Hi Moms. I am sure many of you have heard the debate over airlines serving peanuts and whether it is safe for a peanut allergic child to travel on airplanes. Our son tests positive (by both blood and skin tests) for the peanut allergy but has never been exposed to peanuts. What are your thoughts on flying? We have always avoided it because we don't want to chance a reaction but would welcome any thoughts. I have reviewed info on the internet and have read about the possibility that he might not react to peanuts since he has never had exposure but would like to hear from someone who might have experienced this first hand. Our son is 9 years old and was also allergic (anaphylactic) to both milk and eggs but has since grown out of those allergies. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
Well, as they say, you won't know till you try it...........I would first make sure that the airline knows of the allergy.........second I would come armed with all necessary drugs that you need, eppy pen, etc.....in case he has an attack........talk to your doctor before you leave to make sure you have whatever you might need.
Good Luck and take care.
Many airlines serve pretzels now instead. Maybe try one of those instead.
You do need to let the airline know that your child has a peanut allergy.
Let them know when you book the ticket, let the agent at the gate know and just for safe measure, tell the flight attendant when you board (though if things work right they should already know).
The flight attendants will make an announcement that there's a person on the plane with a peanut allergy and please refrain from eating anything with peanuts.
I've seen it lots of times on planes.
And definitely make sure that you come prepared with an epi pen (or several) and anything else you may need.
our son was diagnosed with peanut allergy at age 5. Thru the years, this manifested in just a rash. He had to actually consume peanut to trigger this, & sometimes other food items would contain enough contaminant to trigger him (chocolate, granola bars, etc). It seemed to be easing off as he matured.
UNTIL one round of MAP testing in his school. The teacher knew my son required ingestion to trigger the allergy, & assumed (without consulting me or the school nurse!) that she could serve peanuts to the rest of the class - & was very proud of herself for thinking to offer my son a "special peanut-free treat". Nope, for the 1st time in his life, he reacted to airborne!! Just by being in the classroom, he triggered with quite a severe round of rash. & it happened within just minutes of the peanuts being distributed among his classmates! When the school nurse called me, she explained what had happened & said that the teacher was distraught over her poor choices. I was furious that she knowingly made this choice & was ready to BLAST her! In the end, when the teacher called me, I could hear the emotions in her voice....& I let it go -she had punished herself enough. (& honestly, my son took it upon himself to blast her in front of the class before he headed to the nurse- anyway!! There's nothing more intense than a completely furious & personally offended 5th grader!)
Soooo, YES inform the airline, be proactive!! Protect your child using all means available......I wish you Peace & a safe/happy trip!
Emily has it right. You need to notify the airline crew the day you are flying and remind them again when you get on board. They will announce that there is someone traveling on board with severe nut allergies, to please refrain from eating any snack they may have brought on board with nuts in them, and then the crew will also not serve anything they have with nuts in it.
We had this happen when we were returning from NY to LA. I think most people are understanding and happy to comply!=-)
sorry, i haven't read your other responses, so someone else might have responded with the same information. but if you are considering traveling you might contact the airlines and let them know the situation. i was on a plane once where there was a passenger who had a peanut allergy and so the airline notified all the passengers and did not offer any snacks etc that had any peanuts.
i do know of one child who has a peanut allergy and his first time eating something with peanuts he had a pretty severe reaction. might consult with his allergist about precautions.
