My tot has a severe allergy to Tree Nuts, which means that anything that says “may contain Tree Nuts” is not okay. Unfortunately for him, mostly everything has that statement. We are lucky in that he doesn’t also have an allergy to Peanuts because most Tree Nut allergy suffers also have Peanut allergies. However, that doesn’t make his allergy any less severe. I remember this every time I open my purse and see his EpiPen, every time I drop him off at school and see his picture on the door to the classroom that says “Allergic to Tree Nuts”, a rule put forth so that no teacher brings snacks or treats over that he cannot have. When a child suffers from a severe allergy it affects everyone around them.
WHY, IF ALL ALLERGIC REACTIONS AND INTOLERANCES ARE INCREASING IS THERE SO MUCH NOISE ABOUT PEANUT AND TREE NUT ALLERGIES?
There are a few reasons for this. First, peanut and tree nut allergies are the most common food allergies and the rate of growth is truly extraordinary.
Second, while each patient has his or her own unique sensitivity to nuts, every patient is potentially susceptible to a life threatening reaction called Anaphylaxis. That’s why the protocol for every person (and most people are diagnosed as children) with these allergies is a prescription for an EpiPen and instructions how to use it or a similar device. Think about that. Millions of parents have sat down with a physician and been given instructions on how to inject a needle into their child if they ingest something that for most of those parents? lives was viewed as harmless. No wonder so many elementary schools have been declared nut-free zones.
Finally, unlike many other allergies (such as milk and egg) and intolerances (such as gluten) which can spontaneously disappear in late childhood, the vast majority of children with peanut and tree nut allergies will have them for life. Only an estimated 20% of children with peanut allergies and 10% of children with nut allergies will ever outgrow their conditions.
In summary, peanut and tree nut allergies are the most common, the fastest growing and among the most dangerous and permanent of allergies. – read more on The Nut Problem
Take for instance Easter. We’re having this great big Easter party coming up on Sunday for the whole family and there will be an abundance of treats. A few of those kids will be expected to be left out because they have allergies to various nuts and that kind of puts a damper on the whole ‘treat’ aspect. So it is really a blessing to come across companies like Skeeter Snacks who offers treats that are nut free!
We were given some delightful cookies to review for the upcoming Easter Holiday from Skeeter Snacks and I wanted to share a little about them with you.
There are four tasty cookies that Skeeter Snacks offers:
- Golden Oatmeal
- Chocolate Cubed
- Chocolate Chunk
- Skeeterdoodle
Of course my tots favorites were the chocolate ones. He loves chocolate and the fact that I can be 100% sure that there is absolutely no Tree Nuts and no “may contain traces of nuts” or “made in a facility that processes nut products”, takes away any anxiety of having to watch and make sure he’s going to be okay. And you don’t want to have to worry about those things when giving your child a little something sweet to wake up to.
The cookies were great, even my non-allergy teen loved them. I actually had to get him to stop eating cause they were his little brothers! They look very cute in his Easter Basket, tucked away in the colorful grass with tiny cars and trucks.
Another thing that is really cute about Skeeter Snacks is Skeeter of course! They have an entire section of their website devoted to kids and understanding their allergies. They can “meet” Skeeter, the only squirrel in the world with a nut allergy, and find activites, coloring sheets, word games and a lot of other fun things just for them. It makes having a nut allergy kind of feel special and I really love that.
These are really wonderful treats that you can pick up the next time you are out at the store. Skeeter Snacks are located at many Walmart, Costco, ShopRite and Market Basket. Check out Where’s Skeeter for a shopping center near you.
Connect: You can connect with Skeeter Snacks on their Facebook Page, @SkeeterSnacks on Twitter or Follow them on Pinterest for some great cookie ideas for Easter!
