OT -Question for Nut allergy parents

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

This is a question, not a complaint.

My son has a child in his 1st grade class who has a moderate nut allergy.
According to her parents she can be in the room with nut products but can not eat them, touch them nor sit beside someone eating them.
No Problem! My son sits next to her in class and has no problem not bringing nut containing snacks to school. (He is always worried about her, it's cute!)

So...the question:
We are making little halloween bags and wanted to include a few small candies or snacks in each. (These go home, not eaten in school) I want to make sure that whatever I put in this little girls bag is something she can eat safely.
Can you please recommend some snacks, candies, whatever that is individually wrapped and easily found at the grocery store? Can I trust the manufacturers if it does not say "contains nuts" on the warning that is is safe for her?

THANKS!!!!! Sheli

 

[fakereadhed]

All you can do is go by how the product is labeled. That's the best you can do!

DS has had a reaction from something that had no mention about nuts, but it is hard to say if it is mislabeled or a different allergy.

 

[hildarumpole]

I have 2 kids with nut allergies, so appreciate your concern for your son's classmate. I would suggest calling the girl's mom. We have a rule in our family that the kids are not allowed to eat anything not provided from home or specifically o.k.'d by me. Major manufacturers (Kraft, Nabisco, Hershey, etc.) tend to be reliable in their labelling. Generic and off-brands can be dicey. They are often manufactured in other countries and may not be up to speed. Most are good at highlighting the major allergens or listing them separately from the ingredients, but some require a close reading of the ingredient list. Peanut flour is a popularly hidden ingredient in many cookies. Nerds, Laffy Taffy, Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Pops and Hershey candy-coated Kisses are some of my kids favorites. Give the girl's mom a call and double-check your plans with her. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear from you. My kids are always excited to be able to share in a classmate's treat, but very few parents take the time to check with me, so it's a rare occurance.

 

[daisyduck123]

I'm a 1st grade teacher...I recommend that you call the girl's parents & let them provide a treat bag for their daughter that they can send in. The teacher can take it out of her backpack & it can be given to her when the other treat bags are distributed. You do not want to be responsible for anything that the little girl has to carry home.

(I have a student with a severe nut allergy in my class).

 

[momof2inPA]

Please don't include peanut products in the bags of the other kids either. If she cannot be beside someone who's eating peanuts, someone might open the stuff on the bus, and she won't be able to get away-- even if they aren't "supposed" to eat something on the bus. There's enough other candy to choose from that this shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Tosie]

I would suggest contacting her parents directly and ask for some safe choices, then just put those in her bag (and label it for the teacher).

 

[Selket]

I hope all the parents are as thoughtful as you.

My son has a severe peanut allergy and I agree that calling the parents is a good idea. Frankly the labels often change on things. Some Hershey's Kisses are safe and some aren't. Sometimes the regular bar of a product is safe but the fun size isnt, etc. I don't bother with a lot of candy - especially candy made outside the country and not well labeled. I don't trust it.

But there really is a ton of candy I consider safe. I'm sure the other parent will have suggestions.

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

Thank You all for your great suggestions on helping keep this girl safe and still give her and all the kids a treat. Unfortunately I can not call the other parent because out school does not release phone lists and the school nures can not help me contact them due to privacy laws.

I will stick to national brands, read all labels carefully and then let the parent decide if they consider the items safe. I agree that sending safe snacks for all is necessary. I will be trying to find a treat they can all enjoy and that is still safe for her. I am sure she knows not to eat foods without permission, but one never knows.

 

[Selket]

Too bad you can't call them!

I have to say that when William gets a bag of small candies taken from a bigger bag (like a bag of fun size Halloween candy with a bunch of small candy bars in it) then those individual candies are not labeled so I have no way of knowing if it is safe or not without calling each manufacturer. Because, as I noted before, some small sizes of things are "may contains" while the normal size candy bar of it is peanut free. Sometimes I just throw it out because it is a huge hassle to figure out all that candy - sad isn't it? Ugh!

From the peanut allergy bulletin board here is a post with what I mean about the sizes:

Be advised that the Hershey's milk chocolate snack sized bars now have a "made on the same equipment as almonds" warning on them. Unfortunately, these are the ones that are in most of the Halloween candy bags. Bummer.

We consider Skittles to be safe as well as tootsie roll pops, Kissables, smarties, twizzlers, junior mints & Nerds among other things. If the Hershey's is a "may contain" it WILL be labeled as such - they are good about labeling. I don't know how you could let the parent know that. You could perhaps put in the ingredient list in a little envelope (cut it out) and put it in the bag with the treats.

I might suggest that you actually buy a full size individually sold piece of candy for her (like a regular size Hershey bar, etc.) that is clearly labeled and without a may contain warning, etc. Because of the confusion Hershey has caused with having some sizes of their bars safe and others not there aren't many candies I automatically assume are safe.

 

[hildarumpole]

If you are unable to contact the girl's parents directly, I suggest you talk to the classroom teacher. She or he should know the family's policy as far as food sharing and would be able to talk to the parents on your behalf. If the parents have a strict no sharing policy, you'll have put effort into finding special treats for nothing. Plus, 1st graders aren't always the most careful, especially when treats are involved. We had an anxious day when my daughter ate some items in a treat bag at school, even though she's been told never to eat anything not o.k.'d by me. Teachers can't be on top of every child at every minute and when the teacher realized what had happened, she called. Needless to say, I was angry the bag was given to her in the first place. My daughter said she ate something, because everyone else was eating their treats and she didn't want to be left out. Fortunately, she didn't have a reaction that time, but it was a lesson for everyone.