oh I wasn't knocking working moms at all. Just stating the true fact and that I really don't think our class has to worry about unsanitary treats since most of them are already prepackaged stuff except for a few of us sahm who have the time. Whoa--that was one long sentence--lol. It does take a bunch of time to make treats. I am sure my hubby at times wishes there was a policy for prepackaged stuff only--lol. Ahhh maybe that is the true reason why legislation has come up with the policy. Too many legislators spouses were spending too much time in the kitchen for the school treats vs thier own treats--hmmmmm I have found the TRUE reason! lol

Right now we are doing private preschool and I love an outlet to be creative. We will be trying public K and beyond so I guess I will be ready for the ban on home stuff when that comes around.

ok I have conflicting opinions on the thing with allowing certain foods in schools. When my oldest daughter was in kindergarten she had a HORRIBLE time keepingher mouth shut and her butt in her chair, we thought it was just her age, so in 1st grade SAME problem, she was never called ADHD BUT did show signs of acting like thatuntil I realized she can sit and watch a movie all the way through no problem she is NOT ADHD so I found research showing that artificial flavors/colors and preservatives I got VERY strict with her and did not allow her to eat the daily snacks provided by the parents she ate only bagged lunch (which she ate anyway for health reasons with the schools lunches being all pizza and chicken nuggets) and she was NOT allowed the candy at the end of the day for being good ... since when do your kids need candy as a daily treat for behaving?!?!? anyway her behavior got SO MUCH BETTER, there was a huge improvement in just 2 weeks of the diet, but the problem was the teachers sticking to the diet, I find they snuck her treats and undermined my parenting in that situation. My daughter's sensitivity to these additives has lessened over the years however we still have a strict diet of VERY MINIMAL additives for all the kids (we do make exceptions for b-days and special occations).

As for the school parties I do find that the amount of sweets is excessive BUT what i like is that the bag of candy is sent home with the kids and I at that point confiscate it lol, they pick out 3 pieces of candy NOT to be eaten at once and the rest is thrown out. the teacher this year plans once a month a party for their grades and it is NOTHING BUT JUNK! I HATE IT! My kids are NOT allowed sodas or caffeine and yet the teacher lets them drink all the sodas and candy and junk they want .... that to me is not what school is about or rewards are about. I think there need to be balance of healthy stuff and a LITTLE junk to go with to make it extra secial not an overload of artery clogging hyperactivity foods.

as for the peanut allergy, my middle child started kindergarten she has a boy in her class with a peanut allergy. All the parents were made away of this and we cannot send any peanut related foods for snack however we can send what we want for lunch. I think the allergy children have to eat in a different area for lunch? not positive about that. I understand taking the precautions to protect those with allergies however there is a point at which it is overboard. I know that some kids are so allergic that if a person breaths on them they will have a reaction, if that is the case are they kept in a bubble? I mean taking them to a store, do you hold them and make sure nobody brushes up against them. my kids often eat in the car on the way to places, my 3 year old is very friendly, what happens if he comes and taps a little kid on the shoulder and wants to talk right after eating his peanut butter snack? There is no way to completely protect a child from all elements and I am completely for protecting them in any way you can but seriously if a school has 800 kids and 8 have allergies to peanuts .... why do all 800 need to not eat peanut butter sandwiches for the rest of their school life? My daughter's class is handling it very well, not allowing peanut butter in the classroom and the kids mom has discussed and educated this child on the allergy is they know not to take foods they are unsure of as well. As a parent and although my children do not have allergies to fods (although my youngest one did have a milk sensativity as an infant) I do not expect people to completely give up things, there is a way of compromising and finding a way to make everyone happe in these situations ....


Ok last thing I PROMISE lol about homebaked goods and you not knowing how people handle food and cleanliness at their home ..... how many of you eat out at restaurants? How many of you REALLY know what happens behind those counters ... I am more concerned with eating out and being given a piece of undercooked meat or nasty food than i am someone baking cupcakes with a spoon the dog licked prior to baking seriously. True story here ... my friends and I went to eat at Logans steakhouse ... I ordered hotwings and had a cup of ranch on the side to dip in .... we were in direct line of the kitchen ... our server was mopping the nasty floor as it was about 45 minutes to close and not many customers were there. Anyway our food was taking forever so we kept a close eye on our server and an even closer eye because we knew he had a nasty mop in his hands .... my food came up he went over, grabbed the dish at the TOP RIM and filled it up with ranch then set it on the plate ... THEN he washed his hands ... NASTY.... if I had not seen that I would have eaten that junk and possibly gotten sick .... I did not eat it and complained to the manager ...not to mention all these stories about disgruntled workers peeing in the mayo and crap like that. I just think there is a difference between being cautious and being paranoid. Lets give people the benefit of the doubt, if your kid has an allergy and you don't want to risk them eating a homemade cupcake (I use you loosly meaning society/schools in general not anyone in specific on this board so please don't think I am trying to single anyone out), then tell them they cannot eat them but don't make the rest of the class suffer because of it, My oldest went through getting pencils as rewards instead of suckers for a long time ... life isn't always fair, it sucks sometimes but it is a lesson that kids need to learn early.

Wow that was long, sorry guys.

I have not read through all the replies, however, I wanted to make my contribution. I had the same problem. My first child was in kindergarten last year (that's when I was crushed). At the end of school, in June, I sent a stack of flyers to the teacher (with her permission). It was an invite to a local park right after school, on the very last day. Most of the kids showed. Lots of them had siblings. Gave the parents a chance to chat, the kids played and I GOT TO MAKE MY CUPCAKES. It was great. Good luck this year. Kindergarten is a special time.

Part of the reality of life with allergies is learning to LIVE with them. I'm not saying that if there is a child in the class with a peanut or other allergy that they treat it like it doesn't exist but that they tell people what are products that are o.k. to bring in because there is a child with an allergy to (SPECIFICS). There are snack foods out there that are safe for someone with allergies. I have a cake mix that clearly labels that it's made in a facility that specializes in allergy-free cooking (dairy, wheat, eggs, nuts, etc.). Yes, kids with allergies have a tougher time but they aren't going to live in a bubble their entire life. The purpose of school is to teach kids to survive in the real world. For kids with allergies it's learning how to avoid their triggers and that it really is o.k. if more people know they are the one with a particular allergy so their classmates can be taught how to behave around a person with a particular allergy if they've been exposed to it or to avoid contact with them if they've been around their allergy trigger. My niece knows I love her and want to give her hugs like the rest of her cousins, but that I've got a severe allergy to her cat. It's not a negative that she has the cute little thing, it's just a reality that we have to live with and is nothing negative towards her and being HONEST about it and what happens if she watches TV on my bed at Grandma's and I go to sleep in it (I'll be up all night wanting to scratch my skin off grabbing for my albuterol).

While I wholeheartedly understand the "Licensed kitchen" factor in bringing treats in because things CAN be sourced if there's ever any question. I have to take issue in the fact that FOOD is not the problem if you look at the lifestyles kids are being forced into at school. How many times do we all get up in the course of a work day to stretch, move around, go to the bathroom, defocus so we are able to focus better when we go back to work, exercise, etc. Yet we're forcing kids to sit for 8 hours with a 30 minute break for lunch and physical activity for fourty-five minutes per week and wondering WHY kids are fat or can't focus their attention. Uh, DUH! OSHA wouldn't let us place our employees in such conditions that our school kids are being placed into EVERY SINGLE DAY! OSHA requires 2-15 minute breaks and one hour lunch break per 8-hour shift. Our kids get 30 minutes for lunch.

I also think that kid's aren't being properly screened for medical problems. The Psych diagnosis' are a whole nasty funding discussion unto themselves.. When it comes to obesity problems, are these kids being screened for things like thyroid issues, breathing issues, sleep apnea, asthma, diabetes (what if a lot of these kids really had type 1 diabetes and have just been able to manage it better) at an early enough age that the problem can be cut off at the pass.. If a child is properly screened and diagnosed in the first place problems like obesity can be cut down because the true source of the problem is being treated. The reality is, you take a kid into an MD because of weight issues, the MD is going to blow the parent off and say "they need to eat less and exercise more" (and how many of us have been told that same cop-out line) without so much as a simple blood test or breathing test to rule out the other possibilities..

If only school systems could figure out that FOOD is not the enemy, inactivity and a lack of common sense life education is a bigger enemy.

I taught 4K for several years and we did home visits at the beginning of the school year. These appointments were scheduled a week in advance. I do not intend to sound rude but there is absolutley NO way that I would eat anything cooked in SOME of those houses. I saw houses with stoves so corroded in food that it was disgusting and sinks filled with several days of dirty dishes. There were some houses that had roaches crawling everywhere. Because I saw these things, I was concerned but I found out that most of the homes in these conditions never brought anything for the child's birthday.

Yesterday I had a lunch meeting at Red Lobster. I noticed a young man wearing a tank top with huge arm holes running around in the kitchen. I also noticed that every time he lifted his arm, he had a massive amount of underarm hair. Now, this really bothered me because he had all that underarm hair waving all over the food. I could not eat anything there.

Luckily, I never encountered a child with food allergies although I did have a child who was an extreme diabetic. She had to eat a snack every couple of hours and take shots twice a day. Things were so hard on the mother and she worried constantly so she removed her child and home schooled her.

Food allergies are a very serious situation. I support public education but if I had a child with such severe allergies that could cause death, never would I EXPECT other people to be held liable because I put my child in that situation. Let me explain....and let's pretend these are very young children

Child 1 in a classroom has extreme allergies to peanut butter and could die if they are touched by someone who ate it.....

Child 2 from this same class has parents who abide by every rule of not sending peanut butter to school and making sure that their child has not had peanut butter but child 2 rides the bus to school

While on the school bus, an older child gives child 2 a piece of Mary Jane candy (peanut butter inside). Child 2 asks if the candy has peanut butter and the older child says "no". Child 2 has no idea that it has peanut butter until AFTER he/she has eaten it. Now child 2 goes on to school and accidentally touches child 1 ............who is to blame?

I will remove myself from the soap box without mentioning the wasted funds in schools.

I'm not usually one to jump on the bandwagon on a thread this long. I usually just answer a cake question here and there that I have knowledge about so here goes
I taught kindergarten in a Christian school for many years, I considered it a priviledge and a ministry, my yearly pay at it's maximum was $15,000 so you know I was there for the money
We were very sensitive to children who were allergic to things, food medicine, envionmental things etc.. we even had one child who even though he was not allergic to grapes his 4 year old brother had choked to death on one at home and his mother did not want grapes in our classroom because it obviously was a personal thing to her. So that request was honored but she didn't request the entire school be grape free. (please note I am not knocking a free environment such as for children who cannot even brush up against someone who has eaten peanuts, if that were the case that would have been honored but we never had a child who was allergic to that degree) I knew every parent personally I knew every childs likes and dislikes and allergies. Our school did not and still doesn't have a "no homebaked goodies" rule We even had monthly bake sales that were sponsored by each class and the sponsoring class got the money for supplies
One year I had a child who was allergic to a multitude of foods and his mother and I got together and she knew when we were having scheduled treats and she had a recipe for a "cake" that he could have. We even kept a couple of pieces in the freezer for him just in case we had a surprise treat.
So you may be asking what is your point? Common sense and sensitivity.
Every child desreves to have an awesome school experience. It was my daily prayer that no child felt singled out because they were different
in and area that could be taken care of with a little communication and understanding on the part of everyone involved. And when the other children would ask why can't so and so have or do this they were answered honestly on their level of understanding, usually what I did was have the child explain to their friend why, and then that bonded them and it became something we all cared about and watched for.
Jibbies

It's interesting to hear that you have such strict regulations in the USA. We have some bizarre restrictions in the UK.

Our schools forbid homebaked goods because of hygiene, BUT when I spoke to the environmental health department, they said that it was actually very rare to make someone ill through a baked cake. He went on to say that he didn't have problems with me baking the odd cake for school even though I am not a registered home baker. He went on to say it was more an allergy issue as far as he knew, and a full list of ingredients should be put on packages of cake and cookies.

As for hygiene, I too believe that we are a very clean nation on the whole, I cringe now to think of the things I did as a child, and yes I am so guilty of spraying everything with the anti bac spray. When I am baking for someone else, I am very careful with cleanliness, I tie my hair back, scrub all surfaces and ban my children from the area in which I;m baking. If I'm baking for the family, we al muck in, have a stir and lick the bowls together.... I just think people are used to their own germs but can be adversley affected by other peoples.

As for allergies, our school doesn't ban peanut butter (it's not as popular over here anyway) but we don't have any peanut sensitve children in school, if we did I would be happy not to send that sort of stuff in... We have had children attending school whilst on chemo therapy, and the school aks us NOT to send children in who have even a sniffle!

The school say they advocate healthy eating, but then the teachers give sweets out as treats fof good work.. And our cooked school meals are rubbish, chips (french fries) with everything! My 10 yr old told me yesterday she had pasta <no sauce>, mashed potato, and a few chips for her lunch! This was because they had run out of the main meals and so they were literally giving the children left overs!

I think the whole world is going a bit mad.. our school is a catholic school, but the head decided against a nativity!!!! We did however celebrate the festivals of several other religous festivals.... it seems to me that people are so frightened of being accused of being racist BUT really the people who cause racist problems are the idiots who make the silly rules that in themselves highlight difference instead of similarity!

Just thought of another thing that has been mentoned about schools saying that pre packed goods prevent tampering... this is plainly untrue, if someone wanted to tamper with anything, a bit of shrink plastic and a shop label, would not prevent it!

I will continue to send a birthday cake in for my children... I will label it just in case there are any children enrolled that have severe allergies... But I so want children to be children!!! we grow up so fast and it's so important to have lots of fun memories of childhood!

Anne

I've read most of this post and I've got to say that I very much agree with AmandaPanda and jibbies. I think the key is moderation.

I understand that allergies are a fact of life and I feel for the child/ren, and family of said child/ren, who has to deal with them. I've been very fortunate as not to have had allergies most of my life and so far my children don't have any either. But we do have relatives with allergies and about six or seven years ago I developed some weird allergies (Robitussen and Doxycyclene. Found out when I came down with my first bout of Asthmatic Bronchitis. Yuk! Horrible, etc.)

Anyway, so I'm not bashing anyone. If people could control allergies, no one would have them. My son had his first year of school last year (4th grade and two schools) where he finally did not have someone with a peanut allergy in his class. It was actually a relief that I didn't have to check everything I bought for snacks and the ocassional lunch, etc. I do feel for the allergic child and take it seriously, but it's tough when I couldn't give my son anything with peanuts and my daughter who's a grade behind him was fortunate enough to be in classes where no one had an allergy (until last year Brownies when someone was allergic to milk products). I had to explain to my kids that since my son wasn't allowed to bring certain items in, that my daughter shouldn't bring them in either and sometimes we'd have things only for 'home use'. Yet, I still wonder(ed) what would happen if, God forbid it should, that the allergic child met with someone on a public playground or in the school hallway who had ingested the item (in this case p.b.). You can take all the necessary precautions, but not eliminate all the risk.

My hubby and I had this discussion when we went shopping and he was of the opinion that our son shouldn't have to give up p.b. in school because of another child, but my view is what if it was our son, wouldn't we want the same consideration from others?! So even though we understand, it was still difficult for our son, and in extension, our daughter, to give up eating p.b. in the mornings and early afternoons for four years (K-3).

Also, another hypothetical: who's to say that a child couldn't suddenly develop an allergy? This has happened as we've read in a couple of previous posts. We want our children to be as safe as possible yet we can only do what is humanly possible and within reason. Some of these school policies are way lacking or way too strict. We really need to find a medium ground to keep all children healthy and happy (and I don't believe that eliminating all sugar containing food is the way to accomplish this task!).

For the hypotheticals...

Which instance would you rather discover your child has a peanut allergy...
1) At school after taking a bite of PB in a setting where there would be immediate response and medical personnel dispatched in a quick and timely way (in some schools a nurse's office equiped with an epi-pen to allow time for EMS to arrive)..
2) On a camping trip 10 miles in from the nearest road without cell phone access because the area is termed "wilderness" which also means that medical personnel have to hike it in and out because vehicles are restricted anyways..

I guess it's because I've got allergies that I know there's no way to prevent me from coming in contact with someone who has cats on a frequent basis unless I live my life in a bubble. Yes, we want to protect our kids, but the reality is that the more we protect them from the world the more that we're doing them a disservice by not teaching them how to adapt to what they're presented with in life in regard to those allergies. For those of us with allergies, that means we WILL be surprise exposed to our triggers at one point or another unintentionally. It's just reality and I'd rather teach my child if she has allergies (because there is a strong liklihood she will have some or all of them just as bad) how to respond calmly when that happens which will help improve her chances of survival. Panic kills faster than the allergen itself ever could..

[quote="lchristi27"]

Thank you!!!
You know one of my favourite memories of school was the hot summer days where we took turns in our underwear sitting and paddling pool!!!!
These days our teachers are not even allowed to sit a child on their knee and hug them!!
Our head teacher also used to treat us with 'jam butties' Jelly sandwiches to you over the pond!!!
Not any more!!!

I have just booked a birthday party for my child in a brand new centre that does traditional party games with traditional food!! She will have a lovely 'non traditional castle cake LOL

I am just going to make some spritz cookies for the school teachers!!!
What fun!

Anne

"Those who give up a little freedom for security, deserve neither."
----Benjamin Franklin

I want the gov't out of my living room. I don't want them telling me what I can and can't do in my own home.

Food is not a luxury, it's a necessity. I will agree that cake is not a necessity, but you open the door just a little and the flood waters pour in.

Freedom of choice ..... the most valuable right our fathers fought for.

I think that if we really lived in communities these days and knew each other and cared about each other, we wouldn't be so worried about this stuff. We would all work together to take care of each other and would care very much about little Johnny's potentially fatal allergy and all the stress it causes his family. And we would adjust without giving it much more thought.

I feel very lucky to live in a small town where I can bring homemade goodies.
The kids love it and teachers and admistrators love it even more.
At parties we try to even it out. A cupcake and brownies but also fruit, cheese and crackers with water.
So they get the sweet but also the healthy.

I have to say a cupcake once in a while is not going to hurt any kid. If their parents don't want them to have the sugar then they can send a note to the teacher.

I also have a list every year of any food allergies and try to stay away from them and if a particular child has, say a peanut allergy then I will make that child something different if I am making something that includes peanuts.

I work in a public school district as well, and my daughter started school last year. My high school students bring in homemade baked goods all the time, but district policy is "store bought only." I was disappointed until I saw how some of my daughter's classmates were coming to school. I thought to myself, "Man, if that's how they send their kids to school, I wonder what the house must look like?" Not to mention the can of worms food allergies (peanuts, dairy, wheat, etc.) can open up for which the school can be held liable. So, while the policy is a bummer, I can understand it.

AND, when her class was doing a study on bears, I checked with the main office about sending in a panda cake and was told that they'd be thrilled if I did so. So...sometimes there are loopholes.

I think the school has your child in mind. Yes, they have gone overboard. Our school doesn't allow any sugar in the school for health reasons. Alot of the states are adapting the Nutrition law in schools.
Obesity is on the rise so instead of letting the parents deal with thier childrens eating habits, they put it on every child. I'm o.k. with the occasional snack at school and teachers rewarding with a piece of candy. I do watch what my kids eat and limit candy, sweets, and no sodas at home. I don't go overboard and deny all sweets.
With the nutrition law being so strict I wonder why my kids always bring home PTA sales to sell cookies and candy.

We cannot do class treats, but are allowed to do bake sale for the PTA.

Oh, And there was the parent who made brownies and used the same spoon she cooked meth with to make the brownies........ I read the story in the paper If I remember correctly.

I hope this may be a constructive suggestion and taken in that vein.

If you disagree with the policy, why not take a batch of cupcakes to the next meeting of your school district's board. (Please adjust the terminology to whatever governing body presides over your particular school, county, state, or country. I'll just try my best with what I know.)

While you're there, talk to them about your concerns. The board members represent you. Voter turn out is usually quite low for school board elections. Board members have good reason to be attentive to issues raise by their constituents. Talk to your friends and neighbors and get them to agree to vote for pro-cupcake candidates. That probably sound flippant, but I'm serious. Elections at this level have hinged on issues like scrunchies for the cheerleaders.

I urge you to be respectful. Most board members are good people who really want to do the best for the kiddos. Pull up your districts website and check out who they are before you go. I think you'll find that most are truly well-intentioned, fine people. (Yes, you'll find a few with questionable motivations, but wouldn't that be a great thing to know come next election?)

And also, be prepared. Maybe Google your state and county regulations governing this issue. Try your departments of health, agriculture, and education. No, they are not real page turners, but you can make fondantyou can figure out how to engineer a wedding cakeyou can do this.

Understand that there really might be some reasons not to have cupcakes in the classroom. Childhood obesity is an extremely hot button topic right now. As you can tell, there are other people who feel strongly about allergies. (On a personal note, I just like to make quick mention of the diabetic kids.)

It'd be a real positive thing to model for your kids. Show them that you don't always have to agree with the law. Show them that there are appropriate avenues to take to try to change things that just don't seem right. Show them that there are steps you can take you don't have to feel oppressed by some nebulous "them."

I stand firm with my statement that most people involved in schools, public and private, really DO care about the kiddoes.

The greatest lesson a friend with diabetes taught me, and mind you, he's a skinny guy and used to weigh 200+... Diabetics still need SUGAR in their diets in order to stay healthy. It's when they don't have enough sugar that they can be in just as much, if not more trouble than if they have too much. A spaghetti dinner is going to mess with their sugar levels more than a cupcake will because it's just a higher glycemic index and a greater amount. And, again, the issue is moderation.

I really hope all these "loopholes" some of you keep finding don't end up hurting someone else's child. Rules are put in place for a reason- not just to fill up paper.

The question is, why is the system set up such that they need rules like this when if the school system, teachers, and parents were working together on solutions to the problems involved (obesity, food safety, allergies, etc.) like the rest of the world does. Things like if you bake with peanuts at home, do not use those pans or that sink if you're making treats for this class... Or how to sterilize pans before using them. Or o.k. recipes and substitutions... Educate the parents through the kids.

No one is saying that if a child has a peanut allergy in their kid's class that they bring Reeses Pieces and peanut butter cups as their kid's treat. OTOH, you can only protect kids to a certain extent and at some point it becomes detrimental to their education of dealing with life. Hence, why we've got another rise going on in suicide rates among teens. It ain't because they aren't getting drugged enough with antidepressants, it's because they aren't learning how to deal with LIFE. Instead of teaching kids how to handle life, they're being protected to the point of detriment. Physical education wasn't eliminated because it served a purpose to teach kids about being physically active and eating right, it's because everyone that HATED it that is now in power and federal mandates about math and science (teach the math, how many is three sets of 10 reps and physics of motion in an applied setting). Maybe the problem was the old model of group sports instead of an individual sports focus for the kids that didnt' excel in team sports. Or around here, there is such a focus on making the varsity team from a field of 1000 that kids get discouraged and forget that not everyone is going to make the pro's, the point of the sport is to have fun.

No one malitiously gives their kid a PBJ sandwich for breakfast if there is a kid in the class with a PB allergy. It's when it's a choice between a PBJ sandwich for breakfast when that's the only item of food left in the house does the child get breakfast or not. The point is, there's no way to know if the gal working at the grocery store just ate her PBJ sandwich for lunch without washing her hands before returning to the checkout the food of the person who is making a delicious salad for her child to take to school that the kid with the allergy is going to take a bite of. That's also why I think that grocery stores with baggers need to have a hand-washing sink located near the checkout and also be required to wash their hands frequently (and possibly wear gloves) just like the rest of us in the food industry. Life is going to happen it's ultimately up to the person with the allergy to take responsibility for themselves and how they are going to live regardless of if they're 5 or 95.

my little one started school too! I anticipated the snack restrictions, so i made some sugar cookies for the staff the first day!!!

My daughters last month almost died from an allergic reaction to sunblock!
(ages 7 and almost 4) It broke my heart. I'm the one that almost killed my children by trying to protect them. I won't go into the horrid details but the doctors said it's a miracle that they didn't die.
I can't imagine being a parent with a prominat food allergy and dealing with this scare daily. My oldest has a food allergy to kiwi but that's not such a hard one to deal with.

I understand why the schools block homemade treats and as much as I love to bake I agree with them. Not everyone is clean and responsible. Most cooks are not unfortunatly. I'm paranoid of other peoples food (especially if I don't know them)

The allergy specialist told me last week that only 8% of people are allergic to nuts. The majority of people who think they are have never been tested. I still think 8% is kind of high though.

Yeah I have heard that a lot lately. My BF's son just started school & she was so upset (his bday is next week). I told her that maybe she can make them, bag them & hand them out as they were going home. That way the parents can decide whether the kids can have them.
We live in a different district & all year last year I made them for every holiday. Never heard anything from my 3 kids teachers other than MMMMMMM; so far I haven't been told I can't. My son's bday is next month. I will make them, send them & if I get told not to do it again then I guess I will have a lot more free time on my hands come the holidays.

I do see the reasoning behind it (my nephew is deathly allergic to nuts) but come on way to kill a bday celebration.

I thought I'd throw my hat into this ring...

15 yrs ago, when my DS was in Kindergarten, they could have snacks. Parents volunteered for the "letter" snack if they wished -- whatever letter they were learning for the week. I brought in daily snacks for each letter I signed up for letter "P": pink pigs (very small cookies), pieces of pizza, popcorn, purple penguins, pomegranites. Kids loved them. And I got great pictures of my kid's classmates at the time!!

I even brought in 'black bats' at Halloween time. Made with purple/grape jello-jigglers & cut out with my cookie cutters. Kids loved them cuz they were different, teachers loved them because they WERE NOT yet more cupcakes, and I had a blast making them.

And years ago, we could handout homemade treats to the trick-or-treaters, too.

Yes, times have changed!