FOR youngsters Nyssa and Kaydi Ellison, one bite of the wrong food could kill them.

Both are so sensitised to eggs, dairy and nuts that they could go into anaphylactic shock after consuming them, which is why allergy-friendly centres, such as Roche Park, are important.

Roche Park was recently declared a nut-free zone.

The girls’ mother, Merisha Ellison, said finding allergy-friendly child care centres was difficult.

“It is good they have acknowledged it, parents need to know their kids are safe,” she said.

“It kept me up at night that I might leave my daughter somewhere that is not safe. “It has been absolutely fantastic that I can leave the kids knowing they feel like everyone else and that they feel like part of the group.

“It’s the last thing you want you’re kids to feel, that they’re different. Kids are cruel and I don’t want my kids to go through that.

“At the moment, they are too young. It is hard to explain to them that while it is good to share, there are certain things they can’t share, like food.”

Merisha recently bought a book called “Why Am I Different?” which was written by a woman who had a daughter with serious allergies.

It is aimed at explaining the situation through pictures and simple comparisons.

Merisha is a nurse at Collie District Hospital and ValleyView and said dealing with her own kids is very different to dealing with other people.

“Nyssa was my first child and I was going by the book like all new mums do. I started feeding her egg custards and she came out a terrible rash and ended up in Murdoch hospital.

“Both my daughters are allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts and peanuts. A lot of people don’t realise that peanuts aren’t actually nuts, they are legumes. It makes reading labels hard because almost everything has traces.

“Diet has always been an issue, my girls just eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables.”

Merisha said even contact between her children and a child who has recently eaten milk or nuts, can cause a reaction.