Know the symptoms of a severe allergic reaction.

In a severe allergic reaction, the most crucial element to safeguarding your child is timing – being able to respond as quickly as possible. And that makes knowing and understanding the symptoms of an outbreak just as critical.

If you’re a parent or caregiver to a child with food allergies, please take a minute to read the most common symptoms below and commit them to memory:

Their mouth tingles, burns or itches;

Their skin itches or breaks out in hives (red patches that itch or burn the skin);

Their lips or tongue swells or starts to feel puffy;

They wheeze, feel like they can’t breathe or find breathing hard to do; they may also feel as if there’s a lump in their throat, even if nothing appears to be there;

Their nose becomes runny or stuffy;

Their stomach may hurt, or they throw up or have diarrhea.

Know that symptoms of your child’s first allergic reaction may differ from his or her next, which makes it very important to understand ALL of the symptoms. It’s also critical that you take action as soon as you sense something is wrong; always go with your gut feeling (never ignore it).

Finally, now that you know the symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, start teaching them to your child, so that he or she can recognize them and get help as soon as possible. Look to AllerMates Kids Club for other easy-to-understand tips and facts, and arm them with the information they need to stay safe.

All the best,

Iris

P.S. Want more of our Severe Allergies 101 info? Sign up for my newsletter, and I’ll help you get up to speed.