allergies

If you have a child with food allergies, the beginning of the school year can be a scary time. If you don’t have a child with food allergies you probably don’t understand what the big deal is. Let me explain and offer some helpful tips for navigating food allergies at school (even when it’s not your problem).

For kids with food allergies, the smallest amount of their allergen can be life and death. Imagine for a moment having to be concerned about staying alive at school. I’m not exaggerating.  Between breakfast, snack and lunch time there are many opportunities for kids to come into contact with foods that could hurt them.

Thankfully, or maybe I should say miraculously, my son outgrew his peanut allergy. I had been dreading the start of kindergarten because I was very concerned about him coming into contact with peanuts. Even if kids washed their hands, food comes in on clothes and faces (my kids can’t be the only ones who leave breakfast on their shirts).

Even though I don’t have to worry about food allergies any more I will always be aware of how food allergies impact families.

What You Need to Know About Food Allergies At School

Food allergies aren’t once size fits all. Some allergies are more common than others but without knowing which food allergies are in your child’s classroom it is hard to keep all the kids safe. Ask teachers if you should avoid certain foods due to food allergies. Some teachers will inform you on their own but some will not. [Read more…] about Handling Food Allergies at School

Yesterday I posted the last Back to School giveaway of the year and today is the last post in the Teach Your Kids to be Food Allergy Advocates series.

I’m thrilled to have Kathryn Martin joining us today. I met Kathryn at the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference last year. (This year the conference will be in Denver!) We hit it off right away and shared many meals together. She blogs at Mamacado about her family, healthy living and food allergies. Today she will share about a very important topic, teaching other people about food allergies.

5 Tips for Teaching Others about Food Allergies

If you’re a parent of a child with food allergies, you know what it’s like to quickly become a food allergy “expert”. I wouldn’t call myself an expert yet. Still, ever since my son was diagnosed with food allergies 5 years ago, I’ve had to teach countless friends, family, child care providers and teachers about food allergies and EpiPens. After doing it a few times, I’ve become more and more comfortable with teaching others about food allergies and how to keep him safe.

I thought I’d share some tips with you about how to teach others about food allergies. I hope this helps you in your food allergy journey!

1. Assume No Knowledge

When you’re meeting with someone for the first time, assume he or she has NO knowledge of food allergies. Come prepared with ALL your tools. Then, when you talk a little more, adjust your conversation based on what they already know.

For instance, I recently met with my son’s future Sunday school teacher to talk about his food allergies. She immediately told me she has two sons with severe food allergies to peanuts and sesame. She knows all about EpiPens and emergency action plans.

WHEW.

I breathed an immediate sigh of relief. I knew I didn’t have to teach her how to use an EpiPen, so I focused on other points I wanted to cover.

However, just remember that everyone’s food allergy journey is different.  Even if the person has prior experience with food allergies, you can still teach them a lot about your child’s specific food allergy journey. Make sure you still cover all the information about your child to keep him/her safe.

2. Give Them Resources

I give each teacher a binder of information about Little Guy’s food allergies, and other related educational information. The content includes:

• His food allergy action plan
• How a child might describe a reaction
• Teacher’s checklist for managing food allergies
• Reducing the risk of exposure to food allergens
• Potential food allergens in school activities
• Non-food rewards
• Cleaning methods
• How to use an EpiPen

Here’s a photo of everything I recently included in his Kindergarten binder.

I also make a cover page to go on the front of the binder that includes his name, grade and photo. I ask them to keep the folder is his classroom in an easily accessible place.

3. Outline Your Key Points

After two or three meetings with teachers, I realized I was writing down the same notes before each meeting.  Write your key points down, and keep them in a safe place where you can find them again.  Here are the main points I usually focus on during my meetings.  I ask the teachers/caregivers to:

CREATE A SAFE ENVIRONMENT

• Keep food out of the classroom as much as possible
• Offer non-food rewards
• Know there can be allergens in crafts – check labels
• Wash hands and surfaces/use wipes before and after eating
• Monitor snack/lunchtime and no sharing of food

INCLUDE MY CHILD

• Plan non-food focused activities and lesson plans
• Give me advance notice so I can read labels or provide safe alternatives for anything that may be food related
• If bullying occurs, make sure it’s addressed immediately. Educate the other students (through books or conversations) about food allergies to reduce the possibility of misunderstanding and bullying.

GIVE EPINEPHRINE IF NEEDED

• Know how to recognize the signs of an allergic reaction, and especially how younger children might describe a reaction
• Understand the emergency action plan and know where to locate it
• Know where the epinephrine is located
• Know how to use the epinephrine and use at the first sign of an allergic reaction. DO NOT WAIT.

There are so many other points to cover during a meeting, but these are usually my main topics!

4. Encourage Them to Practice Using Epinephrine

It’s important for child care providers and teachers to have actually practiced using an EpiPen. So, I always bring 3 “practice” related items to my food allergy meetings:

• EpiPen trainers. They are look-alike EpiPens with no needle or medication in them that you get with each EpiPen prescription.
• Expired EpiPens. Yes, keep that expired epinephrine for future practice.
• Oranges. What? Yep, the oranges are a safe place for the teachers to release the needle of the real EpiPens when they practice.

Remember to throw away those oranges after you’re done!  Then also ask your allergist where to dispose of the EpiPens.

5. Keep your cool

Talking about your child’s food allergies is emotional. There’s no question about it. Practice out-loud what you’re going to say ahead of time. Laugh a little before the meeting (watch something funny, or remind yourself of a funny moment). Think about something positive you’ll do AFTER the meeting to take off the pressure. Bring water to drink to distract you if you feel emotional.

Also, think about asking your spouse, a trusted friend or family member to come to the meeting who understands food allergies and can be there to support you. I’ve found that I do feel more confident and in control of my emotions each time I have a meeting. Practice does make it easier.

How do YOU teach others about food allergies?  Have you become an expert at teaching others yet?

Bio

I am Kathryn Martin, creator of the blog Mamacado, and working mama of two who loves my family, healthy living, and avocados (of course!). My Little Guy is allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts and sesame. Despite his food allergies, we try to create healthy and delicious meals we can all enjoy. I’d love it if you’d check out my blog, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook pages for great ideas on food, family and fun…with a food allergy twist! 

Today we continue on our Teaching our Kids to be Food Allergy Advocates series. We’ve heard from:

Cindy at Vegetarian Mamma shared about teaching kids to eat safe foods.

Kathy at Food Allergy Jams shared a Food Allergy Game for preschoolers.

Today Sarah from Don’t Feed My Monkeys will give us an inside peek into the life of families with food allergies. She talks about what it is like for her family, with not so little kids, and Saying No.

Sarah is a busy wife and mom of 4, two of her kids have food allergies. I met Sarah last year at the Food Allergy Bloggers Conference and we hit it off right away. Be sure to follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and of course Don’t Feed My Monkeys.

Meet Sarah…

I have four kids, the two oldest have food allergies.  My 10 year old son is allergic to milk, eggs, and peanuts.  He also avoids gluten, soy, and artificial colors.  My 8 year old daughter is allergic to peanuts.

As my kids are getting older, I am finding that they are taking on more independence with their food allergies.   I am trying to keep them in my safe food bubble where I provide all of their food, check all the labels, educate all the adults they are around.  But I also have to teach them to navigate the world safely on their own.  This is the bridge we are currently crossing.

I still control their food, and I still educate parents and teachers on food allergies (avoiding a reaction and what to do if a reaction occurs), but I know they are learning to fend for themselves.  They are beginning to hang out with friends more, going from one house to another.  These houses are not food allergy havens.  There is peanut butter there.  Goldfish crackers.  M & M’s.  Cheetos.  Cookies.  My kids know to say no to these temptations.  I’m sure it’s hard as they watch their friends indulge in these treats, and I do my best in making up for it at home (usually after the fact…..they first have to watch other kids eat).  But this is their reality.  I try to be prepared if I know food will be present, but as all you food allergy parents know, things pop up without warning.  We just do the best we can.

Kids bring cupcakes to school.  They trade food at the lunch table.  They go out for ice cream or pizza on a whim with their parents.  I still keep a stash of safe treats at school for my kids to have when others bring birthday treats, and I show up to every class party with safe treats for my kiddos.   I try to make lunches fun and delicious so they never feel left out.  But they still have to say no.  When others are making a game of trading lunch food or stuffing their face with frosting-covered cupcakes, my kids say no.  They are responsible about it.  They get it.  And for the most part, their friends understand.  My kids have been lucky enough not to be bullied about their food allergies this far.  But they still have to watch everyone else indulge.

I’m always curious how my kids really feel about their food allergies.  What truly goes through their heads.  They have said that they wish they didn’t have food allergies (cue my tears and breaking heart), but I always try to remain positive about it around them.   They know they can’t have most treats that others are enjoying and that they have to stay safe.  I’ve explained what anaphylaxis is and what to do in an emergency.   They understand epi responsibility–take it with you everywhere, don’t leave it in the car.  They’ve even injected oranges with expired EpiPens.  We are working on independence with managing these sorts of things as I work on letting go of the control of the food bubble.  Passing the food torch, so to speak.

So, for now, my kids say no.  They are responsible enough to turn down food, even when they don’t want to.  But I’m dreading those rebellious teenage years when they want to test the waters to see what really happens when they have just one little bite of that something that looks so delicious.  All I can do at this point is teach them to be responsible and help them understand why saying no is so important.

Thanks Sarah!

Don’t forget to enter my Plentils Giveaway to win 4 bags of food allergy-friendly Plentils.