I called both Delta and Virgin airlines this past week to try to see if there was anything special I needed to do when flying with a child with peanut/sesame (tree nut, etc) allergies.
The short answer: there’s not.
Basically for liability reasons they cannot guarantee that he won’t be served something that’s been contaminated so I should prepare and bring my own food and epi-pen. [Not surprising]
Realistically, I’d probably do that anyway. And it would be a huge risk for them to promise there was zero cross contamination or exposure to an allergen.
That said, I was hoping to get a little more info than they were able to provide which was kinda a bummer. For starters, the flight is ~15 hours (not including the first leg and the layover) so it won’t be quite as simple as just packing a nut free snack. In total we will be traveling almost 22 hours, so I actually have to pack enough food for a 1 year old for a full day. There goes my carry-on!
But that’s still fine for me. Packing food is kinda my domain after all, isn’t it?
The frustrating part was that I talked to 4 different people (who kept transferring me to someone else and making me go through my whole schpeal again and again…) yet nobody could actually tell me (a) what the "baby meal" would be; or (b) if there was a way to request no nuts.
Virgin is actually really amazing with all their meal options, so this surprised me. They have almost 20 different dietary options but nut-free isn’t one of them. [Again, because they don’t want to be liable for the people with allergies consuming something. Which again, I totally get.] According to the website, the baby meal is "strained meat, vegetables, fruits and desserts and juices are provided for babies." It sounds allergen friendly, but since they can’t tell me anything specific I’m hesitant to risk it.
Anyway, I didn’t want to overwhelm them with P’s allergies, so I fully plan to bring all his food from home and not have him eat anything provided by the airlines. In the end, they basically made a note of his allergies (for the flight staff’s FYI I think?) and that was it. I guess that’s all I hoped would come out of the call? I’m not even sure what I was expecting…I’m pretty inexperienced when it comes to all this stuff. They asked me what his reaction is to his allergies (anaphylaxis) and if I had an epi-pen (yes) and if I felt comfortable administering it (I do). Basically them checking off the boxes. At the end of which, the supervisor said "well I’ve gone over all the things I’m required to…". Ummm, ok?
Assuming I’ll be breastfeeding still, I requested a gluten free meal for myself and had them make a note of his allergies just for their information. I figure I can eat around nuts and dairy pretty easily, and they are not likely to provide a soy meal unless it’s vegetarian (which it’s not – you can’t combine any of their diets). So I should be okay in terms of avoiding his allergens and keeping my breast milk clean.
So I’ll let you all know how it goes! I have lots of (Burt’s Bees) disinfectant wipes and hopefully the security people won’t give me too much grief about all the food I’ll be bringing. Worst case scenario I just nurse him a million times?
If you have suggestions or have travelled with kids with allergies feel free to leave advice in the comments!
I’ll be back sometime after our travels with a post-trip analysis and possibly advice based on what we encountered. Hopefully it will be all good news.
As someone who travels frequently with food allergies, I always pack my own food/snacks. It can be a bit of a hassle, especially coming home, when I don’t have my usual resources to pack from.
But when all is said and done, I’d much rather go through the hassle to avoid eating the not-so-appealing airline food anyway. People sitting near me tend to shoot jealous glances when I’m having a homemade snack and they only get a bag of pretzels 😉
Hang in there!
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Can P be around tree nuts? I ask because I know many passengers bring nuts on planes as a snack, even if the airlines do not serve them. I have some dietary restrictions and I travel internationally on long haul flights a lot for work so I always bring my own food. You’re right, it’s a lot to pack, but easier if you’re traveling with your husband/another person and therefore are allowed more carry-on bags! I bring stuff that I know won’t be confiscated by security and a note from my doctor detailing my dietary restrictions (just in case I need it). Also, sometimes I haven’t had my “food bag” counted as an extra bag, particularly if it’s a collapsible small cooler or reusable grocery sack, and I can stuff it in another bag after I eat my food. Good luck!
Where ya going?
he can “be around” tree nuts, but contact with them makes him break out in hives and requires benadryl. i think he has to ingest them to go into anaphylaxis but I’m not eager to push my luck…either way you are right that it’ll be best for all parties to just have us bring everything for him. ill just wipe down all the parts of our seats first thing just in case there were previous travelers with nuts or gluten, etc.
thanks dani. i agree packed eats are often far better than what the airlines serve. it would be much easier if he were old enough to tell me what he wants. unlike adults who pack things they know they will like, he goes through really picky phases (even with his tried and true bananas and peas)…so i just hope i have something he wants. otherwise his options are non-existent. and thats a long time to be SOL. but we will may it work!
I was recently on a Southwest flight where they did not serve nuts, and the flight attendant asked passengers to refrain from eating nuts or products containing nuts, because there was a passenger on the flight with a nut allergy. I had never had that happen before, but it’s good to know that Southwest, and potentially other airlines, will do it if necessary.
My ex-husband had a shellfish allergy, and all I remember is that the more exposure one has to a food allergen, the worse the reaction gets. Always better to be safe when traveling! Have a good trip!
Holy cow 22 hours! Are you going to Antarctica? Nursing is absolutely the most awesome “tool” in the box to bring traveling with kids. The value it provides depends on the age of the child but it’s just as valuable with a 1 or 2 year old as a baby. I’ve learned so much about traveling with kiddos, I could go on forever. Do it less and less though 🙁 Good luck and have fun!
I was a flt att. for many years so it’s all very familiar. You’ve probably already thought of this, but how about lightly seasoned roasted chickpeas??? Also an allergen free protein powder that you can mix into bananas or?……..might be helpful.
Hope your trip goes well. Travel with little ones is always a challenge, but if anyone is up to it, I’m sure you are, Elise. All the best – G.
I would also suggest bringing some documentation of P’s allergies, maybe a prescription for the food you want to carry on. At the height of my ED, my doctor wrote a prescription for Ensure so I could carry it on the plane when traveling. I was able to bring multiple 6-packs of Ensure as an extra carry-on with no problem.
I was going to say the same thing as a previous poster……I’ve been on a few flights where the flight attendant has announced at the beginning that there was a passenger with a severe nut allergy and asked people not to consume nuts on the flight.
Also you can bring a bunch of the organic baby food pouches, they are really easy on a plane because they can suck it straight from the pouch.
I’m heading to South East Asia in three weeks… imagine trying to discuss having a dairy and gluten-free meal for the flights. Almost impossible. I’m going to have to pack some food for the flight there and hope it isn’t confiscated at the borders. Vega protein powder and bars will be my savior.
good luck traveling!
Hi Elise, Just a heads up that you may be able to request to have an announcement made that no one in your aisle or the ones around you have nuts of any kind. I was on a jetblue flight last fall where my row and a few others were asked not to have any nuts as “someone in your area has a severe nut allergy” It wasn’t the whole plane though, I was traveling with people a few rows up who were not asked to avoid nuts. It was pretty unfortunate for me because it was a 7am flight and all I had were almonds to eat so I was starving, but if the situation were reversed I would appreciate the airline helping to protect me far far away from medical care. It won’t take the place of cleaning the seat, but it will prevent exposure from other people.
I’m a long time reader here and read a post recently that made me think of you and your little man. You might have already read it, but it was lovely enough for me to want to share.
http://www.deliacreates.com/2013/09/living-with-food-allergies.html
thanks A – that post was wonderful to read! i can relate so much!!
thanks katie. and thanks for being awesome on that flight when you were forced to go without your snack option. it makes me happy to know there are people who are empathetic to my situation – even if it wasn’t ideal for you.
Elsie – I can absolutely sympathize with this – as someone with multiple food allergies and sensitivities, I find traveling almost akin to playing russian roulette with my gut. I do travel a lot for work though and do a lot of these long haul flights. What I do is pack a blender bottle with a snack baggie full of pre-portioned protein powder that I can drink, I carry bars and I carry bags of cereal. The combination of those means that I can have multiple easy meals on the go – it’s not the most nutritious or calorically dense, but it gets me there without problems and that’s half the battle. Wishing you safe and fun travels!
I have a friend with severe nut allergies who JUST posted a picture of the special boarding pass she gets when she flies on Southwest that alerts them to make the flight nut-free (including other passengers eating their snacks). Apparently Southwest takes it pretty seriously, which might be helpful to know on future flights!
good to know! thanks katie!
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