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My mom works at a school with children who have severe allergies, so in the cafe, they made placemats for each of the kids, with their names on them and pictures of what they are allergic to on the placemat. Something to consider when he's a little older.
Is it just peanuts or peanut oil as well?
Our 4 year old niece has a peanut allergy too. We were really concerned about her visiting us at first and making sure that everything we served was "safe" - you'd be surprised how many companies now put it right on the packaging when their products are nut-free, given how many kids now have this allergy.
It is everything related to peanuts - peanut oil, peanuts, etc. - and it's a contact allergy, so he has a reaction even if someone touches peanuts and then touches his face, for example. He's allergic to all nuts, but severely allergic to peanuts - the allergist actually said it was one of the more severe reactions he's seen. Poor kid!
The placemats are a really good idea - thanks!
O my goodness. Try to teach him at a young age what a peanut looks like and show him all the peanut products you can think of so that he has an idea that those things = danger for him.
I know some of the kids are able to visually see when something isn't right rather than just hearing about it.
Also if he's so so bad, they are doing this new thing where they train dogs to sniff out the allergin. The dog for example, will go into the classroom ahead of the child and smell everything. If it smells the peanut, it will stand by the spot until an adult takes care of it, or barks or something. Sounds cool to me!
@realeastcoaster Yep, definitely gotta read all the lables now! Good to know that food companies are getting better at clearly labeling potential allergans.
Thanks for all the advice Br1tSh1n1ngStar! Wow, definitely have to let my sister know about the allergan sniffing dogs - that's really awesome!
My boss has a severe peanut allergy, and I plan events and meetings for him so I am very used to dealing with restaurants and foodservice staff on the issue. I've also had him and his wife over to my house for dinner. So I can't speak to teaching your newphew as ayoung child or how to peanut-proof his own home, but I can speak to dealing with going outside of the house.
In general, I have found that *most* people are aware of peanut allergies and their severity, and are helpful in dealing with it. It is important to be very clear that the allergy includes all peanut-related items (especially peanut oil), that premixed, prepackaged, or processed foods must also be checked for their ingredients, and that seperate cooking utensils are required to avoid contamination. I usually take a memo with me to give to the kitchen that says "This is not food intolerance; it's a food allergy, meaning that if he has even a small amount of one of these things, he may go into anaphylactic shock and possibly die. ... It is very important to prepare his meal separate from other dishes that may contain these allergens, because even the smallest amount could make him very sick. (For example, a grill that has been used to cook another dish with peanut oil could pass a small amount of peanut oil into his dish.)" Also, reiterate with food staff several times the allergy issue and confirm that any particular dish is safe before giving it to him.
When having my boss over at my house, it turned out to be fairly simple. I do keep nuts in my house, I just make sure they are sealed in airtight containers and out of the way. I make sure all utensils are freshly dishwashed and countertops and cooking devices are thoroughly cleaned, even for example the surface of my stand mixer, before using anything to cook for him. If other people are coming, I try to discreetly ask thm not to bring anything with nuts, although he usually does not eat anything I didn't make myself because we can't know how it was prepared.
Best of luck, and feel free to PM me if you have more specific questions!
@blushingaudrey Thank you! That note is a really succint and effective way to express the severity of the allergy - I'll be sure to let my sis know. Definitely an imperative when we go out to eat.
This site is a great resource:
http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/
as is this:
http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=9&sub=20
Also he should have an epi pen absolutely everywhere he goes as well as a medic alert bracelet. His allergist should be helping his mom with educational materials and hopefully she can share them with the family... but when I was on my allergy rotation, we refered everyone to aafa.
My daughter is allergic to nuts (just peanuts but our allergist has advised to avoid ALL legumes), soy, wheat, dairy, seafood and shellfish. Suffice it to say, learning to feed her was no small challenge!
I think learning the degree of the allergy is essential. While my daughter cannot ingest any seafood, she is okay with it being cooked if the room is well venilated. She can eat small things of wheat but not, say, tons of wheat pasta. She cannot have any raw dairy -- period. Not even a tiny shred of cheese. Learning this has determined how we handle her diet.
In general, we don't dine at restaurants where the culture uses a lot of peanut, such as Thai. When she was younger, close to your nephews age, we always brought food and snacks with us, so it was a non-issue.
In our own home, we don't keep any nut products or anything with seeds (per her allergist). We don't really cook seafood/shellfish. It's often that we cook something seperate for her that is a little different. Since it's a habit, it takes no more time than it normally does to cook dinner.
All of our family and friends are aware and do the same. And, she generally has snacks in her backpack along with her EpiPen, Jr., and asthma medicine. We also carry Benadryl strips with us so if we think she has come into contact with an allergen or know she has, we give it to her and that usually prevents a very severe reaction.
My daughter has only had full on anaphylaxis once. We have NEVER had to use the EpiPen, so really it's just about paying attention. We do not have seperate pans or cooking utensils, and just use common sense.
At first, allergies seem daunting but they're pretty easy for a family to adjust to. And there are tons of allergen free products available both online and in stores.
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Hi Bees!
We just found out that my 1-yr old nephew has a severe peanut allergy. We're such a food-oriented family so this will require some conscious efforts to monitor his food/environment! Anyone have or know anyone with severe peanut allergies - any tips?
Thanks!