Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought the new advice was that allergen free environments are increasing allergies? My kids are crazy for nuts and it's been a big change to have to send chips instead of healthier options like nuts.

Are allergens going down as parents introduce them much earlier? With my oldest we were told no allergens until 1. By the time my youngest was born we were rubbing peanut powder on his cheeks when he was a few weeks old.

Well something is. What in the fresh h*ll is going on. Why all the allergies? I literally recall no one having allergies growing up. Sure they existed- but were rates. School cafeterias definitely served peanut butter sandwiches and those delicious peanut butter chocolate bars on a regular basis. Now schools have to have a special cabinet to house the plethora of EpiPens kids have to keep on hand

I knew kids with allergies growing up but everyone knew what allergy they had (teachers, other kids, other parents, there were few enough kids with allergies that it was not hard to remember "never give Sarah K. shellfish"), and it was addressed by teaching the kid to be self aware and then making sure responsible adults (teachers, school nurse, parents at play dates) knew where the epi pen was. So it's not like allergies are brand new.

But yeah, the proliferation of allergies is out of control. Something has obviously gone wrong. Yell at me if you want, but it seems obvious that:

1) Our approach to allergies is causing more allergies, or at least more allergy diagnoses, and
2) At least some of the kids who have allergies to the "big 9" or whatever would actually be fine being in environment with these allergens and might even benefit from it

Yet if I bring my kid a a PB&J to a playground, I may get literally yelled at by a parent who feels I'm endangering their kids life. I just do not know. I'm not insensitive to that kid's life -- obviously I don't want to harm a child. But I also don't think that child will be harmed if my kid eats peanut butter 20 feet away. I really, really don't.

Its not the eating. Its the lack of management of the PB- are you washing their hands and face afterwards? If not, the PB can get transferred onto play equipment. People didnt really eat that much outside of the house 40-50 years ago. Food is everrrrryyywhere now and the variety of food at each event is a lot.

And no the approach isnt the problem JFC. It's the environment. Black and non-white hispanic kids in urban areas are seeing the largest increases in allergy diagnoses. They also have the largest increases in eczema and asthma. Their diagnosis - as a cohort- tends to lag behind white suburban or white urban kids because of access to healthcare and/or education. So, it's not just uppity anxious white moms with special snowflakes anymore which is the vibe you get from most parents- as if it's done for attention.

Close to 5% of kids in the US have a food allergy. Adults can also have food allergies diagnosed in adulthood, without any issues previously. Our kids are constantly in environments with the top 9 but for kids under the age of 3-5 it is really hard to navigate being outside because of how much food is present in social events or even outdoor spaces.

I PROMISE you that you arent doing more than the parents of kids with allergies are and it does feel like a big inconvenience to be out of your normal, but again, almost all of the discussions on this board about allergy kids seems to make it their fault, the parents fault, or that they should just be excluded from any normal kid event. Your kids have more empathy for their peers than the adults do and it is frustrating because that lack of awareness and action trickles down over time.

I am the biggest proponent for getting rid of X free schools and environments but in return, there needs to be a general awareness that food doesnt belong in shared spaces for children without cleaning up after yourself, including your child and their physical body.

I'm not the PP but I really have to say- if a child will suffer an anaphylactic reaction to touching playground equipment that a child who had eaten peanut butter 10min ago had also touched, then that child is severely ill enough that being out in public in general probably isn't safe. Kids are going to eat peanut butter and banana on an english muffin at home for breakfast, and then get onto the school bus without thoroughly scrubbing their hands sometimes. Airports, malls, sporting events, Target, etc are going to be full of people who may have recently touched peanut product, or even may be currently eating peanut product. Not to mention grocery stores and restaurants. But I'm assuming a child with an allergy so severe that contact with a surface that another hand had touched earlier, when that hand had microscopic PB remnants on it, would cause a life threatening response, would never be able to enter a grocery store or restaurant. So saying that no one should ever be allowed to eat peanut products in public is not reasonable.

Signed, someone whose son had a severe anaphylactic milk allergy which we thankfully eliminated after years and years with an allergist, who never told other parents that they weren't allowed to give their infants milk-based formula in any public settings where other children might be present.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought the new advice was that allergen free environments are increasing allergies? My kids are crazy for nuts and it's been a big change to have to send chips instead of healthier options like nuts.

Are allergens going down as parents introduce them much earlier? With my oldest we were told no allergens until 1. By the time my youngest was born we were rubbing peanut powder on his cheeks when he was a few weeks old.

Well something is. What in the fresh h*ll is going on. Why all the allergies? I literally recall no one having allergies growing up. Sure they existed- but were rates. School cafeterias definitely served peanut butter sandwiches and those delicious peanut butter chocolate bars on a regular basis. Now schools have to have a special cabinet to house the plethora of EpiPens kids have to keep on hand

I knew kids with allergies growing up but everyone knew what allergy they had (teachers, other kids, other parents, there were few enough kids with allergies that it was not hard to remember "never give Sarah K. shellfish"), and it was addressed by teaching the kid to be self aware and then making sure responsible adults (teachers, school nurse, parents at play dates) knew where the epi pen was. So it's not like allergies are brand new.

But yeah, the proliferation of allergies is out of control. Something has obviously gone wrong. Yell at me if you want, but it seems obvious that:

1) Our approach to allergies is causing more allergies, or at least more allergy diagnoses, and
2) At least some of the kids who have allergies to the "big 9" or whatever would actually be fine being in environment with these allergens and might even benefit from it

Yet if I bring my kid a a PB&J to a playground, I may get literally yelled at by a parent who feels I'm endangering their kids life. I just do not know. I'm not insensitive to that kid's life -- obviously I don't want to harm a child. But I also don't think that child will be harmed if my kid eats peanut butter 20 feet away. I really, really don't.

Its not the eating. Its the lack of management of the PB- are you washing their hands and face afterwards? If not, the PB can get transferred onto play equipment. People didnt really eat that much outside of the house 40-50 years ago. Food is everrrrryyywhere now and the variety of food at each event is a lot.

And no the approach isnt the problem JFC. It's the environment. Black and non-white hispanic kids in urban areas are seeing the largest increases in allergy diagnoses. They also have the largest increases in eczema and asthma. Their diagnosis - as a cohort- tends to lag behind white suburban or white urban kids because of access to healthcare and/or education. So, it's not just uppity anxious white moms with special snowflakes anymore which is the vibe you get from most parents- as if it's done for attention.

Close to 5% of kids in the US have a food allergy. Adults can also have food allergies diagnosed in adulthood, without any issues previously. Our kids are constantly in environments with the top 9 but for kids under the age of 3-5 it is really hard to navigate being outside because of how much food is present in social events or even outdoor spaces.

I PROMISE you that you arent doing more than the parents of kids with allergies are and it does feel like a big inconvenience to be out of your normal, but again, almost all of the discussions on this board about allergy kids seems to make it their fault, the parents fault, or that they should just be excluded from any normal kid event. Your kids have more empathy for their peers than the adults do and it is frustrating because that lack of awareness and action trickles down over time.

I am the biggest proponent for getting rid of X free schools and environments but in return, there needs to be a general awareness that food doesnt belong in shared spaces for children without cleaning up after yourself, including your child and their physical body.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a parochial school and we got a list of what we can bring to the Christmas party and it basically consists of gummy snacks, Capri Sun and chips, all individually packaged of course. Everything else is an allergen.

No fresh fruit? Dried fruit? Crudite? Cookies for crying out loud?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought the new advice was that allergen free environments are increasing allergies? My kids are crazy for nuts and it's been a big change to have to send chips instead of healthier options like nuts.

Are allergens going down as parents introduce them much earlier? With my oldest we were told no allergens until 1. By the time my youngest was born we were rubbing peanut powder on his cheeks when he was a few weeks old.

Well something is. What in the fresh h*ll is going on. Why all the allergies? I literally recall no one having allergies growing up. Sure they existed- but were rates. School cafeterias definitely served peanut butter sandwiches and those delicious peanut butter chocolate bars on a regular basis. Now schools have to have a special cabinet to house the plethora of EpiPens kids have to keep on hand

I knew kids with allergies growing up but everyone knew what allergy they had (teachers, other kids, other parents, there were few enough kids with allergies that it was not hard to remember "never give Sarah K. shellfish"), and it was addressed by teaching the kid to be self aware and then making sure responsible adults (teachers, school nurse, parents at play dates) knew where the epi pen was. So it's not like allergies are brand new.

But yeah, the proliferation of allergies is out of control. Something has obviously gone wrong. Yell at me if you want, but it seems obvious that:

1) Our approach to allergies is causing more allergies, or at least more allergy diagnoses, and
2) At least some of the kids who have allergies to the "big 9" or whatever would actually be fine being in environment with these allergens and might even benefit from it

Yet if I bring my kid a a PB&J to a playground, I may get literally yelled at by a parent who feels I'm endangering their kids life. I just do not know. I'm not insensitive to that kid's life -- obviously I don't want to harm a child. But I also don't think that child will be harmed if my kid eats peanut butter 20 feet away. I really, really don't.

Its not the eating. Its the lack of management of the PB- are you washing their hands and face afterwards? If not, the PB can get transferred onto play equipment. People didnt really eat that much outside of the house 40-50 years ago. Food is everrrrryyywhere now and the variety of food at each event is a lot.

And no the approach isnt the problem JFC. It's the environment. Black and non-white hispanic kids in urban areas are seeing the largest increases in allergy diagnoses. They also have the largest increases in eczema and asthma. Their diagnosis - as a cohort- tends to lag behind white suburban or white urban kids because of access to healthcare and/or education. So, it's not just uppity anxious white moms with special snowflakes anymore which is the vibe you get from most parents- as if it's done for attention.

Close to 5% of kids in the US have a food allergy. Adults can also have food allergies diagnosed in adulthood, without any issues previously. Our kids are constantly in environments with the top 9 but for kids under the age of 3-5 it is really hard to navigate being outside because of how much food is present in social events or even outdoor spaces.

I PROMISE you that you arent doing more than the parents of kids with allergies are and it does feel like a big inconvenience to be out of your normal, but again, almost all of the discussions on this board about allergy kids seems to make it their fault, the parents fault, or that they should just be excluded from any normal kid event. Your kids have more empathy for their peers than the adults do and it is frustrating because that lack of awareness and action trickles down over time.

I am the biggest proponent for getting rid of X free schools and environments but in return, there needs to be a general awareness that food doesnt belong in shared spaces for children without cleaning up after yourself, including your child and their physical body.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am over other people’s allergies. Schools can separate kids that have extreme allergies to their own table/room.

Agree. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

Wow, that seems pretty harsh. I’m willing to be inconvenienced so that a child doesn’t end up in the hospital.

It’s more than an inconvenience to say you can’t bring several major ingredients for your own child’s lunch. The kids with severe allergies can have their own table were they are placed with enough distance to not contaminate each other’s areas. That is reasonable. Telling the whole school they can’t peanuts, soy, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame, wheat, dairy, etc. for their own personal consumption in a lunch room is not reasonable.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought the new advice was that allergen free environments are increasing allergies? My kids are crazy for nuts and it's been a big change to have to send chips instead of healthier options like nuts.

Are allergens going down as parents introduce them much earlier? With my oldest we were told no allergens until 1. By the time my youngest was born we were rubbing peanut powder on his cheeks when he was a few weeks old.

Well something is. What in the fresh h*ll is going on. Why all the allergies? I literally recall no one having allergies growing up. Sure they existed- but were rates. School cafeterias definitely served peanut butter sandwiches and those delicious peanut butter chocolate bars on a regular basis. Now schools have to have a special cabinet to house the plethora of EpiPens kids have to keep on hand

I knew kids with allergies growing up but everyone knew what allergy they had (teachers, other kids, other parents, there were few enough kids with allergies that it was not hard to remember "never give Sarah K. shellfish"), and it was addressed by teaching the kid to be self aware and then making sure responsible adults (teachers, school nurse, parents at play dates) knew where the epi pen was. So it's not like allergies are brand new.

But yeah, the proliferation of allergies is out of control. Something has obviously gone wrong. Yell at me if you want, but it seems obvious that:

1) Our approach to allergies is causing more allergies, or at least more allergy diagnoses, and
2) At least some of the kids who have allergies to the "big 9" or whatever would actually be fine being in environment with these allergens and might even benefit from it

Yet if I bring my kid a a PB&J to a playground, I may get literally yelled at by a parent who feels I'm endangering their kids life. I just do not know. I'm not insensitive to that kid's life -- obviously I don't want to harm a child. But I also don't think that child will be harmed if my kid eats peanut butter 20 feet away. I really, really don't.

Anonymous wrote:What do we do about the tree nut bans though? Once they are in place, I feel like it's impossible to get rid of them. Our school as "We are a tree nut free facility" signs all over the building. I feel like raising the issue with the parent community is just inviting the parents who have kids who have allergies to accuse me of not caring about their kids' lives (I really do), and raising with administration will just get a no -- it's the risk averse choice for them and I bet you anything admin and teachers who want to eat tree nuts still bring them in and figure they aren't eating with the kids so it doesn't matter. So it costs them nothing.

How do we change the approach? Where does the push come from. I have a kid with dietary and nutritional issues that are made much harder by total bans on allergens. I don't want to put my kid's needs over those of others, but also... my kid does have needs that could be easily solved with a peanut butter sandwich and cup of milk, which I'm not allowed to give her at school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought the new advice was that allergen free environments are increasing allergies? My kids are crazy for nuts and it's been a big change to have to send chips instead of healthier options like nuts.

Are allergens going down as parents introduce them much earlier? With my oldest we were told no allergens until 1. By the time my youngest was born we were rubbing peanut powder on his cheeks when he was a few weeks old.

Well something is. What in the fresh h*ll is going on. Why all the allergies? I literally recall no one having allergies growing up. Sure they existed- but were rates. School cafeterias definitely served peanut butter sandwiches and those delicious peanut butter chocolate bars on a regular basis. Now schools have to have a special cabinet to house the plethora of EpiPens kids have to keep on hand

Anonymous wrote:I'm at a parochial school and we got a list of what we can bring to the Christmas party and it basically consists of gummy snacks, Capri Sun and chips, all individually packaged of course. Everything else is an allergen.

Anonymous wrote:I thought the new advice was that allergen free environments are increasing allergies? My kids are crazy for nuts and it's been a big change to have to send chips instead of healthier options like nuts.

Are allergens going down as parents introduce them much earlier? With my oldest we were told no allergens until 1. By the time my youngest was born we were rubbing peanut powder on his cheeks when he was a few weeks old.