By Victoria Armijo

Food allergies is something that is very close to my heart and has changed our lives.  Our almost two-year-old daughter was diagnosed with food allergies at 6 months old after we found out she was having an allergic reaction to the foods I was eating and was being processed by my milk.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4 out of every 100 children have a food allergy, reporting an increase among children of all ages in the United States over the last ten years. 

As a parent of a food allergic child and a teacher who has had students with food allergies in the classroom, here are some steps that you should take in keeping your child safe while at school and around their friends. 

Preparing your child for school:

1. Teach your child which foods are SAFE and which foods are NOT SAFE.  The sooner they know this the better.
2. Make sure that your child knows not to share their food or to take any food from their friends.  Teaching them to say “No thank you” can be very important.
3. Pack your child’s lunch/snack with SAFE foods and with wipes/anti-bacterial wipe case or even a placemat.  Your child can use these wipes to clean the surface they eat on before lunch or snack time.
4. Make sure that your child knows that if anything happens or they have any questions to go straight to their teacher.
5. Most importantly, make sure that your child understands that being different is okay.  Let them know that they are not the only one that live this way and that just makes them extra special!

Preparing the school for your child:

1. Make sure that the school, teacher, and home room parent know of your child’s food allergies and the severity of each one.
2. Make sure that the school office and child’s teachers know the symptoms to look for in an anaphylaxis attack (food allergy reaction).
3. Make sure that the school office and teachers know how to properly use an Epi-Pen and to call 911 immediately after.
4. At the beginning of the school year ask the school and teacher if it would be okay to send a letter home to all the parents just to make them aware of your child’s allergies.  It doesn’t hurt to ask.  Remember, you are not asking for special treatment.  The letter is just to inform parents of your child’s allergies.
5. Ask the classroom teacher for a list of activities and birthdays.  This way you are prepared to send a special snack for your child on those days.  You do not want your child to feel left out.

Here a few Food Allergy Resources that have helped us along the way.

• The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
• Kids with Food Allergies

As parents of food-allergic children, it is our job to educate ourselves and our children on how to live a full and safe life.  Do not let food define your child - yes they live with a medical condition, but they can still live an amazing one!

You don't need an online nutrition degree to tackle this, just some common sense and continual education. For more inspiration, there are helpful online courses available.

God gives the average children to the average parents, and saves the extraordinary children for the extraordinary parents. ~Unknown