaction and there is a very limited number of places they will/can take him out to eat at b/c of this.

 

[Miniefan]

BitsnbearsMom, since this is your first visit, have a wonderful trip, and since I don't know if they have them where you live, and we eat there sometimes, Don't go to ChickFil-a, it is a fast food chicken sandwich/chicken place in Fl and other places, and although it is good, they use peanut oil to cook the food in, other than that I cannot name any specific restaurant I know of that uses it. Hope this helps, please enjoy your trip.
Kim

 

[Strings]

Any restaurant in WDW will accomodate food allergies. make a note of it when you make your PS. Then tell the host when you arrive. They will send a chef to the table to discuss menu options.