1 in 13 Kids Have Food Allergies: 15 Tips for Great School Year

1 in 13 Kids Have Food Allergies: 15 Tips for Great School Year

In Virginia, a 7-year-old, Ammaria Johnson was at her school when she had a serious anaphylactic reaction to peanuts. Unfortunately, her Epi-pen was not at school at the time and this precious little girl died.

Another child, 5-year-old Benedict Blythe was also at school in England when he had a fatal allergic reaction.

Mrs. Blythe said the death of her son should be a warning to schools and parents.

“He [Benedict] woke up, it was the first of December. He opened his Advent calendar, went off to school happy and healthy and didn’t come home again,” she said.

Schools provide little/no training on allergy symptoms, anaphylaxis or what to do in an emergency.” – from BBC

So very, very sad to hear about Ammaria, Benedict and all others who died from an allergic reaction. Because in many cases, the anaphylactic reactions can be avoided or mitigated by following the allergy plans their doctors prescribe. Both Ammaria and Benedict had the allergy reactions at school.

After personally navigating 20+ years of school with Food Allergies, here are 15 tips to make your school year safer, easier and NO more food allergy reactions.

New School Year: New Education

My daughter Katie has always started the school year with multiple life-threatening food allergies. As with almost all children, the nervousness of a new school year is to be expected. However, for too many kids, the school year will bring about additional stress of potentially having an anaphylactic reaction.

• Did you know the majority of food allergy reactions happen at school? Usually at lunch or right after.
• Are there school policies for peanuts/nuts/other food allergens? Are they being followed?
• Where are your child’s allergy medications stored? Tip #1: Find out where & who has access to them?
• Tip #2: How fast can the medicines be administered in an emergency? Time it.
• Tip #3: Has the school staff recent training on proper EpiPen and allergy procedures? Do they know the signs of a reaction?

But art class, music, PE time, on school bus, after school activities, field trips & going away to college are also high allergy alert times as sharing of instruments, sports equipment, art supplies & new college environments are also leading causes of allergy reactions.

Tip #4: Know the art/music/PE/after school activities teachers/coaches and their allergy protocols.

Are they using pasta with gluten for the macaroni necklaces or latex paints? Does every child wash their hands after lunch?

Remember, hand sanitizer does NOT clean allergy proteins.

1 in 13 Kids Have Food Allergies: 15 Tips for Great School Year – Rules

Food Allergy School Plans are often covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act. As well as many US states have legislation specifically for those of us living with food allergies.

Tip #5: Always best to know your local, state and school regulations.

• Our company offers Training on Food Allergies specifically for Education & Corporations, virtual training or on-site.
• Our training includes and is Red Cross Training certified for how to administer EpiPens. We offer a limited amount of free training for schools and charitable organizations.
• Contact us ASAP to see if your organization qualifies and we have availability. This is super helpful for church groups, civic organizations and daycares.              
  

  Contact us for more info and pricing for Virtual & Onsite Training.

• Tip #6: Schools need your advocating for Food Allergy Training and best practices.
• It is not a question of “IF” a food allergy reaction could occur at school, it’s “WHEN”. Being prepared can literally be the difference between life & death.

1 in 13 Kids Have Food Allergies: 15 Tips for Great School Year

Every 10 seconds in the US, someone goes to the ER because of a serious allergic reaction. As is often the case, many of these are children. And far too often, the person does not know they have a food allergy or the necessary medications on hand.

Especially around Halloween, candy, treats & other top food allergens are everywhere.

Tip #7: See our post specifically on having a Not Scary Halloween with Food Allergies.

Tip #8: Always having some safe #foodallergyfriendly treats on hand for unexpected celebrations/school functions…or for a lunch treat! As this can come up quickly, highly recommend a few frozen cupcakes or cookies.

Especially yummy: @BetterBatterFlour mixes – our official taste test winner of food allergy cake mixes.

Tip #9: Also, before all Holiday times (Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Graduation, etc…) is a good time for a check-in with teachers or school nurse. In fact, keep a reminder on your calendar.

Usually, we will send in a small dollar gift card or nice thank you note to the teachers/lunchroom staff as extra appreciation for all their assistance keeping our child safe – Tip #10. From personal experience, this goes a long way in fostering positive food allergy vibes! 🙂

Easy & Safe School Year

Because grocery shopping, label reading & preparing safe, #foodallergyfriendly food and snacks is time consuming, plan some make ahead and freezer meals – Tip #11. Of course, you could make our Slow Cooker Carnitas recipe – #Top9Free too!

Or our YUMMY Food Allergy Football Foods recipes. So good no matter the sport! (Tip #12).

Of course, keeping all of you healthy physically, mentally & emotionally is important! Schedule some downtime & block off on everyone’s calendar – Tip #13.

Often, spas, resorts, amusement parks will advertise special prices in the Fall & Winter – Tip #14. As always, double check their allergy protocols as often nuts, latex and other allergens can be present.

And our last Food Allergies: 15 Tips for Great School Year is to be proactive in advocating for Food Allergies in your circle of people & schools – Tip #15.

So many of us are #livingwithfoodallergies & by educating others on cross contamination, understanding of our food allergies & being kind, we can make the World a better & safer place for all of us. 🙂

And join our Private Facebook Group for more Food Allergy Travels & Life:

Join our Private Food Allergy Travels and Life FB Group here.  

Where we connect with others living with food allergies & share our best tips!

#aneasyjourney #foodallergies #foodallergylife #foodallergy #foodallergytravelsandlife #schoolwithfoodallergies