Advice for a semi-newbie, please!

[springcheer]

I belong to Stonybrook Swim Club in Hillsdale, and I’m having FA issues.  This is the first year I’m going to the club with knowledge of my three year-old’s peanut and tree nut allergies.  It’s a harrowing experience.  Kids are allowed to bring in and eat food on premises…  everywhere…  by towels, by the pool, on the playground, etc.  Almost every kid eats PB&J, the perfect hot-weather food for the non-allergic child.  I even spotted (and confiscated) a dirty PB&J-stained napkin sitting on top of a shared-toy bin.  I once spotted two kids sitting on my son’s towel eating PB&J…  almost gave me a heart attack!  I should be having fun at the club, but I’m not.  Going there is incredibly stressful.  It’s no fun for me, and it’s a shame.  Do I stop going…  so unfair to my son?  Danger lurks at every corner.  I wish the non-allergic community would understand.  Any advice would be most helpful.  Thanks!

[SPOAKmom]

I can understand your thoughts on this.  I was a member of Stonybrook myself and as it is one of the nicer clubs in the area, I made the transition to Westwood Swim club for the fact it is less hectic and I knew the eating area was more contained (only food in the fenced in area).  

I would suggest since your son is only 3, that you start spreading the word to friends and people who sit near you at the club that your son has a serious allergy and could they help keep and eye out that kids are not nearby or on his blanket with nut products.

I think my sons allergies are well known around the area.  I worked very hard at his young age to start spreading the news to the children and parents he was in contact with that it was serious.

You cannot believe how wonderful some parents and children are and will help to try and keep him safe.  Educating others can be a great tool for us.

Good luck next summer!

[springcheer]

Thanks, ladies.  Much appreciated.  Your ideas and advice are most helpful.  :)  One day at a time...

[SPOAKCO]

So sorry that you are having this problem in what should be a fun summertime activity. I am fortunate to belong to the  Westwood Swim Club where food is only allowed in one eating area making this a more friendly food allergy environment. We  just make sure to place a mat on the table where my son is sitting and to have him sit on a towel at the picnic table to help avoid any issues.   All of his friends - ok  most likely all of our town -   knows that he has a food allergy - so although he does not enjoy being known for his allergies it certainly helps to keep him safe.  Even so there have been several occasions in the past in which he has broken out in hives simply by playing in the kiddie pool.  I think perhaps he was having cross contamination with kids who were eating peanut butter for lunch and then coming down to the pool for a swim or to play on the swings.  He has outgrown the kiddie pool now and we have not had any issues for a  couple of years.

Since peanut butter is such a mainstay in so many kids diets it is really difficult to control situations like this. No matter where you take your son there could always be a child who had just consumed peanut butter and left the trace on the table - a toy - an amusement park ride. I think the most important  thing that we can do as allergy parents is to always be prepared with our epipens and other meds in case there is ever a need for them because although we try our best we can not control every situation- and our kids do need to live in the real world.

My son is a little older then yours and I have tried to teach him to be aware of the food around him.  As a kindergartener he knew to not sit next to his friends who were eating anything with peanut butter in it and to never eat off a common area like a cafeteria table or picnic table but to use some kind of mat.  Things like this help to empower him at a young age to take control of his allergies.

Although very stressful you could use this experience as a teaching exercise for your son. I understand that he is only three but it is never too early to start teaching allergy kids about how to handle various situations.

My final suggestion is to perhaps talk to the pool management and ask them to put signs up saying something like there is a child (and I am sure there is more then one) with a severe nut allergy and request people are more careful with things like dirty napkins and hand washing after eating.

I'm not sure if any of this helps! I hope you can relax a bit and get some enjoyment out of the pool this summer!

[ChitChatNine]

Hi,

Wanted to stop by your post and say hello and great question.  We deal with bees (my 16yr old is bee allergic) at the town swim pool and also plum and plum pits in the sand but both of those are pretty clearcut and more easily managed.  We keep epi pens @ the lifeguard station along with Benadryl and latex-free first aid supplies.  This way we know we have them handy in case of emergency and less stress packing the beach bag each day.

I wish I could give you some advice but all I can do is feel for you and the stress this must be on top of the stress of watching your kids in the water non-stop.  We belonged to our pool for many seasons when my kids were small and just watching the water issues was rough when they were small.

Keep us posted. - I was thinking --- so far things have been okay for you and your son, so keep doing what you're doing.  Maybe bring a spritzer to wipe down the tables before you sit to eat and/or bring a tablecloth (kid sized for his area?) and make it into a fun game?

Cheryl