Talking Allergies

My son is allergic to peanuts but not tree nuts. The first time he was tested they only tested for peanuts and so we avoided all nuts to be safe. But in June they tested him for peanuts and each tree nut and he only tested positive for peanuts and now I am wondering if I should allow him to eat things with tree nuts or traces in it? I would definately call the company to ensure they were infact peanut free.
What do you do?
Do you allow your peanut allergic child eat tree nuts or things with "may contain tree nuts" labels?

Thanks for your comments!

I would not allow my allergic child to eat anything that was labelled "may contain" for her allergens. I would, however be OK with her eating nuts that had their shells wiped down and then cracked. Is Blue Diamond that brand that's safe? I know there's one.

_________________
Moderator
Daughter: asthma, allergies to egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, most legumes (not soy) & penicillin. Developing hayfever type allergies.
Husband: no allergies
Me: allergies to some tree that flowers in May
Cat: allergic to beef, pork and lamb

I don't think i'd mind so much, depending on the product. For instance, i'd probably allow hershey's products, because they are big and reputable and certainly know the difference between tree nuts and peanuts. I know their hershey's hugs may contain traces of almonds. I don't think i'd be as keen on picking up a bag of straight nuts, but traces would be fine with me, especially if i'd checked with the company first.

_________________
Daughter 3.5 years) - Dairy, Eggs, Peanuts, Sesame, Beef; asthma and eczema
Daughter (2 years) - Peanuts Eczema
Son (7 months) - Contact allergy to something food undetermined

I always avoided tree nuts for my peanut allergic daughter because of the manufacturing process. Last year the allergist wanted to do a food challenge. It was a challenge for me to find nuts that had not gone down the same line as peanuts in the factory. I called several companies. We ended up using almonds and walnuts for her food challenge. When that was over she declared that if that was what she was missing she didn't mind. She did not care for the taste anyway.

just wanted to put this out there... our daughter is allergic to peanuts, but not tree nuts. The allergist said to avoid tree nuts because of the high risk of cross contamination.

Today, DH was eating some pistachios in the shell (DD was napping). When she got up, he put them away. An hour later, she started getting some hives on her arm and her eczema was irritated (which made me want to cry, as she has been clear skinned for 2 months now), I gave her Benydryl and she was ok. DH said that he forgot to wash his hands after eating the pistachios, then he was holding DD... so be careful with tree nuts!

_________________
DD: 11/19/08 allergy to eggs and peanuts

My DS1 is anaphylactic to peanuts but tested negative to all tree nuts. Still, his allergist warns not to give DS1 tree nuts to eat. He said if we felt comfortable we could try some food items that 'may contain' tree nuts. We've tried some cereals but that's about it.

I worry, and my allergist supports my feelings, about cross contamination between peanuts and tree nuts. The risk is bigger than the reward to our family so we usually stay away from tree nuts as well.

_________________
SAHM of 3 children. Oldest DS (1999) is anaphylactic to peanuts.

My daughter used to love cashews, before we found out she's allergic to peanuts. She had also tried almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts with no problem. So I feel comfortable with "may contain tree nuts" warnings, and with nuts in the shell. I found one brand of crazy-expensive fancy, organic, raw cashews at Whole Foods in Vancouver that's peanut-free, so they are a very occasional treat now! She didn't like the other nuts anyway, so I don't think she misses them.

_________________
My 3-year-old is allergic to peanuts.