Mom buys her kids a $10 bag of peanuts at a baseball game, parents sitting in front of them demands they stop eating peanuts because their son is allergic: 'They kept turning around and giving us the stink eye.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Sep 22, 2026 3:45 PM EDT

Why would you go to a baseball game and get mad that people are eating peanuts?

Allergies are no joke, especially severe ones. One time when I was working as a cashier at a Chinese restaurant, a dude called in to order for pickup and said his wife was highly allergic to soy. He asked us to please make sure there was no soy in the meal because she would have to go to the ER if she consumed any. I put "Soy Allergy" on the order like 10 times because he was so urgent about it. An hour later, we got a call saying that she had broken out in hives and was going to the ER because of our negligence. That is probably in the top 2 worst things I've ever done, but there are two obvious scapegoats. The people working in the kitchen should have said it was impossible to make food at our restaurant without cross-contaminating it with soy. Also, what kind of person with a severe soy allergy thinks that ordering from a seedy Chinese restaurant is a good idea? Honestly, I just hope that woman is okay and that she never has another allergic reaction for the rest of her life. 

People with allergies are often hyper-aware of them and try to make sure at every juncture that they don't inadvertently harm themselves with food. That can be difficult when the thing you're allergic to is in so many different meals. For instance, if you're so allergic to peanuts that your throat closes up whenever you smell them, it might not be super smart to go to a Thai restaurant. The same could be said for a baseball game, because peanuts are often sold in the stands, with patrons throwing the shells on the ground. The family in this story didn't consider that before bringing their super-allergic son to a baseball game and expecting everyone around them to accommodate them. 

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  • People playing baseball during daytime
    via Greg Rakozy

    A crowd at a baseball game. 

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  • Am I the bad guy for being mad about a kid’s peanut allergy at a professional baseball game?

    Took the family to a professional baseball game. Bought my daughter a bag of $10 peanuts. We took our seats and a family of 3 sat in front of us. They seemed instantly angry with us, kept turning around and giving us
    via u/LionGriffinGael
  • the stink eye. Finally about 3 innings in the father asks my husband and I to stop letting our kids eat the peanuts because his kid is allergic. My husband being a nice guy complied. AITA for being
    via u/LionGriffinGael
  • angry that my family and I couldn't eat our peanuts because their kid was allergic?
    via u/LionGriffinGael
  • Johann_Gauss NTA - most stadiums have specific sections that are peanut free for this exact situation. EDIT: Here's an example Washington Nationals
    via u/Johann_Gauss
  • [deleted] NTA. And as a parent with a son who has peanut allergies, I honestly just assumed I'd never be able to take him to baseball games. It's really cool that there ARE options but I would never dream of demanding them (especially not of other parents)!
    via u/[deleted]
  • marsenelle NTA. As someone who grew up with an allergy to all types of nuts (seriously all of them), I can tell when I'm within 10-20 feet of a nut. As a child, my mom took the time to explain to me that when I smelled what made me sick to tell a teacher or move myself away with fresh air no matter what. My safety was too important. The only time I've ever asked people not to eat nuts was if the situation was unavoidable like being stuck in a car for a long time, or taking an exam. My freshman y
    via u/marsenelle
  • [deleted] NTA. "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" has a line about buying peanuts in it. Hot dogs overpriced beer and peanuts are a part of going to the game. If you're worried about your kid's peanut allergy, maybe taking them to a baseball game isn't the best of ideas.
    via u/[deleted]
  • thisisnotmath NTA. If the family has that much of a peanut sensitivity, they should go to a peanut-free game (many teams offer it). Or, they should have asked you in advance to make allotment for the child's allergy, and got you something as a token of good will.
    via u/thisisnotmath
  • WeaverFan420 they should have asked you in advance to make allotment for the child's allergy, and got you something as a token of good will. This! If they're going to ask you to not eat peanuts, offer to buy a couple hot dogs, lemonade, soda, a beer, or whatever to make up for the inconvenience.
    via u/WeaverFan420
  • ProfessorPlans Agreed. If they're going to ask you to not eat peanuts, But also, the family in front " kept turning around and giving us the stink eye" INSTEAD of informing OP right away. The family decided to not inform OP of the peanut allergy, but wanted to make OP look/feel bad for eating peanuts anyway. I think the family would be incapable of considering to offer anything to OP.
    via u/ProfessorPlans
  • Mangobunny98 I think the fact that the family kept turning around and glaring annoys me the worst like if you just keep staring at them they're just gonna think some things wrong with you. You have to verbally communicate what you want.
    via u/Mangobunny98
  • Vaahli NTA. As someone with a severe peanut allergy I get why they'd be angry. I'm generally uncomfortable when sitting around or near someone eating peanuts. But I've never asked a stranger to refrain from eating peanuts. It's excessive. I agree with others that these folks should have handled the situation differently. If his allergy is so bad then he shouldn't be sitting near people who are inevitably going to eat nuts. They should've known better as everyone knows peanuts are a staple to the
    via u/Vaahli
  • dragonfire_b NTA but the true villain is a $10 charge for a bag of peanuts! Hot din!
    via u/dragonfire_b
  • [deleted] NTA: It's a shared common space that's pretty much known- for loose peanuts.
    via u/[deleted]
  • itsbobbie NTA. I used to be a server at a restaurant where are allowed to eat peanuts and throw the shells on the floor. Peanut dust everywhere. A woman brought in her son to eat and asked me to make sure everything was wiped down because her son was extremely allergic. I was just thinking why did you bring him here??? Sounds like they didn't think that outing through.
    via u/itsbobbie

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games allergic peanuts allergies baseball bad parents parenting peanut mom
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