When we have family gatherings, there is no peanut anything around, which we are so thankful that family and friends understand her allergy and that it is air born. Proof of that at a baseball game last year. People behind us were eating peanuts and throwing the shell's on the ground. Halie was breathing in the peanut dust or whatever you want to call it and started getting woozy and falling over. :/ Needless to say, we left right away and she started feeling much better within a matter of minutes.
Our biggest thing is keeping an eye at her at church. We have only been going there for a little over a month now and not a lot of people are aware of allergy, however her Sunday School teacher is very much aware. We keep a snack at church in her classroom for Halie to eat at snack time, and the kids do wash their hands after they eat their snack. Thankfully the teach doesn't bring peanut/nut products in but some items are still made in the same factory as peanuts/nuts.
Halie does wear a peanut allergy alert bracelet and knows to always ask me or daddy to have something if someone wants to give her food. AND we do practice with her to say that she has a peanut allergy and to ask mom and dad if she can have that snack. Thankfully the only reaction she has ever had was when we first learned of her severe allergy when she was around age 1.
My 15 year old has a peanut allergy and my 18 year old has a milk allergy
ReplyDeleteI don't know anyone personally that has a peanut allergy but I know how common it is. When we do have play groups, we make sure not to have any peanut related items involved. I've been noticing a lot lately how schools are starting to ban peanuts and peanut related food items and how mad some parents are getting. They feel they shouldn't have to watch what they send to school but those parents that do have to watch their children, like you, feel they are unfair. I wish there was a simple solution but nothing is ever simple with anyone.
ReplyDeleteMy son has a dairy allergy, and people tend to forget how much stuff dairy is in. But once they see his reaction (severe cramps and bloody stool) they tend to be more careful.
ReplyDeleteit is great that your teaching her at a young age. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI have serious food allergies and it is terrible. I hate going to pot lucks and other peoples houses for a meal I usually only eat what I bring and stay away from everything else.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine how scary that would be.
ReplyDeleteMy son has a food allergy, and we do as you. Everyone is aware, and we provide all food for him anywhere he has a snack. My biggest thing is people not realizing that it could be in anything and to always ask. My kiddo is 3, and he doesn't know yet to ask me always. So I am cautious and leave him very few places without me.
ReplyDeleteThis is so scary to deal with. Thank you for reminding us about the need to be sensitive that those around us might have a life threatening allergy.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, thanks so much for sharing sometimes I forget about this we are lucky and don't have many allergies... this is a nice reminder...
ReplyDeleteOh my, that must be difficult to deal with! I bet it must be scary at times. I was always worried my kids would be allergic to foods, but thankfully they are not.
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My 4 year old son has a severe peanut/tree nut allergy. He unfortunately will take food from anyone without asking, he loves food. So I follow him like a mother hawk when we are out and about. Even when he's playing outside in our yard I walk the yard to make sure no candy wrappers or anything like that has blown over the fence before letting him go play, and if the neighborhood kids are out playing I make sure I watch that no one comes to share anything with Gabriel. As much as we have tried to make him aware of his allergies he just hasn't grasped it yet. It means I spend all my time with the kids and not the adults but that's just fine with me :) He's worth it! And the kids soak up adult attention :)
ReplyDeleteThere are some kids at my sons school who are allergic to peanuts. I always make sure to ask the teacher before making any goodies.
ReplyDeleteHow frightening this must be for both you and your daughter. Thankfully, my son and daughter are not allergic to anything.
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I am a certified Red Cross instructor, as well I worked in daycare for many years. People who don't have the allergies themselves or have a child with the allergies just don't get it sometimes! Our center went nut free at one point because one little girl would simply smell peanuts and her eyes would swell shut. Poor thing! Lots of non chocolately candies (because they are usually on the same lines as the tree nut/peanut stuff) for those kids, I'm afraid! And kids that age just don't understand the fact that they are not invincible! It's sad...
ReplyDeleteI have heard that there is progress on the homefront of introducing a microscopic amount of the allergen into the system, and eventually tricking the body into accepting that allergen rather than treating it as a foreign substance. These were done in Texas. A child here in Iowa was being driven to Texas to receive the treatments. Good luck to you, I know it's so hard!
Allergies can be so scary. When I was a kid I knew NO ONE with an allergy to peanuts...and it wasn't until I saw the movie "My Girl" that I realized that you could be allergic to bees. My neighbor had hay fever and allergies in the spring and summer, but that was the extent of my allergy experience.
ReplyDeleteNow, I know quite a few people with severe allergies. Friends of ours have a son with a peanut allergy and my cousin's son had a long list of allergies when he was younger that included eggs. One of my daughters doesn't tolerate dairy and my nieghbor's son is autistic and has a long and worrisome allergy list as well. I just amazes me that allergies seem so much more prevalent than the were thirty years ago!
People who don't have severe allergies don't think about it...I don't think it is because they don't care, they just don't have a need to read labels and look for allergens. I never do unless I am sending a snack into school--or I know that someone with an allergy will be visiting or eating at my home.
I would say just keep up the good work that you are doing by making sure that those around you are informed of your child's allergy. For her, it is a matter of life or death--so anyone that would be put out by your request will need to get over it!
I appreciated when my friend reminded me of her son's allergy before their last visit. It helped me to remember to be conscious of it as I planned my meals and snacks for them too.
Thanks for linking up this week at the MTMmixer!
My close friend's son has a severe peanut allergy, and it's scary, I know! I don't have anything helpful to add, but like Janene and Christine said above, I am grateful when she reminds me before they come over, though I'm sure it's hard to stay on top of this, I'm sure. Great discussion on this and thanks for linking up with the #MTMmixer!
ReplyDeleteMy son has Celiac's disease so he gets very sick if he eats gluten. I know so many people who have family members with food allergies for those who don't have any in their family consider yourself very lucky it is very difficult. We spend so much time making sure everything he eats comes from a gluten free factory .I wish you well with your daughter not easy with her life threatening allergy.
ReplyDeletemy son didn't have a food allergy but he was allergic to tobacco smoke,it would make him have asthma attack,,so we never went to anyones house who smoked,,cause we didn't feel we had the right to ask themnot to smoke in their own home,but I did however have a NO SMOKING sign in my house,,which was my right,,my grandson is allergic allergic to ants,,cant even get close to them,so we just have him wear his bracelet so everyone knows,,
ReplyDelete