Please don’t let your children eat common allergens while playing on public playground equipment

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid has so many allergies that I can't even try to control what people do. It makes no sense. My husband and I have zero allergies. We grew up abroad where people do not have allergies. We definitely do not "over-sterilize" anything. I never use disinfectant wipes or any strong detergent. My kids have always played outside. One proven contributor is the use of antibiotics in utero or in infancy. I would think wealthy Americans use go to the doctor more frequently and use more antibiotics and other prescription drugs than poorer Americans or people in less developed countries. I did have to use lots of antibiotics when I was pregnant with my and she has 30+ anaphylactic allergies. I wouldn't be surprised if the use of tylenol and ibuprofen was also a factor.

Antibiotics kill off gut bacteria, and there are specific strains of bacteria associated with food allergies. Some day this will be common knowledge, and food allergies will be treated by reestablishing healthy gut flora. In the meantime, people would do well to research on their own and try to repopulate the gut with the particular strains that are needed.

Edited to add: Look up: Lactobacillus rhamnosus and the research that is being done with peanut allergies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my kids were playground age I never let them have nut butters on a playground. It just seems a common courtesy. They can have it at home plenty; they don't "need" it for a snack outside. I'm sorry your kid has such severe allergies, it must be terrifying

Why stop at ON the playground? If the nut allergy is so deadly that whatever is eaten at home can find it's way to the park, then OP really needs a complete ban on these foods. Because the magical thinking that the park equipment is clean as long as nobody is currently eating peanut products while ON the equipment is bizarre and nonsensical and sounds dangerous to kids like OPs child. Why risk the park at all?

This is so moronic. I don't get why you PPs are so triggered. Someone's kid could die. She's asking for courtesy and awareness. You lose your mind bc someone asked you to be considerate. You create an outlandish hypothetical about banning peanuts. Other PPs bemoan the loss of FREEDOM. It's a MF nut. It's not the end all be all. No one is asking for a ban, just awareness of the other kids who could die from it.

Though given how hard it was to get folks to mask during COVID when millions died, I understand that asking for courtesy for children with allergies is next to impossible

I'm just in constant awe and what total self absorbed jerks Americans are. We're really freaking terrible to each other.

Says the people gambling with their kids life to go to a park.

children with allergies deserve to go outdoors and try to lead a healthy, active life. The fact that they bother you so much that you want them removed from society says so much about you.

You are not a good person. I mean, who is that awful to small children??

You're either massively overstating the risk of death to your kid or you're an unserious parent who doesn't take the allergy seriously. Pick one. Because continuing to take the chance makes you a pretty shitty parent.

My child has a life-threatening egg allergy, and egg is in TONS of things you’d never expect. Should I just never allow her to venture outside our front door? We carry safe food, wet wipes, Zyrtec, and her EpiPens EVERYWHERE, at all times. According to this thread, either I’m a bad parent for keeping her in a bubble and making her develop allergies, or I’m a bad parent for taking her out of the house, or I’m a bad parent who overstates the seriousness of reactions (2 ER trips, a referral to a pediatric allergist, multiple rounds of testing and food challenges, and associated bills seem to refute that but whatever).
One in 9 children have a food allergy. What may be a “mild” allergy can turn anaphylactic upon another exposure. People tend to view peanut allergy as the most severe (clearly OP is one of those) but, actually, dairy has resulted in more deaths from anaphylaxis in recent years.

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to add that OP should be able to find a peanut and nut tree school. At least one DCPS elementary school is and I assume it's not the only one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my kids were playground age I never let them have nut butters on a playground. It just seems a common courtesy. They can have it at home plenty; they don't "need" it for a snack outside. I'm sorry your kid has such severe allergies, it must be terrifying

Why stop at ON the playground? If the nut allergy is so deadly that whatever is eaten at home can find it's way to the park, then OP really needs a complete ban on these foods. Because the magical thinking that the park equipment is clean as long as nobody is currently eating peanut products while ON the equipment is bizarre and nonsensical and sounds dangerous to kids like OPs child. Why risk the park at all?

This is so moronic. I don't get why you PPs are so triggered. Someone's kid could die. She's asking for courtesy and awareness. You lose your mind bc someone asked you to be considerate. You create an outlandish hypothetical about banning peanuts. Other PPs bemoan the loss of FREEDOM. It's a MF nut. It's not the end all be all. No one is asking for a ban, just awareness of the other kids who could die from it.

Though given how hard it was to get folks to mask during COVID when millions died, I understand that asking for courtesy for children with allergies is next to impossible

I'm just in constant awe and what total self absorbed jerks Americans are. We're really freaking terrible to each other.

Says the people gambling with their kids life to go to a park.

children with allergies deserve to go outdoors and try to lead a healthy, active life. The fact that they bother you so much that you want them removed from society says so much about you.

You are not a good person. I mean, who is that awful to small children??

You're either massively overstating the risk of death to your kid or you're an unserious parent who doesn't take the allergy seriously. Pick one. Because continuing to take the chance makes you a pretty shitty parent.

My child has a life-threatening egg allergy, and egg is in TONS of things you’d never expect. Should I just never allow her to venture outside our front door? We carry safe food, wet wipes, Zyrtec, and her EpiPens EVERYWHERE, at all times. According to this thread, either I’m a bad parent for keeping her in a bubble and making her develop allergies, or I’m a bad parent for taking her out of the house, or I’m a bad parent who overstates the seriousness of reactions (2 ER trips, a referral to a pediatric allergist, multiple rounds of testing and food challenges, and associated bills seem to refute that but whatever).
One in 9 children have a food allergy. What may be a “mild” allergy can turn anaphylactic upon another exposure. People tend to view peanut allergy as the most severe (clearly OP is one of those) but, actually, dairy has resulted in more deaths from anaphylaxis in recent years.

I get all that. But are you asking, as OP Is asking, that other parents refrain from giving their kids food with egg in it (something you know better than anyone is incredibly hard) in public places, and expect people to decontaminate their kids to a safe level for interaction with your kid, on the off chance that their kid interacts with your kid, or uses the same playground equipment.

I don't think OP Is overstating the allergy. I am confused as to why, if your child had an allergy like this, you'd think a viable path to safety would be exception all other parents to take an extreme level of caution with an allergen that doesn't impact their kid.

It's just not realistic and won't happen. The answer is to do what you are doing. It sucks, but it's really the only way. You will never be able to trust other people to make the world safe for your kid.

[Anonymous]

OOPS. Meant peanut and tree nut FREE school.

[Anonymous]

I am a very careful parent and would never send nut or other allergic foods (my kid has some) to school or another public place but at some point, you are being unreasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here, and I have not read much of the thread. But as the parent of a kid in kindergarten, this is something I've thought a lot about.

I understand OP's request and why she would make it. If my child had a serious allergy, I'd of course worry about this too, and do whatever I could to protect my kid. That's what good parents do. I get it, I really do.

But here is the problem. I have a kid with ARFID who relies on nut butters and nuts to get enough protein. I expend a ton of energy worrying about my kid's diet. And what you are asking me to do is worry that some of the very few foods my kids will eat might leave a residue on her fingers that could be transferred to a piece of playground equipment and then harm your child.

I'm sorry, that's too much. It's too much! I have to worry about my own kid. Is the risk from a peanut residue actually that dangerous to your kid? If so, I think that like me, you need to take the responsibility for your child's unique situation on yourself -- wipe down equipment if you are concerned, have your kid wear gloves, even be ready to let other families at the playground know the situation so that they can make reasonable choices in the moment.

But to ask me to simply refrain from allowing my kid to eat one of a very small number of foods she will eat at the playground, especially when these foods are already not allowed at her school, is too much. I can't. I'd like to help you, but I can't. Just like you can't help me.

Good luck to you.

NP. Of course you child should eat what she needs to eat.

And then, if you're on or going to a playground, you can wash or wipe down her hands.

There! Your child gets the nutrition she needs and does not spread substances that potentially can make someone else's child ill. But nowhere in your otherwise supposedly reasonable post did you ever mention YOUR "taking the responsibility for your child's unique situation on YOURself" by wiping her hands.

You do realize, PP, it is easier for a parent to wipe or wash ONE child's two little hands than for the OP to have to go all over a playground wiping down every rung on every ladder, every slide, every pole--? Oh, you cannot take a few moments to wipe your child's hands but OP should "wipe down equipment if you are concerned," as if that is an effort equivalent to your just wiping your kid's hands. I'm betting you'll come back to huff and puff and say of course you wash or wipe your kid's hands. Eh, if you do, why bother to post at length about how this is really all on OP, then?

There have been nasty knee-jerk name-calling posts on here by trollish little creeps. Yet somehow your rational, reasonable, "I've got a kid with seriousl issues too, it's so hard!" post is even worse to me. You do not possess the empathy you might think you do, PP.

PP here. Of course my kid washes or sanitizes her hands at the playground after eating. And just in general. Of course we do this. But that is actually not what OP is asking.

She is asking me to be vigilant about it, as though to assume that any child at the playground could have a severe allergy that could kill them if my child's food somehow got onto playground equipment. She is asking me to avoid bringing these foods to the playground at all, or if I do, to be very careful about only consuming them away from the equipment and then making sure that my child has no residue on her hands before playing. She is asking for a level of care and vigilance that I am simply not capable.

I sometimes forget to have my kid use a wipe or sanitizer after she eats. Usually I remember, sometimes I don't. Kids are all over the place. In many cases, I've just spent the previous 15-20 minutes going through a routine we learned from our OT for her ARFID that is supposed to help her relax around foods and try a new food or an old food in a new way. I am expending a lot of my focus on that and sometimes I might forget to get the sanitizer or hand her a wipe.

Also, she's 6, so she wipes her hands at varying levels of competence. Sometimes I supervise and will note that she didn't get it all, but I miss things. I am an imperfect person with my hands full. And my own child does not have a nut allergy, she has a different but seriously difficult issue with eating and I am focused on dealing with that. Also, maybe something gets on her clothes an I miss that. I miss things, I am flawed, I am at the playground not in an operating theater.

If another parent approached me at the playground and said "Hi, my son has a serious peanut allergy and I would love if you could make sure to eat any tree nuts in another part of the play area and also to make sure your child washes her hands thoroughly before getting on the equipment?" I'd say "oh, of course, happy to" and then I would be extra vigilant that day and make sure my DD knows that we need to be careful around this kid because of the allergy. The same way I never send anything with peanuts to school because of allergies there.

But I cannot be that vigilant all the time. It's too hard and I have too much other stuff on my plate. I'm sorry. I really am.

That sounds difficult, but she won't DIE if she doesn't have peanut butter at the park. Sorry...she just won't. It's not a fair comparison at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my kids were playground age I never let them have nut butters on a playground. It just seems a common courtesy. They can have it at home plenty; they don't "need" it for a snack outside. I'm sorry your kid has such severe allergies, it must be terrifying

Why stop at ON the playground? If the nut allergy is so deadly that whatever is eaten at home can find it's way to the park, then OP really needs a complete ban on these foods. Because the magical thinking that the park equipment is clean as long as nobody is currently eating peanut products while ON the equipment is bizarre and nonsensical and sounds dangerous to kids like OPs child. Why risk the park at all?

This is so moronic. I don't get why you PPs are so triggered. Someone's kid could die. She's asking for courtesy and awareness. You lose your mind bc someone asked you to be considerate. You create an outlandish hypothetical about banning peanuts. Other PPs bemoan the loss of FREEDOM. It's a MF nut. It's not the end all be all. No one is asking for a ban, just awareness of the other kids who could die from it.

Though given how hard it was to get folks to mask during COVID when millions died, I understand that asking for courtesy for children with allergies is next to impossible

I'm just in constant awe and what total self absorbed jerks Americans are. We're really freaking terrible to each other.

Says the people gambling with their kids life to go to a park.

children with allergies deserve to go outdoors and try to lead a healthy, active life. The fact that they bother you so much that you want them removed from society says so much about you.

You are not a good person. I mean, who is that awful to small children??

You're either massively overstating the risk of death to your kid or you're an unserious parent who doesn't take the allergy seriously. Pick one. Because continuing to take the chance makes you a pretty shitty parent.

My child has a life-threatening egg allergy, and egg is in TONS of things you’d never expect. Should I just never allow her to venture outside our front door? We carry safe food, wet wipes, Zyrtec, and her EpiPens EVERYWHERE, at all times. According to this thread, either I’m a bad parent for keeping her in a bubble and making her develop allergies, or I’m a bad parent for taking her out of the house, or I’m a bad parent who overstates the seriousness of reactions (2 ER trips, a referral to a pediatric allergist, multiple rounds of testing and food challenges, and associated bills seem to refute that but whatever).
One in 9 children have a food allergy. What may be a “mild” allergy can turn anaphylactic upon another exposure. People tend to view peanut allergy as the most severe (clearly OP is one of those) but, actually, dairy has resulted in more deaths from anaphylaxis in recent years.

It's the choice you have to make but if you have a dozen allergies you cannot expect everyone to know and never eat or touch those foods. My kid had an allergy. It wa my responsibility, not others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here, and I have not read much of the thread. But as the parent of a kid in kindergarten, this is something I've thought a lot about.

I understand OP's request and why she would make it. If my child had a serious allergy, I'd of course worry about this too, and do whatever I could to protect my kid. That's what good parents do. I get it, I really do.

But here is the problem. I have a kid with ARFID who relies on nut butters and nuts to get enough protein. I expend a ton of energy worrying about my kid's diet. And what you are asking me to do is worry that some of the very few foods my kids will eat might leave a residue on her fingers that could be transferred to a piece of playground equipment and then harm your child.

I'm sorry, that's too much. It's too much! I have to worry about my own kid. Is the risk from a peanut residue actually that dangerous to your kid? If so, I think that like me, you need to take the responsibility for your child's unique situation on yourself -- wipe down equipment if you are concerned, have your kid wear gloves, even be ready to let other families at the playground know the situation so that they can make reasonable choices in the moment.

But to ask me to simply refrain from allowing my kid to eat one of a very small number of foods she will eat at the playground, especially when these foods are already not allowed at her school, is too much. I can't. I'd like to help you, but I can't. Just like you can't help me.

Good luck to you.

NP. Of course you child should eat what she needs to eat.

And then, if you're on or going to a playground, you can wash or wipe down her hands.

There! Your child gets the nutrition she needs and does not spread substances that potentially can make someone else's child ill. But nowhere in your otherwise supposedly reasonable post did you ever mention YOUR "taking the responsibility for your child's unique situation on YOURself" by wiping her hands.

You do realize, PP, it is easier for a parent to wipe or wash ONE child's two little hands than for the OP to have to go all over a playground wiping down every rung on every ladder, every slide, every pole--? Oh, you cannot take a few moments to wipe your child's hands but OP should "wipe down equipment if you are concerned," as if that is an effort equivalent to your just wiping your kid's hands. I'm betting you'll come back to huff and puff and say of course you wash or wipe your kid's hands. Eh, if you do, why bother to post at length about how this is really all on OP, then?

There have been nasty knee-jerk name-calling posts on here by trollish little creeps. Yet somehow your rational, reasonable, "I've got a kid with seriousl issues too, it's so hard!" post is even worse to me. You do not possess the empathy you might think you do, PP.

PP here. Of course my kid washes or sanitizes her hands at the playground after eating. And just in general. Of course we do this. But that is actually not what OP is asking.

She is asking me to be vigilant about it, as though to assume that any child at the playground could have a severe allergy that could kill them if my child's food somehow got onto playground equipment. She is asking me to avoid bringing these foods to the playground at all, or if I do, to be very careful about only consuming them away from the equipment and then making sure that my child has no residue on her hands before playing. She is asking for a level of care and vigilance that I am simply not capable.

I sometimes forget to have my kid use a wipe or sanitizer after she eats. Usually I remember, sometimes I don't. Kids are all over the place. In many cases, I've just spent the previous 15-20 minutes going through a routine we learned from our OT for her ARFID that is supposed to help her relax around foods and try a new food or an old food in a new way. I am expending a lot of my focus on that and sometimes I might forget to get the sanitizer or hand her a wipe.

Also, she's 6, so she wipes her hands at varying levels of competence. Sometimes I supervise and will note that she didn't get it all, but I miss things. I am an imperfect person with my hands full. And my own child does not have a nut allergy, she has a different but seriously difficult issue with eating and I am focused on dealing with that. Also, maybe something gets on her clothes an I miss that. I miss things, I am flawed, I am at the playground not in an operating theater.

If another parent approached me at the playground and said "Hi, my son has a serious peanut allergy and I would love if you could make sure to eat any tree nuts in another part of the play area and also to make sure your child washes her hands thoroughly before getting on the equipment?" I'd say "oh, of course, happy to" and then I would be extra vigilant that day and make sure my DD knows that we need to be careful around this kid because of the allergy. The same way I never send anything with peanuts to school because of allergies there.

But I cannot be that vigilant all the time. It's too hard and I have too much other stuff on my plate. I'm sorry. I really am.

That sounds difficult, but she won't DIE if she doesn't have peanut butter at the park. Sorry...she just won't. It's not a fair comparison at all.

It's not a comparison. It's an explanation as to why other parents may simply not have the bandwidth and focus to think about how their choices around feeding their kids will impact your kid in a place like a playground or public park. No one is saying "my kid's access to peanut butter trumps your kid's life." No one.

You have to set achievable goals and when you make requests of other people, you need them to be realistic. What OP is asking is not realistic.

The thing is, even if I could assure you right now that I would never bring an allergen to the playground and that I would ensure that my child's hands were totally cleaned of allergens before getting on playground equipment, it wouldn't help you. Because sometimes my DH takes my kid to the playground. My DH is a lovely person who is often forgetful and oblivious. He also struggles even more than I do with our kid's eating issues. My DH is absolutely the kind of parent who would let our kid wander around a playground with a container of Bombas, and it would not even occur to him that this was a problem. Even if I told him explicitly "hey those are an allergen, please don't take them to the park." He'd forget.

Same with my mom, who sometimes takes DD to the park. Sitters we've hired in the past.

Like even if I decided "ok, I'm going to make protection of kids with allergies a high priority and do everything I can to keep them safe," I'd only be able to help you about half the time my kid is at the park. And the truth is that while I might be better about this stuff than my DH, mom, or our sitters (I do manage to keep all traces of nuts out of my kid's lunches and snacks), I'm still not 100% and I"m going to slip up some time because I just have too much on my mind and since my kid doesn't have this allergy, I will not be able to remember this every second of every day.

There's pretty much always about a 20% likelihood my child, who eats nut-based foods about 5x a day, will have nut residue somewhere on her body or clothes at any given time, and the only way I know who to bring that number down to zero while still feeding my kid is to make it my full time job, and I already have one of those.

I'm sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a death sentence for my NK. There is already so much she has to miss out on in life due to a severe anaphylactic allergy to peanuts.

I’m not saying your kid can’t go to the park and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a picnic. Wash their hands, etc. But having your kid run around on the equipment with a bag of Bamba’s leaving peanut oil residue on every surface means we can no longer play.

And I do understand we live in a “I, me and mine” society where it’s ok if not encouraged to get yours and do what you want because how your actions effect others isn’t your problem. I understand. I’m sad, that’s not how I’m raising my kids but I get that’s a key American value especially in dog eat dog D.C. but can we just try to have a little concern for others?

You’re the one who doesn’t care that some kids are severely sensitive eaters and that peanut foods might be all they’ll eat.

Nope, you don't get to act like you care about "severely sensitive eaters". I have a child with ARFID and know several families with children with ARFID. It's an incredibly, kind, supportive community that is very sensitive to food allergies because it's entirely possible to have ARFID and food allergies.

Also, as this thread exemplifies, parents of kids without disabilities can be such selfish idiots. In my experience, parents of kids with disabilities can be much more open minded and caring about the challenges others are facing.

So much ugliness in this thread. What ugly hearts some of you have.

+1. Some of the ugliest collection of parents that I've ever seen.

+2 I'm a parent of 4, none of which have food allergies, and they all LOVE peanut butter. But I have so much empathy for a parent that has to live with this fear that I would gladly give up my children having peanut butter. And although I know there are other disabilities or illnesses that are severe, I can't imagine having one like this where you never know what your child will touch that will induce a reaction. So I would also feel like I would want to ask that others help me. But seeing these responses only reinforces the fact that she cannot ever depend on others to help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a death sentence for my NK. There is already so much she has to miss out on in life due to a severe anaphylactic allergy to peanuts.

I’m not saying your kid can’t go to the park and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a picnic. Wash their hands, etc. But having your kid run around on the equipment with a bag of Bamba’s leaving peanut oil residue on every surface means we can no longer play.

And I do understand we live in a “I, me and mine” society where it’s ok if not encouraged to get yours and do what you want because how your actions effect others isn’t your problem. I understand. I’m sad, that’s not how I’m raising my kids but I get that’s a key American value especially in dog eat dog D.C. but can we just try to have a little concern for others?

You’re the one who doesn’t care that some kids are severely sensitive eaters and that peanut foods might be all they’ll eat.

Nope, you don't get to act like you care about "severely sensitive eaters". I have a child with ARFID and know several families with children with ARFID. It's an incredibly, kind, supportive community that is very sensitive to food allergies because it's entirely possible to have ARFID and food allergies.

Also, as this thread exemplifies, parents of kids without disabilities can be such selfish idiots. In my experience, parents of kids with disabilities can be much more open minded and caring about the challenges others are facing.

So much ugliness in this thread. What ugly hearts some of you have.

+1. Some of the ugliest collection of parents that I've ever seen.

+2 I'm a parent of 4, none of which have food allergies, and they all LOVE peanut butter. But I have so much empathy for a parent that has to live with this fear that I would gladly give up my children having peanut butter. And although I know there are other disabilities or illnesses that are severe, I can't imagine having one like this where you never know what your child will touch that will induce a reaction. So I would also feel like I would want to ask that others help me. But seeing these responses only reinforces the fact that she cannot ever depend on others to help.

Of course you can’t trust other people. That’s what we’re saying here. Even if everyone replying said they would never eat a common allergen again, would that make you feel safer? Because it shouldn’t. You will be lured into a false sense of security and that won’t help these kids. People are only being realistic, not mean.

[Anonymous]

OP reminds me of a parent whose child had a peanut allergy in my child's kindergarten class. She insisted on every kid constantly washing hands, she would check lunches, wipe down tables, and constantly talk about how allergic her child was. She would quiz kids and families every morning about what they ate for breakfast. I was sympathetic as a parent of a child with a peanut/tree nut allergy until I found out that over spring break the family flew to Orlando and they went to a bunch of amusement parks. I saw pictures of the child on various rides and activities. If you are that allergic no way can you safely go to Disneyworld and ride most of the rides, hug characters, etc.

OP look into an allergist who will do Oral Immunotherapy or look into a clinical trial. My 14 year old just completed an OIT clinical study and can now eat peanuts and treenuts.

It isn't realistic that you expect everyone else to change what they are doing and eating for your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When my kids were playground age I never let them have nut butters on a playground. It just seems a common courtesy. They can have it at home plenty; they don't "need" it for a snack outside. I'm sorry your kid has such severe allergies, it must be terrifying

Why stop at ON the playground? If the nut allergy is so deadly that whatever is eaten at home can find it's way to the park, then OP really needs a complete ban on these foods. Because the magical thinking that the park equipment is clean as long as nobody is currently eating peanut products while ON the equipment is bizarre and nonsensical and sounds dangerous to kids like OPs child. Why risk the park at all?

This is so moronic. I don't get why you PPs are so triggered. Someone's kid could die. She's asking for courtesy and awareness. You lose your mind bc someone asked you to be considerate. You create an outlandish hypothetical about banning peanuts. Other PPs bemoan the loss of FREEDOM. It's a MF nut. It's not the end all be all. No one is asking for a ban, just awareness of the other kids who could die from it.

Though given how hard it was to get folks to mask during COVID when millions died, I understand that asking for courtesy for children with allergies is next to impossible

I'm just in constant awe and what total self absorbed jerks Americans are. We're really freaking terrible to each other.

Says the people gambling with their kids life to go to a park.

children with allergies deserve to go outdoors and try to lead a healthy, active life. The fact that they bother you so much that you want them removed from society says so much about you.

You are not a good person. I mean, who is that awful to small children??

You're either massively overstating the risk of death to your kid or you're an unserious parent who doesn't take the allergy seriously. Pick one. Because continuing to take the chance makes you a pretty shitty parent.

My child has a life-threatening egg allergy, and egg is in TONS of things you’d never expect. Should I just never allow her to venture outside our front door? We carry safe food, wet wipes, Zyrtec, and her EpiPens EVERYWHERE, at all times. According to this thread, either I’m a bad parent for keeping her in a bubble and making her develop allergies, or I’m a bad parent for taking her out of the house, or I’m a bad parent who overstates the seriousness of reactions (2 ER trips, a referral to a pediatric allergist, multiple rounds of testing and food challenges, and associated bills seem to refute that but whatever).
One in 9 children have a food allergy. What may be a “mild” allergy can turn anaphylactic upon another exposure. People tend to view peanut allergy as the most severe (clearly OP is one of those) but, actually, dairy has resulted in more deaths from anaphylaxis in recent years.

I get all that. But are you asking, as OP Is asking, that other parents refrain from giving their kids food with egg in it (something you know better than anyone is incredibly hard) in public places, and expect people to decontaminate their kids to a safe level for interaction with your kid, on the off chance that their kid interacts with your kid, or uses the same playground equipment.

I don't think OP Is overstating the allergy. I am confused as to why, if your child had an allergy like this, you'd think a viable path to safety would be exception all other parents to take an extreme level of caution with an allergen that doesn't impact their kid.

It's just not realistic and won't happen. The answer is to do what you are doing. It sucks, but it's really the only way. You will never be able to trust other people to make the world safe for your kid.

No, we are well aware that we cannot sanitize the world of egg. Nor can we trap her in a bubble until someone invents a cure. We take many, many precautions, but I get where the OP is coming from…the objection is to children running around a playground actively eating food on the equipment, versus sitting at a picnic table or something. I mean, I never let my older DD do that, even before younger DD was diagnosed…mainly because I didn’t want her to choke, but also because the idea of her dropping crumbs everywhere seemed rude to me.
But I am absolutely appalled at the blame game on this thread. Multiple posters implying that food allergies are the fault of the parents, or they’re made up, or we are being dramatic, whatever. My DD reacted violently to her first bite of scrambled egg, and she nearly died…likely would have, if we didn’t live just 3 miles from a hospital. Looking back on it, she had severe eczema from the time she was a newborn and that was likely her reacting to egg via my breastmilk (I ate eggs daily while pregnant and nursing…huge craving for them then, oddly enough). I didn’t take antibiotics while pregnant. I started early introductions of allergens because of my own history of peanut and tree nut allergies. I don’t have a sterile house. Yet, apparently, somehow it is my fault. I am anaphylactic to peanuts now, and I ate peanut butter on a near daily basis throughout childhood. But I guess my parents must have done something to cause it, right? The amount of vitriol being spewed on this thread is just disgusting.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I agree. I have one child with anaphylactic allergies to peanuts and pistachios, and another without. We are always mindful to eat cleanly in public spaces so as not to pose a threat to others, or my own son.

It’s the plane that’s terrifying. Even with two Epipens. People eating nuts and no way for the plan to land in time.

I thought airplanes stopped passing out peanuts? I haven't received peanuts on an airplane in years.

No. A lot of airlines still pass out peanuts. But even if they don’t, what’s to stop the other passengers or flight crews from eating nut products? I’ve even been on planes where they announce that someone has an allergy and to please not eat nut products. But who knows if everyone on board complies with that?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:When my kids were playground age I never let them have nut butters on a playground. It just seems a common courtesy. They can have it at home plenty; they don't "need" it for a snack outside. I'm sorry your kid has such severe allergies, it must be terrifying

Why stop at ON the playground? If the nut allergy is so deadly that whatever is eaten at home can find it's way to the park, then OP really needs a complete ban on these foods. Because the magical thinking that the park equipment is clean as long as nobody is currently eating peanut products while ON the equipment is bizarre and nonsensical and sounds dangerous to kids like OPs child. Why risk the park at all?

This is so moronic. I don't get why you PPs are so triggered. Someone's kid could die. She's asking for courtesy and awareness. You lose your mind bc someone asked you to be considerate. You create an outlandish hypothetical about banning peanuts. Other PPs bemoan the loss of FREEDOM. It's a MF nut. It's not the end all be all. No one is asking for a ban, just awareness of the other kids who could die from it.

Though given how hard it was to get folks to mask during COVID when millions died, I understand that asking for courtesy for children with allergies is next to impossible

I'm just in constant awe and what total self absorbed jerks Americans are. We're really freaking terrible to each other.

Says the people gambling with their kids life to go to a park.

children with allergies deserve to go outdoors and try to lead a healthy, active life. The fact that they bother you so much that you want them removed from society says so much about you.

You are not a good person. I mean, who is that awful to small children??

You're either massively overstating the risk of death to your kid or you're an unserious parent who doesn't take the allergy seriously. Pick one. Because continuing to take the chance makes you a pretty shitty parent.

My child has a life-threatening egg allergy, and egg is in TONS of things you’d never expect. Should I just never allow her to venture outside our front door? We carry safe food, wet wipes, Zyrtec, and her EpiPens EVERYWHERE, at all times. According to this thread, either I’m a bad parent for keeping her in a bubble and making her develop allergies, or I’m a bad parent for taking her out of the house, or I’m a bad parent who overstates the seriousness of reactions (2 ER trips, a referral to a pediatric allergist, multiple rounds of testing and food challenges, and associated bills seem to refute that but whatever).
One in 9 children have a food allergy. What may be a “mild” allergy can turn anaphylactic upon another exposure. People tend to view peanut allergy as the most severe (clearly OP is one of those) but, actually, dairy has resulted in more deaths from anaphylaxis in recent years.

I get all that. But are you asking, as OP Is asking, that other parents refrain from giving their kids food with egg in it (something you know better than anyone is incredibly hard) in public places, and expect people to decontaminate their kids to a safe level for interaction with your kid, on the off chance that their kid interacts with your kid, or uses the same playground equipment.

I don't think OP Is overstating the allergy. I am confused as to why, if your child had an allergy like this, you'd think a viable path to safety would be exception all other parents to take an extreme level of caution with an allergen that doesn't impact their kid.

It's just not realistic and won't happen. The answer is to do what you are doing. It sucks, but it's really the only way. You will never be able to trust other people to make the world safe for your kid.

No, we are well aware that we cannot sanitize the world of egg. Nor can we trap her in a bubble until someone invents a cure. We take many, many precautions, but I get where the OP is coming from…the objection is to children running around a playground actively eating food on the equipment, versus sitting at a picnic table or something. I mean, I never let my older DD do that, even before younger DD was diagnosed…mainly because I didn’t want her to choke, but also because the idea of her dropping crumbs everywhere seemed rude to me.
But I am absolutely appalled at the blame game on this thread. Multiple posters implying that food allergies are the fault of the parents, or they’re made up, or we are being dramatic, whatever. My DD reacted violently to her first bite of scrambled egg, and she nearly died…likely would have, if we didn’t live just 3 miles from a hospital. Looking back on it, she had severe eczema from the time she was a newborn and that was likely her reacting to egg via my breastmilk (I ate eggs daily while pregnant and nursing…huge craving for them then, oddly enough). I didn’t take antibiotics while pregnant. I started early introductions of allergens because of my own history of peanut and tree nut allergies. I don’t have a sterile house. Yet, apparently, somehow it is my fault. I am anaphylactic to peanuts now, and I ate peanut butter on a near daily basis throughout childhood. But I guess my parents must have done something to cause it, right? The amount of vitriol being spewed on this thread is just disgusting.

PP here. I agree the posts implying that OP's kid's allergies are her fault or that she's lying about the allergy are awful. But a lot of us are not saying either of those things. We're just saying that while we understand the problem and empathize with OP, unfortunately there is no viable way to ensure everyone is taking the same precautions with allergens that OP, or your family, takes.

I mean, my kid doesn't have allergies and I don't enjoy seeing kids eating all over the playground and spilling things and getting greasy hands all over the equipment. But I also just accept that there are a broad range of parents at any given playground (and sometimes kids sans parents, in my neighborhood at least) and that I have minimal control over how those parents do things. If another kid or parent at a playground is doing something that directly endangers my child, I will intervene, and I would support OP if she was at a playground and asked someone to refrain from bringing allergens on the equipment, or asked people to wash hands -- I'd back her up. But I know that 100% some people will get belligerent and rude, and even the peopel who don't will be back on that playground the next day doing the same thing.

It's just how the world is. I agree with all the suggestions to find less crowded playgrounds and go during off peak hours. I did that with my kid for about a year when she developed anxiety issues that made her afraid to play on equipment when it was crowded. I know that's not the same (her life wasn't in danger, she just would refuse to play and ask to leave). I mention it to just to say that it wasn't too hard to make that adjustment. Perhaps OP could do that wile working with a doctor/nutritionist on exposure to reduce or even eliminate the allergy -- it's actually pretty impressive what they can do with this now, at least for nut allergies. A child in my kid's class at school had a serious peanut allergy last year but this year it's gone, which is great and helps all of us breathe a little easier.