Alot of my co-workers, knowing about DJ's allergy, have asked if he'll be allowed to trick or treat this year. I'm telling them what I keep telling myself; that as long we don't allow him to eat anything before we get home, check and separate the safe from the not safe treats, I don't see any reason why not. Halloween has got to be one of the funnest holidays for kids, and there is no way I want DJ to miss it. I do think, in years to come, we may have to develop strategies to ensure he doesn't feel burnt when we have to take away some of his candy. But at this stage, I'm sure he'll be happy enough to simply go door to door in his super-cute fireman costume, collecting candy.
One thing we will do to try to minimze any potential dangers is to watch what goes into this bag in the first place so we can pull dangerous items out right away; one of us will be carrying a 'not safe' bag for that.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Raisinet Recall
Nestle is recalling its Raisinet's in the U.S., citing undeclared peanuts. Given the peanut counterpart, I had always assumed Raisinets were off the table, so to speak and have never even looked at the packaging. Still, this serves as a reminder that even the biggest food companies can get it wrong.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Feild Trip Fumble - Or Overprotective mom?
There's an article in the Globe and Mail today about a mom outraged by teachers eating almonds in their cabin at night during a school trip she attended to chaperon her 13-year old peanut-allergic son.
Admittedly, I often side with the parent of the allergic child when I read articles like this. But in this case, I think the mom is off base. The teachers were in thier own cabin, after the kids were in bed. That means the risk of cross contamination with her son should have been extremely limited. Presumably, all of those teachers would wake up in the morning, brush thier teeth and shower, eliminating any unlikley traces of nut. Furthermore, it's not like teachers have close physical contact with thier students, so again, the risk of cross-contamination is low. To call them out on thier actions seems pretty harsh to me. Furthermore, it sets up the situation where everyone thinks that parents of allergic children are over-protective of thier kids and want everyone to bend to thier way of thinking. I'm sure the comments section of the Globe will be filled with the usual rants.
Not to mention, this kid was 13, and his mom was chaperoning him. I sincerely hope that by that age, DJ will understand his allergy and be responsible enough to know what he can and can't eat, and that he will be able to attend events like this, like any other normal kid - without his mom.
Personally, I would be more annoyed that the teachers were drinking on the job.
Admittedly, I often side with the parent of the allergic child when I read articles like this. But in this case, I think the mom is off base. The teachers were in thier own cabin, after the kids were in bed. That means the risk of cross contamination with her son should have been extremely limited. Presumably, all of those teachers would wake up in the morning, brush thier teeth and shower, eliminating any unlikley traces of nut. Furthermore, it's not like teachers have close physical contact with thier students, so again, the risk of cross-contamination is low. To call them out on thier actions seems pretty harsh to me. Furthermore, it sets up the situation where everyone thinks that parents of allergic children are over-protective of thier kids and want everyone to bend to thier way of thinking. I'm sure the comments section of the Globe will be filled with the usual rants.
Not to mention, this kid was 13, and his mom was chaperoning him. I sincerely hope that by that age, DJ will understand his allergy and be responsible enough to know what he can and can't eat, and that he will be able to attend events like this, like any other normal kid - without his mom.
Personally, I would be more annoyed that the teachers were drinking on the job.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Bread Spread Battle
After trying Safe4School Wowbutter, my husband and I debated which is better: it, or Sunbutter. While I love the both the crunch and roasted flavour of the sunflower seeds in Sunbutter, I'm not crazy about how dry it is. On the other hand, I feel like the Wowbutter has a bit of an aftertaste.
Still, I came down on Wowbutter's side. So did my hub. Where do you stand? Take the poll and let me know!
Still, I came down on Wowbutter's side. So did my hub. Where do you stand? Take the poll and let me know!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Safe4School Wowbutter
I often check the bread spreads section in hopes they[ll start stocking safe butters like soy or sunflower seed. Much to my delight, the ValuMart on Lakeshore has started carrying Safe4school Wowbutter!
Given its similarity in to peanut butter though, I was wondering how kids would be able to take it to school without prompting allergy concerns. Check out the safe school procedure section of the website for details on how to send your kid to school with this tasty soy butter; it includes down loadable sheets to send to school with your child and even a label template you can affix to lunches to ensure school staff know you're eating safe.
Given its similarity in to peanut butter though, I was wondering how kids would be able to take it to school without prompting allergy concerns. Check out the safe school procedure section of the website for details on how to send your kid to school with this tasty soy butter; it includes down loadable sheets to send to school with your child and even a label template you can affix to lunches to ensure school staff know you're eating safe.
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