Table 4 Age-related factors regarding allergen avoidance when eating out

1) I just know he’ll be sick so I’m quite strict about that. But he is starting to notice what other children are having and what his big brother’s having and getting a bit upset that he can’t get it. So that’s only going to get worse.

  (P15, M < 8: Peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk, cereals containing gluten)

2) (Caregiver addressing child) You were going every Saturday with your school friends…..And there’s a group of boys and girls and boys are always hungry. But you always have to just have a cup of tea don’t you….You end up at (burger chain). You just eat chips, it’s not a meal though, and it’s just having something to eat.

  (P5, F 13–17: Cereals containing gluten)

3) If the boys had a party obviously they could go, but if it was (daughter) she would go just to support them, but she wouldn’t be able to eat anything there……Because I couldn’t tell her friends ‘Oh you can’t go to (pizza chain) for your birthday because my daughter is allergic to cheese’. So she’d go along and sit along. (P11, F 13–17: Milk)

4) He’d gone out with (his sister), she was being a bit dithery, they both had some chocolate. Without her thinking, he wanted to try something of what she had. Because she’d already started eating it, she said oh all right try a bit then. Not paying attention, she (hadn’t) realised there was some nuts in there. Until he started saying, (sister’s name)…. he’s quite competent in knowing when, or piping up and saying there’s something not quite right here.

5) I think she’ll continue to be good with it, because she’s had to get used to it from such a young age that she doesn’t know any different; she’s got it. You do get the odd times where she’s said’ I’d love to have nuts, I’d love to have them’.

  (P6, F 8–12: Peanuts, tree nuts)