Talking Allergies

I just thought I'd share...when faced with eating out, I am concerned about table surfaces being clean and free of nut residue for my son (food courts can be the worst!). In the past we have brought baby wipes out and cleaned down surfaces prior to eating. While surfing the web, I came across a commercially made disposable placemat that sticks to the table surface that can later be thrown away. Great idea but I thought they were pretty pricey at approx. a dollar a shot. It got me thinking....you could use Glad "Press'n Seal" for a fraction of the price. I know it could potentially look a little silly -- sitting down to a meal and then pulling out a roll of Press'n Seal from your bag but at least you wouldn't have to worry so much about your young one's food (or even hands for that matter) touching an allergen contaminated table.

Actually, it sounds like a pretty good idea. Allergies aside - I worry about germs at those places.

Perhaps you might consider those CLOROX Type of disinfecting wipes. Put some in a ziploc bag and keep them in your purse. Then wipe the table yourself, to ensure it is a safe eating environment for your child. Using the press and seal , could work as well. You should not be concerned about what people think as you can not put a price on your youngsters life as he is completely reliable on you to ensure his safety .If thats what you need to do, so be it. These days most people wouldn't likey think that as odd, but rather as safe. Due to all the diseases out there etc.. Allergies or not, every one should be cautious of what they are touching, especially when it comes to eating food at a common area. You do what needs to be done.

We still carry diaper wipes for this purpose. They are quite reasonable in the large tub refill sizes and we fill the carrying containers.
Anything that people might think about you is soon gone once they see how much dirt was actually on the table.

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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

Sorry I just have to laugh
My girlfriends have given up on me because I am now happily at the point where "Frankly, My darling I don't give a damn!"

I simply do what I feel needs to be done and I just don't care what people think.
I have found people will always talk wether you do the right thing or not.

Example:

If you wear the same dress twice the say "Oh, poor thing she 's wearing that dress again she must be in financial trouble."

If you wear a new dress they say "Oh my, She must have won the 649 and has not told anyone."

So go ahead wipe down those tables or line them in plastic wrap. You are doing what you feel is right. and if someone has something to say just tell them to worry about their own lives because your doing fine.

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Sil

Diaper wipes would not serve any purpose, other wise we would not use them on our babies. You need to purchase specific type wipes to use while/when in public.

There was a study to detect peanut allergen under various environmental conditons and examine the effectiveness of cleaning agents for allergen removal Distribution of peanut allergen in the environment conducted by:
Tamara T. Perry, MD,a Mary Kay Conover-Walker, CRNP,a Anna Pome´ s, PhD,b
Martin D. Chapman, PhD,b and Robert A. Wood,MDa Baltimore, Md, and Charlottesville, Va
titled simply, Distribution of peanut allergen in the environment

You may be able to find it, it was published Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology MAY 2004.

In it, it was found that most diaper wipes were just as successful on removing the allergens from table tops. I am histitant to use anything as strong as the disinfecting wipes because I worry about my daughter reacting to the harsh chemicals left behind (I don't know if any harsh chemicals are left behind but a mother worries anyway)

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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

We rarely eat out, even in food fairs, but I would be apt to use a regular diaper wipe as well, instead of a Clorox one. Perhaps the previous poster meant that a diaper wipe wouldn't be effective removing germs, which some other posters mentioned earlier.

Personally, I'm more worried about the allergens, and less worried about the germs. . .

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DD 2004 Allergy to peanuts, egg, sesame, and new: lentils and chick peas
DS 2006 Allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, kiwi fruit, eczema