A teenager’s innocent coffee choice recently sparked an online debate after it nearly exposed a severely allergic child to a nut allergen.
In a Reddit post, an 18-year-old wrote that the trouble began after she carried a hazelnut coffee to her friend’s house for a study session.
She claimed the drink was only for her — but her cup of joe caused a stir.
“After a while, I got up to go to the toilet,” the student recalled. “When my back was turned, my friend’s little sister (8), who is allergic to hazelnut, tried to drink my coffee.”
The Redditor’s boyfriend quickly intervened, telling the 8-year-old girl that she couldn’t sip the drink, according to the post.
“When I explained to her that the coffee has hazelnut, my friend got very upset at me, saying I shouldn’t bring over something that could endanger his sister,” the young woman added.
A hazelnut allergy is one of the most common types of known tree nut allergies, according to Healthline.com.
For individuals with tree nut allergies, beverages made with real hazelnut extract can be life-threatening, according to WebMD.
The most severe reaction, anaphylaxis, can cause the body to go into shock and may be fatal without immediate treatment like an Epinephrine injection, as Fox News Digital has previously reported.
The 18-year-old admitted that the thought of an allergic reaction didn’t occur to her when she got the drink.
“I just didn’t think it would happen since she’s always asked before eating any of my sweets and candies,” she said.
On Reddit, people were split over the sticky situation, though most of the commenters took the teen’s side.
“The 8-year-old should not be sipping other people’s drinks at all,” one person wrote. “Especially if she has a serious food allergy. Who was supervising her?”
“Why is an 8yo drinking coffee (also without asking)?” another person asked. “Assuming from your story that she is only affected by ingesting nuts (as opposed to airborne).”
Others felt the original poster overstepped by bringing a nutty beverage into the child’s home in the first place.
“It’s generally considered a bad idea to bring something that someone is allergic to into their home – even if you thought they wouldn’t eat it/touch it,” one user said. “Cross contamination is real and dangerous.”
“There should be special attention given to any food that is out [and available] when a child has a serious allergy.”
Another wrote, “The child shouldn’t have [taken a drink of] your coffee, sure, but what if you had spilled it somewhere communal or something and exposed the child that way?”
Diane Gottsman, a Texas-based etiquette expert, weighed in on the debate.
Gottsman, who owns the etiquette-focused Protocol School of Texas, called the situation “unfortunate.”
She told Fox News Digital, “If the person bringing in the hazelnut coffee knew there was an allergy, they should not have brought the coffee in.”
“But often the person bringing in the allergen does not know unless they are alerted by the family member.”
Speaking from personal experience, Gottsman said that her own adult daughter has a serious nut allergy and takes precautions.
Ultimately, children don’t reason the same way adults do, which is why adult supervision matters.
“A parent can teach a child to not share foods or drink without permission … [but] when it comes to a child, they are young and do not have the same type of reasoning skills,” she said.
“While the person who brought in the hazelnut did not do it intentionally, it could have still been dangerous.”
At 18 years old, the Redditor is still learning the ropes of adulthood – and Gottsman chalked up the error as a simple accident, though it could have had serious consequences.
“There should be special attention given to any food that is out when a child has a serious allergy,” she concluded.
“While the person who brought in the hazelnut did not do it intentionally, it could have still been dangerous.”
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