Peanut allergies

[Mandychelle79]

I don't see it as unreasonable when there are other options for those kids you mentioned. The peanut allergic child doesn't have the option of not being exposed if another child doesn't take the proper precautions. And lets face it, kids don't always do what they are supposed to.
I don't agree with expecting kids to not eat PB at home before school, but I wouldn't have an issue with a complete ban in our school when its done for the safety and in some cases the life of another child. It hasn't happened in our school but its not something I'd ever oppose if it did.

And a wheat allergic kid is exposed by anyone consuming a sandwich. Fish allergic by the person eating tuna. Ice cream cone drip... oops there is a possible exposure to dairy.

 

[Mandychelle79]

I can guarantee you that a diabetic child has more options than PB and could survive an alternative for ONE meal a day (as would the child with a different food allergy). The peanut allergic child however could end up hospitalized because of exposure..where should the greater emphasis be here? The kid who has to have an alternative or the kid who could become critically ill or die?

Most diabetics are encouraged to make sure peanut butter is available because of the protein content in it to use if their blood sugar goes low and it is self stable. They are given 15 grams of simple sugar followed by a complex carb/ protein combo. Sure you can use cheese for the protein but it need refrigerated.

 

[teacherforhi]

I'm allergic to strawberries. The allergen in strawberries is in a protein in the red color, which easily comes off, meaning that anything that the strawberries come in contact with becomes a potential trigger. Every spring the school cafeteria serves strawberries from a local farm at least once a week.

It's on me to make sure I take precautions on those days. It never occurred to me to petition the school to ban them. I make sure my place at the table is clean and ask the cafeteria worker (if I go through the line) to change gloves before handling my food. And yes, I know I'm an adult, but I was a child in this same school, with the same farm down the road, and did the same thing then.

 

[Hannathy]

And your response proves my point that parents of children with peanut allergies feel that their child's allergy is more important then other children's allergies.

Oh and maybe getting rid of the flowering trees and bushes outside the school since they attract bees.

And we will have to redo all the schools to add airconditioning since we can't open the windows anymore.

 

[Coconut36]

Most diabetics are encouraged to make sure peanut butter is available because of the protein content in it to use if their blood sugar goes low and it is self stable. They are given 15 grams of simple sugar followed by a complex carb/ protein combo. Sure you can use cheese for the protein but it need refrigerated.

That's funny..my DH is diabetic, has worked extensively with a nutritionist and was never told to keep it on hand nor was it ever deemed critical to his survival as a diabetic. I can't think if the last time he even ate it.

 

[Coconut36]

And your response proves my point that parents of children with peanut allergies feel that their child's allergy is more important then other children's allergies.

Lets say that my child was still allergic to milk and I DEMANDED that the school go milk free to make sure my child did not get exposed to milk while at school. So now your peanut free child cannot have the cheese sandwich that he always has for lunch, no pizza, no mashed potatoes, no chicken nuggets. Oh and Paul, he is allergic to wheat so no bread, crackers, cookies. And Mary, she allergic to bees, she was stung outside at school, had to use her epi-pen and go to the hospital, so now her parents are demanding all recess and gym classes to be held indoors to limit the likelihood of it happening again. Oh and maybe getting rid of the flowering trees and bushes outside the school since they attract bees.

My children don't have food allergies (although my oldest is showing a possible reaction to sesame seeds) so don't finger point at me in regards to what parents feel.

If your child has a allergen free table to sit at she isn't going to touch milk in the classroom or other surfaces..again..not a valid comparison. The 5 year old who eats the PB and still has it all over their hands when they return to the classroom and sit at the table with the allergic kid is causing a risk. The milk, fish, and so on do not pose that same risk. You are taking things to unrealistic extremes with it comes to other food allergens and restrictions and concerns that come with them. Like I said..your posts proves what your issue is..your child should be able to have peanuts and it doesn't matter that it could cause critical injury to another. The kid eating fish at the regular table isn't exposing anyone..the PB clings to surfaces, clothing and skin in a way that other foods are less likely/unlikely to do.

Things like pollen and bees are also not comparable to a food reaction as other children participating has no bearing on the allergic child as they do not bring the risk with them. It's not like every kid who goes outside comes in with a bee on their shoulder so restricting recess for all is yet again not a valid comparison.

 

[Mandychelle79]

That's funny..my DH is diabetic, has worked extensively with a nutritionist and was never told to keep it on hand nor was it ever deemed critical to his survival as a diabetic. I can't think if the last time he even ate it.

And I said MOST, not all. The diabetic educators I work with on a daily basis suggest the newly dx diabetics keep peanut butter crackers with them in the car.

When we have a patient with low blood sugar we give a tube of glucose gel per policy and then follow it with milk, crackers and peanut butter, again per policy.

 

[Coconut36]

And we will have to redo all the schools to add airconditioning since we can't open the windows anymore.

Slightly unrelated but shows regional differences. Newer schools aren't even built with windows you can open..heck my DH's school (a school he attended himself as a middle schooler..so the school is at least 30 but more like 40 years old) none of the classrooms even have windows and all schools have a/c.

 

[Coconut36]

And I said MOST, not all. The diabetic educators I work with on a daily basis suggest the newly dx diabetics keep peanut butter crackers with them in the car.

When we have a patient with low blood sugar we give a tube of glucose gel per policy and then follow it with milk, crackers and peanut butter, again per policy.

But your statement implies that they HAVE to have this or they can not function as diabetics..as in a kid with diabetes will perish without a PB sandwich and that is just not true. There are other alternatives and we are talking about a kids lunch not recovery from low blood sugar issues here.

 

[Mandychelle79]

My children don't have food allergies (although my oldest is showing a possible reaction to sesame seeds) so don't finger point at me in regards to what parents feel.

If your child has a allergen free table to sit at she isn't going to touch milk in the classroom or other surfaces..again..not a valid comparison. The 5 year old who eats the PB and still has it all over their hands when they return to the classroom and sit at the table with the allergic kid is causing a risk. The milk, fish, and so on do not pose that same risk. You are taking things to unrealistic extremes with it comes to other food allergens and restrictions and concerns that come with them. Like I said..your posts proves what your issue is..your child should be able to have peanuts and it doesn't matter that it could cause critical injury to another. The kid eating fish at the regular table isn't exposing anyone..the PB clings to surfaces, clothing and skin in a way that other foods are less likely/unlikely to do.

Things like pollen and bees are also not comparable to a food reaction as other children participating has no bearing on the allergic child as they do not bring the risk with them. It's not like every kid who goes outside comes in with a bee on their shoulder so restricting recess for all is yet again not a valid comparison.

So you would only restrict recess for those who are allergic to bees? Funny how when it is a peanut allergy everyone suffers, yet when it is a bee allergy only the child affected would suffer.

I have stepped out of a car, walking to the house, got stung on my shoulder ( so its not like I stepped on the bee) and ended up in the ICU at the age of 12. My cousin had a similar situation at the age of 2. There was no way the exposure could be prevented, but the chance of exposure can be lessened by not allowing the children to go out. Just like the chance of exposure to peanuts can be lessened by banning them. So it is a valid comparison.

 

[Mandychelle79]

But your statement implies that they HAVE to have this or they can not function as diabetics..as in a kid with diabetes will perish without a PB sandwich and that is just not true. There are other alternatives and we are talking about a kids lunch not recovery from low blood sugar issues here.

Actually what I said was the family has found that PB was the best food to help regulate blood sugar.

I have had coworkers whos blood sugar would get critically low around lunch time, unless she had pb toast for breakfast. Nothing else seemed to work as well and she was a long time diabetic. There have been schools trying to tell families what they could serve at home. So telling a family that uses pb at breakfast at home to prevent hypoglycemia mid afternoon, is risking another childs life to save another. Hypoglycemic episodes can be just as fatal as an allergic reaction.

 

[Hannathy]

so restricting recess for all is yet again not a valid comparison.

So are you saying and I want to make sure I'm clear, it would be OK for the child who is allergic to stay inside by themselves while the other kids go outside for recess? And if that is so why is it not OK for the peanut allergy child to have to eat by themselves?

This is the double standard people are sick of.

 

[taylor3297]

My children don't have food allergies (although my oldest is showing a possible reaction to sesame seeds) so don't finger point at me in regards to what parents feel.

If your child has a allergen free table to sit at she isn't going to touch milk in the classroom or other surfaces..again..not a valid comparison. The 5 year old who eats the PB and still has it all over their hands when they return to the classroom and sit at the table with the allergic kid is causing a risk. The milk, fish, and so on do not pose that same risk. You are taking things to unrealistic extremes with it comes to other food allergens and restrictions and concerns that come with them. Like I said..your posts proves what your issue is..your child should be able to have peanuts and it doesn't matter that it could cause critical injury to another. The kid eating fish at the regular table isn't exposing anyone..the PB clings to surfaces, clothing and skin in a way that other foods are less likely/unlikely to do.

Things like pollen and bees are also not comparable to a food reaction as other children participating has no bearing on the allergic child as they do not bring the risk with them. It's not like every kid who goes outside comes in with a bee on their shoulder so restricting recess for all is yet again not a valid comparison.

I totally understand what you are saying, but then wouldn't restaurants have to not serve peanut butter too? Yesterday, we went to Panera for lunch. They serve PB&J sandwiches. The tables are not always wiped down before another customer uses it. So wouldn't the same child be at risk for coming into contact with PB? The previous customers could have had a child eat a PB sandwich, child could have wiped hands on table, and next customer with allergy may touch the table and have reaction.

My dd has a friend who has a peanut allergy and she can not come into contact with peanut butter. Since we do eat peanut butter at my house, her mom just asks us to have benedryl on hand and the child brings her epi pen. Now we do not serve anything peanut related while she is here, but I may have missed a spot while wiping the table or counters.

We can't just cater to one type of allergy. My sister at one time was so allergic to grass (especially freshly mowed grass) that she could not be outside if grass had been mowed. She had to be aware of her surroundings at all times. I even remember of having to rush to the car one time when we were at a park due to the grass was being mowed. My sister had a mild reaction and luckily we had her medicine.

So where do we draw the line? It is horrible that folks have to live with life threatening allergies. I think educating folks about the different kinds of allergies is a good thing.

 

[Christine]

So you would only restrict recess for those who are allergic to bees? Funny how when it is a peanut allergy everyone suffers, yet when it is a bee allergy only the child affected would suffer.

I have stepped out of a car, walking to the house, got stung on my shoulder ( so its not like I stepped on the bee) and ended up in the ICU at the age of 12. My cousin had a similar situation at the age of 2. There was no way the exposure could be prevented, but the chance of exposure can be lessened by not allowing the children to go out. Just like the chance of exposure to peanuts can be lessened by banning them. So it is a valid comparison.

It's not really a valid comparison. People don't ask for peanut restrictions so the peanut allergic child can feel "included" in things. They ask for it because of the sticky properties of peanut butter, the oils that linger on hands after eating peanuts, the peanut "skins" that go airborne, etc. I think *most* parents of peanut allergic children would be pretty happy if they could remove their kids from some certain activity that would guarantee that if they didn't do that one activity, they would be 99.9% safe. This is the case with bee stings. You can bet that if my kid were allergic to bees, I probably would not permit him/her to participate in outdoor recess. I know what those school playgrounds are like--lots of grass, lots of shrubs, plants, lots of bees. I just would ask the school that during outdoor recess/PE that my kid be allowed an alternate activity. By having my kid do that takes all the risk out of it.

For peanut butter, it's sticky. Small children are sloppy eaters and not good at aftermeal cleanup. You can put the peanut allergic child at a table far away but that's not going to help if he goes back into his classroom with 10 other kids who have peanut butter all over their hands.

For the bee sting issue, the kids won't be coming back in the classroom with bees in their hands.

Having said that, I only thing peanut restrictions are necessary and the youngest ages. Probably for preschool through 2nd grade. After that, my personal experience is that they kids get a lot neater.

 

[Mandychelle79]

So are you saying and I want to make sure I'm clear, it would be OK for the child who is allergic to stay inside by themselves while the other kids go outside for recess? And if that is so why is it not OK for the peanut allergy child to have to eat by themselves?

This is the double standard people are sick of.

Exactly. I am fed up with the double standard.

When my son was born and I was not able to work, we qualified for WIC. At that time Soy was not approved for WIC, even with a doctors note showing the medical need for it. There were no ok your child is allergic to milk so we will provide you with X, while if a child had a documented peanut allergy they got extra cheese or something. When I got home I shot a 3 page letter to my local representative. Yes we were able to buy my daughter Soy milk and other healthy foods, however some families would not be able to.

 

[Hannathy]

For peanut butter, it's sticky. Small children are sloppy eaters and not good at aftermeal cleanup. You can put the peanut allergic child at a table far away but that's not going to help if he goes back into his classroom with 10 other kids who have peanut butter all over their hands.

Well it must not be as necessary as a lot of people believe since our school district has close to 20,000 kids and the most any school has is a peanut free table in a very crowded cafeteria in elem. only and I have not read of any peanut deaths ever in the schools here in the 20 yrs we have been here.

My DS had a child with a peanut allergy in his class now for the last 4 yrs and up till this yr he took a PB&J sandwich every single day of school.

 

[luvmy3]

And a wheat allergic kid is exposed by anyone consuming a sandwich. Fish allergic by the person eating tuna. Ice cream cone drip... oops there is a possible exposure to dairy.

Again, there are alternatives to all of those things that could be served. And lets remember we aren't talking about just an allergy, we are talking about a life threatening allergy that can cause anaphylaxis by exposure to skin or by inhalation. What are the stats on those allergies mention compared to peanut allergies? How many students in the school have LTFA that way to milk, wheat, fish, etc. How many to peanuts. There is a "reasonable" way to come to the decision to ban any type of food, it doesn't have to just be a knee jerk reaction.

I totally understand what you are saying, but then wouldn't restaurants have to not serve peanut butter too? Yesterday, we went to Panera for lunch. They serve PB&J sandwiches. The tables are not always wiped down before another customer uses it. So wouldn't the same child be at risk for coming into contact with PB? The previous customers could have had a child eat a PB sandwich, child could have wiped hands on table, and next customer with allergy may touch the table and have reaction.

My dd has a friend who has a peanut allergy and she can not come into contact with peanut butter. Since we do eat peanut butter at my house, her mom just asks us to have benedryl on hand and the child brings her epi pen. Now we do not serve anything peanut related while she is here, but I may have missed a spot while wiping the table or counters.

I don't think comparing a restaurant and comparing a school cafeteria or classroom is vaild. My child has to be in school 5 days a week, they don't need to go to Panera.

 

[Mandychelle79]

It's not really a valid comparison. People don't ask for peanut restrictions so the peanut allergic child can feel "included" in things. They ask for it because of the sticky properties of peanut butter, the oils that linger on hands after eating peanuts, the peanut "skins" that go airborne, etc. I think *most* parents of peanut allergic children would be pretty happy if they could remove their kids from some certain activity that would guarantee that if they didn't do that one activity, they would be 99.9% safe. This is the case with bee stings. You can bet that if my kid were allergic to bees, I probably would not permit him/her to participate in outdoor recess. I know what those school playgrounds are like--lots of grass, lots of shrubs, plants, lots of bees. I just would ask the school that during outdoor recess/PE that my kid be allowed an alternate activity. By having my kid do that takes all the risk out of it.

For peanut butter, it's sticky. Small children are sloppy eaters and not good at aftermeal cleanup. You can put the peanut allergic child at a table far away but that's not going to help if he goes back into his classroom with 10 other kids who have peanut butter all over their hands.

For the bee sting issue, the kids won't be coming back in the classroom with bees in their hands.

Having said that, I only thing peanut restrictions are necessary and the youngest ages. Probably for preschool through 2nd grade. After that, my personal experience is that they kids get a lot neater.

And Ice cream is messy and sticky and people can react to touching it too. So little kids ( and Ive had my kids be ear to ear ice cream when eating it) eating ice cream would pose the same risk to someone who is allergic to milk as someone eating pb would be to allergic to it.

And I have came inside with a bee on my shirt so it could happen that one sneaks in with the class.

 

[Christine]

Well it must not be as necessary as a lot of people believe since our school district has close to 20,000 kids and the most any school has is a peanut free table in a very crowded cafeteria in elem. only and I have not read of any peanut deaths ever in the schools here in the 20 yrs we have been here.

My DS had a child with a peanut allergy in his class now for the last 4 yrs and up till this yr he took a PB&J sandwich every single day of school.

Same here. I don't agree with bans. Peanut free table works.

I am just pointing out the difference in a beesting allergy and peanut allergy. Both equally serious (actually the bee allergy freaks me out more) but both should be addressed differently.

 

[MrsPete]

I dunno but it works here. Why take the chance on sending a PB sandwich with a small child who might get into his lunch box and share his lunch with his buddy who might have an peanut allergy. I don't have any kids with allerges but I'm very thankful for teacher who take the timie to check.

We're high school. We don't eat lunch with our students. Every other week we're on hall duty keeping track of things that don't occur in elementary schools: For example, students sneaking out to the parking lot to smoke or leave campus, students sneaking out the back doors to have sex. Our lunch is 26 minutes. Our real lunch concern is, "What's in your water bottle?" If we add checking the contents of student lunches, the teachers aren't going to get to eat at all.

I don't know why people keep arguing it "isn't enforceable" when lots of schools, districts and classrooms do ban it and do enforce it.

Well, let me give you a couple examples of why a ban isn't really possible:

Our students arrive (50% on busses, 50% in cars), and on any given day at least a hundred of them have stopped by a fast food restaurant to buy a breakfast biscuit. They're allowed to eat these as they walk in from the parking lot, in the open-air front courtyard or in the lobby area, but they must throw all food away when the bell rings and the classroom hallway doors open. Around here Chick-fillet is the favorite fast food restaurant. Unless you suggest that teachers meet students at their cars to check their breakfasts, it's impossible to police what students have before they arrive.

In that same thought process, students who eat peanut butter (or maybe Nuttella -- that contains nuts too) for breakfast may well come in with some peanut residue on their hands or on their breath. We can never police what people do before they arrive.

At lunch, we have 1600 students moving through the cafeteria. I'd estimate 40% of them bring their own lunch. That's perhaps 640 lunches to check.

Eating in class (or in the hallways between classes) is a problem in high school. Between kids who don't eat breakfast (we do start school at 7:00) and kids who are forced to eat lunch early (my assigned time is 10:30) and are then hungry by 6th period, kids do sneak foods in. Sometimes we catch these, sometimes we don't. But no one's checking food that's hidden in backpacks and isn't really supposed to be there at all.

Many students stay after school for sports or theater practice, club meetings, tutoring and other activities. Most of these students bring a snack. What's easy to keep in your backpack all day long without refrigeration? Peanut butter sandwiches or peanut butter crackers are near the top of the list. Kids tend to eat these in the hallways or the locker rooms as they move into their after-school activities -- not in the supervision of teachers.

These things may not be true at the elementary level, but they are very true when you're teaching teenagers. Teens have more freedom and more access to food, and if we claimed we could police the food that comes in, we'd be lying. If we claim our school is peanut-free, we'd be setting kids up to believe they were in a totally "safe" zone, which is impossible to enforce.

Also, keep in mind the number of peanut-allergic students in our school during the 2011-2012 school year: Zero. Why would we encumber 1600 students with a rule that would benefit no one?

Taking the item away from the child, note to the parents regarding the food policy. Having to live their life knowing they sent something that caused harm or death to another child It can be that serious for another child. I have seen so many parents act like lunatics over their "right" to send peanut butter for their kid and I seriously can't understand it. If you know you are putting another child at risk and do it anyway you are just an idiot and a cruel selfish one at that.

I think you might be the exception rather than the rule regarding peanut/food allergies. My ODS is entering 3rd grade and there have been at least 1 or more kids in each of his grade levels with serious food allergies and I know at least one serious peanut allergy preceded him into Kinder as the teacher mentioned it and one room was deemed totally nut free. My DH teaches middle school and has for about 12 years and he knows he has had several food allergies/peanut allergies over the years. My Mom spent almost 30 years in education and had plenty of allergies..some of them life threatening/extremely sensitive to oils/residue as well.

My YDS tiny preschool (as in less than 50 kids in the school) had one child with a life threatening allergy..he would react from being in the room with it/oils on the hands/objects. As in call 911 and use the epi pen reaction. The school was 100% peanut/nut free.

Plenty of schools or individual classrooms have a peanut/nut free policy and enforce it. If something is questionable (and really..aside from peanut products or products known to contain peanuts what is questionable about it? Nobody is going to snatch their ham and cheese and think it might be peanut butter..) then they might offer an alternative item and toss the questionable item. Really not that hard and lots of schools have done it.

Perhaps it's worse in some areas than others, but I never, ever hear about this problem in real life. I know one kid who has a mild peanut allergy, and he's responsible about eating only things his mom prepares.

That's funny..my DH is diabetic, has worked extensively with a nutritionist and was never told to keep it on hand nor was it ever deemed critical to his survival as a diabetic. I can't think if the last time he even ate it.

My husband is diabetic as well, and peanut butter is one of his go-to items. He loves it, we always have it at home, and it's an easy thing to keep in his desk drawer at work -- it's cheap, and it stays good a fairly long time without refrigeration, making it a good "hey, my blood sugar is crashing" choice. If your husband isn't using peanut butter, it's probably because when he met with his personal nutritionist to discuss what'd work well for him, peanut butter didn't come up, so it wasn't included in his personal diet plan. Doesn't mean it may not be an integral part of someone else's diabetic eating plan.

Since this is a school-related question, I'd say that on average I have a diabetic student every other year. In my personal experience, diabetes is much more common than peanut allergies.