Class 3 Peanut Allergy

[Anonymous]

I was just told my daughter has a class 3 peanut allergy (also shellfish and soybeans). She used to consume peanut butter crackers, although I really don't remember her eating them in awhile, so perhaps she was having a 'reaction' she wasn't telling me about and just stopped eating them.

Anyway, I don't want her to force the classroom and her lunch table to be peanut free (she doesn't start kindergarten until next year). We've talked about her not eating other people's food, or eating something she has never had before or if she doesn't know what's in it. And she is good about asking "What's in that?" even when I'm cooking her food, so I am really not worried about her eating anything she's allergic to. And her allergy is not so severe that if she is just near it or touches a trace amount, she will have a severe and dangerous reaction like other kids do.

Do you think it's crazy to request that? I would obviously tell her teacher, but I'm not sure if there is just a standard rule that a peanut allergy means no peanuts at all. I just would prefer her learn to survive without being in a peanut free bubble, because it's not like for the rest of her life she can just assume people are going to make an allergy free environment for her.

I'm also new to allergies, so I know it's just a moderate allergy, but am not sure if that can turn into a severe one out of the blue. Does anyone have a kid whose allergy just escalated unexpectedly?

[Anonymous]

Every place and school is different. My son is the same, but you need to treat it like any ingestion can cause fatality. Because it could, even after a lifetime of mild reactions.

No place can be truly peanut free. Nobody will take the care you do to avoid them. So you are doing the right thing by making your daughter one line of defense against ingestion. Never share food and always ask an adult if there are nuts in something.


My son can sit next to kids eating peanut butter and I specifically tell teachers that, as well as the fact I want him to get socialization and not be ostracized at an empty table. Not all kids with allergies can sit in such close proximity, so for that is grateful.

Always carry an Epi-pen and have one at the school. Inquire about their policy of taking it on field trips, etc.

Check out FARE for more info. http://www.foodallergy.org/

[Anonymous]

If she is able to be near peanuts without a reaction, it is only necessary to have her sit at a peanut free table if you think she'll have difficulty remembering not to share food.

In terms of treats, the teacher will know that your child has a peanut allergy and therefore will not allow children to bring snacks for the class that contain peanuts (ie, no pb cookies for everyone).

Otherwise, chill. I know it is hard, my boys both have nut allergies and no one in my family had ever had a food allergy before. It gets easer as they get older.

[Anonymous]

Just a question (honest ignorance here): how would you go about "forcing" a school classroom to be peanut free?

I assume the school has a process...but how would you get to dictate the result?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just a question (honest ignorance here): how would you go about "forcing" a school classroom to be peanut free?

I assume the school has a process...but how would you get to dictate the result?

Yes, you are right. That was a completely ignorant question.

[Anonymous]

The classes on peanut allergies are fairly meaningless (Class I, II, III, etc). There is no way to predict the severity of a reaction. Do you have an epipen that goes everywhere with your dd?

As to your question, yes there are plenty of people who have mild reactions, then all of a sudden have a severe, life-threatening reaction. The girl in CA who died recently was one such person. Your dd doesn't have to live in a bubble, but life changes after you find out about a peanut allergy, it has to.

http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-sacramento/parents-of-girl-who-died-of-peanut-allergy-reaction-speak-out/-/12969376/21686610/-/item/0/-/tk9lox/-/index.html

If you need more stories like this, I can provide them for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

In terms of treats, the teacher will know that your child has a peanut allergy and therefore will not allow children to bring snacks for the class that contain peanuts (ie, no pb cookies for everyone).

OP here - I didn't even think about the treat aspect. Thanks!

how would you go about "forcing" a school classroom to be peanut free?

I didn't mean I would force them to be nut free, because I don't want them to. I just don't know if it is a school policy that if there is a child with a nut allergy, that the school forces the classroom to be nut free.

[Anonymous]

For treats, OP, I leave Oreos at the school for my son to have when someone brings in Something that might have nuts or peanuts.

[Anonymous]

Here's what worries me a bit about your effort to be laid-back about this whole thing (which is laudable in the abstract): Class 3 is a pretty serious allergy, and if your DD is only 4, her number is likely to continue to rise dramatically before it falls. You very well could be looking at a Class 4 or 5 after next year's blood draw. So you are looking at a pretty significant risk of a real reaction (regardless of past experience).

And while you can train your kid not to eat other kids' food, and to ask if something has peanuts in it, the truth is that you have to be a bit more pro-active if you want to keep her safe. Having your kid ask an adult if something has peanuts in it is of somewhat limited value, as most adults don't know what your kid's specific restrictions are. (Peanut as ingredient v. "may contain peanuts" v. "made on the same manufacturing line" v. "made in the same facility"). With a Class 3 allergy, you might find an allergist who would advise you to worry about all of the above - although other allergists might not.

Beyond mentioning the issue to her teacher, you need to do the following, at a bare minimum:

1. carry an epipen at all times
2. get an epipen and benadryl for the classroom, along with an allergy action plan approved by your allergist and a form authorizing the school to medicate her if necessary
3. talk to the teacher about the line you want to draw in terms of exposure (what's the process for screening her food at snacktime and lunchtime) and treatment (when to give the pen versus benadryl)
4. talk to your allergist about things like cupcakes for birthdays (which are often at risk for cross-contamination in the bakery). I know this latter point may seem alarmist to you, after several years with no problems, but your kid might get lucky 45 times in a row and then have an anaphylactic reaction on the 46th time.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's what worries me a bit about your effort to be laid-back about this whole thing (which is laudable in the abstract): Class 3 is a pretty serious allergy, and if your DD is only 4, her number is likely to continue to rise dramatically before it falls. You very well could be looking at a Class 4 or 5 after next year's blood draw. So you are looking at a pretty significant risk of a real reaction (regardless of past experience).

And while you can train your kid not to eat other kids' food, and to ask if something has peanuts in it, the truth is that you have to be a bit more pro-active if you want to keep her safe. Having your kid ask an adult if something has peanuts in it is of somewhat limited value, as most adults don't know what your kid's specific restrictions are. (Peanut as ingredient v. "may contain peanuts" v. "made on the same manufacturing line" v. "made in the same facility"). With a Class 3 allergy, you might find an allergist who would advise you to worry about all of the above - although other allergists might not.

Beyond mentioning the issue to her teacher, you need to do the following, at a bare minimum:

1. carry an epipen at all times
2. get an epipen and benadryl for the classroom, along with an allergy action plan approved by your allergist and a form authorizing the school to medicate her if necessary
3. talk to the teacher about the line you want to draw in terms of exposure (what's the process for screening her food at snacktime and lunchtime) and treatment (when to give the pen versus benadryl)
4. talk to your allergist about things like cupcakes for birthdays (which are often at risk for cross-contamination in the bakery). I know this latter point may seem alarmist to you, after several years with no problems, but your kid might get lucky 45 times in a row and then have an anaphylactic reaction on the 46th time.

Good luck.

PP again - I completely agree with the pp who said that the classes are meaningless. I'd give the same advice if your number was low. But if your number is high enough to be called class 3, you don't even have the excuse of saying your numbers are low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a question (honest ignorance here): how would you go about "forcing" a school classroom to be peanut free?

I assume the school has a process...but how would you get to dictate the result?

Yes, you are right. That was a completely ignorant question.

And you are a complete bitch. I don't have allergies. I don't have kids with allergies. I was genuinely curious about the process. Something the OP seems to have understood, given her response. So F #}} off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a question (honest ignorance here): how would you go about "forcing" a school classroom to be peanut free?

I assume the school has a process...but how would you get to dictate the result?

Yes, you are right. That was a completely ignorant question.

And you are a complete bitch. I don't have allergies. I don't have kids with allergies. I was genuinely curious about the process. Something the OP seems to have understood, given her response. So F #}} off.

I read that as the OP stating she had asked an ignorant question. ???

[Anonymous]

School policies will vary. VA passed a new law last year requiring all public schools to stock "undesignated" epipens and empowering nurses/teachers to use them even on kids that don't have a medical authorization. But many schools still allow nuts in the cafeteria (although treats brought in from the outside are often banned).

We're pretty relaxed with our kid too (he's in K) because he doesn't have reactions without direct ingestion, but he knows that he can't eat anyone else's food and we provided the school with an epipen. The school policy is to jab them if there's any sign of a reaction and to call 911. The nurses/staff are not supposed to make any sort of judgement call (no wait and see, no benadryl-only).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:School policies will vary. VA passed a new law last year requiring all public schools to stock "undesignated" epipens and empowering nurses/teachers to use them even on kids that don't have a medical authorization. But many schools still allow nuts in the cafeteria (although treats brought in from the outside are often banned).

We're pretty relaxed with our kid too (he's in K) because he doesn't have reactions without direct ingestion, but he knows that he can't eat anyone else's food and we provided the school with an epipen. The school policy is to jab them if there's any sign of a reaction and to call 911. The nurses/staff are not supposed to make any sort of judgement call (no wait and see, no benadryl-only).

What would you do if your kid had reactions (mild hives) from touching nuts? Would you still be as relaxed? (Hope that didn't come across as judgmental...just genuinely curious). Our allergy kid is not in public school yet, but at our older child's school, they don't disallow nuts and have said parents can bring in birthday treats for the class. We're in va too.

[Anonymous]

OP again -- thanks for the info. I didn't realize that a Class 3 was that serious. They said it's "only" a class 3 and at a class 2 they don't even consider that a food allergy, so it was at the bottom of the food allergy chain.

Maybe I need to see someone else.

I also don't want to come across as unconcerned, because I am. Like someone else said, I don't want my kid to be "that" kid who makes it so a classmate can't bring in a pb&j or has to sit at another table when it doesn't seem that severe. But I understand now that that may only be the case currently and may change in the future.