Note: This week we're focusing on back to school with food safety and nutrition advice for parents and kids. Check back all week for a different topic each day.
By: Katie Burns Date: 8/10/10
Starting school for the first time or even heading back to school from summer break can be stressful enough for parents and kids alike, but when the child has a food allergy, it can add to the stress. The good news is there are steps and measures that can be taken to greatly reduce the worry and stress that come with sending a food-allergic child off to school. With a little planning and some proactive measures, parents of food-allergic kids can go back to worrying about school supplies, homework loads and missing their munchkin!
First and foremost, it is important to have a food allergy management plan developed in cooperation and partnership with your family, the food allergic child, physician/allergist and most importantly, the school community. An effective management plan will help create a safer learning environment for the food allergic child. Sample food allergy action plans are available from the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.
It is imperative to get the school community involved in your food allergy action plant to help to manage your child’s food allergy. Some best practices include:
• Notify the school of your child’s food allergy diagnosis as soon as possible
• Familiarize yourself with the laws and school policies related to food allergies, medication and health conditions
o Some schools have food allergy policies, including “allergen free” tables in the cafeteria or restrictions on treats brought from home.
• Make sure the action plan addresses your child’s needs throughout the school and is shared with teachers, nurses, the principal, school food service personnel, bus drivers and other staff who are involved with your child at school – AKA, the school community
• Help school staff understand how your child may explain the symptoms of a reaction
o FAAN has developed a list of ways of How a Child May Describe a Reaction
• Work with school foodservice staff to increase awareness of their role in allergy management
o Check outSchool Foodservice and Food Allergies: What We Need to Know for help
• Provide appropriate, up-to-date medical documentation and medications to responsible individuals identified in your plan
Help your child become his own advocate, and enlist friends to help keep your child safe:
• Teach your child about safe and unsafe foods and how to avoid unsafe foods
• Help your child understand how and when to notify an adult of an allergic reaction or other allergy-related problem
o Be sure your child recognizes the symptoms of a reaction
• Remind your child not to share or trade food with friends
• Enlist a PAL (Protect A Life) to help your child manage food allergies
While it is important to remember that food allergies can be potentially life-threatening, a little planning goes a long way at alleviating stress and worry. Food allergies haven’t gotten in the way of summer fun, nor should they get in the way of back-to-school excitement!
What do you do to manage your child’s food allergy while he is at school?