When our grandson was 18 months old, I gave him a lick of peanut butter. He didn’t seem to like the texture and began wiping it from his tongue. More than just not liking it, however, he began to rub his eyes which were starting to water and turn red. Realizing that he must be having a reaction to the peanuts, I immediately gave him a dose of antihistamine and called his parents.
It was a scary thing. I cried. He didn’t. We were fortunate.
He was diagnosed with allergies to peanuts and tree nuts. His allergies were not life-threatening in the sense that he could be in the same room with nuts or nut products and not expect to have a reaction. He does always have to have an ™Epipen available, but he is more fortunate than some others. For many children with food allergies even the presence of the allergen in a nearby area can be life threatening.
The idea of sending a child with food allergies off to childcare or school can be an overwhelming one for a parent. It is essential that a parent be proactive and form a strong relationship with the daycare or school in which the child is to be placed. Everyone involved in the daily programming of the child must be made aware of the type(s) and extent of the child’s allergies.
I once had a student whose peanut allergy was so severe, we sanitized every desk he sat in and those around him before he came into the classroom. He had a separate table in the cafeteria and only those students who were certified peanut free were permitted to sit there. Everyone, including custodial personnel, knew who the child was and what was required. Everyone.
FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) has compiled an excellent guide for parents entitled Managing Food Allergies in the School Setting which was developed in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The guide is divided into 10 sections and focuses on a checklist of critical steps parents of high-risk food allergy children should take:
- Become informed and educated.
- Prepare and provide information about your child’s food allergy and medication.
- Build a team.
- Help ensure appropriate storage and administration of epinephrine.
- Help reduce food allergens in the classroom(s)
- Consider school meals.
- Address transportation issues.
- Prepare for field trips and extracurricular activities.
- Prevent and stop bullying.
- Assist your child with self-management.
Part of becoming educated regarding your child’s food allergies is to learn to decipher those food labels on all canned or packaged foods in the market. Here is a valuable tool that serves me well: Guide to Reading Food Labels
While any food can cause an allergic reaction, 90% of most are due to:
(Source: FARE)
Over the next couple of months, I intend to review the critical steps parents of food allergy children should take in preparation for working with their daycares or schools. The better informed and prepared a parent is, the better informed and prepared the childcare or school will become.You know, I just don’t remember being aware of these problems growing up. What has changed that intensifies the problem? Today we are dealing with lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, and a whole host of others. How about you? Do you have food allergies in your family? How do you handle those?
I found this article on the High Cost of Food Allergies to be very thought provoking. There are some strong points made and, unfortunately, I find many of them to be true.
You know, I just don’t remember being aware of these problems growing up. What has changed that intensifies the problem? Today we are dealing with lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance, and a whole host of others. How about you? Do you have food allergies in your family? How do you handle those?
Disclosure: I am a Better Beginnings ambassador. I receive compensation to write an article for them once a month. The best thing is that I get to share with you great information about how children learn and how to encourage them in their learning. All thoughts and opinions are my own based upon my experiences as a 30-year teacher and as a parent and grandparent. The mission of Better Beginnings is quality early education for all. I firmly believe in that.
Interesting post! I developed an allergy to beef a few years ago. After living in beef country my whole life, I moved to Florida for several years including one summer that seemed to be bad for tics. Come to find out, tic bites can lead to this type of allergy. Sooo strange! I’ve cut it out of my life but BOY do I crave a juicy steak every now and then! 🙂
I’ve heard of that. A friend of ours recently developed the same thing. The doctors are optimistic that the sensitivity to beef will diminish over a period of years. Thanks for stopping by.
My eldest two are very allergic to any of the lake dyes (Red40, Yellow 4 & 5, Blue 1) They are all carcinogenic and banned in many other countries. We have to be careful even of medications as they are colored with usually NOT natural colorings! Our doctor told us to quit red meats as many butchers add red dyes and you don’t know what ones they use. I have another one allergic to all nuts, bananas, and soy. Love this post, Debbie!
Wow! Good things to consider. Have you considered getting your own butchered meat from a reliable source? Thanks for stopping by. Any things I should consider for Part 2?
I think there’s a higher incidence of childhood allergies than when we were growing up. I made nut-free Chex Mix for a boy in our extended family last Christmas and will probably do so again this year.
I think so as well. I wonder why?
So glad you acted so quick with your grandson! That would’ve been scary!
It was scary — more for me than him. I think I read somewhere that you can’t be allergic to something until you’ve been exposed to the allergen. That being the case, we were fortunate to find out about his so early and in the way it happened.
This is such an important topic. Thanks for putting this guide together. I developed a life-threatening allergy to shellfish after eating it for 21 years, and I have a child with food allergies. This is something everyone should read.
I’ve heard so many stories like yours. It’s not uncommon, apparently, for allergies to have a sudden onset. I don’t have food allergies, but I am allergic to penicillin and tetanus.