rides with allergies

[babygirlamg]

any one have experience with food allergies and being on rides....do you wipe the ride down before your child sits ...atleast the bar that they may hold...want to bring my daughter but im so nervous , i have never brought her to any local amusement parks either...

 

[MSSANDRA]

We don't....it's a really good idea, and maybe we should ....but we don't really do that. He is peanut and egg. Never had a reaction in the parks.

 

[staceyhzoo]

No, we have not in the past. We do carry epi pens with us everywhere. DD has never had a problem on a ride.

The worst reaction in public was a grocery store, I had wiped the cart down. I guess it didn't do enough or if that even caused her reaction.

 

[mistysue]

What are her allergies and how bad are her reactions usually? How old is she?

We don't do anything like that, but DS has never had a reaction that required more than benadryl and time. He is allergic to so many things (food and environmental) I'm not sure we would even know what he was reacting to if it wasn't from ingestion anyways.

 

[gladdiola]

Haven't found that necessary. I looked in the seating area for the rides at the most. DS has severe food allergies to peanuts, tree nuts &eggs; carry Benadryl and epi-pen just in case.

 

[babygirlamg]

she is 4 and allergic to milk and peanuts.... im thinking when we get off the ride just wipe her hands down and make sure she knows not to put her hands in her mouth....

 

[mistysue]

That plan is probably perfect. At 4 she is old enough that hands in her mouth shouldn't be too hard to avoid until the end of the ride so your chances of trouble are likely slim. Wiping her hands is also probably more likely to work than wiping the ride (in which case she would probably find the one spot you missed with oil on it!)

 

[disneyfool_1202]

I've never wiped down the rides (never actually thought of it...) but I do wipe down the tables we sit at AND the seats when I can. I've even asked people if they could rearrange their seats and put peanut butter as far from the table we are sitting at (mostly at counter service where it can be very crowded). If explained the right way, people can be amazingly nice. I also sit my chid between my husband and I when ever we can (he's going to be 9 so it's getting harder...)

 

[livndisney]

I've never wiped down the rides (never actually thought of it...) but I do wipe down the tables we sit at AND the seats when I can. I've even asked people if they could rearrange their seats and put peanut butter as far from the table we are sitting at (mostly at counter service where it can be very crowded). If explained the right way, people can be amazingly nice. I also sit my chid between my husband and I when ever we can (he's going to be 9 so it's getting harder...)

I wish people would be that nice when you ask them not to use the clorox wipes around us.


As far as wiping the rides, not only can you be causing a reaction in the next person, but there really is no way to wipe down the ride before boarding. One thing you may want to be careful of is the railings in line. We taught dd to not touch them at all.

 

[Lilliputian]

The best thing you can do for food-allergic children is teach them not to touch their faces. This includes their eyes, noses, and ears. Getting food in any of those locations can cause a reaction, and they can get "germs" in their bodies and get sick that way, too. Sometimes you have to touch things others have touched, but you can usually manage to wash your hands before you touch your face.

 

[hippieck12]

The best thing you can do for food-allergic children is teach them not to touch their faces. This includes their eyes, noses, and ears. Getting food in any of those locations can cause a reaction, and they can get "germs" in their bodies and get sick that way, too. Sometimes you have to touch things others have touched, but you can usually manage to wash your hands before you touch your face.

I agree - teaching them to wash their hands frequently and not touching their faces is important. We ended up in the ER when my son then 3 touched his sister's straw (she was drinking a milkshake) and then rubbed his eyes, his face ballooned out, eyes almost completely closed, very scary. But we've never had any reactions to any of the rides at Disney and I've never thought to wipe them down, but we do use that gel sanitizer stuff alot...

 

[littlemamma]

We took my DS, who was 4 at the time, for his first trip last November. He's severely allergic to milk and peanuts, and we didn't have any issues at the parks. We didn't think it was necessary to wipe down the rides.

I agree with hand washing though, and we made him wash his hands often - especially before we ate. Otherwise, it was a great trip without a single incident.

 

[Schmeck]

On our trip last week, we had an idiot eating some kind of peanut snack on Star Tours. He had been told by the CM to put his mug in the holder under his seat, because he put it on the seat beside him. It must not have been empty, because he removed it after the doors were closed. So now he's holding his mug, and opens some bag of odorous peanutty food, and starts chowing down. The smell was overpowering, and all I could think about was what if there was a scent-sensitive person on the ride with us?

He was French-speaking, sitting there so casually and fondling his lady friend. Such a stereotype! He gave all French people a bad name, and I have many French speaking friends. I know they are not like this, but when you witness the behavior I described, what is one to think?

Anyways, my point is, even with wipes (which I think is a good idea, if you can get them bleach/scent free) to clean the ride vehicle you can't avoid the allergy contact. There are so many idiots out there who don't have a clue, or don't care. The hand to face contact is the key to keeping safe, and I know how hard that is, especially when it is hot. Sending you positive vibes that the trip is eventless!

 

[littlemamma]

There are so many idiots out there who don't have a clue, or don't care.

THIS! Until I had my son, I admit I was a little clueless with food allergies, as it wasn't something I was accustomed to. However, I was never that rude! It amazes me how many people don't know, and don't care about another person's well being.

 

[atmail35]

Many rides there is no time to do a wipe down anyway, like Nemo at Epcot. You barely are able to get in your "clam" without hurting yourself!

DD is peanut/tree nut allergic. I do wipe down the table (I just use an unscented baby wipe) and put a napkin down at counterservice places. I always have her either wash her hands or wipe them before eating. She knows not to put her hands near her face etc.

I also occassionally have her wipe her hands throughout the day to get off any potential "issues" in case she does touch her face.

FYI though many of you probably know this, Purell/handsanitizer does not remove the proteins sufficiently, you really need soap and water or to rub your hands with a wipe of some kind. The Purell just smooshes the protein around. Good for germs, not so good for peanuts!

 

[Stinkerbe11]

Some people are unaware and some just don't care or think that we are exaggerating the allergy. There was a family with 4 kids right in front of us for Peter Pan's Flight and they were all sharing a huge bag of walnuts. They would eat some, drop some (crushing them all over the ground) and then rub their hands all over the railing My son is deathly allergic to tree nuts, so we had to ditch the ride.

I would like to think that most people just don't realize they may be putting others in danger, but we have run into some who just don't care. It's frustrating, especially when you are trying to protect your child

 

[MSSANDRA]

Some people are unaware and some just don't care or think that we are exaggerating the allergy. There was a family with 4 kids right in front of us for Peter Pan's Flight and they were all sharing a huge bag of walnuts. They would eat some, drop some (crushing them all over the ground) and then rub their hands all over the railing My son is deathly allergic to tree nuts, so we had to ditch the ride.

I would like to think that most people just don't realize they may be putting others in danger, but we have run into some who just don't care. It's frustrating, especially when you are trying to protect your child

You know Stinkerbell, I try really hard to assume most people just do not have a clue. It's so disappointing when your child has to leave something because it's not safe. I have dealt with PA child for 4 years now and I have learned that many times, just letting people know makes a huge difference! We are big foot fans and like to frequent our local teams games. We have had season passes since before we had DS. When he was diagnosed, we of course worried about games and all the food factors. We simply asked all the regular season pass people sitting in the seats near us if they would mind being a little more careful where they drop their peanuts or candy papers that have nuts. EVERYONE was glad to comply and now that they all have gotten to know DS, no one eats shelled peanuts near us. Of course when we go to away games or places where we are not near the people that know us it's much different but I have learned to speak up, and almost always, the person will try to be helpful. Now I would NEVER expect anyone near us to not eat his snack, but sometimes, just asking if they would mind dropping the shells in front of them instead of behind them makes a HUGE difference. Yes, sometimes we still have to leave but at least it is less than if we never asked.

 

[Stinkerbe11]

I do think that most people, especially families with young children would accommodate an allergy request, but the one time I have taken issue and asked someone (very politely) to refrain fron eating nuts, it turned into a confrontation.

My son and I were sharing an airplane row with a man who had brought a bag of nuts on with him. I had already informed the airline of the allergy and they were kind enough to serve a nut free snack and make an announcement to ask that passengers refrain from eating nuts as the allergy is anaphylactic. After the announcement, he snickered and turned to his traveling buddies behind us and made a rude comment about how he didn't care and he was going to eat his snack anyway. Luckily for me, the flight attendant was awesome and totally advocated for my son and although he put up a fuss, it didn't get too out of hand.

After that, I have been timid about asking people to accommodate us and we do what is necessary to protect our son...even if it means skipping a ride or two. Having said that-We have had APs and visited the parks for years and have never one time had an issue after riding rides. I always remind my son not to touch his face, wash his hands etc...and we have always been fine

 

[VAfamily1998]

I do think that most people, especially families with young children would accommodate an allergy request, but the one time I have taken issue and asked someone (very politely) to refrain fron eating nuts, it turned into a confrontation.

My son and I were sharing an airplane row with a man who had brought a bag of nuts on with him. I had already informed the airline of the allergy and they were kind enough to serve a nut free snack and make an announcement to ask that passengers refrain from eating nuts as the allergy is anaphylactic. After the announcement, he snickered and turned to his traveling buddies behind us and made a rude comment about how he didn't care and he was going to eat his snack anyway. Luckily for me, the flight attendant was awesome and totally advocated for my son and although he put up a fuss, it didn't get too out of hand.

After that, I have been timid about asking people to accommodate us and we do what is necessary to protect our son...even if it means skipping a ride or two. Having said that-We have had APs and visited the parks for years and have never one time had an issue after riding rides. I always remind my son not to touch his face, wash his hands etc...and we have always been fine

Just curious, have you ever thought of bringing along an extra "nut allergy safe" snack to offer people in such situations? I'm just thinking, maybe if the guy (or someone else in such a position) has been traveling a long time, with multiple plane transfers but no time to stop for a meal--and the only snack they brought along happened to be nuts...I can see where they might be upset...if you could at least offer them an alternative, they might be more receptive...just a thought.

ETA: Sorry, just re-read it and saw you said the airline had already served a nut free snack...still, maybe he was VERY hungry...