Please don't kill my 6-year-old son

Interesting stuff, BB ... I thought someone needed to ingest the peanut (or product), or at the very least touch it to have a reaction.

Wonder if they're working on any kind of medicine (such as anti-histamines that control say, pollen allergies) that would prevent such a reaction peanuts.

 

This is awfully tricky. I LOVE peanuts and peanut butter. Always have.

But if I know someone's that allergic to it, I'm not going to be an epic asshole about eating peanuts or peanut butter around him or her.

 

I could swear I've heard of somebody (Braves, maybe?) recently offering one peanut-free section in their park.

Granted, it's gonna have to be somebody with shitty attendance.

 

I think I have a food allergy, but I'm not sure. Three times I've randomly broken out into hives and welts. All three times I had eaten different things, so if it is a food allergy, I'm assuming it's some kind of preservative or something. A few other times, I've had really mild hives. The first time was the worst. I was having lunch with some friends at Chili's, and started feeling really itchy, and my friend's eyes just got really big. Very quickly, like within seconds while she was looking at me, a welt had appeared above my right eye. I ended up with several more, and the itching was turning me into a crazy person. I don't know why, but I never went to the hospital. I guess I figured if it was bad enough for that, I'd have trouble breathing.

 

I've never heard of banning a food in a school like that. I guess, depending on the seriousness of a particular kids' case, maybe it's something to consider. I didn't know people had deathly reactions just from being around foods. I thought they would at least have to come in contact with it.

Most school lunch menus have peanut butter on them in some form a few times a month because for most people it's healthy and tasty. I'm sure at every school there are kids who have moderate reactions, but they can't ban every food that every kid is allergic to. The kids undoubtedly will encounter situations where the food is going to be around somewhere. To me, it would be a rare case to have to ban a food altogether.

 

BB Bobcat, it's a good subject to inform people about. Allergies and Asthma, which is often related, are often misunderstood.

That said, soybutter is not almost identical to peanut butter. My kid, who eats almost anything, can't stand the stuff and she loves peanut butter.

 

Here in Canuckistan it seems schools have been aware for some time. Friends from different parts of the country say it is the same with schools sending home info saying no peanut products to outright bans on peanuts and pb.

I did not know anyone with peanut allergies when I was a kid and I remember being given pb sandwiches at school, don't know if it is just more awareness or allergies are increasing.

An East Indian friend of ours was telling us that pregnant women in her culture will eat a wide variety of things including nuclear hot curry so that the baby will eat anything when it starts solid food.

It would be interesting to see if peanut allergies break down along any racial lines, all the kids I know with the allergy are white (but I live in a pretty whitebread neighbourhood)

 

some teams do occasional peanut free games, where they have one peanut free section that day. My wife called the A's and they actually told her we could sit in the "family" alcohol-free section, because it was usually empty.

As for schools banning the foods, the problem is even where the food is banned, some parents ignore it because they don't understand.

I realize you can't just ban every food any kid is allergic to. Besides, it's really only an issue with the youngest school kids, because older kids know better what they're eating.

I just want people to be aware. If a kid with a nut allergy comes in contact with your kid, you need to understand what that means. Either don't have the nut products or make damn sure your kid understands washing his hands, face, etc.

 

My nephew has a severe nut allergy as well. He once ate ONE BITE of cereal from his dad's bowl that neither of them knew had nuts in it. Within an hour he was barely breathing and had to be rushed to the hospital. That's when they realized how severe it was.

They occasionally go to Royals games and try to stay as isolated as possible because of peanuts. I know the Cardinals have peanut-free sections, which many teams will probably also have soon.

The (public) school our daughters attend is nut free.

My son has some kind of intolerance to milk. He's never been diagnosed with an allergy, but I tell you what, that poor kid's tummy is rock hard sometimes after having milk and his poop is something you would never want to see come out of your own body. But we think the "intolerance" is improving. He's been on a regular diet for six months, but now we're going back to watching his milk intake. No milk to drink (rice milk drowned in chocolate) and take it easy on cheeses, chocolate, etc.

BB is right. Don't fuck around with allergies. If your kid has a friend that spends the night at your house and you don't know him/her, ask if they have allergies. Respect places that are nut-free and understand they aren't trying to piss you off.

 

I have a baby, and our pediatrician (and several books I've seen) recommend not even offering a child anything with nuts until age THREE. The rate of allergy is much lower for kids who aren't exposed early, and basically there's no good reason to risk it.

 

Way to go SportsJournalists.com. Thanks for your understanding in this. I was sort of afraid this thread would deteriorate into an argument about political correctness gone mad.

Believe it or not, some people think peanut restrictions are no different than changing a school's mascot from the Indians to avoid offending people. Hopefully now you guys all know the difference.

This really is a life-and-death issue for some people.

 

Tell me about it. I haven't had a ginger snap since high school, because my husband is allergic to ginger.