DD just diagnosed with a peanut allergy

ash2

I just had allergy testing done on her this morning and she came up very positive for peanut. Since she is such a picky eater, she has never eaten peanuts or anything containing peanuts before. Never peanut butter, baked goods with peanuts, ice cream, etc. However, I did discover about 6 months ago that she had a reaction because she broke out all over her face after touching the lid to a jar of peanut butter. So now I'm wondering what I should do in terms of making sure others know about the allergy. She starts preschool in the fall and as she gets older and will be more exposed to children with peanut containing foods, it makes me worry. I have an epi pen, but should I get another one for her teacher? Should I get a medical I.D. bracelet? TIA!

luvmagoldn

ash2:

I just had allergy testing done on her this morning and she came up very positive for peanut. Since she is such a picky eater, she has never eaten peanuts or anything containing peanuts before. Never peanut butter, baked goods with peanuts, ice cream, etc. However, I did discover about 6 months ago that she had a reaction because she broke out all over her face after touching the lid to a jar of peanut butter. So now I'm wondering what I should do in terms of making sure others know about the allergy. She starts preschool in the fall and as she gets older and will be more exposed to children with peanut containing foods, it makes me worry. I have an epi pen, but should I get another one for her teacher? Should I get a medical I.D. bracelet? TIA!

Yes and yes.  When you fill out forms for preschool they will ask about medical conditions and allergies.  They will most likely require that an epi pen be kept at school - or at least they should!

When looking for preschools this will become a major determining factor for you.  Schools that allow treats for birthdays were off my list. No way was I going to trust that everyone would consider my kid's food allergy.  Schools that "get" food allergies are really important for preschoolers because their impulse control is not great, they still put things in their mouths, etc. 

Our preschool is peanut and nut free.  All snacks have to be in original packaging with an ingredient list on them.  They have a strict no snack sharing policy and practice (and they explain to the kids why that is).  There are only a couple of parties each year with food and the teachers are very good about asking the allergy parents for input ahead of time and encourage the allergy parents to participate in the parties.

If your LO has contact reactions like that I would be very careful about school, family parties, friend's birthday parties, etc.

Court0026

Ditto to almost everything luvmagoldn said!  It was critical for us with preschools.  #1 deciding factor.  Our preschool is peanut and tree nut free and snacks need to have labels.  Both of his teachers are trained to administer meds and all staff have been through an epi-pen training.  It is a crazy journey.  Some days I am so encouraged by the awareness around us and DS's lack of reactions.  Other days I am completely overwhelmed by the scariness of it and the lack of control we have over his well-being.  Hang in there!

He wears a bracelet and I have him wear it to all family functions, bday parties, etc.  Even when he is right near me.  I have him tell people what it is, what it says and what it means.  

funchicken

We always carry epipens, and at preschool the teacher keeps DD's epipen in a lock box in the classroom.  Her classroom is peanut and tree nut-free, and we teach DD to ask us or her teachers "is that safe for me to eat?" before she eats something unfamiliar.  This is a great habit to get into, and DD understands if we tell her she can't eat something because it might have nuts in it. Also, both of her teachers are certified to administer the epipen.

At the beginning of each month the teachers give out a calendar with all of the kids birthdays listed, and I bring safe treat for her when they're having a party.  Another food allergy mom told me about this container called a "cup-a-cake" that holds an iced cupcake without it getting all messed up.  I can just toss a cupcake in her snack bag on party days   Snack time is very organized at DD's school.  There's no sharing, and the kids all stay seated at tables.  I was actually there for snack time today because it was DD's birthday, and I was really impressed at how well-behaved the kids were.

I think teaching them to protect themselves is a really important part of this.  We can be as careful as possible, but they need to learn how to be careful, too because we can't always control what's in the room with them.