On Sunday my nut allergic son John flew in his first plane ride….ever. He’s six, and I intentionally avoided air travel with him because of my fear that someone on the plane would mindlessly open a bag of peanuts on the plane, and subsequently sending him into anaphylactic shock. Also I had two other babies after John so it just seemed to make sense to do trips by car rather than plane.
However, when a dear friend invited us to rent their timeshare condo near San Diego, CA I jumped at the chance. For one, I love California. The oceanside, mountains, palm trees and nearly perfect weather was more than enough for us to get out of the Windy City (which by the way, has experienced much cooler than average temperatures this year for winter, spring and now summer) There’s so much to see and do in San Diego, including a short drive to Disneyland in Anaheim. Many of you know from my previous blog entry “What Six Year Old Boy Wouldn’t Want to Go To Disneyland?” that it was imperative John go to Disney this year, whether in Florida or California. He needed to trust in his ability to be safe and eat safe, even when far from home.
In preparation for the plane ride I didn’t care much about packing enough activity books and Nintendo DS games for all four kiddos on a four-hour plane ride. I cared far more about packing enough EpiPens, backup EpiPens, Benadryl, Inhalers, Wet Wipes and enough food to last the entire plane trip for all four kids (the younger two seem to want to snack every 15 minutes). I was anxious but prepared. So when I got to the airport I felt confident all would be fine. John was the one who was really nervous and needed to be put at ease. I assured him all would be OK, and he might actually find the plane ride to be exciting and fun. I’m not sure he bought that last part.
As soon as we got to the gate I asked the airline representative to move our seats to the very last two rows, because I felt being in the back of the plane was the safest location in the event a passenger decided to open a bag of nuts or eat a peanut butter sandwich (which happens more often than not since airlines often don’t offer meal service anymore in coach). I notified the fight attendant of John’s allergies, and she even offered to help be on the lookout for any nut related food being eaten.
Everything turned out great, and John seemed excited and relieved when it was all over. I hope the flight home is equally as uneventful. But we’ll have to wait until Monday to find out.
Don’t you just feel so happy to have that under your belt? I’m happy for you. Now you know, not only can you get through a flight with all 4 kiddo’s, but it can be safe and uneventful. I’m so glad for that.
Which reminds me, last time we went to Mexico, we completely forgot Paul’s epi pens. We realized about 3/4 of the way to the airport and decided we’d chance it. It made me a little nervous to go to the land where his hugest allergies are mainstay food, but luckily we survived. Of course, I never plan on doing that again!
Have a fabulous time seeing all the great things. Have you guys been to the seal beach in La Jolla yet?
So glad your flight was uneventful. Hope you’re having a great trip!!
I’m so glad it went well! I could only imagine the stress in traveling with a severe peanut allergy. It is good at least that most airlines have gotten rid of the peanut snack.
So cool that kids have such the opportunity to fly now. I was a teenager the first time I took a flight! After that, I was hooked on travel : )
I hope Disneyland was fun!
Totally agree with you Alisa…I was hooked too after my first flight in junior high. We travelled American, and their policy is that while they don’t serve peanuts in coach, they do serve them in First Class. I found this out of course, after my husband booked our flights. I truly don’t understand why peanuts are still allowed on flights at all. Thanks so much for your comment!
We are having a great trip Nicole! Disneyland was amazing and I will probably be writing about that experience next.
Totally Colette…it was great (now we just have the flight home!
I do remember you telling me about that experience in Mexico…wow. I would have so nervous but thankfully all turned out OK for Paul. We haven’t been to the Seal Beach, but I remember how much I loved it when we were in San Francisco.
So proud of you guys! It’s a scary thing, but you did it! Did I tell you that I learned from another mom recently that a fitted crib sheet is the perfect size to cover the whole airplane seat? Neat tip for the next time.
That is an awesome tip! Definitely will remember that for next time. Thanks Lissa!
Congratulations! What a great step for your family and specifically for John. The first flight is the hardest but perhaps after this success, you will be able to start traveling again. I’m so glad the flight staff were supportive as we’ve been on flights when the crew were oblivious to our needs.
Most importantly…enjoy Disney. What a great trip for you and your family!
Thanks so much for your words of support Rhonda!
You and your son are an inspiration.
Thank you SO MUCH Liz for your very kind comment!