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- If you have food allergies, read the ingredient label of every food you eat - every time!
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Most schools keep an emergency supply of food and water on hand for use in the case of an emergency.
Parents of children with food allergies should contact the person responsible for this supply of food to make sure there is
safe food in the supply and/or provide safe non-perishable food (labeled with your child’s name) to be kept with the
emergency provisions. (by Darlene Rolph - Gilroy, CA)
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To make sure your child always has a special safe snack available
for birthday parties at school, make a batch of cupcakes ahead of time and freeze them individually . Keep frosting on hand so that on the day of a party, you can pull out one cupcake and frost it . It's a great
way to make your child feel special and safe at the same time. (by Christy Renner, FAC partner)
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A patient's position can make a difference during an anaphylactic reaction. A hypothesis
has been presented suggesting that the position of a person suffering from anaphylaxis may contribute to the outcome of the
reaction. It is suggested that a person experiencing anaphylaxis should be kept lying down with legs raised.
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If you or your child are allergic to antibiotics and you're meat
eaters, you may want to find out if the animals were given any type of antibiotics. This tip was offered at a recent workshop by a woman who has multiple food
allergies as well as allergies to some antibiotics.
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If you have a food-allergic child who is just starting school this year,
do some role-playing to help the child become more comfortable with situations that may arise while at school. For instance,
role-play eating in the cafeteria and go through all the motions so the child will feel confident when he/she eats
there for the first time. Another idea is to role-play attending the class parties when other adults will be there,
possibly offering him/her food. This will give the child some specific words to use when confronted with these
situations. It will also clarify when it's okay to say "No" to an adult!
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Send home a note at the beginning of the school year asking parents to
identify food allergies of their children for the room mothers. It helps educate others about the existence of food allergies,
something they might not otherwise even be aware of. Anything to educate and raise awareness!
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Be sure to spend some time refreshing the teachers and school administration about
your child's food allergies now that school is back in session for the second semester.
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Now that school is ready to start again, check expiration dates on all medications and
schedule a well-check with the allergist. Be sure to make a list of all medications and obtain refill prescriptions
for the upcoming school year. Also, look over the emergency treatment plan and
other paperwork and update anything that needs to be changed. Take the emergency treatment plan with you to the
allergist appointment for advice or for signing. Before the appointment, obtain any other required forms
that need signing.
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Tips for Teens:
Be sure to talk to your child about the risks of "double-dipping" when
they're with their friends. Even if the chips and dip are safe, double-dipping by another person can lead to cross-contamination
if that person has eaten the allergic food prior to eating the chips and dip. The allergic child may be safer to stay
away from community foods like dips.
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The allergic child should also know which soda can or cup is his when at
social events. Don't chance picking up a contaminated can or cup belonging to someone else or having someone else pick
up your drink. This may also save your child from contracting things such as mono and strep infections.
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If you have teenagers with food allergies who are dating or getting
close to that point, keep in mind that an allergic person may have a reaction if he/she kisses someone who has been eating
the allergic food. Include this topic in your discussions so the child will be ready
to handle a situation like this. There needs to be a lot of trust there for an allergic child to stay safe while dating.
As if dating isn't awkward enough without this complication!
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Tips for Back-to-School:
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It's that time of year again to start thinking about preparing to send
your food-allergic child off to school. If you haven't done so already, now would be a good time to schedule a check-up
with the allergist and renew the necessary prescriptions you'll need for the school year.
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Put together an Emergency Treatment Plan before you go to the appointment
and have the allergist look it over and offer suggestions if necessary.
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If the school requires it or if you will be using that form as written
permission for the school to administer the medications, obtain the allergist's signature when the Emergency Treatment Plan
is completed (Using the Emergency Treatment Plan this way prevents you from having to fill out and obtain a signature
on a separate form and saves the school some additional paperwork.)
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