maybe the parents of the kids have taught them not to eat homemade treats or to ask?
Tbh, that's me. I wouldn't trust anyone's home baked goods for Dylan, no matter how much they tried to reassure me I just don't trust that they have the in and out knowledge to keep Dylan safe. I know that people's intentions are always good, and no one would even intend to cause harm, but miniscule traces of an allergen are enough to cause a reaction. I have taught Dylan not to share food or accept food from anyone without approval from a few select people, and even at 3 he will hold up a new food and ask "Is this safe for me, momma?" before trying it.
See, this is what I'd hope parents would do. I don't want the responsibility of having someone's child get sick (or heaven forbid die!!) over my baking. I don't think I should have the responsibility of another family's child's health. I'm not educated in that way. I have not been given explicit instructions on how to handle it, and I likely won't go nut free in our house simply because it's food that is nutritious and that my children enjoy (and will eat
). I certainly don't send peanut or nut products out of the house, but I do serve them here at home. On the other hand, I want to be the kind of mom that bakes heart-shaped cookies at Valentine's for the class and cupcakes for the birthdays... I do that for MY kids, and I want them to be able to share with everyone... So I try to be aware, but if I were a manufacturing facility, I would have to declare that my products may contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, and dairy. And parents of kids with food allergies would not feed my food to their children, and that would be totally fine with me. Because I don't want to make anyone sick. Hopefully the parents have a suitable alternative planned if there is an occasion where the child can't have what I make - and in every instance where I've made birthday cupcakes I've contacted the parents of allergic children so that they can send something if they don't trust what I make. BTW, this Valentine's party that they are having has an emphasis on healthy treats, so the parents are encouraged to bring fruits, veggies, cheese, crackers, etc. with only a few authorized baked goods (and each parent is asked to provide a snack for 6-8 kids, so not every kid will want/get a cookie anyways and there will be plenty of other food to have. Oh and the cookies are small!)
Another point is that peanut allergies have all the press, but what about the other allergies out there that are just as fatal?? I can't know about all that, that's the parent's responsibility to either educate the people around them or limit their child's food (or both!!) I honestly can't tell you how many times I've texted parents to get approval re: food items. We were having a cookie decorating party for Hayden's birthday and I texted the mom a few days before, asking if a separate table with nut-free labelled candies for decorating was enough to ensure his safety... I didn't hear back until 15 minutes before the party started. I texted a mom today to ask what vanilla she used in her baking since the only ones I had on hand may contain trace nuts. Another mom dropped her daughter off for a playdate at our house and only told me of her daughter's anaphylactic peanut allergy when I asked if there was an allergy (standard playdate protocol for me to ask!). The daughter showed me where her epi-pen was after she left, again, only when I asked if she had one. This girl has eaten everything I've ever put in front of her, never once asking me if it contained nuts (of course I wouldn't serve anything like that to anyone's child unless I knew for a fact that they didn't have an allergy, but still!!)
So my problem here is that somehow I'm the one worried about this. I don't think these kids, their parents, or the school are very proactive about ensuring the kids safety. I have no problem adjusting how I do things to accommodate allergies, I just need to have it outlined for me because my children have other issues but thankfully not food allergies (so far!!)
I guess next time I send fruit.... I just love to bake, and my girls love to share it. *sigh*