? For Moms of Kids W/ Nut Allergies

Nut allergies can range. A child that is ok with things processed in the same facility may not be ok with "may contain." The problem with a nut allergy is that tiny little particles of dust from the nuts can travel through the air and settle on anything. A child with the most severe form of the allergy cannot even tolerate the smallest trace of dust from a peanut.

My son CAN eat things that are processed in the same facility. However, I would not feed him something that said "May Contain." And you're right - some brands that process nuts anywhere in their facility will probably put the label on everything they make, just in case the dust in the air traveled to other foods.

Nutrigrain cereal bars make no mention of nuts on their package.

Every item that has chocolate, cereal bars, just about anything that can go in granola or a box of cereal or candy bar is processed in a factory that has nuts also processed in it.

I truly do feel bad for these kids but just about every item in the world has that warning on it nowadays. They cannot get away from it in any way unless they grown and make their own foods entirely.

I have a child that is allergic to peanuts, a couple of tree nuts, and shellfish. We do not really know what kind of reaction he would have to coming into contact with a trace amount of nuts because he is 3 and I feel that is too early to do a challenge test to gauge what would happen. In the meantime, we carry an epi-pen with us everywhere (but have not had to use it).

So I do not allow him to have any products that have nuts, may contain nuts, or processed in a facility or equipment that also process nuts (or shellfish). It's rare when we even have such a food product in our house just so we don't have to worry about cross-contamination.

I think age of the child has a role. A 3 year old isn't going to know what foods he can and cannot eat so keeping the child away from foods that may have nuts requires more vigilance. Also 3 year olds are messier so it's easier for a 3 year old to get peanut butter on his/her hands and then touch another kid who might be allergic. As a parent of a young child with food allergies, I check the labels of everything that a parent might bring to class if it's intended to be shared with everyone. I do not check each kids personal snack. If in doubt, I don't let him eat it. I also tend to bring extra snacks that are safe just in case.

An older child (even as young as 5 or 6) may understand their allergies better and have been taught not to eat other people's food. Or for kids not allergic, they can be told not to share their food with the kids with allergies.

In your case, if the snack is meant to be eaten only by your child and it says "may contain" or "processed in a facility...", then I'd say it's probably okay. You can always check with your school if you really want to be certain. If it's likely that it may be shared, then I'd err on the side of caution and not use it for school. Each person's reaction may be different and over time some nut allergies can get worse with each exposure.

There are some online places to get nut-free foods, but I have been able to find plenty of foods in my regular grocery store for my kid. There are a number of cereals that are safe. If you look around, you can find granola itself that is safe, although a lot of the pre-made granola bars are not. There are many crackers as well that are safe. It just takes some effort to look at the packaging to see which ones are safe.

For example, I've seen one brand of pretzels that is not safe, but another in the same store be safe. Same with Veggie Straws. On the flip side, I've seen pre-packaged fresh spinach that says it may contain shellfish.

Typically finding nut-free chocolate candy is difficult as is the pre-made cookie dough. Things that are bread or bread-like (crackers, etc) are often culprits for hidden nuts, but there are a number of items that can be found.

I don't think that companies generally take the easy way out and label their food "just in case". It's more to do with all the products that they make and whether they share the same processing/manufacturing plant. For example, the bite-size hershey chocolate bars are not truly nut-safe, but the regular sized bars are.

my son has a nut allergy, and we do not have to worry about the "processed in a plant......" type foods, and he steers clear of the "may contain" foods. He just can't eat any nuts, but is not bothered by the "processed in a plant" foods. But I know some kids that are, and I have heard some scary stories too. So it is just best to not take any of that stuff to school if there is a nut allergy around, because you don't know how bad that child's allergy is. And those companies have to really CYA because you never know if something could be accidentally introduced into the food. I personally do not know of any specific companies that are totally nut free.

honestly I dont get the whole nut free school thing. my daughter is allergic to strawberries and sits next to kids eating strawberries and can break out in hives and have breathing difficulties. She knows not to touch them or eat them. I get that some kids have it so bad that the dust of peanuts in a product can make them not breathe and I think in circumstaces like that their should be a nut free table (they have them at my daughters school) but I think you're safe with anything at lunch if your kid isnt at that table. Other kids will be bringing in peanut lunch items if they are not at that table.

If they are at that table then I'd avoid anything that says contains or may contain or even processed in a plant. If not than lunch would be anything and snacks would follow the strict rules

Are the snacks just for your child, or the whole class? I wouldn't give a child with a nut allergy an item that may contain nuts, but I would allow my kids to eat that item in the presence of a child with allergies. I am a lunch supervisor at the school, and the kids are not allowed to bring items that contain nuts, but items that may contain nuts are allowed.

I always joke that Walmart probably has the disclaimer on their toilet paper as well. I feel a lot of companies put the disclaimer on to cover their asses.

My daughter is allergic to nuts but I do weigh "made on equipment that processes..." more than "made in a facility that also processes..." Sometimes it comes down to how adventurous do I feel like being today? Are there any other alternatives?

I get that you are not allowed to send nut snacks to school but why can you not send 'made in a facility?' Unless your child is the one with the nut allergy what difference does it make if there is some cross contamination (like the dried blueberries)?

Irregardless thank you for your vigilance in keeping our allergy kids safe!

My granddaughter is allergic to peanuts. Her school allows snacks that do not contain nuts as an ingredient but can say may be "processed in a plant that also..." I suggest you ask the school about their policy.

We do use the "processed in a plant" foods with my granddaughter.

We have a similar situation in my daughter's grade. I treat "processed" the same as "contains" because I don't know who has the allergy and to what extent. I don't want to be the mom that causes some child to have an extreme reaction just so my kid could have trail mix for snack.

So, that said, for the short time I've had to send a snack in a lot of Keebler products don't have the nut warning. Also Cheez-Its and Cheez-It snack mix are good. Cheerios (well, not honey nut) seem safe so I plan on making a nut free snack mix at some point - Cheerios, marshmallows, pretzels, raisins. Dried fruit or bananas and apples could be an option too. Just take a few minutes in the snack aisle and read the labels. :)

One of my daughters has a peanut allergy. I don't worry about products that were processed in a factory that processes peanuts. We also don't worry about anything that says or "may contain tree nuts" (since peanuts aren't tree nuts). But I do steer clear of things that say "may contain peanuts".

If you're sending snack for the whole class and there's a child with nut allergies, the granola bars probably aren't good. But if it's just for your child, go for it. As a mom of a peanut allergy kid, I don't worry at all about someone eating something near my kid that *may* contain peanuts. I don't think many others do either... unless their child has a super severe allergy, of course.

I just want to say how sweet and thoughtful it is for you to think about others and to be so concerned. As a mom of a peanut allergic son, I appreciate your concern and wanting to try to help keep everyone safe. My son is only 18 months old so the types of snacks I send with him to his daycare may not really be something that your kids like..but I send a lot of dry cereal. There's an organic brand called Cascadian Farms that makes a cinnamon cereal my kids like and also a "Fruity Os". I don't know if you have Trader Joe's near you but I have bought blueberry cereal bars that did not have the warning. Though I know some other of their products do contain the warning but these cereal bars did not. Another thing that's fine is Goldfish crackers and most types of regular crackers (Toasted's, Ritz). good luck! :)

Over the summer, I saw some snacks from Quaker---called school snacks maybe? Anyway, these snacks are without any of the major allerges, so parents can feel comfortable about sending them to school.

I found them at Target.

There are people who are SEVERELY allergic to nuts and if someone breathes on them who had peanut butter that morning can send them into a severe reaction. This is why there are "nut free" policies at schools.

I don't think they just "slap" those labels on everything because there are people who would be affected by eating a product that was produced on a machine that also produces nut products. There are allergies that severe!

As for a child eating a bar that was "produced in a factory" causing a reaction in another child, who knows...but in my opinion, it is better to be safe than sorry.

It is a major hassle and I do think some companies just put that to cover themselves, but I'm not going to risk my child's health to test it out. My daughter is allergic to tree nuts, which does not include peanuts as those are a legume. I am constantly reading labels and have taught her to as well. She is 12 and we have known she was allergic since she was about 18 months. Any bakery items from grocery stores are risky unless labeled. Baked goods from a neighborhood bakery or baked by friends or relatives may have almond extract. I ALWAYS have to ask. If it is unknown, she doesn't eat it. Also many brands of bread are "processed in a plant that may contain tree nuts." Bread!!! You can't make some bread away from tree nuts?! I have like two brands of expensive bread I buy (we only eat whole wheat).
We also have to read labels of hair care products, skin care products, and cosmetics for any use of hazelnut or almond oil. Luckily (or unluckily) she knows what it feels like to have symptoms very early on and is very vigilant. I think kids with food allergies need to be taught to be aware of ingredients, labels, and possible symptoms very early on. I can't be with her 24/7 and she will most likely grow into an adult with food allergies. She has had to miss out on a few things (like cupcakes for an at-school birthday celebration I didn't know about) or eat an alternative item (had to run out to by a different kind of cookie at a friend's house), but she knows what the risks are so she may be a little dissappointed, but doesn't get upset. Again, I think it's because we educated her early on.

I think you are right in that most companies nowadays seem to slap any label on there. Probably so they won't get sued in the future. I guess they are playing it safer then sorry.

My son can eat his peanut butter sandwich for lunch, but he cannot have a snack that contains nuts or the possibility of it having nuts involved..So, I play it safe too. I would give him something else for lunch that didn't involve peanuts at all if he would actually eat it..

Frankly, this is one of the reasons why I am just scared to send in treats to the class. It seems pretty difficult to get things that accomodate everyone's allergies. It is such a hassle that I would rather do NO snacks or give the money for someone else to purchase approved snacks.