Tree Nut Allergy 101 For Kids: Nuts, Nuts and More Nuts
As parents to kids with food allergies, there’s nothing more we want for our kids than for them to stay far away from their allergens (aside from a cure, of course!). Tree nuts can be packaged in bags and cans in their natural forms, just like in the pictures below, however they’re most dangerous when chopped, minced and hidden from our eyes. These sneaky tree nuts can be hidden away in pies, cakes, casseroles and countless other dishes. Therefore, it makes the task of always checking labels critically important for kids with a tree nut allergy. Make sure your child knows to look for phrases like “contains nuts” and “contains tree nuts,” on packages, as well as to search for the individual names of the nuts pictured below in the ingredient listing, just to be safe. For those foods that don’t contain labels (e.g., birthday cakes, home-baked cookies, etc.), they should know to always tell an adult about their nut allergy and ask if the food is safe before eating. In fact, at one point I instilled this need in my nut allergic son so much that it dawned on me one day that he didn’t even know what actual tree nuts really looked like! Yikes. I realized I had taken things one step too far and needed to teach my son more about his food allergies so he could better protect himself out in the real world. Considering this might be the case for many other tree nut allergic kids, we wanted to emphasize the importance of teaching your kids with food allergies a little about their allergens, so that they can easily identify them when you’re not around.
To help you in your efforts, we offer the brief guide below on tree nuts. Let your kids with food allergies become familiar with these pictures, so they know what to avoid:
Incidentally wearing a tree nut allergy bracelet is always a good idea, too, so caretakers will be alerted about your kid’s allergy even if he or she forgets to mention it.
It can be difficult to find foods for kids with a nut allergy, which is why we created the peanut and tree nut free subscription goodie box for kids with food allergies. Every other month, we deliver a box packed full of allergy-friendly foods and fun activities for you and your kiddo to enjoy. We love bringing these brands into your world and hearing how much your kids love them, too!
Xo
Iris
Iris Shamus Wife, mother to three awesome kids and founder/CEO of AllerMates. Based in New York, Iris and her team create helpful content, answer emails, ship their products and obsess every day about keeping kids safe.