As if mums and tots groups didn’t feel enough of a challenge, when D’s little sister was around 3 months old, I decided to take it up a gear and brave a soft play centre.
Hazard: uncleared tables
Our closest soft play centre is Fun4All in Macclesfield. They have two play frames at opposite ends of the warehouse, with tables and chairs set up in the area between. The first time we went following D’s peanut reaction, it was heaving. As I walked in, I noticed several empty tables which were waiting to be cleared. I stopped in my tracks and looked around (picture Terminator scanning for peanuts), and to my anxious eye there were half eaten biscuits and cake crumbs everywhere, all within toddler grabbing distance.
D, at that point, was still fairly unimpressed with his new sister and had decided that, instead of walking, he would like to be carried everywhere. On that first visit, the clinginess turned out to be a blessing, as he stayed close to me, so I didn’t need to go chasing round the tables after him.
Our first attempt at eating out
The next time I went, it was considerably less hectic. The tables had been cleared and Ian was with me, so we were able to take it in turns policing D whilst the other sat with C. On this second visit, we decided to stay for lunch. This was the first time we had eaten out with D following his allergy diagnosis.
We explained his allergy to the waitress, who (after talking to the chef) confirmed that none of the dishes on the menu contained nuts. The only items they couldn’t 100% vouch for were the pizzas as, although they were made to a nut free recipe, they were brought in from offsite.
I appreciate that we must follow the hospital’s advice every time we eat out and, of course, that Fun4All’s menu may change. However, as novices to eating out with an allergy, their straightforward reply was just what we needed to hear.
Further sources of advice on eating out
For further advice on dining out safely, please see the:
- The Food Standards Agency’s recent reminder on eating out for those with food allergies.
- The Anaphylaxis Campaign’s advice on being allergy aware when eating out.
