Furious. Why in the world would a parent send a peanut snack to a peanut-free classroom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's great that some parents of allergic kids in Kindergarten also possess the exemplary reading skills to read the tiny print list of ingredients of every energy or Clif bar that may be given to them by a Mom having an off day.

Hats off to you, 20:42! That is fantastic that at the tender age of 5, he will never falter in his vigilance and so you don't require adult supervision. He's probably ready to babysit himself at this point, too, I would imagine!

I have two daughters both have best friends with severe peanut allergies. As young as kindergarten the youngest one would refuse to eat any kind of granola bar unless she had gotten it from her mom, if I tried to give her a cookie she would ask me to read the ingredient list OUT loud and quiz me about warnings, just to make sure that I did not miss one.. I was with the older one, we were buying ice cream by the scoop and she insisted on reading the actual package

One of these kids is also severely ADD, but she never fails to check out everything.

The parents are hyperaware, and have trained their kids really well.

These kids are smart and like other posters have given examples of kids who monitor their environment. Have a little faith in your kid.

[Anonymous]

I moved to south America 3 years ago and I have yet to find a kid that is allergic to peanuts... I have 3 kids in school and this issue does not exist here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm talking about a public school classroom that has two kids with severe peanut allergies. This is not one of those "manufactured on shared equipment" snacks where I can understand a parent forgetting to read the label or missing the fine print. This was a snack mix containing peanuts!

Grow up.

Could have been the nanny, the grandparent, intl family, mother on a biz trip, whatever.

Did somebody die? Did the peanut allergy kid purposely or accidently eat some peanuts?

How will these peanut free kids survive? Hope they never travel to Thailand...then OP could ridicule the whole country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok, my kid is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, but that would not bother me. He knows better than eat someone elses snacks that have nuts. he has been taught to ask and if not sure not to eat.
get over yourself, people can eat what the hell they want including "GASP" peanuts

You seem to forget that young kids who are even taught everyday to not eat any food except from you lunch box or your teacher or your parents will sometimes forget simply because they are young. I know this since it happened a couple of times to my kid. I diligently taught him to say no thank you to offers of food or candy or cookies or cakes every single day prior to school or any other activity and he still forgot. That is what happens with younger kids and why they need to be protected in schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I moved to south America 3 years ago and I have yet to find a kid that is allergic to peanuts... I have 3 kids in school and this issue does not exist here

So what are you saying? That peanut and tree nut allergies do not exist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's wrong with children these days? Peanut allergies, autism. it's terrible!

Peanut allergies are probably due to the environment being too clean. The immune system overreacts when it gets a new protein exposure (peanuts) because it's been sitting around with nothing to do for a long time.

Autism is likely due to some environmental exposure switching on certain genes in some kids. One culprit may be flame retardant chemicals in furniture and pajamas. (It builds up in breast tissue, BTW, and gets into breast milk so the baby is exposed to both his environment and his food.)

I think they have proved the too clean theory wrong. Also, from my experience, my house was never like Martha Stewart's house and more like a slob haven. Plus, we had cats and a dog and frequent visits to our parents' farm and the animals there. And my son has peanut and tree nut allergies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh get over yourself. I'm so sick of you allergy mommies demanding that the world bend over backwards for your precious.

Actually legally peanut and tree nut allergies are considered a disability and therefore qualify for 504 plans. Are you saying we should not accommodate disabilities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of anyone talk about their kids' allergies that weren't "very severe." It's like there's no other kind. Their kids are always "very severe" and airborne is always a concern.

Statistically, it's impossible.

Our allergist told us that there is no such thing as a mild peanut or tree nut allergy and that they are all considered severe since it is unpredictable whether a reaction will be mild or fatal based on testing or previous reactions. As for airborne reactions that is more rare and most nut allergic kids do not have a problem with airborne per research studies on the matter. However, with young kids the bigger concern is nut residue smeared all over the place which is why nut free classrooms are a good idea. The other big concern is inadvertent ingestion of the allergen which can happen even with super diligent instructions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of anyone talk about their kids' allergies that weren't "very severe." It's like there's no other kind. Their kids are always "very severe" and airborne is always a concern.

Statistically, it's impossible.

My child will throw up like a fountain 5 seconds after he ingests a peanut morsel. That's called a mild to moderate peanut allergy. No epi-pen.

What some PPs are missing is that some of these children are NOT RELIABLE when it comes to putting food in their mouths. My 9 year old son has ADD, and while he is usually careful, there is a non-negligible chance that one day he will accept something with peanuts and throw up. It has happened before. Imagine if he had a lethal reaction! I can totally understand a parent's anxiety in that situation, and if OP's child is in that category I sympathize with her frustration.

Allergies are terrible things - we should focus on energies on research into its causes and treatments, instead of blaming the victim or downplaying parents' fears.

You have been misinformed. There is no such thing as a mild or moderate nut allergy. Seek out an pediatric allergist or a second allergist if you already have. Vomiting is an indication for epi-pen whereas mild nausea alone is not. Does your child exhibit any other symptoms such as tightness in the throat or chest, itchiness, hives. swelling of the tongue or mouth area?

http://www.foodallergy.org/allergens/peanut-allergy

http://www.foodallergy.org/document.doc?id=234

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to south America 3 years ago and I have yet to find a kid that is allergic to peanuts... I have 3 kids in school and this issue does not exist here

So what are you saying? That peanut and tree nut allergies do not exist?

They don't exist here, that's for sure

[Anonymous]

Why is anyone even considering mocking these children and asking how they will cope in the "real world". This is their real world and for some, it can be quite dangerous.

[Anonymous]

Dear OP,
I think I remember reading recently in the WP or NY Times that studies are now showing it is possible to work with an allergist to reduce the severity of (or cure) a peanut allergy through controlled, minute exposures. Perhaps you could look into whether this type of treatment could improve your DC's quality of life, since the odds are that peanuts will end up in the same room as your DC again.
Sincerely,
Wishing DCUM Had Fewer Trolls

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I moved to south America 3 years ago and I have yet to find a kid that is allergic to peanuts... I have 3 kids in school and this issue does not exist here

So what are you saying? That peanut and tree nut allergies do not exist?

They don't exist here, that's for sure

Maybe because their kids get exposed to peanuts and tree nuts earlier.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe1500186