My daughter has a peanut/tree nut allergy

This article may help: http://matadorabroad.com/7-ways-to-cope-with-a-nut-allergy-abroad/

Hi,
Not sure about the peanut/tree nut allergy however,I have a severe allergy to cinnamon. Just wanted to share this with you~

We traveled in France, Italy and Greece last summer. I made sure I had my epi pen with me at all times and brought a spare as well.. I also printed out cards that I kept on me in French, Italian, and Greek that said I am allergic to cinnamon, it will make me very sick to consume it. When ever we were out to eat I would hand the card to the waiter, just in case he did not understand me clearly when I spoke English about it. Cinnamon is not a universal term and I did have a bad experience once in Mexico when the waiter didn't fully understand me. So now I always bring the cards.

Like nuts, cinnamon tends to be in a lot of things even thing you would never consider.

I hope this helps a little
Viv

Many desserts have a hazelnut base, instead of wheat flour. My daughter also has a tree nut allergy (not peanuts) and when she spent a semester in Rome, she made sure that she asked about everything she ate...just to be on the safe side. Having "my daughter is allergic to ALL nuts" translated into Italian wouldn't be a bad idea. Don't forget the epipen...

danielle, we had an 11 yr old girl on our RS Family tour two summers ago who also had a life threatning peanut/nut allergy. She wore a waist pack with 4 epi pens in it( apparently they only work for 15 minutes or so each?) the mom carried some too. The mom brought a bunch of peanut free chocolates( Kit Kats etc) and granola bars from home to dole out to child when others were eating treats. Mom talked to every waiter , and in some small places we went to , she actually talked to cooks. She had a translated card explaining the allergy severity in several languages( tour went to several countries, but we spent 6 nights in Italy) . My impression is that everywhere was VERY understanding.

Mom did not allow child ice cream/gelato as she noted that the scoop used to serve the gelatos were used in mulitple flavors, and she was aware of cross contaimanation from the hazelnut ice creams( her childs allergy was very very severe).

The girl seemed happy enough with all the restrictions, and the mom certainly was generous with other types of treats( sodas, and para hang gliding,,yes, seriously) that I don't think the girl felt hard done by at all( I felt bad eating ice cream in front of her ),, and they had a wonderful trip .

The only problem she encountered still make me steamed. The mom asked that people not eat peanuts or nuts on the bus. There was one family that openly continued to feed their kids trail mix,, insisting they didn't believe the allergy could be that bad that even someone munching on nuts could make child sick. I don't know if it would or wouldn't I just remember thinking they could have just passed on giving their two children those baggies filled with the trail mix each day. The parent thought it was a nice healthy snack for their girls to eat on the bus. It is healthy, but they could have eaten it at other times just to make the poor mom of the allergy child less jumpy.

Thank you all for taking the time to post a reply. Your information has been very helpful. I am a little nervous but you all gave me good tips to help me prepare.

With regard to the family feeding their kids trail mix with nuts on the bus. These parents missed a great opportunity to teach their children how to be compassionate and how to be flexible and eat their trail mix at a different time.

When my boys were growing up we lived right next to the school. Their closest friends were 2 brothers who still have extreme nut allergies. I rode in the ambulance with one of them after a class party, because a Mom didn't follow the teachers rules when she sent in party food. After the first bite our young friend told the teacher there was a problem, that's how fast his throat started swelling. He & his family couldn't even go to restaurants that serve peanuts on the table, because of the peanut hulls that people throw on the floor.

The Italians love children, so if you've got the card printed explaining the allergy & seriousness, I think they would be very careful. And I'm sure you always carry the epi pen even here in the states.

Sounds like you will be well prepared, and I hope you and your daughter have a great trip!

The only thing I would add is take your own scooper/spoon for the gelato-it would be a shame for a little girl to miss out on the wonderful gelato in Italy!