Looking to Connect with Moms Who Have Kids with Peanut/tree Nut Allergies

It's a very difficult road to walk down. Just know that you're not alone! I read quite a few Peanut allergy books. I highly recommend Food Allergies for Dummies. It's one of the yellow and black "dummies" books. It's extremely well-written. I asked my parents and in-laws to read chapter 4 which is all about peanut allergy. It helps to have family members understand what you're dealing with.

Every family has to decide what is best for them. My husband and I decided that we would also not eat peanuts or tree nuts (so our child doesn't have a reaction if we kiss him/ and if we go someplace he's not the only one not eating something). It helps me to know that our home is a safe place for him - a babysitter or someone coming can't accidentally give him something he's allergic to because our home is allergen free. This doesn't work for everyone, but it's great for us.

Oh, I don't know if your child can have sunflower seed butter, but Sunbutter is peanut/tree nut free. It's been a great alternative for us. Our local Target carries it.

Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any more questions.

J.,

Did you have a blood test to confirm the allergy or just a skin test?

We were told, because of a skin test, that our daughter was allergic to peanuts. After lots of research, I learned that false positives are very common. We had a blood test followed by an in-office food challenge (they fed her peanut butter while a nurse sat there with an epi pen) and both were negative.

If you haven't had a blood test, I'd ask for one.

Hi, I've read a few of the responses and you've gotten some great information. One thing I would add is join a support group. I live in the north suburbs and in Highland Park MOCHA (mothers of children having allergies) meets once every three months and you can learn a lot about allergies that way (they also send emails almost daily to keep everyone informed). You can also join online support groups - just google the subject matter and the resources are endless. There are also wonderful online stores for buying products that are allergen free. Good luck!

Hi. I'm sorry to hear about your news. It is a lot to digest sometimes and takes awhile to determine how to 'reconfigure' your life a little bit to meet this new challenge. It is 'doable' though!

There is a wonderful resource located in Champaign called CIFAN - The Central Illinois Food Allergy Network. The group has a listserv (incredibly informative), an active and growing number of members, allergy friendly playgroups and meetings roughly every other month. I have learned so much from the group and the parents in it! I would suggest you check it out...i think the site is www.cifan.org

Best of luck to you. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any other questions about CIFAN.

I grew up myself with a tree nut allergy. Back then people did not really ever hear of such a thing. I also have a reaction to eggs that are not cooked very very well, so I have a bunch of other foods to watch out for too. I can remember telling my mom sometimes my tongue and throat would tickle or itch. They just said I was fussy or it was in my head. I finally realized on my own that it was tree nuts. I cannot eat them and if I breathe the dust I will get a reaction. Now that I am older and these allergies are more well known, my family understands and makes things without nuts for me or tells me things do have nuts when we have family potlucks and such. I have no trouble eating products that say they are made near tree nuts, but everyone is different so you have to be careful. I have never had a real bad reaction and never went to the hospital, but you do have to be diligent until she can talk. Tree nuts and traces are everywhere and are harder to spot than peanut or peanut products. When she can talk she can say what is happening if she has a reaction. At least in this day and age people are aware of these serious problems and can help watch out for you.

My now 2 1/2 yr old was diagnosed with her peanut allergy after she broke out in hives from head to toe 2 about a year ago. I notices that if she eats something with peanuts she wll break out almost instanty. But she can eat most things that say made in facilities that make things with peanuts without a reaction. Stay away from Portillo's which cook there fried things (french fries, onion rings...) in peanut oil. Also stay away from Great Steaks & Potatoes they cook everything in peanut oil. Your Pediatrician may let you know from other patients experiences where to be careful also!! Try alternatives to peanut butter, most are rather tasty. GOOD LUCK!!!

It's very overwhelming, but it is manageable. The first thing you need to know is that there is no such thing as a mild nut allergy. A child can have a mild reaction the first several times of exposure then all of a sudden have an anaphylactic reaction. That's just the nature of the nut allergy. It is imperative that you carry an Epi-Pen at all times. It can be expensive depending on your insurance coverage, but a minor investment compared to the consequence of not having it. My motto has always been "better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it".

As overwhelming as it is, we are fortunate to live in a time where most people will be understanding and there is wealth of information out there. I have found FAAN's website foodallergy.org to be a Godsend. For a mere $35/year they email you food allergy alerts and provide you with newsletters, recipes, research, activities for children, and much more.

As your daughter reaches school age, you have to be her advocate and make sure they are taking the steps necessary to keep her safe. There is an allergy action plan on the FAAN website that you can print out, have your Dr. fill out and then sit down with the school's director/principal, nurse & teacher to go over the plan.

My son is now 8 and we have known of his allergy since he was 1. I still worry, but the school has been great to work with and I'm confident that they are doing everything they can to keep him safe.

Good luck!

I am the mother of a soon to be 9 year old who has also has peanut allergies. I have found making simple changes such as making sure the jelly knife never touches peanut butter jar and washing my hands after fixing meals for my other two children has been critical to insuring his safety. Above all else he ALWAYS knew that he was allergic to peanuts. Knowledge is power and raising him with the information that he could use to inform others as well as protect himself was the most important thing we could have do.My son carries an epi-pen with him and has been taught how to give himself the shot, important because many schools will not allow a teacher to do this life saving procedure.

Now does your child have an allergy to both peanuts and tree nuts? If she has both you have to be very carefully of all foods and even some health care products like lotions and shampoos depending on the severity of her allergies.

I'm in the same boat with you. We just confirmed last night that our 13 mo. old daughter has a peanut allergy. I am really bummed. We carry the epi-pen and benadryl with us everywhere now. Fortunately, hers seems to only occur with ingestion. We were at Texas Roadhouse tonight and she did fine. (we had been there before we knew about the allergy and she did not have a reaction, so we thought we would be OK). I'll be checking your post frequently for more advice, too. Take care of you and daughter.

Hi, i found out when my son was 18 months old. He has an anaphylactic reaction to tree nuts only. He eats mass amounts of peanut butter. (They are legumes-ie:beans) We had him RAST Tested at the allergist to find out if it was all tree nuts or 1 or 2 - HE IS OFF THE CHARTS W/CASHEWS. He is not allergic to walnuts at all - he is somewhere in between w/almonds. I want to have him tested again in the new year to check pistachios, pecans, etc. RAST testing only involves blood withdrawal, so it's not as bad as the scratch or poke, needle testing. We had that done first. He is now 7 1/2 years old. The most important thing to keep in mind is school, buses,playdates, etc. I put all the info on my pc and printed it out for other's who might temporarily have my guy in their temporary custody. He has an epipen at school and in my purse and one at home. Please find out how SEVERE the allergy is and if it is inhaled, (small particles floating in the air) or oils, another child touches your child, or lastly my son's is only by ingestion. (if he eats it) KEEP CALM - We have had ZERO PROBLEMS since the diagnosis. Keep in mind from an early age you must tell your child you are allergic to nuts. I have done it REPEATEDLY w/my guy and he knows he must ask, and if they are "not sure, or don't know" HE CAN NOT HAVE IT. We have had a new problem lately where his cute little buddies at school were chanting "eat it, eat it" I know it's just kids being kids, but they are too young to understand what it would do to my guy. I talked to the school and they were "on top of it, IMMEDIATELY." My most important advice is please understand it's ok to feel worried, but do know w/your care for her and a watchful eye, she will be just fine. I was FREAKED AT FIRST,but 6 years later it's not as nerve wracking. YOU ALL WILL BE FINE! Love your beautiful child, and find out about the type of allergy - ingested or inhaled, anaphylaxtis or rash sickness etc. My son threw up ALL OVER dark brown, swollen lips-eyes, and hives upon hives, upon hives. That is the beginning of anaphylaxis. GOD BLESS YOUR FAMILY YOU WILL BE OK. One last thing to keep in mind is children's allergies change - my guy was also allergic to chicken, and eggs, - those are now fine.

I have a 9 year old who is allergic to peanuts as well. We've found that he can eat the items that say 'may be made around peanuts' and does fine. I have another son who eats peanut butter constantly, so my 9 year old is exposed to peanuts and does fine. He doesn't have any restrictions at school either. He has, on occasion, taken a bite of something with nuts in it, but recognizes it right away and will spit it out. So far, no adverse reaction even though he tested at a 7+ when he was about your child's age. The only thing you can do is be careful about what your daughter eats, and I would watch for other food allergies as well. You may consider keeping an epi-pen with you as well in case of a severe reaction to an allergen. We keep one but (knock wood) have never needed it. Ask your pediatrician or allergist if they think you should have one. Most of your hurdles will come when your child enters school, but the public schools are very educated on food allergies now and take necessary precautions to keep allergy kids safe.

I agree with the person about getting the blood test to confirm if it wasn't initially tested that way. The skin tests are often false positive. My son has food allergies to: wheat, egg, barley, milk, peanuts and tree nuts. He has reactions from ingestion or touching. So we do a lot of handwashing in our house b/c if I even touch bread and then touch him, he gets hives.

It's very manageable, and since peanut allergies are SO common, you will find more places/people accommodating it. Even my son's preschool is a no-peanut zone. There are 3 children in his class with the allergy. Many public school classrooms are the same.

Yes, you'll have to read every label and watch carefully, but it is very manageable and it just becomes a way of life for their safety.

Places like Whole Foods have many options for us, so check them out. They are a bit expensive, but if you purchase things you child does like, they will refund your money. They have excellent customer service. They just opened a new store near 75th and 59 in Naperville.

Also, there are so many resources for families with kids with food allergies. You can visit the Food Allergy Network site at www.foodallergy.org.

Best of luck. It will be fine:-)

Hi there! My 4-year-old little guy is very allergic to peanuts (and milk, eggs, soy - but not as severe). We had his allergies confirmed via blood test with an allergist and always carry an epi-pen and benadryl. We avoid any products that contain nuts or any kind (due to the possibility of cross-contamination) or are produced in a facility which handles peanuts because of reactions he has had. I do not even allow my older daughter to have peanut products. She loves peanut butter, though, so I purchased a product called SunButter (made from sunflower seeds) which I found at Target. She loves it! My advice it to just read labels of anything you purchase. It is tedious, but is something we don't even think about anymore - it's just a way of life. Be careful eating out - even with alerting wait staff to his allergies, we've had issues. We stick to a handful of restaurants that we've had good experiences with. Try calling ahead to see if they have allergy information for their menu. Ask for it every time you go in, though, as suppliers change. Red Robin is fantastic with this. They give us printouts for every allergy my son has. There is also a great website with allergen-free recipes (you can search for recipes with your allergen criteria): http://www.foodallergykitchen.com/ Hope that helps!

While this is not fun, it is tolerable and now that you know, you need to be aware of everything. Everything could have a trace of some kind of nut oil in it. However, I would love to share that a skincare line that is vegan certified and has no nut oils (because of this very reason) can be bought through Arbonne. It has a great wash, diaper cream, oil and lotion - all botanically based. Isn't that heartwarming to hear? So all of you with children or adults with nut sensitivities can use these products!!

I am a health and wellness consultant and would be happy to be of service to you. You are not alone but you do have to be extra careful now. Soon it will become routine but at least you know that there are products out there.

In health,

K.

Hi J.! I have 3 friends who have children allergic to nuts. All of these children are school aged, and since my daughter is friends and classmates with some of these children, I have learned a little bit. Have you visited the FAAN website. I believe it is www.faan.org It is full of great information.
If you email me your personal email address, I will put you in contact with these moms who would be happy to answer any questions you have.

My husband has that allergy (anaphalaxis) and my son same to egg. Here's the thing. Food companies are NOT required to put on label that it is processed in a plant w/peanuts etc... they volunteer to do it to avoid law suits. so even if it doesn't say so on the label, it still could be. nice i know. I would be careful like you w/my child. My husband is a grown up and makes his own decisions (against my better judgement) and found he can have peanut flour, peanut oil, and eats things made in factory. He HAS however been in the ER 3-4 x in his 45 yrs. Mostly from candy and restaurants that are idiots. good luck. its hard. Hope: my hubby used to be so allergic he couldn't be in the same room w/an open jar of peanut butter (he couldn't breath). so make sure when you go to someones house they know and aren't serving anyone such a thing. at least until your child is like 3 or so and can TELL you something feels funny, just in case. you'd be suprised at how supportive other mom's are. but you will have to remind them endlessly cuz they won't remember.and at least w/him, the allergy got less severe w/age (though he still can't eat them)