🎓 Skills Your Child Will Develop
- 😴 Sleep & Rest Awareness — Understanding why sleep matters — for growth, learning, and mood — builds the value children place on rest and supports the bedtime compliance that adequate sleep (critical for brain development) requires.
- 🏃 Active Lifestyle Foundation — Understanding that regular physical activity keeps bodies healthy, strong, and happy establishes the health values that active preschoolers carry into adolescence and adulthood — where physical activity habits are much harder to establish.
- 🎯 Self-Care Independence — Practicing health-related self-care — managing bathroom needs, blowing their own nose, recognizing hunger and thirst — builds the practical independence and bodily awareness that school and daily life require.
- 🧼 Hygiene Habits — Learning and practicing hygiene routines — handwashing, toothbrushing — establishes automatic habits that protect health throughout life and builds the self-care independence that school and daily life require.
Peanut allergies are very common in preschoolers and we’ve all seen the signs in public places and on food labels indicating the ominous presence of peanuts. Peanuts have become an increased topic in healthcare with the rise of peanut allergies. Find out the basics about peanut allergies and some handy tips for dealing with a preschooler peanut allergy.
What exactly is a Peanut Allergy?
In a perfect world, the immune system would only activate for things that attack the body and cause illness, as in the case of a scraped knee.
A food allergy is an abnormal immune response, where your body produces antibodies called IgE against foods your body sees as harmful, such as peanuts.
Statistics and Risk Factors
Approximately 3.3 million people are allergic to peanuts or tree nuts.
Food allergies are more common in children than adults, and are on the rise in America for unknown reasons. Some say that pregnant mothers who eat peanuts pass allergic peanut sensitivity to their baby in utero. Another theory is that our excessively germ-free society is causing increased immune sensitivity to things such as peanut products.
A family history of food or environmental allergies may make your preschooler more susceptible to developing a food allergy.
What Happens During a Peanut Allergy Reaction?
Allergic symptoms can vary greatly between people, from mild to severe. These include:
- Anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction that can include airway constriction, swollen tongue or throat, and possible death). Peanut allergies account for about 80% of anaphylactic reactions each year.
- Hives
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Breathing difficulties
- Tingly mouth
- Skin irritation
Can Peanut Allergies Be Cured?
Peanut allergies are not curable. Fortunately, studies suggest that 20 percent of children outgrow peanut allergy, especially if they had few allergies to begin with. Currently, avoiding peanut products is the best way to deal with peanut allergies.
Peanut Allergy Advice
- If you suspect an allergy, have your child tested immediately, even if the symptoms are mild.
- Read food labels!
- Be aware that peanuts are part of the legume family which also includes lima beans and peas. Almonds, walnuts, cashews and pecans are part of a different class of foods called tree nuts.
- There is a small possibility your preschooler may show allergic symptoms to other legumes. Additionally, doctors generally recommend avoiding tree nuts if you are allergic to peanuts.
- Peanut oil is safe for most peanut allergy sufferers and many foods are cooked in peanut oil. Be sure to ask your doctor about eating products cooked in peanut oil.
- Make your own stuff! There are many peanut-free recipes and alternatives now. (i.e., Soy Nut Butter, Peanut-free chocolate)
- Repeatedly tell your preschooler that he/she can’t eat peanuts and discourage your preschooler from sharing food
- Consider a warning necklace or bracelet indicating a peanut allergy
- Have an Epi-Pen (epinephrine) available to you and all caretakers and educate those caretakers on the symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction
- Have a written plan if a severe allergic reaction occurs and provide this to all caretakers.
- Be aware that airplanes, baseball fields, restaurants, and ice cream shops are places where peanut products may be more prevalent.
By: Pia Chaparro
References:
1. Report of the Expert Panel on Food Allergy Research, June 30 and July 1,, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease National Institutes of Health
Available from www3.niaid.nih.gov/about/organization/dait/PDF/june30_2003.pdf
2. Sicherer, SH, Sampson HA. “Peanut allergy: emerging concepts and approaches for an apparent epidemic.”
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Sept. Retrieved 11 Nov.
3. CDC. Allergic conditions among children: US, (Source: NHIS) Available from http://209.217.72.34/HDAA/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=205
4. The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. Available from www.foodallergyalliance.com
Disclaimer: Any information provided on PreschoolRock Health is for informational and educational purposes only. Please see a health care provider if you have any medical concerns. PreschoolRock.com, its owners, agents and authors shall not be liable for any damages, claims, liabilities, costs or obligations arising from the use or misuse of the material contained in this web site.
Standard exclusion criteria: fever above 100.4°F (38°C), vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours, a rash with fever or unknown cause, pink eye (conjunctivitis) that is weeping and contagious, or a child too ill to participate in activities. A child can return: fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication, diarrhea/vomiting-free for 24 hours, rash identified as non-contagious, pink eye treated for 24 hours with antibiotic. Runny nose, mild cough without fever, and general tiredness are not sufficient reasons to exclude from school.
