Please Help: Travel & Milk, Egg & Peanut Allergies *UPDATE*

[newmomto1]

Hi all:
My DD (19 mos old) is alergic to milk, eggs, & peanuts.
Whenever we go out to eat I always pack food for her (unless I have had a chance check out the place ahead of time to be SURE there is something she can eat).
I tend to be overly cautious because she HATES benedryl. We have a REALLY hard time giving it to her...she usually spits most of it out.
ANYWAY...
We are going on a road trip next week for a long weekend at a theme park area.
I am looking for ideas of foods I can bring along for her that do not need to be refridgerated.
We will have a small fridge in the hotel room., but won't be in there most of the time..
The big thing is some proteins I can bring along.
She usually eats deli turkey, ham, hamburger, some noodles/pastas etc.
So far, I am planning to bring:
Cheerios, pretzels, soy milk, fruit, small canned veggies, maybe some deli meat in a cooler (would love other options)...
Any other ideas?????
Thanks so much!!!!!

[bubbaray]

OK, first off -- I'm surprised you are giving benadryl for food allergies. DD#2 has had anaphylaxis to fish (salmon) and has tested (RAST/blood & skin) to all finned fish, peanuts and egg, and minimally to almond. We have been instructed to never give benadryl, to always use her EpiPen. My understanding is that EpiPens are the drug of choice for food allergies. So, first off, I would confirm (especially if you are travelling) that benadryl is what your dr wants to use.

I typically bring food for DD#2, although some restaurants are pretty reliable in terms of having food she can eat. McDonalds in Canada does not use peanut oil and fries the fish separate from all other foods. Red Robin in Canada does not use peanut oil to fry, but you have to ask them to prepare food separate from fish.

For us, fish is the most severe, life-threatening allergy, but egg is the hardest to avoid. Egg is in soooooo many things. Peanuts are quite easy to avoid, at least in Canada. There are lots of pre-packaged, travel foods (many made by Dare & Quaker) that work well for road trips. However, we just got back from 1w in the US and noticed that those 2 brands are NOT peanut free in the US. Weird.

I would suggest calling the park ahead of time and seeing if the food stands/restaurants can accommodate your child's allergies. Or, try to find out what outside restaurants are near the park that you could go to instead and call them and see if they can accommodate you.

If you are driving to the park, you could deep freeze a bunch of meals and take them in a cooler, put them in the fridge when you get there. I would definitely call your hotel and advise them of the situation and ask if they can have a mini-fridge with a freezer in your room. Take along a bunch of plastic ice-packs and get a good hard-sided minicooler for the park (Playmate works well and holds the temperature better than a soft-sided cooler). You might have to get the park's OK to bring in outside food -- call ahead about that.

HTH & have a great trip

[LarsMal]

I've pretty much accepted the fact that my kids don't eat that well when we travel (without a kitchen). Mine won't eat deli meats, though, so at least you have that going for you!

When we travel I always pack a cooler. I take fruit cups or fresh fruit, applesauce, bread, Smart Balance Organic spread, soy milk, soy yogurt. Sometimes I will bake muffins and/or pancakes ahead of time and throw those in the cooler, too. For dry goods I take crackers, pretzles, brown sugar/cinnamon pop tarts, cereal, etc. Canned veggies- corn, green beans- are good, too, just throw a can opener in your bag.

I also take paper/plastic ware- cups, bowls, plates, flatware, etc.

Burger King chicken FRIES (not chicken fingers) are safe, so are their fries. Although I don't like resorting to that, it is some protein!

It's stressful, but it is do-able, especially if you just accept the fact that your child won't be eating "normally" for a few days. I would completely stress myself out the first few times we traveled, now it's no big deal!

Good luck!

[newmomto1]

OK, first off -- I'm surprised you are giving benadryl for food allergies. DD#2 has had anaphylaxis to fish (salmon) and has tested (RAST/blood & skin) to all finned fish, peanuts and egg, and minimally to almond. We have been instructed to never give benadryl, to always use her EpiPen. My understanding is that EpiPens are the drug of choice for food allergies. So, first off, I would confirm (especially if you are travelling) that benadryl is what your dr wants to use.


I have an epipen with me at ALL TIMES for DD.
Luckily, so far, her reaction has neer gone beyond hives, & even those are generally limited to her face.
The benedryl (when she'll take it) has always done the trick for her.
For us, the epipen is only if the reaction progresses in any way.

I like the idea of freezing the foods!
Thanks for the tips :)

[bubbaray]

Does she see an pediatric allergist? My DD's dr and the ER dr that treated her for the anaphylaxis both said try benadryl first for any reaction below the neck. However, her pediatric allergist (who is a world leader in food allergies apparently) said NEVER give benadryl first, always the EpiPen, because my DD's anaphylaxis (full-on, swollen lip, tongue, face & neck) happened within 30 seconds of eating fish. He told me that giving anything via mouth in anaphylaxis can cause the child to suffocate.

Maybe your child's FAs are not anaphylaxis? Though, I'd be nervous because apparently it could happen at any time, even if it hasn't happened in the past....

There seems to be a lot of confusion in the medical world about FAs. For example, when DD#2 had her anaphylaxis, obviously we called 911. A fire truck showed up (standard procedure here) within 1 min, an ambulance within another min and a specialty ambulance (infant transport team) about 1 min later. So, in under 5 min, we had 3 emergency crews in my living room. However, b/c DD#2 was under 12m at the time (by 1 week), their protocol was not to administer epinepherine without a prior diagnosis of anaphylaxis. So, they gave benadryl IM (in her muscle). With babies, the wrong dose can kill them (but, so can the anaphylaxis). Luckily, between the benadryl I gave her at the first sign of hives and the benadryl the ITT guys gave her managed to "pause" the anaphylaxis (but the swelling remained). Lights & sirens to the ER, where the dr/nurses immediately gave epi & prednisone (so no biphasic reaction). Immediately, the swelling came down. It was like watching a balloon deflate.

If I hadn't seen the affect of epinepherine with my own eyes, I would have been very hesitant to use an EpiPen in the future. Having seen how quickly it helps/saves in anaphylaxis, I won't hesitate to use it. Just an FYI -- most people, including medical professionals and EMTs go through their careers without seeing full-on anaphylaxis. EMTs usually arrive after someone has administered their own EpiPen, so they are not used to giving the initial dose of epinepherine (in adults or children). My/DD's dr said she knows what anaphylaxis is and how to treat it, but has never actually done so. Ditto with many of my physician friends and coworkers.

When trying to give the benadryl, I'm assuming you are using a syringe (minus the needle)? Try to aim it at the far back side of her cheek, not the back of her mouth. Causes less of a gag reflex.

[jessmela]

Are you going to the Disney theme parks? They're great at handling allergies. If you are, I can look up some resources for you on how to get info/make arrangements in advance.

[bubbaray]

Here is the cooler I like:

http://www.igloo-store.com/product_detail.asp?T1=IGL+PM+PAL+BCA&HDR=iglonthego

Its pink :) and not so huge/heavy. Keeps food nice and cold, fits nicely in between driver/passenger on the floor of my Ody for road trips. I got mine at Target.

[newmomto1]

Are you going to the Disney theme parks? They're great at handling allergies. If you are, I can look up some resources for you on how to get info/make arrangements in advance.

I actually checked out the website where we are going (not Disney) and they had TONS of info & have lots of allergen-free choices :)
So, now I mostly just need to pack food for the car.
Thanks for all the info!!
:)

[MamaMolly]

We have the same allergies! We have been doing a bit of traveling this summer and I'm finding it easier and easier the more I do and the more I prepare.

We take a jar of Sunbutter for DDs go-to protein back up of choice. I keep the big jar in the hotel cooler and use the tiny take and toss containers to tote it around during the day. I also pack a ton, and I man a TON of snacks in those snack sized zipper bags. It is so easy to have them prepared so I just have to pop a few into the diaper bag, instead of having to prepare every a.m. Trips are one of the few times I kind of toss my usual thrifty habits out the window and go for convenience.

Usually I pack several snack bags of:
cheerios
pretzels
saltines
ritz
wheat thins
fruit leather, lots of fruit leather!
oreos (yup, total crap but dairy and egg free! makes a nice treat when everyone else gets dessert or icecream)
crystalized ginger ~DD absolutely loves this!
organic lollypops ~for when mom gets TRULY desperate for 5 minutes of peace

In a cooler I bring:
sunbutter (if the jar is open)
soy yogurt
soy or rice milk in the individual boxes (cause washing out a sippie in the hotel bathroom using shampoo is a total PITA)
homemade soy chocolate pudding (again, a must have for when everyone else is ordering desserts)
homemade E/M/PN free mini cupcakes (I use the Cherrybrook Kitchen mixes when I'm in a hurry)

For veg we order steamed without seasoning or sauce or I bring baby veg because DD still likes it. Oh, and a loaf of safe bread if we are driving. It gets squished when we fly. It is such a PITA to find safe bread at my local stores, much less when I'm out and about.

I also bring a ton of the Pampers Anywhere or Any Surface wipes not sure of the name but they are in the red package. I use them to wipe down high chairs, table tops (especially edges!) the handrails on rides, changing tables, rental strollers, all hard or flat surfaces in the hotel rooms. Remember to do a check of the hotel room. I have yet to stay in one that didn't have a stray Goldfish or peanut lurking in a corner or behind a table leg. You can always borrow the vacuum from Housekeeping and give the room a once over yourself.

PM me if you want the recipes (or if you have any great ones to share!)

As for the whole Benedryl thing, I'd do what you feel most comfortable with. Each of us has our own level and type of allergic reaction to deal with, and each of us has our own individual comfort level. ITA with the PP who stated that even the medical experts can get confused by it all.

I think you are being very smart to try and keep your DD as safe as you can while you are on vacation. Our first one with just me and DD was a train wreck of no naps, and spewing violently from both ends (one food poisioning one an FIPES reaction to ???). I have learned the hard way that you'll have a much better time if you over prepare than if you try to 'get by' when you are there.

Best of luck!! Hope you guys have a great, rxn free trip!

[DrSally]

We had the exact same allergies (not milk anymore) and I used to pack everytime we went somewhere as well. Not as necessary without the milk allergy. In any case, we still do soynut butter and jelly sandwiches. I feel comfortable putting those in an insulated lunchsac with an icepack. I would be careful about the lunchmeat, even in a cooler.

Also: rice cakes spread with soynut butter if you want, fig newtons (the single packs don't have milk, the bigger ones in one package do. Also, on the day you're out, there may be a grocery or convenience store by your attraction, so you could stop there? I find those hotel minifridges don't keep things cold enough, so I keep them in the a cooler inside the minifridge.

[DrSally]

I actually checked out the website where we are going (not Disney) and they had TONS of info & have lots of allergen-free choices :)
So, now I mostly just need to pack food for the car.
Thanks for all the info!!
:)

that's great! I know Disney is supposed to be great. Good to hear that other parks are as well.

[newmomto1]

We are going on a road trip next week for a long weekend at a theme park area.
I am looking for ideas of foods I can bring along for her that do not need to be refridgerated.
We will have a small fridge in the hotel room., but won't be in there most of the time..


***UPDATE*****
Well, thank you all for the very helpful & useful info & tips. It will come in handy....next time :(
We were planning to leave tomorrow on a four hour drive, to a theme park, water park, etc. BUT, DD has been sick with a fever & diarrhea all day today & the place were going is supposed to have scattered t-showers all weekend.
Needless to say, we aren't going.
Oh well...looks like we'll have to plan something fun to do here.