Advice from moms of kids with peanut allergies?

Question

So my 15mo was just diagnosed with a peanut allergy. How do you go about eating out, school, and explaining to your child why they can’t eat a specific thing? And how can I relax? I’m so nervous about having to use the epipen. 
Any other advice would be appreciated. Thankyou :)

Answer

Also as far as explaining it to ur kid, just remind him of how serious it is. It’s very important to instill fear of peanuts in ur kid. They have to take it seriously because it is a life or death matter at hand. Be stern and serious and explain that peanuts are poison and ur kid even tho it’s not poison for most kids, it is for him. And remind him that he is not alone and there are many other kids who cannot eat certain foods that are poisonous to them. That way he knows he’s not different. U can even tell him he’s special because peanuts are very bad. Peanuts actually contain a carcinogenic mold that is in all peanuts. In China they roast their peanuts, which destroys the mold, but in the US and other western societies, we roast our peanuts which is 100% ineffective at destroying this mold. Peanuts have to be between a certain range of moisture to have a desirable taste and when one peanut in the bunch is too moist, this carcinogenic mold spreads to every other peanut in the bunch. Organic or not, peanuts the way we produce them in western societies, is carcinogenic. U should eliminate peanuts from your home and make sure ur whole family stops eating them so that he feels he’s not alone. It’s easy to explain why to avoid them if u make him feel like he’s not alone and that he’s doing something that other people choose to do as well, even if peanuts are not poison to them. I’m not a mother yet but got one in the oven but the girl I nanny stopped eating peanuts and desiring them when I told her how yucky they are and how they make people very sick, whether they are allergic or not. She also knows how allergic I am and tells me she always turns down food with peanuts because they’re icky and make people sick. I hope this helps.

Answer

Also epipens are no big deal. Practice on a newspaper first so ur comfortable doing it. When the time comes, it’s not scary. I’ve done it to myself a million  times, once while driving to the hospital. When it’s between life and death, a needle is not scary anymore. It’s either ur kid can breathe, or gets a needle stuck in his leg. Just take a deep breath and do it on the outer thigh, and stick it in pretty hard, like use some force. Hold it in for 10 seconds (I count “one-one hundred, two one hundred…” so I know it’s in there long enough). Try not to panic. Staying calm is key. The first time my mom used an epipen on me she panicked and stuck herself in the finger so she was admitted to the hospital with me to treat her injury! Stay calm and remember, it’s one small needle or the chance of life for your little babe.

Answer

Going out to eat can be a little hard. I used to work at a children’s museum and parents would ask about everything, even what kind of butter was used on our popcorn.
But we were never bothered by it, and I eventually learned all of our products that were safe. 
I think one of the easier ways would be to look at the menu online before going out and calling ahead to be sure (if that’s an option), carrying a Nima would also be good in case of spur of the moment outings.
As for school most have a peanut ban, or are at least adopting the ban. 
And most start to understand at a very young age that they can’t have peanuts. If they ever come close to eating something with peanuts just reiterate that peanuts are bad.

Answer

Theres a tool you can buy. You put a piece of food in it and it checks for it.

Answer

First of all, because this is a long post, I highly recommend checking out Robyn O’Brien’s website robynobrien.com because she is a mother of a child with a peanut allergy and does tons of research into the subject. I have had a peanut allergy since I was born. I always projectile vomited when breastfed because my mom ate a lot of peanut butter. Back then peanut allergies were extremely rare (I’m 33 now). We found out I had an allergy when I had a peanut butter cookie at age 2 or 3 and was rushed to the hospital. I always carry 2 epipens wherever I go. They last about 30 min each so I carry as many as I need to last an entire flight wherever I am flying to. Even if u warn the airline and the stewardesses of your peanut allergy, u cannot prevent passengers from bringing their own peanut products on the plane. When flying, call the airline first and let them know about the allergy then request to board the plane first so u can wipe down your seats with cleansing wipes to remove any peanut particles and dust. I get allergies usually every time I fly in the form of severe itchiness and lots of sneezing and slight swelling of my throat so not too bad but I usually take Benadryl on every long flight to help with the discomfort. I’ve also been given an oxygen mask on longer flights to help avoid allergies to peanut particles in the air. It’s not the smell but the breathing in of peanut particles that causes this type of allergy. Mine manifests in sneezing fits of hundreds and hundreds of sneezes in a row (only got this bad in the car once when my friend opened a bag of peanuts while I was in the car so I had him pull over and I took Benadryl and we left the windows down to air out the car for 30 min before getting back in and driving home. Avoid baseball games. Peanut allergies become more severe with every reaction so the best way to protect ur child is to avoid reactions as many times as possible. I never ate at restaurants growing up after too many reactions (probably from age 10-18 I avoided restaurants). Once they cut my pizza with the knife used for Thai chicken pizza and once my enchilada sauce was stirred with a spoon used to stir mole sauce. U are so lucky to be around in a time when peanut allergies are so much more common. I usually avoid restaurants that have any peanut products in the kitchen but even eat at some that do have peanuts but are careful to avoid cross-contamination. U will find that many newer restaurants are careful to avoid cross-contamination with allergens. Make sure ur child always has epipens and Benadryl with him wherever he goes. Make sure he wears a medical ID bracelet stating the allergy and directions to administer EpiPens. It’s sooooo easy to cook without peanuts. Read every ingredient in every food you buy because I’ve read packages that don’t list peanuts in the bold allergen statement at the bottom yet contain peanuts or peanut oil! So read EVERY ingredient always. When he’s older, don’t let him buy food at school, and instead always pack his lunch. Don’t let him eat food at friends’ houses unless u talk to the friends’ parents first and go over all the food they’ll be serving him. Some of my worst peanut allergies were from foods containing almonds that may contain peanuts. Once my roommate cooked rice that happened to have chunks of peanuts in it. I know someone who had a sandwich in which the bread had peanuts. My worst allergy was from pancakes a different roommate cooked that had a small amount of peanut butter mixed into the batter. I’ve found one bakery in America my whole life that doesn’t use any peanut products (and this was just recently about 4 months ago). In general, just avoid bakeries and chocolate/candy stores in America. They always use peanuts and everything they make may contain peanuts. Safe foods when eating out are usually any kind of European restaurants, Japanese, Ethiopian, and California cuisine. Traditional American restaurants are usually a no-go but burger joints are normally safe. I’ve considered moving to Europe because growing up I always had to make my own desserts and on Christmas my siblings always got fancy chocolate truffles and I got a chocolate bar. Chocolate Easter bunnies usually may contain peanuts too. In Europe peanuts are much less commonly used so I can actually eat baked goods and chocolate truffles without worry. U ALWAYS need to ask wherever u choose to eat whether they have any peanuts, peanut butter, peanut flour, or any peanut ingredients in their kitchen and I would recommend avoiding restaurants that have any peanut products unless they make a big deal about avoiding cross contamination. Older more traditional American food restaurants are more careless than newer restaurants. Always tell any caretakers to wash their hands thoroughly before they watch him in the case that they ate anything with peanuts first. Always make sure that any caretaker or teacher of friend’s parents understand how to use an epipen before u leave him in their care. I’m trying to cover all the bases. Please message me if u have any questions. I am way too familiar with everything related to avoiding peanuts. I carry 2 epipens and children’s Benadryl and prednisone with me at all times. Children’s Benadryl is best even when ur child is older because u can’t swallow pills when ur throat is closing up. Carry enough epipens always to last as long as it will take to get from where u are to the closest hospital. Once I was at a music festival and ate a snack my friend made with almonds that must have may contained peanuts and only had 2 epipens with me. The hospital was 48 min away and I could barely breathe by the time the paramedics lay showed up and saved me by administering more epinephrine. I know I’m making it sound scary, because it is, but it is possible to live with this, and to live a long, happy, fulfilling life. He can still go trick or treating but will have to trade the peanut and may contain peanuts candies with friends or siblings. He doesn’t have to live in a bubble, he just has to be extremely careful. Sometimes ice cream places will get a fresh batch of a peanut free flavor of ice cream from the back and frozen yogurt places will grab peanut-free toppings from the back so I can still enjoy going out and enjoying yummy treats. U just have to do so carefully. To end on a happy note, it’s good he’s avoiding peanuts because peanuts contain a carcinogenic mold, organic or not. Peanuts and corn contain carcinogenic mold but u cannot avoid this mold in peanuts due to the way we process them here in America. In China, a place where he should probably NEVER travel (I know I won’t!), they boil their peanuts and this kills the mold. Here in America and in other western countries, we roast the peanuts. They have to be between a certain degree of moisture to get their desirable taste (I think something like 20-40% moist), but if even one peanut in the bunch is too moist, it will spread this carcinogenic mold to all the other peanuts in the bunch. So basically, even if u are trying to eat organic and be healthy, u cannot avoid the carcinogenic mold that peanuts contain. So u can be happy about that!!! I’m so sorry ur child has this terrible allergy. I really feel for u. The longer he goes without re-exposure the better. Every time he is re-exposed, the allergy will get worse. So the best thing u can do is avoid exposure at all costs. He will learn on his own to care for himself. At a young age I was already very careful. It was only when I got older that I slipped up sometimes and forgot to ask whether the food I was about to eat contained peanuts - the 2 bites of those pancakes nearly killed me. Everyone, even the hospital staff, thought I would die but I would not give up. I fought to survive because I knew it wasn’t my time. I had all five signs of anaphylactic shock and they offered me morphine to make me more comfortable as I was slipping away. I said “hell no” and fought and fought until I started improving. My best advice is to always be on your feet and always be careful. ALWAYS ask what is in the food he is going to eat, even if it seems impossible that the food would contain peanuts. Also, I would say to avoid tree nuts as well. So many of them may contain peanuts so I always just say I have a peanut and nut allergy at restaurants. I only eat nuts from local farmers markets because their nuts are not mass-produced in factories that also process peanuts. My heart is with u and please message me if u have any questions at all!!!

Advice from moms of kids with peanut allergies?

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