PSA: Please be considerate of allergies

etky

Thu, Feb 26 2015, 12:40 am

The problem, as I see it, is that when you have kids that allergic, how can you really trust anything that even the most well-intentioned and well-informed people have packed for you? There is still that risk that somehow unwitting contamination of the food item has taken place, especially on a chaotic day like Purim. I think that if I had an allergic child cv"s (and I really, really feel for all you moms who have to deal with this issue) I would not let her consume anything homemade from out of the house, just to be safe.
I can understand as a rule not putting anything peanut-y in MM, a cake for a kiddush, or anything meant to be given out, b/c it seems to be a prevalent sensitivity and allergy that is easily enough avoided.
Other nuts and allergens? I think its more unrealistic to expect that.
And if we're talking about Purim, well, Pessach is much, much worse in terms of nut usage and consumption.

sotired3

Thu, Feb 26 2015, 2:05 am

My child who's 3 has multiple food allergies, and what I'm considering doing is putting a sign on my front door to request that no one bring specific foods into my home. I will also put a sticker on his shirt saying "I have allergies, please don't give me food without asking my parents"

I don't expect everyone to keep me or my child in mind when they're preparing their MM. BH my son has never had an anaphalactic reaction, but we've had some scary incidents. He's also been very good about not eating foods he's allergic to since a very very young age. He understood what would happen

amother

Thu, Feb 26 2015, 7:38 am

Oh wow seeker I never knew any of this! Never knew some allergies can be passed through touch?! wow !
I'm glad I'm reading this as I have never thought of davka washing hands after eating nuts.
My MM this year has nuts. I don't give many people and I know none have allergies but I'll be more aware from now on.
Wishing you a great purim!

amother

Thu, Feb 26 2015, 10:08 am

I have been dealing with allergies for many years now, and I have taught my kid never to eat anything that was baked or cooked by someone else. (unless I call up that person and ask her exactly what the ing, are)
As far as MM goes any baked goods that I receive gets thrown out right away. Chocolate that doesnt have a wrapper with ing. they cannot eat.
I do the same with shul kidish or school parties. Kids learn very young that they have food allergies and cant eat anything unless Mommy reads the ing. My teenagers still g ive me the wrappers of food to read,(after they have read it 2x). Its a way of life kids get used to it.
Some people are clueless about allergies. Suppose u would ask someone if her cookies have peanuts. She says no. Would u trust her and hand the cookie to your DC. Never, Did you consider to choc. on top of the cake or cookie? Many choc. have nuts too. Praline has nuts. A person with li mited knowledge of allergies
would not think of that.
I wouldnt expect anyone to go out of there way and label her MM or be extra accomodating for our alergic kids.

seeker

Thu, Feb 26 2015, 4:25 pm

etky wrote:

But I am not talking about letting the child consume things. I am worried about those who get reactions from touching people and objects that have been in contact with allergens.
Are tree nut allergies that much less common than peanut? I thought they were both pretty common. Anyway, even just for peanuts making this a social norm would help a lot of people.

And yes, Pesach is much much more nutty but also much, much easier to just stay home and control everything ourselves. Many people don't "mish" on Pesach and even those who do are usually not throwing nuts around other people's houses and visiting 20+ homes in the same day. And they're not expecting you to visit them either, necessarily. Purim is a different scene altogether. I hate the idea of keeping my family quarantined on what is essentially a sociable, neighborly day, whereas Pesach is family/home time for many people.

animeme

Thu, Feb 26 2015, 7:03 pm

I hear you, seeker. I too have wondered why its not standard to avoid nuts in shalah manos these days.

I will ask this, though. If you're worried about contact allergies, someone could follow all the rules you list but let their kids eat everything from the shalach manos they receive and when they interact with your child you have a problem. Unless (and this could be fun) you put a container of wipes or Purel outside your house with a note that says, "Go nuts today! But we can't have any in our home. Please use this before coming into our house or touching anything coming into our house."

But that still confines you to the house... And most people without allergies in the house might not wash up between moving foods around the same way you and I would. Sounds rough.