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safe-to-share snacks checklist |
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Allergies by Jane Adams, Director St. Paul's Episcopal Nursery School |
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St. Paul’s Parent Partnership presented this as the first in a series of “Hot Topics." It was a large and very interested group of parents who attended making it one of the best-attended parent discussion meetings in recent memory. Obviously the advent of being a peanut-free school has stirred a lot of emotion and discussion among parents and staff, which made it a perfect subject for a “Hot Topic.” Three speakers, each with their own unique and powerful expertise, spoke at the meeting as well as presented information pertinent to the subject of allergies and diet. Elaine, a registered nurse and mom to an allergic child, began the meeting with a short video that explained the seriousness of living with food allergies. The video used doctors to explain the medical side of allergies. It also included parents and individuals who presented the human side of living with allergies. One parent who knows all to well what it is like having a child with a severe anaphylactic (or allergic) reaction is Jennifer B. Jennifer shared her story of Cora, age 2, which bears repeating for those who don’t know the true nature of a serious food allergy. Cora was 18-months when she asked her mom for a bite of a peanut butter sandwich. Having been told by Cora’s pediatrician to hold back on offering peanut products to a young child, Jennifer ripped off a small piece of crust and inspected it for any trace of peanut butter. Not seeing any, she gave the crust to Cora. A short time later Cora went in for her afternoon nap. Jennifer said she doesn’t always use the baby monitor, but on this day she was grateful that she had turned it on. After about only 10 minutes or so, Jennifer heard strange sounds coming from Cora’s room. She ran to her bedroom door and found her daughter vomiting and with a swollen face. Jennifer ran to the phone with Cora and dialed her pediatrician. During the short conversation, Cora’s eyes and ears began to swell shut and she began gasping for air. She was told to hang up immediately and dial 911. By the time the ambulance arrived, Jennifer said she could barely recognize her own daughter. The paramedics quickly treated Cora with an Epi-Pen, which is only a temporary solution until one reaches a hospital, and then transported her to Children’s. This is a frighteningly true story of just how severe a food allergy can be. Jennifer said that many people equate allergies to hives, but those are the mild allergies. Cora’s allergy is ranked as a five on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most severe. Cora cannot digest peanut products, but what we were all surprised to learn was that she can't come in physical contact with peanut products or the residue of peanuts either. What this means is that if your child comes to school with peanut butter on his or her face from breakfast and Cora were to touch your child’s face she will have a severe allergic reaction. To insure Cora’s safety and other’s who may have peanut allergies, please do not bring birthday treats to school that have peanut products in them. Do not pack any products in school lunches that may contain peanut products. Finally, if your child eats peanut butter for breakfast, just take an extra moment to ensure that all traces of the peanut butter are washed from his or her face before school. This may seem like an inconvenience, but as Stacy Rhodes quoted, it is a matter of “your child’s peanut butter sandwich versus my child’s life.” Stacy, a dietician and St. Paul’s mom, presented a hand out that gave a ton of recipes for those allergic to peanut products or eggs, two common food allergies. She also emphasized that it is essential that parents take control of their child’s health. If you think your child (ren) may have an allergy and you don’t feel the issue is being properly addressed, do your own research and call a pediatric allergist if you believe your child should see a specialist. Led by Alisa, member of the Parent Partnership and wife of an allergist and immunologist, the discussion among those who attended was both lively and passionate. For example, one of the revelations to emerge was the connection of allergies, eczema and asthma. If you can imagine each being a circle, it is widely accepted in the medical field that these three circles are intertwined. To help you ensure that the treats or lunches you are sending to school are peanut-free, here is a list of ingredients that you should check for on food labels:
Foods that may contain peanut butter:
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