That’s a great tip as well! Thank you for sharing 🙂

I cannot believe someone told you that you were being paranoid! Apparently they have never had to watch their small child struggle to breathe as their face and throat swells up from eating a food they are allergic to. Ugh. That makes me so mad!

I have given up on caring what people think. I don’t ever apologize for asking a gazillion questions about the food, and I just won’t let my kid eat it if I’m not 100% sure it is safe. If someone thinks I am being a pain or “just being paranoid” I try to explain to them that a food allergy isn’t like being allergic to a cat. My kid won’t just sneeze for a few minutes…her throat will swell shut and she won’t be able to breathe. That usually gets them to back off. 😉

Being your good friend, food allergies are something you will probably become accustomed to as well 🙂 My friends take his peanut allergy as second nature and takes precautions almost as well as I do being the mommy. Peanut allergies are a serious thing and when learning how to live with them it’s hard for the parents as well. Over time things will be second nature and you will know how to handle get togethers, birthday parties, eating out etc. My only advice? Be supportive and understanding about any concerns your friend has. A lot of things seem like overboard to an outsider, but peanut allergies can be fatal and taking extra steps to avoid cross contamination is something we have to do to keep our kiddos safe.

You are right, not everyone is accepting to making accommodations but it’s worth talking to them to see if they will. Some events are harder than others but we have found there are ways around them.

I recently visited a friend house and asked if we could please use separate spoons for the dishes that were being offered. Someone there had actually gave me a nasty look and told me that I was being paranoid. Many people don’t understand food allergies and it’s one of those things that they won’t understand until they have been there.

My son hasn’t been to too many birthday parties, however I do plan to send cupcakes along with him. Perhaps those cupcakes will help another child that is there with an allergy too 🙂

All else fails? Bring a cup of mac n cheese, some snacks, and let people look at you funny. At least your child is being protected and still there to have a good time. Heck we have even taken McDonalds into a restaurant before because we had a dinner party with some friends, the restaurant wasn’t very accommodating on the phone when I called before hand so I said to heck with them!

The biggest problem I have is that so many people don’t understand food allergies and will tell you something is “nut free” without regard for cross contamination issues. I was told repeatedly by a friend that her daughter’s birthday cake was coming from a specialty bakery and she was told by the owner that the cake was nut free. I called the bakery myself and found that while the cake ingredients did not contain nuts, she could not guarantee that there were no risks of cross contamination. Needless to say, I brought cupcakes for my daughter. 🙂

Food allergies can be tough to deal with, especially with little kids like ours. I’m sure it has become a way of life for your son and your family, just like it has for ours. I do hate for my little girl to be left out, though.