Can we talk about sailing with a child with food allergies?

[RCKM43]

Has anyone sailed with a child with a preservative allergy? Right now DD has some sort of food allergy - but they haven't been able to determine to what. They think it is probably a preservative but there is no way to test for that.

 

Can anyone talk to me about cruising with a preschooler with a bad food allergy? We are hoping to have it narrowed down by late summer but right now she is eating fresh fruits, plain steamed vegetables, soy milk, soy yogurt and things like plain steaks and chicken and pasta with oil and garlic. We hope to expand her diet a lot by the end of the summer - but will they be able to accommodate this? I know that they usually can do gluten free, peanut free etc.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

You can get simple foods in the diningroom and in the buffet areas. There is a vast selection of things to choose from. Before you cruise, you might want to try to rule out the things that set your child off. All sweeteners I have found, especially in sugar free gum cause fatigue. They are chemicals that build up in the system. You will be eating better prepared foods on the cruise- non packaged food with all the chemicals and preservatives.

 

There is a new study on soy and soy products. Soy is not the great product that was being touted a few years ago. Whole milk is probably the culprit though. Lots of people have an intolerance to milk.

[RCKM43]

You can get simple foods in the diningroom and in the buffet areas. There is a vast selection of things to choose from. Before you cruise, you might want to try to rule out the things that set your child off. All sweeteners I have found, especially in sugar free gum cause fatigue. They are chemicals that build up in the system. You will be eating better prepared foods on the cruise- non packaged food with all the chemicals and preservatives.

 

There is a new study on soy and soy products. Soy is not the great product that was being touted a few years ago. Whole milk is probably the culprit though. Lots of people have an intolerance to milk.

 

Right now the only packaged food she ingests is the box of pasta. I'm making every thing organic and fresh. Right now she can't have dairy - but can have soy - she woke one day covered head to toe in hives with facial swelling. Since then she has been having issues on and off until we removed all her food. Unfortunately she is not a simple case. She blood tested negative (she can't do the RAST test yet) for everything they tested for - so we don't know if she got a false negative OR it is a preservative. She ate nothing new. They have completely disappeared since we altered her diet - but when trying to work things back in we have mixed success - she was able to eat cheerios - but we made plain organic stone cut oats with water - I called and there are no cross contaminates - but she broke out in some hives. But tested negative for oats with the blood work. Same thing with a few other items. I'm not a big fan of soy - but 1 - DD has lactose problems a while back and the allergist isn't convinced she wasn't having some issues with milk (coughs when she eats or drinks dairy and some rashes) so while I'm not a huge fan of soy it is one of about 8 foods she CAN eat right now.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Dairy and Gluten do seem to be the major culprits.

 

The good news is that she will have lots of other things to choose from. Probably stick with simple meats like chicken. Fresh fruit seems to always be easily digestible. I find that kids just eat what you put in front of them and most young children like to eat the same things over and over. So find the things that work for you. I am not sure about getting soy milk onboard. I would bring enough of those little juice box size containers of soy milk with you (at least one for each day of travel).

 

Try out salads on her if you haven't already. My son just eats it without dressing- spinach, carrots and cucumber seem to be really easily digestible and they will be available on the ship. You might want to try fish at home too because they offer sushi onboard and this might be ok for her.

[onthelake]

I am much like your daughter and have never determined exactly the problem - other than it is preservative based. Just want to say be careful with salad bar items. Many are sprayed with preservatives even before they are shipped and no matter how carefully they are washed, there can be a residue. Look for carrots and cucumbers that are peeled as well as oranges and bananas. The good thing is little ones are creatures of habit and will be happy with the basics.

 

Talk to the allergist about an epi pen. It should be fine.

[NJfoodie]

My son has a dairy allergy and on our first trip w/ him, we found the dining staff to be very accommodating. The usual rule is to contact the special needs desk (there's usually an email address for them) to make sure that it is noted in your booking. They will then tell you to meet with the restaurant manager as soon as you get onboard. The restaurant staff can usually arrange meals for your child ordered in advance. They will not be able to guarantee no cross contamination whatsoever as it's all made in the same kitchen, but they can generally honor requests for plain grilled chicken/steak/hamburger/fish, pasta, tomato sauce, steamed vegetables of all sorts, fresh fruit, etc. They will also be able to advise you of the ingredients in any dish.

 

They may recommend that you avoid the buffet if there are concerns about cross contamination because there's no way to guarantee other guests won't have swapped the spoons, some spillover from other nearby dishes, etc. We did ok though with the buffet as a source of fruit (mostly whole bananas as his favorite and no cross-contamination worries there), and pre-packaged cereal since DS can have cheerios. This was pretty much his breakfast every morning.

 

For soy milk, last year he was still drinking formula so we brought it with us onboard. Most of the time, you can get soymilk by request in MDR and buffet but you can check when you email special needs. If you want some back in the room, you can either see if you can get extra during the day or order through room service.

 

The toughest part for us was having food prepped for him during port days when we were off the ship. It's harder to guarantee that food wherever you go will be allergy safe so be prepared to bring food with you. Add to it the challenge of no food can be brought off the ship unless it is pre-packaged and still sealed in original packaging. Since he was 14 months at the time, we resorted to baby food jars for port days which he was still willing to eat, even though he was well onto table foods. This year, we'll have individual boxes of soy milk, packaged dried fruit, individual applesauce cups, and I haven't figured out what else yet. Maybe cereal bars and peanut butter crackers. I would recommend scoping out the organic section of your grocery store or if you have a local trader joes for prepackaged snacks with approved ingredients and try them out before your trip.

 

Last, be prepared for any reactions. Talk to your ped and get whatever medications you need for your child in the event of an allergic reaction, whether it's a supply of benadryl, topical creams, or an epi-pen. Plan for worst case scenario. The chances of needing it will hopefully be slim to none, but best to not have to rely on a ship infirmary or gift ship for meds.

 

Honestly, of possible vacations, I felt that cruising was one of the easiest when you have a child with a food allergy because the ship restaurant staff were so wonderful about taking care of DS at meals, especially compared to eating out at multiple restaurants and having to go through the discussion of what's safe at every meal.

[Colorado Kat]

They are very careful of people with special needs, especially children.

 

As far as going off the ship, have her eat a hearty breakfast, bring a few pre-packaged treats, and plan on only being back for the next full meal. Depending on the port stops, you don't have that much time anyway, and since she is so young, she will tire soon.

[scubagirrl]

Has anyone sailed with a child with a preservative allergy? Right now DD has some sort of food allergy - but they haven't been able to determine to what. They think it is probably a preservative but there is no way to test for that.

 

Can anyone talk to me about cruising with a preschooler with a bad food allergy? We are hoping to have it narrowed down by late summer but right now she is eating fresh fruits, plain steamed vegetables, soy milk, soy yogurt and things like plain steaks and chicken and pasta with oil and garlic. We hope to expand her diet a lot by the end of the summer - but will they be able to accommodate this? I know that they usually can do gluten free, peanut free etc.

 

We cruised and traveled all over the world while my son was on the feingold diet for adhd. No preservatives, color, additives and a laundry list of other things.. we always found things that he could eat, and the chefs were happy to make his meals fresh.. so he didn't get any residuals from other things. we carried snaks, carob and "fun" things as a back up.

 

while talking to one of the chef I mentioned the things we traveled with.. He tooks some of our special treats, and made some special flourless carob brownies sweetened with honey. what a guy.

 

Just have a quick chat with the chef and they will point out what they can and can't do for you.

[imsulin]

Well, I'm counting myself very lucky, as my FIVE grown kids NEVER experienced things like allergies of any kind, ADD, ADHD, OCD, innoculation reactions which may have caused autism, ad infinitum. Yes - I'm pretty skeptical!

[LadyShiva]

Well, I'm counting myself very lucky, as my FIVE grown kids NEVER experienced things like allergies of any kind, ADD, ADHD, OCD, innoculation reactions which may have caused autism, ad infinitum. Yes - I'm pretty skeptical!

 

*nod* Count yourself VERY lucky! You lucked out on genetics. :)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I think that people do have allergies in general that affect them in various ways. For example- many people have seasonal allergies that make them feel run down and uncomfortable. So now we just know more about allergies in general. My sister's acne was cured by changing her diet and staying away from dairy. People with asthma should avoid foods that cause inflamation etc. So I don't think that a parent who tries to get their child to eat healthy foods that balance their system should be discouraged. I notice that I have a problem with certain foods and beverages and have learned to avoid them. In my case romaine and iceberg lettuce of all things!

 

I am totally in to diet instead of medication and I think this Mom is doing the right thing. My friends son did not eat regularly and often had migraines. His blood sugar was off also coffee and chocolate triggered them.

[RCKM43]

Well they are definitely leaning to it being a preservative (which they say the only way to figure out which one is by trial and error)- but we also found out from the blood work (final results just came in) that she is also allergic to crab and shrimp (she hasn't had either one yet) so I know we will have to add that to the list.

 

She already has an epi pen although her doctor doesn't think she will need it - but we carry it everywhere just in case. We aren't flying so I can pack as needed and bring her juice boxes, soy boxes, and even snacks if needed - but will I be able to bring it off the ship in Bermuda? We won't be gone all day with 2 young ones so 3 meals will be eaten on the ship so eating on the island isn't a concern for us.

[imsulin]

*nod* Count yourself VERY lucky! You lucked out on genetics. :)

 

Thanks! Yes - I'm pretty sure genetics has played a large role in our allergy immunities, and I'm very thankful for that. No problems with the grandkids, and their father (and his family) never had a problem, either. I appreciate the genetics, but I also think that the food and drink industry has created a lot of artificial/chemical additives to save money by not introducing natural ingredients. The trend now is toward natural/organic/green..etc. I get that. I do think, though, that there is an "overreaction" factor in terms of "my kid has an allergy". I also think that some Physicians can make large profits from "allergies". (Some, but not all.)

 

Pass those Preservo-chips! Crunch crunch :)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The difference between the good old days and today is that people used fewer preservatives and more people made home cooked meals. That doesn't mean there were fewer allergies- hello... fever blisters!

 

So now they inject chicken with steroid and antibiotics. Fruits and vegetables are sprayed with all kind of fertilizers and pesticides. Kids eat more packaged food now. Kids drink diet sodas which are full of chemicals and sugar substitutes.

 

In my day, we had homemade food and had coke on special occasions and never drank "diet" soda or ate microwave dinners.

 

So things have changed and not necessarily for the better. That's why so many kids have asthma too- pollution, global warming and pesticides that have devastated the honey bee population... hello more pollen for us!!

 

Kids today don't have it as easy as we did.

[junglejane]

Well, I'm counting myself very lucky, as my FIVE grown kids NEVER experienced things like allergies of any kind, ADD, ADHD, OCD, innoculation reactions which may have caused autism, ad infinitum. Yes - I'm pretty skeptical!

 

I used to be skeptical too. My older DD has been diagnosed with a peanut allergy, as have my niece and nephew. Imagine my surprise when my younger DD, who is adopted, turned out to have more food allergies than any of them. You lose your skepticism in a hurry when your kid breaks out in hives from head to toe and her eyes swell shut!

 

I admit that it's puzzling why it's turned into such an epidemic. I hope someone finds some answers soon. In the meanwhile, we find it easier to deal with our kids' food allergies on the cruise ship than on land. The staff in the MDR tend to be much more aware and helpful than in the average land restaurant.

[onthelake]

We live in an agricultural area growing ground crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc. with many orchards - cherries to peaches to apples. You would be appalled if you saw how much and how many times crops are sprayed and the number of illness that strike people who work and live in proximity to these activities. Really, really wash your produce well and be aware that organic does not mean that items are spray free. There are products that can be used and still meet organic guidelines -- and don't forget what natural fertiziler is.

[imsulin]

We live in an agricultural area growing ground crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc. with many orchards - cherries to peaches to apples. You would be appalled if you saw how much and how many times crops are sprayed and the number of illness that strike people who work and live in proximity to these activities. Really, really wash your produce well and be aware that organic does not mean that items are spray free. There are products that can be used and still meet organic guidelines -- and don't forget what natural fertiziler is.

 

I think you're absolutely right!! I always take "organic and natural" with a large grain of salt. (Including iodized and sea) About a year ago, we had the first-and-only "organic and natural" food store open in our area. Crowds flocked to this (pretty small) store, including my neighbor. She told me she had purchased two pkgs.of "Bear Creek" dried soups, and thought they were wonderful! I told her I'd been buying Bear Creek dried soups from WAL-MART for years!! I showed her a half-used package of "Creamy Potato Soup Mix". It had sat in the back of a cupboard for several years. So much for the over-priced "organic and natural stuff!"

[tagheuer]

We are doing FOS in January with twin 3.5 year boys.

 

One has a peanut allergy.

 

1) What is the food situation like in Adventure Ocean, do they generally prohibit food?

 

2) If not, how are snacks monitored/given?

 

3) Also, does anyone know if they will hold an epi-pen while the child is there, in case of emergency? (We leave one at daycare and they know how to administer, etc.)

 

4) I assume the medical staff is well equipped with the basic drugs necessary for allergic reactions....true?

[lolakat]

Our DD had a milk allergy and on our first 2 cruises we had to work around this. Since Milk or milk proteins are in so many foods we basically fed her steamed veggies and grilled meats. The staff on NCL was very accomidating and would bring her exactly what we asked for. We avoided the buffett in general but there was plenty of fresh fruit there too.

[Julienatul]

Your best bet would be to talk to the pediatrician and bring along benadryl just in case. My DS broke out in hives the first two days of our last cruise. I narrowed it down to pineapple or the guava/passionfruit juice and eliminated it and it went away the rest of the cruise. Im a pediatric nurse practitioner so I always come prepared with an entire medicine cabinet just in case.

[cantw8togo]

I'm not a big fan of soy - but 1 - DD has lactose problems a while back and the allergist isn't convinced she wasn't having some issues with milk (coughs when she eats or drinks dairy and some rashes) so while I'm not a huge fan of soy it is one of about 8 foods she CAN eat right now.

 

It took years to figure out that our 8 yr old DS's dairy allergy is a trigger for asthma, which is is in the form of a cough and chest congestion. His skin prick test at the allergist's turned out negative for dairy, but I have been told testing for dairy allergies can be unreliable. My father had asthma so I am quite familiar with the wheezy and tight chest symptoms, so I was surprised that asthma can be also be just a cough. He is allergic to the protein, (casien and whey) so lactose free products still aren't suitable.

 

 

They will not be able to guarantee no cross contamination whatsoever as it's all made in the same kitchen.

 

It is my understanding that most ships have a separate kitchen to prepare special meals.

 

 

They may recommend that you avoid the buffet if there are concerns about cross contamination because there's no way to guarantee other guests won't have swapped the spoons, some spillover from other nearby dishes, etc. We did ok though with the buffet as a source of fruit (mostly whole bananas as his favorite and no cross-contamination worries there), and pre-packaged cereal since DS can have cheerios. This was pretty much his breakfast every morning.

 

Some guests have had success at the buffet asking for food that hasn't been been brought out yet. Depending on the cruise line, I have found it challenging to find knowledgable staff that weren't too busy to help. On RCI, ask to speak to a sous chef and on Norwegian, ask for the manager or assistant manager. Who you speak to depends on the cruiseline. OP, which one are you considering or are you booked on?

 

Honestly, of possible vacations, I felt that cruising was one of the easiest when you have a child with a food allergy because the ship restaurant staff were so wonderful about taking care of DS at meals, especially compared to eating out at multiple restaurants and having to go through the discussion of what's safe at every meal.

 

I agree, it is so much easier once you find out what their system is.

 

Regarding the higher incidents of food allergies; I had an interesting conversation on our last cruise with a health care professional who theorized that the higher use of genetically modified food especially, grains, are a reason for the higher rate of gluten intolerance and food allergies.

[RCKM43]

We are doing FOS in January with twin 3.5 year boys.

 

One has a peanut allergy.

 

1) What is the food situation like in Adventure Ocean, do they generally prohibit food?

 

2) If not, how are snacks monitored/given?

 

3) Also, does anyone know if they will hold an epi-pen while the child is there, in case of emergency? (We leave one at daycare and they know how to administer, etc.)

 

4) I assume the medical staff is well equipped with the basic drugs necessary for allergic reactions....true?

 

 

I don't know about FOS but one thing you might want to ask is whether they administer an epi pen. On the Summit - they told me on board that they would put their hand ON my 4 year old but she had to administer it herself (which she CAN"T do). Just something you might want to look into.

 

We brought 2 sets of epi pens and plenty of benadryl and things like allergra just in case.

[tagheuer]

I don't know about FOS but one thing you might want to ask is whether they administer an epi pen. On the Summit - they told me on board that they would put their hand ON my 4 year old but she had to administer it herself (which she CAN"T do). Just something you might want to look into.

 

We brought 2 sets of epi pens and plenty of benadryl and things like allergra just in case.

 

yeah, that's what I meant to ask...our daycare will admin the epi pen if necessary....

 

Just not sure what kid's club staff would do....if they are forbidden from administering....and they will be forced to sit and watch until medical staff arrives, which may or may not be too late.