Suggestions for Safe Treat for Our Daughter's Birthday Celebration

I can tell you that as a mother of a young girl with a severe/anaphylactic peanut allergy, I am told that I should NEVER provide her with any bake goods from anywhere. I should always make them at home. I will not let anyone feed my daughter any food that I have not prepared personally or have seen the package it came in. For an individual that does not have a child with a severe allergy, no matter how careful/safe you think you might be, you cannot be as safe as her parents. I hope when my daughter begins preschool/school, parents will understand this ahead of time. I will always have on hand at school, my daughter's own personal snack for b-day parties, holiday parties, special occasions, etc. It is easier than spending the day worrying about the accident that could mistakenly happen. I think it is wonderful that you are aware of this little girl and considering it. I only wish there were more parents out there like you. Parents have no idea how good they have it if they do not have a child with a severe allergy. To see my own daughter's face swell up after ingesting peanuts and then compromise her breathing and be life flighted, it was a day I still see 2 1/2 years later in my dreams frequently. My 3 year-old is well aware of her allergy and has never felt slighted when she is not included in treats like other children, she just understands because she has to and because it is all she knows.

hi - just as an FYI all bakery items at Costco are processed on the same equipment as nuts (thus would not work if a person has a nut allergy)

I am so glad you care about including this little girl! I'm sorry I don't have a specific suggestion on what she can have, but I have some general ideas.

Bakeries are just not safe - it's too easy for a peanut to get into something accidentally, so the Costco cake is probably out for the little girl. A commercial bakery could be ok, but then you're looking at something with a lot of preservatives. Ice cream is something else that can have peanuts in it accidentally. Anything with chocolate in it is a concern because it's often processed in the same factory with nuts.

I'm not their biggest fan, but Wal-Mart actually has very good labeling on their brand of products. So does Target. In general, it's best to stick with big name brands because the laws on labeling do not require companies to state if something was processed on the same equipment as nuts/peanuts. The big companies are more likely to print the info (probably afraid of lawsuits) and are more likely to have the money to process things safely.

A lot of this comes down to what the parent is comfortable with. My kiddo has a peanut allergy (he's two) and we are being extra careful right now because he isn't old enough to understand and tell us if he begins to have an allergic reaction. When he gets older, we'll be less paranoid. Her mom will be so happy that you are thinking about this and I'm sure she can tell you exactly what would be ok or would provide something herself.

I'm so grateful you care about this. We are worried about what will happen when we send our little guy to school - some parents are so understanding, but others seem to just not care. I would like to think that if my son didn't have an allergy, I would be one of the ones to care about the kids who did. It's so nice to hear from someone who cares.

I would ask the girl's mother - safest bet by far. Also, depending on the child's severity or if she's gotten a Costco cake before, she may already have your answer. Speaking from the mother of a peanut allergic child, she will be grateful that you are thinking of her daughter and taking it into consideration. She may offer to send something that day for her daughter that she knows is safe.

Make some cup cakes. I know Pilsbury brand is peanut free, not sure about others, but they have to put it on the box, so just look at the ingredients.

**I just saw your update. Make blackbean brownies. Buy a mix that says it's peanut free, then instead of adding water/eggs/oil, just blend a can of black beans (not drained) and mix it in. They are best with the Giradeli mixes, but those have cross-contamination, so you have to find a peanut-free brand to use.
They are GREAT!!! They come out extra fudgey and with lots of protein. I make them all the time for parties and such :)

My favorite birthday was the year the oven broke at my parents house.(on my birthday) I was 6 years old. My mother (creative as she was) took out the box of neopolitan ice cream, put on my little figurines and candles. We LOVED it. (she was initially upset but we loved it so much and her loving attitude made it even better)
My brothers begged for it for their birthday's later the same year.
You could even make it like a Sunday with a few peanut free toppings.
The most important part is to celebrate and let everyone enjoy

You could also do an angel food cake with fruit toppings.

Best of luck

Hi. My oldest son (2 and 1/2 yo) has a peanut allergy. I hope when he does go to school that he will have parents like you who care about allergies. You are very thoughtful. For daycare, I would recommend fruit snacks, cereal bars, cheese puffs, animal crackers, cheese crackers. You could possibly put a treat bag together with a small toy inside...that may be pricey. I know you may feel like they are getting jipped of cake & ice cream, but they may be more excited for the bag of treats. My son likes lolli-pops(rare occasion)...but idk if that is good for a class, you have to be careful of choking hazzards. If you do ice-cream/cake, you have to be 100% sure it's peanut free, some stores can do that...but check the label. Good luck.

carrot cake without any nuts in it. You can make it into a cake form, or cup cakes.

Fruit salad.

But it would be nice/cute if the girl had her own 'cake' to eat too. So she doesn't feel different from the other kids.

Since most things brought into a classroom have to be storebought, how about ice cream or pudding instead of cake/cupcakes. This way, there's no worries about peanut allergies at all. You can even do the whole dirt cup, which is chocolate pudding, ground up oreo's and gummi worms. Not sure if any one of those ingredients has peanuts, so maybe ice cream or popsicles would be best.

donuts from Krispy Kreme - as they are peanut free. Fruit Snacks.

My DD has a peanut allergy. Whatever you buy, just be ure to read the ENTIRE list of ingredients. Anything that mentions nuts and/or peanuts just put it back. Even if it says that it may have been processed in a facility that processes peanuts. If there is no mention of peanuts or peanut oil then it is safe.

I usually do rice krispie treats with the vegan chocolate chips mixed in for this sort of thing =) Its dairy free too! Sugary enough for the kids and a great easy to eat finger treat!

rice crispies treats might also work :)

rice crispy treats are nut free its what we always give my grandson

If you're allowed to take homemade items, why don't you bake cupcakes at home? Then you'll know that they are nut-free. You can either make them from a mix (most Duncan Hines varieties are nut-free...others may be also but I've never checked) or even make them from scratch with your daughter.

As the mother of a son with several food allergies, I appreciate your concern for this other little girl! My son starts preschool in the fall and I hope that others are as thoughtful.

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao

I, with my dietitian writing partner, write a blog with recipes that are free of the top 8 allergens (including peanut). We have recipes for cupcakes, cookies, and candies -- plus entrees, soups, salads, etc. As the mom of a food-allergic boy, thank you for caring to include the girl in your daughter's class. It means so much. Our blog address is www.welcomingkitchen.blogspot.com.

How about rice krispie treats?

One of the kids in my son's preschool class had every allergy in the book, and was also Celiacs. Whenever my kiddo's bday was coming up I'd get the phone number for that child's parents (and check and see if any other allergy or diabetic kids were enrolled that I didn't know about) and just ring them up. Most of the time they were THRILLED to be able to "sneak" a treat to me at morning drop-off for their kiddo. The only times that didn't happen was when the treat I was bringing was already on their "okay" list.