Peanut Butter Rules

[Anonymous]

My son has a lethal allergy to many nuts, including peanuts. We carry his Epipen everywhere.

I would not bring any nuts anywhere.

[Anonymous]

My kid is severely allergic to tree nuts, as are several kids in his preschool, yet the school only insists that foods brought in be "peanut safe", and they even served banana nut muffins and a muffins for moms event. I guess peanuts are the most common target for allergy panic, and putting actions in place against them creates a sense of security.

As for me, I don't avoid bringing allergens to public places. I would not eat peanut butter on an airplane, but I'd bring sandwiches to a picnic. When your child has an allergy, you use common sense in monitoring what they eat and what they have contact with, but it's beyond your control in public places so you carry benedryl and an epi pen. Even with my child's history of severe reactions, I don't expect the public at large to accommodate.

[Anonymous]

I am a nanny and I have never heard of this as a no no. I understand that this can be a death and life situation, but anyone can take whatever food they eat to the park. If this makes you uncomfortable then don’t be friends with her.

[Anonymous]

I feel like not eating peanut butter in public should become thought of as a social norm instead of an accommodation. If this is lethal why take the risk. That’s insane. I feel like it should come with an FDA warning label.

[Anonymous]

OP, it is only a problem if *your* child is allergic to peanuts and she knew this and still brought peanut butter sandwiches to a picnic with you (and worse, declined to put them away!)

But it doesn't sound like that's the case. Assuming it's not, then it's 100% fine to bring a peanut butter sandwich to the park. I assure you that kids do it everyday (and they also bring granola bars with nuts, trail mix, milk, tofu, and all other sorts of allergens).

We skipped peanut butter in the mornings the year my older child had a good friend in his class who had a severe allergy because there was a decent likelihood of contact. I didn't worry about it any of the other years. I would certainly not worry about it at a park unless I was going on a picnic with someone who had an allergy (and I do ask if I'm eating lunch with people I don't know well enough to know about allergies).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a peanut allergic child and yes, I think it's ok to bring a PBJ sandwich to a park.

Just follow some commen sense and it's all fine.

As the parent of a child with the allergy, I do not suffer any illusions that everyone else in the world is thinking about this and using every possible precaution. That is just delusional and also, not fair. That's why my kid has an epi-pen. On the slim chance that an exposure like this would cause a problem, I have a way to deal with it.

+1

I don't appreciate when parents don't wipe their kids hands before letting them roam around, but that just seems like basic courtesy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is severely allergic to tree nuts, as are several kids in his preschool, yet the school only insists that foods brought in be "peanut safe", and they even served banana nut muffins and a muffins for moms event. I guess peanuts are the most common target for allergy panic, and putting actions in place against them creates a sense of security.

As for me, I don't avoid bringing allergens to public places. I would not eat peanut butter on an airplane, but I'd bring sandwiches to a picnic. When your child has an allergy, you use common sense in monitoring what they eat and what they have contact with, but it's beyond your control in public places so you carry benedryl and an epi pen. Even with my child's history of severe reactions, I don't expect the public at large to accommodate.

Milk free, gluten free, egg free bread on your sandwiches, right? Because not all kids with allergies need to be removed from peanuts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is severely allergic to tree nuts, as are several kids in his preschool, yet the school only insists that foods brought in be "peanut safe", and they even served banana nut muffins and a muffins for moms event. I guess peanuts are the most common target for allergy panic, and putting actions in place against them creates a sense of security.

As for me, I don't avoid bringing allergens to public places. I would not eat peanut butter on an airplane, but I'd bring sandwiches to a picnic. When your child has an allergy, you use common sense in monitoring what they eat and what they have contact with, but it's beyond your control in public places so you carry benedryl and an epi pen. Even with my child's history of severe reactions, I don't expect the public at large to accommodate.

Milk free, gluten free, egg free bread on your sandwiches, right? Because not all kids with allergies need to be removed from peanuts?

My kids don’t eat sanchiches. They get complex carbohydrates elsewhere

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is severely allergic to tree nuts, as are several kids in his preschool, yet the school only insists that foods brought in be "peanut safe", and they even served banana nut muffins and a muffins for moms event. I guess peanuts are the most common target for allergy panic, and putting actions in place against them creates a sense of security.

As for me, I don't avoid bringing allergens to public places. I would not eat peanut butter on an airplane, but I'd bring sandwiches to a picnic. When your child has an allergy, you use common sense in monitoring what they eat and what they have contact with, but it's beyond your control in public places so you carry benedryl and an epi pen. Even with my child's history of severe reactions, I don't expect the public at large to accommodate.

Milk free, gluten free, egg free bread on your sandwiches, right? Because not all kids with allergies need to be removed from peanuts?

My kids don’t eat sanchiches. They get complex carbohydrates elsewhere

Then you’re not pp, but way to go on being a dietary guru!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid is severely allergic to tree nuts, as are several kids in his preschool, yet the school only insists that foods brought in be "peanut safe", and they even served banana nut muffins and a muffins for moms event. I guess peanuts are the most common target for allergy panic, and putting actions in place against them creates a sense of security.

As for me, I don't avoid bringing allergens to public places. I would not eat peanut butter on an airplane, but I'd bring sandwiches to a picnic. When your child has an allergy, you use common sense in monitoring what they eat and what they have contact with, but it's beyond your control in public places so you carry benedryl and an epi pen. Even with my child's history of severe reactions, I don't expect the public at large to accommodate.

Milk free, gluten free, egg free bread on your sandwiches, right? Because not all kids with allergies need to be removed from peanuts?

Huh?

[Anonymous]

Our ES had a Peanut Zone where your kid could eat lunch if he/she brought a BP&J sandwich. I never saw any of those kids washing their hands after lunch before joining their peanut allergy classmates.

[Anonymous]

Definitely not a social norm where I live (Chicago). PB&J sandwiches are sold in the zoo cafeteria, for example, and peanut butter is everywhere.

I would be cautious if my kid was WITH a kid with a peanut allergy (and by cautious I mean I wouldn't have peanut butter around), and I make sure my 3 year old doesn't smear his grubby peanut butter hands on playground equipment, etc. But we'd eat a peanut butter sandwich in the park, no question.

[Anonymous]

Your friend did the innocuous thing of bringing peanut butter sandwiches to a park. You would end a friendship over This? I’m so confused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP back: the other thread had people saying that they don’t allow their kids to eat PB in the morning before daycare since it could transfer from clothes or hands. There was no hand wiping going on here and 3 year olds aren’t dainty eaters. Would you bring an extra shirt if they got dirty with it to ensure you didn’t cross contaminate? Unlike pine nuts or gluten, a kid can become dangerously sick though simple contact.

OP, I'm one of the posters on the other thread that washing hands and change shirts. I do that because (1) sticky hands are gross; (2) my kid is friends with that kid and 2 y/o's tend to play physically. I don't know the severity of the allergies, but it's a specific situation that I'm changing our behavior to accommodate. I do bring peanut butter to the playground, but would wipe hands, faces, etc. before playing out of common courtesy and to help minimize cross contamination.

It's a reasonable question, OP. I've thought about it too. But most allergy parents say they wouldn't expect everyone else to change their behavior, so I use that as a guide. If playgrounds become nut free zones, then I'll happily oblige.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg, you people are insane.

This. OP, please phase out the friendship. The other mother has no need for a "friend" like you.

+1. OP you are off the deep end. Just like the dandelion poster and EMF poster. And FWIW our Montessori center allows peanut butter except in specific classrooms where there is a child with a known such allergy.