Talking to Your Child and Their Teacher About Food Allergies

Do you have a child with food allergies? If so, sending your child to school can be an especially stressful event. The following are some tips to help protect your child and make the school year happy, productive and safe.

Talk to your child’s teachers and have thorough discussions about:

• Any allergen control strategies within each classroom your child may attend.
  
• The importance–and how-to–of reading ingredient labels.
  
• Preferred safe snacks, like fresh fruits and vegetables.
  
• How to handle classroom celebrations and how to encourage non-food rewards.
  
• The “No food sharing” rules which apply to your child.
  
• Field trip protocol–Who will carry medication? Will parents attend?
  
• Cleanup procedures after eating and anytime food is brought into the classroom.
  
• The place of food in classroom activities and how to encourage a non-food-centered curriculum.
  
• Proper hand-washing practices before and after eating, or the use of hand wipes.
  
• The method for alerting substitute teachers about children with food allergies and applicable procedures.
  

Also be sure to teach and encourage your child to gain age-appropriate skills to manage their own food allergies, including:

• How to read food labels, avoiding foods without labels, and not sharing food with others.
  
• How to properly and effectively wash their hands or use hand wipes.
  
• If ready to self-carry, how to properly carry and use their epinephrine auto-injector.
  
• How their body might react if they have a reaction.
  
• Alerting an adult if they begin to have an allergic reaction at school.
  
• How to talk to you about bullying or harassment by staff or students.
  
• Any rules about sitting with their classmates in the cafeteria.
  
• Expectations for riding the bus or attending field trips.
  
• How they feel about their allergy management and experience at school.
  

At Covenant Allergy and Asthma, we know how complicated dealing with food allergies can be, but we aim to simplify management as much as possible. Call us today to schedule an appointment and get the professional guidance necessary to effectively navigate your child’s allergies!