What precautions for younger sib of PA daughter?

That is such a hard question, and one that I can imagine myself facing in the next couple of years, too. I would try to keep Jack totally away from peanuts and nuts until age 5. Can you have the preschool keep him away from peanuts with the understanding that you are trying to prevent exposure? I'm not sure if this is much different than treating him as "pa", but it seems a bit different to me somehow. Good luck! Miriam

Quote:Originally posted by SweetAmanda:
[b]I don't know if my two year old Jack is PA; and I am afraid to find out. I have a five year old daughter with severe peanut and tree nut allergy, mild eczema and mild asthma. I have a seven year old son who clearly does not have PA. My Jack has a history of eczema and mild asthma. (His skin condition and breathing issues have been much worse than my daughter's.) To my knowledge, Jack has never been exposed to peanuts or nuts (except through breastfeeding prior to my daughter's diagnosis). After my daughter was diagnosed PA, we have been peanut and nut free in every way. I have treated Jack just like my daughter. Here is the problem -- Jack will start a pre-school program next fall for two half-days a week. He was given a skin test - negative - at 15 months. My fear is that he has never been exposed in order to stimulate production of antibodies. I don't want to send him to school without absolutely knowing the truth. I also don't want to do a food challenge before the age of three. With Jack's atopic history and a PA sib, it seems he is more likely to be PA than any random child. Should I have the school classify and treat him as PA - with all that entails - when he may not be? Any helpful comments or suggestions? [/b]

Amanda, I have an almost 5 year old who is PA and goes to a nut free church preschool. Maybe check into that in you area.I also have a 3year old boy that has asthma and can have nuts and has since he was one and a half. I tested him at home a little peanut butter at a time with the benadryl in one hand and the phone in the other. Thank God he's fine and eats it all the time.Maybe test your son in the hospital parking lot. I would definatly find out before he goes off to school so he and you don't have any unnecsary fears.Don't worry if you don't have to!!!!GOOD LUCK!

P.S> Amanda I also was allergic to many nuts as a kid,and had asthma. My husband is also allergic to many things and takes allergy shots. Four every week for five years now. You just never know what you kids might get from their family.I also breastfed both kids for a year to hopefully make them healthier. Not sure if it did or not.I just figure were gonna get what we get. Better to find out what as soon as we can.

hey
i'm going though pretty much the same with a younger sib of an older PA child - my guy doesn't have any accompanying ails - he got a negative skin test and negative RAST - the next step is to challenge him - i'm waiting until he is about 5 to do that - he goes to a nut free pre-school - i think i am going to have him identified as an unchallenged kid - so if he gets into something by mistake they take a wait and see attitude instead of automatically using the epipen - which is there anyway because of his brother - diagnosis with out a challenge to qualify it is so convelluted i am more frustrated now than i was before - but i definately support waiting on the challenge for my guy -
the RAST is a good next step i can't remember if you said you had that done
good luck

Thanks everyone for your responses to my concerns. Lego, I envy you and your peanut free pre-school. My next step will be to have a complete RAST done for Jack.

It never ends. It has taken me so long to get back to this thread because my PA daughter has been accepted to several private schools - just half the battle - and now we are in the throws of meeting with school nurses and administrators to determine which school can offer her the safest environment.