Amazon Friday sale: Earth's Best formula, peanut allergy lunch sack

Found in today's Amazon Friday sale:

Earth's Best organic infant formula (dairy, 25.75 oz. container) is 49% off today ($21, usually $41.32), with an additional 15% off (bringing the price to $17.85) if you sign up for automatic delivery through Subscribe & Save.

I also spied this STAT Kids Health ID lunch bag for kids with peanut allergies. My children don't have food allergies so my first impulse what that one could just write on a regular lunch bag with a Sharpie and be done with it. But then I pictured the noisy, crowded lunch tables at my kids' school, and the ultra-clear labeling on this otherwise basic, sturdy insulated lunch bag made a lot more sense. Great reminder for preschool teachers, child care workers, field trip chaperones, sports coaches, and playdate parents as well. The lunch bag costs $14.79 (26% off the usual price of $19.95).

Parents of kids with food allergies -- does this lunch bag seem like a good idea?

Amazon Friday sale prices good today only.

Comments

[J.]

My daughter has nut allergies and is about to start preschool next year which terrifies me. This seems like a good idea to me - anything that can provide a constant reminder.

[A different J.]

My daughter is in kindergarten now and made it through 3 years of preschool just fine with her admittedly minor nut allergy. Her teachers were all well aware of what was going on and were probably more cautious that I would have been.

Maybe I just don't like this idea because I think the bag is so ugly.

[A different J.]

And now that I've looked at the other products that company is selling on Amazon, I'm even less impressed.

http://www.amazon.com/s.html?ie=UTF8&node=3760931&brand=STAT%20KIDS

There isn't enough differentiation between the products in my view, so they would blur together if I was trying to help a room full of kids eat their lunch.

We got our daughter trained early on to ask if things had nuts or peanuts. I think that is the best way to go.

[Andrea P.]

My daughter has a pretty serious peanut allergy, and I'm not impressed by the bag, either. For one thing, caregivers should already be well aware of who has allergies and have emergency medications nearby. There should never be the need for a reminder like that.

But even beyond that, highly allergic kids are already at risk of social stigma when they have to sit at a peanut table, segregated from their class. The kid already can't have some treats at parties, can't eat at tons of restaurants, can't do this, can't do that. Let the kid have a freakin' Princess/Transformers lunchbox!

I strongly believe that introducing extra elements that could emphasize that social isolation only make it more likely that the child will deny the allergies out of embarrassment, and subsequently engage in riskier behaviors when they're older and more in charge of their own decisions.

[Parent Hacks Editor]

Andrea P: Excellent points. Thanks for making them.

[Cat]

On the other hand, the same company DOES make a similar highly visible backpack (and has food allergies beyond just peanut available). The backpack might make a bunch of sense not so much for school, but sleepovers, visits to friends houses, field trip days & other times where adults who are unfamiliar with your child's allergies might be in charge in a chaotic situation.