Recent Peanut Allergy Diagnosis - Looking for Resources and Ideas

SUNBUTTER! SUNBUTTER! SUNBUTTER! I can't say enough about this wonderful product. You can get it at whole foods or the mom's market. It tastes GREAT! It tastes VERY similar to peanut butter. I prefer the sunbutter because it does not have all the hormones and bad things that soynut butter has.
I think you will be very pleased if you try this.

My daughter is severely allergic to all nuts and shellfish. One thing that has been important for us is to have an Epi-pen Jr. with us at all times. My husband attended a meeting about childhood allergies recently and they said that kids that are more likely to get into trouble are kids who have uncontrolled asthma and older kids/teens who don't carry around their Epi-pens. We also carry Zyrtec or Benadryl with us for lesser allergies. (She is also allergic to dogs and sometimes just breaks out for unknown reasons...dust maybe).
The Epi-pen should come with a fake one to practice with. We taught all our relatives and friends how to use it. It is expensive and you need a prescription for it but it will buy some time if you can't get to an ER right away.
We had our daughter tested when she was 12 months old. Just a blood test, not the skin test. The allergy doctor didn't think we should have to put our daughter through the skin test which isn't that accurate anyway. At 18 months, your son should be able to get tested.
I have not separated her from people who are eating nuts but I am vigilant about serving spoons that may be used in multiple dishes. My daughter is fine with foods that say "processed in facility and on equipment used for nuts" but everybody is different.
We don't have any nuts in our house now and have replaced the peanut butter in our house with Sunbutter. I like Simple Food Slightly Sweet Soy Butter (they have other varieties but I like this flavor best). But if you're worried about soy allergies, then try Sunbutter because it's made of sunflower seeds.
For lunch ideas, I have used beans a lot. Quesadillas and such. Edamame beans are also a big hit in this household (but it's not for those with soy allergies). Grilled veggies are good for sandwiches or just to eat plain. We also eat a lot of soups and stews over whole grains.
I hear a lot about this cookbook called Sophie-Safe Cooking. Look it up on Amazon. I haven't read it though so I can't review it.
Restaurants and labels are getting clearer about ingredients so I haven't had much problems. I do tell the waiter though because they have a protocol about allergies at most restaurants. They are supposed to use different cooking pot/pan/utensils for people with allergies. My daughter now says "No nuts!" every time we order food.
Good luck and hope this helps.

http://www.foodallergy.org/

Also, I don't like peanut butter. I always ate cream cheese and jelly (or with fruit, etc.). It is less good fat, but you can buy low fat and fat free when he is older.

I don't even know where to begin. My older son has severe peanut (possibly all nuts as we haven't re-tested yet) and sesame allergies.

First, get all that peanut butter that you all love so much and anything with nuts out of the house ASAP. His first reaction was very severe and they can only get worse from there, not better. If we eat out without our son and it has something with nuts or sesame, we wash up real well and brush our teeth.

Second, get several Epipen Jr's. Keep in your purse, diaper bag, car, day-care, preschool if he goes to one, in the house. Also do the same with Benadryl. They have the Children's perfect measure spoons which are convenient because you can keep them with the Epis everywhere (check with the allergist for the dose for your son's age and weight).

Sesame and peanuts allergies go hand in hand many times so I would keep him away from the hummus for a while until you get him tested for sesame as well. Hummus is made with tahini which is made from sesame paste.

I wouldn't worry too much about peanut and sesame oils as the oils don't have proteins in them. My son has the highest level of peanut and sesame allergies yet can do fine when I cook with those oils or buy something with those oils.

Start shopping at places like Wholefoods because they have a lot of products that are made in nut free facilities. Also, many products today are made in facilities that process nuts but use good manfucatoring processes to prevent cross contamination and I do buy those products and he does fine on them.

It takes a while to do grocery shopping ever since we found out (when he was about your son's age; also with an ER trip). I also have a baby with multiple food allergies (none life threatening so far thank G-d).

The Food and Allergy Network is a good source. There are also support groups. I am still looking for good resources myself. When you go out to eat, always clean the table and other surfaces your son will touch with a baby wipe first (my son actually had a reaction to touching a table that wasn't properly cleaned). Always ask the waiter to ask the chef what the ingredients are and say you are asking because of an allergy. Many restaurants now have allergy alerts when they put in your order so the chef knows to be extra careful.

Plan play dates only with parents that are willing to take the extra precautions of washing their child's hands and mouth. Preferably have play dates only at your house.

When you go to the park watch other kids carefuly.

It's not an easy life. It's easy to get deperssed about all the parties your kid will be missing out on and stuff like that. But it is what it is and you just have to learn to live with it.

When our kids are older, they can start understanding and start watching out for themselves as well

When you put him in preschool, look for a school that is either nut free (like we have) or is very supportive.

Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions

I agree with Kirsten - soynut butter is AWESOME. It is even better than peanut butter imo. My kids aren't allergic, but my daughter's classmates were, so I switched because they make the kids sit apart from other kids with allergies, so I just wanted to make sure she wasn't ostracized from her friends. We have been big fans ever since!
Also - for more variety, you can try jelly with cream cheese, butter and jelly, honey and soynut butter, cream cheese and cucumber, tomato and mozzarella, etc.
Hope this helps! Good luck....

Sorry to hear that your ds is allergic to peanut butter. Perhaps you can try Sunbutter (www.sunbutter.com) made from sunflower seeds, I hear that is tastes great and is a great alternative that you all may enjoy. Sorry I don't have any resources for you, HTH.

~S.
SahmIam.Biz

I don't know about the other resources, but there are plenty of other nut butters(almond, cashew,soy, etc) that you can get so he doesn't feel left out. My brother was allergic to peanuts, so I never really liked peanust butter. But there are other nuts and you may be able to give him those. You can get all of these with out cross contamination. However, you may want to wait until the child's 3rd b-day to check these things out. I waited for evertything until my daughter was three with many nuts, fish, anything that her immediate family was allergic to. Good Luck!
A.

Welcome to the club!!! My son was diagnosed when he was 2 1/2 with a nut allergy. He hadn't had peanut butter, but we gave him a brownie with walnuts in it and our world changed in 30 seconds. He didn't like the taste and spit it out. Everywhere the saliva touched his skin, he had instant hives!

We had him tested through the blood test for ALL types of nuts. May as well test for all of it while your at it. He tested OFF THE CHARTS for walnuts and pecans. We have him avoid all nuts. My husband does eat peanut butter around him, but we keep it store up out of his reach.

When reading labels, which will become second nature, we don't avoid 'processed in a facility with peanuts', but if the word tree nut is mentioned, he doesn't get it.

Another thing to keep in mind is the restarants and pizza places. Chik-fil-a; Jerry Subs; Boardwalk Fries - all use peanut oil for frying. Some places like Mrs. Fields Cookies; Shoppers Food; etc. will have signs about cross-contamination.

Also, never be afraid to ask. If I go somewhere new, I always ask what type of oil is used. Also, don't be afraid to take your own foods with you. We went to a restarant that was new to us. We didn't know what my son could have so we packed a lunch. Turns out he couldn't have anything there. When we explained, they were fine with it.

Food ideas: grilled cheese; mac n cheese; hot dogs; jelly and butter; blts;

Good luck.
M.

I agree with the person who suggested not keeping peanut butter in the house. I was a HUGE peanut butter fan for my entire life until I learned that my oldest was allergic to it (at around 18 months as well!), so for the last 7 years, I haven't kept any in my house, and I don't buy anything that's made with peanut butter or peanut products (you'll get used to checking labels and asking grocery staff and other parents whether baked goods contain peanuts.)

In addition to Sunbutter, soynut butter (sold at Wegman's, Whole Foods, and even Giant) is a really good substitute for peanut butter--it has the same color and creamy consistency. My oldest has a peanut allergy and my younger two kids don't (knock on wood), and they've only ever had "soynut butter and jelly" sandwiches and love them! :)

As your youngest gets into his preschool years, just check with his teachers to find out how they handle food allergies. It's such a common allergy now that many preschools have "peanut free classrooms," and usually make accommodations for things like snacks and treats that other parents bring in. Also, make sure to mention his allergy to parents if you're having playdates or any situation where you won't be with your son. My daughter went off with a neighbor for a short time to a neighborhood event where I didn't even think they'd be serving food, and ate a little bit of a peanut butter cookie. Fortunately,they brought her home right away and we recognized that she was having a reaction, so we got her to the ER in time.

Having an Epi-Pen on hand is also a great idea for peace-of-mind.