Back to School Safely! Six ways to safeguard kids with allergies
August signals a bittersweet time of year, when summer fun is ending and the kiddos go back to school. For some parents, the return of routine and the peace and silence that fills the house is welcome (very welcome indeed), but for moms and dads to food allergy kiddos and children with other health ailments, that peace can be bit disrupted by that underlying worrying.
It doesn’t matter if it’s their first year in school or their fifth, you will always worry about the possibilities of your children’s safety and in the case of severe allergies- coming into contact with their allergens. There are, however, some things you can do to minimize those chances and create awareness in support of your kids’ safety and provide you with some peace of mind that you deserve. After all you made it through another summer full of round the clock care.
#1 Tell people about your kid’s food allergy and then tell some more.
This is not the time to be shy! The key to keeping your children safe when they’re at school is to let as many people know as possible about their allergies. Administrators, teachers and other personnel should be aware so that they can be your eyes in keeping them away from their allergens and hands in providing help in an emergency. If you are a bit exasperated from repeating the same ole story about your child’s ailment – hand them one of our Teacher Forms for allergies. Or better yet do both. Also available for kids with asthma, diabetes, and gluten restrictions.
#2 Send them armed and ready with life-saving tools and know their whereabouts.
Wherever your children are so, they should never be too far from their safety tools like an allergy action plan and two doses of epinephrine – no ifs, ands or buts. We have a great plan available on our website to download. Another really good AAP I like is FARE’s. Some physicians prefer to use their own plans. Know how close in proximity these things stay to your child, and verify that staff know how to properly use the auto-injectors should the need arise.
#3 Pack your child’s lunches and snacks.
Don’t leave anything up to chance in the cafeteria. Make sure your kid has access to safe foods that he or she enjoys eating so that they’re never tempted to reach for anything else. Also train your child not to share – more on this below in tip #5.
#4 Find out the seating arrangements for food allergy kids.
Do kids with food allergies get their own table in the lunch room, or are they subject to cross contamination from their friends? Many schools offer a Peanut free/Nut free or even Dairy Free table/s. It’s really up to you whether you chose to have your child sit at a designated table. I suggest that whatever you do chose, you make sure your child is well aware of your choice and understands the implications of either one. Also it’s always helpful to understand how the cafeteria is supervised so that you can ensure someone is on the lookout in the event of an emergency. Many school cafeterias have lunch aides, etc..
#5 Teach your kids the Allergy Safety Rules.
It’s never too early to start teaching our children with allergies on how to take care of themselves and it’s probably the most valuable thing you can teach your child. AllerMates has five simple rules that all kids should know in order to protect themselves against their allergens. Find them on our Resources page, or get a full-size poster for your school in AllerMates store.
#6 Accessorize them in safety.
Again, making sure people know about your child’s allergy is critical to avoiding a reaction or recognizing the emergency. Therefore, any opportunity you have to create awareness should be taken. Alert bracelets, lunch bags, snack bags and stickers are just a few great ways to do this. Find these solutions, too, in AllerMates store.
Lastly, check in as often as you’d like. Not only are you helping to set your mind at ease, you’re actively reminding administrators and educators of the need to protect your child and, though indirectly, even other food allergy kids. When done in combination with the other precautions above, you are paving the way for a number of successfully safe school years for your most prized pupil.
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xo,
Iris
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Keep them safe at school with allergy and health bracelets, necklaces, medicine cases and lunch bags.
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Iris Shamus is a mother to three awesome kids & the founder/CEO of AllerMates. AllerMates was born as a result of her food allergic and asthmatic son, Ben. Iris and/or AllerMates have been featured in many places including Fox News, the Doctors, Veria Living, MSNBC, The Today Show & the Huffington Post with helpful advice on keeping kids safe. Based in New York, Iris & her team design & ship their products, create informative content & obsess every day about safeguarding kids.