Question about allergy UPDATE post 8

[Cinderellabride]

Hi all,

On out last trip to Disney, in December, my son who was almost 2, had an allergic reaction to what we believe was the detergent they used on the linens in the room. He got hives and facial swelling. We are going again August 15th. We will be bringing his own little Mickey bed for him to sleep on, but it is pretty impossible to keep a two year old from bumping into the bed, or touching the bed (last time the rash would be getting better and then if he leaned on the bed it would get worse).

I thought I had read somewhere on here one time that if you call the special assistance number they can have the linens washed in hypoallergenic detergent. I called and they said they cannot do that, but they can double rinse them. Does anyone know if this is correct? Should I call and try to talk to someone else? Do you think double rinsing will solve the issue?

Also we changed our dates since I called, and when my husband did that he made sure it was still on our reservation, do I also need to call the special assistance number again (I'm not sure if there is something different they note it on). And should I fax the hotel 10 days in advance also?

Thanks in advance!

 

[JennyDrake]

It's a bit of a bother, but if you have ANY doubts, why not bring detergent from home and wash the linens at the hotel's laundry once you arrive?

 

[disfan07]

Did he have a reaction to the linens after sleeping on them for an extended period of time?

The reason I am asking is because I am allergic to something that they use as well (I travel with my own sheets, blanket, pillowcases, etc) but it only happens if I am exposed to it for an extended period (Like more than 30 minutes) at a time. If i bump into the sheets, touch the beds, etc I don't react.

If he only reacted after an extended period of time (eg. sleeping) than I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I have a lot of chemical allergies (including parabens, lanolin, fragrences, etc) that we discovered from chemical testing as well as severe eczema and we have never done the allergy cleaning (we just don't trust using anything that we don't wash ourselves....I bring my own sheets to the hospital) and we have never had a problem since I began bringing my own sheets

 

[Cinderellabride]

I am not sure, last time he had his own air mattress from home, but he spent a lot of time laying on our bed. So by the time just leaning on was making it worse he was already having the reaction, so it's hard to say if just touching it would cause the reaction.

The other weird thing is our 1st trip with him he did not have any issues with it and spent more time on our bed. The first time was at Pop the time he had the reaction was at CBR. This time we are going back to Pop, but I would think that all the resorts use the same detergent.

Does anyone know if they were using harsher detergents during the major H1N1 outbreak because that's when we were there.

The pediatrician thought the reaction could have been from the sun or from using a new sunscreen, but it seemed weird to us that it would get worse whenever we came back to the room and especially worse if he touched the bed. Unless it was some kind of combination of things.

 

[nfceagles]

Any chance it was a mold allergy instead of something in the detergent? I have a friend who's daughter has trouble when in Florida because the humidity makes things very susceptible to mold. I'm not allergic to mold, but when I'm down there all the upholstery and carpeting feels damp and dank to me especially the older resorts/rooms, because I'm not used to living in high humidity areas.

 

[disfan07]

I am not sure, last time he had his own air mattress from home, but he spent a lot of time laying on our bed. So by the time just leaning on was making it worse he was already having the reaction, so it's hard to say if just touching it would cause the reaction.

The other weird thing is our 1st trip with him he did not have any issues with it and spent more time on our bed. The first time was at Pop the time he had the reaction was at CBR. This time we are going back to Pop, but I would think that all the resorts use the same detergent.

Does anyone know if they were using harsher detergents during the major H1N1 outbreak because that's when we were there.

The pediatrician thought the reaction could have been from the sun or from using a new sunscreen, but it seemed weird to us that it would get worse whenever we came back to the room and especially worse if he touched the bed. Unless it was some kind of combination of things.

It is definitely an allergy that can develop (or worsen) over time if it is a true allergy.
We found out I was allergic to the linens back in 2004. Before that, we had been to disney about 12 times and I hadn't reacted any of those times. That was also the year that I had chemical testing done and ofund out about all of those allergies.

Personally, I would talk to an allergist about what happened (not just your pediatrician) because they woul dhave much more insight on what could cause a reaction and they would have a lot of suggestions tailored to your son.

 

[clanmcculloch]

You can request a special cleaning (known as a VIP cleaning). Make it clear that your child is allergic to laundry detergents. They do have special low allergen detergents that they will use for your sheets and towels and they'll also bring fresh bedspreads washed with that same detergent. Every day of your stay, your towels and sheets (on days where sheets are changed) will be delivered in a plastic bag rather than off the standard laundry cart and mousekeeping will use those to make up your room (we were there a couple times when the bags were delivered otherwise I wouldn't know that's how they do it; mousekeeping did still do the regular setup; I just wanted to let you know what we saw).

 

[Cinderellabride]

Thank you! That's what I thought, but when I called and asked to have the sheets washed in different detergent they said the only thing they could do was an extra rinse. I will call again today. Thanks so much!

 

[Cinderellabride]

Thanks so much everyone!

I called today and the person I talked with spoke to someone there who actually has the allergy. She said she always requests a VIP cleaning with a hot water only wash with no detergent, so that's what we did.

I feel much better about it!