Cub Scout Snacks and Food Allergies
When a Cub Scout has a food allergy, plan ahead so that he or she can share the same snack as the other kids in the den. Not only will this avoid a serious medical situation, but all the kids will feel included.
If you decide to serve snacks at your den meetings, make sure you ask parents about allergies. We have one boy in our den who is allergic to peanuts. While he understands that sometimes he can’t have what other kids are eating and his mom ensures that he gets a treat when he gets home, I hate to exclude him.
Most dens rotate which family will bring snacks or have a sign-up sheet. It’s important to note allergies on the sheet. But if it’s been six months since a parent has signed up, they are not likely to remember the allergy. When the snack-bearing parent realizes that one of the Cubs can’t have the snack, they are always embarrassed about it.
To solve these two problems, I talked to the parent of the child who has the allergy to find out what the safe snacks are for this child. In our particular instance, the parent told me to check the nutrition label. If the product doesn’t mention that it contains peanuts or if it doesn’t say that it was made in a facility where peanuts are present, then it would be fine for the child.
I always send a reminder email to the family bringing the snack. The main focus is to remind them that they are to bring snacks, but I include a blub saying, “remember that one of our members has a peanut allergy, so please plan your snack accordingly.”
If they ask me what they should bring, I pass on the information about checking the labels. If the child has allergies to multiple foods, their parents may decide to send in a snack for him. Regardless, you’ll find that they are grateful that you considered their son’s situation!
Do you have snacks at your den meetings? How do you handle allergies?
Yours in Scouting,
Sherry
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10 responses
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[…] Please be cautious about Cub Scouts with allergies if you make these. If one of your Scouts has a dairy allergy, you can purchase dairy-free cream […]
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[…] Smear peanut butter or shortening on the platform. Since it can be substituted to make the bird feeder without peanut butter, I prefer to use shortening because you don't have to worry about a child's allergies. […]
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[…] the night with the boys getting one of the winning candy bars! Don't forget to find out if any of your boys have allergies! Oh, and I think I'll grab a candy bar for myself too. […]
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[…] instructions online call for using peanut butter to make the seeds stick to it. But if you have a Cub Scout with a peanut allergy, he or she won't be able to participate unless you make a modification. A great substitute is […]
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[…] our den made armpit fudge, one of our Cub Scouts was allergic to dairy. I hate leaving out any kids who have allergies, so I asked his mom if there were ingredients we could substitute so that he could make his own […]
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[…] the night with the boys getting one of the winning candy bars! Don’t forget to find out if any of your boys have allergies! Oh, and I think I’ll grab a candy bar for myself […]
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[…] while ago, we talked about being aware of any food allergies that your Cub Scouts may have. I really hate when a boy has to be excluded from a snack or […]
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[…] on the platform. I prefer to use shortening because you don’t have to worry about a child’s allergies. Shortening can be substituted to make the bird feeder without peanut […]
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[…] instructions online call for using peanut butter to make the seeds stick to it. But if you have a Cub Scout with a peanut allergy, he won’t be able to participate unless you make a modification. A great substitution is […]
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