Tips to for providing a safe environment for children with food allergies.
ARE You Prepared?
Staying Safe With a Food Allergy Requires Three Main Areas of Focus 1) Avoidance of The Allergen 2) Recognizing a Reaction 3) Emergency Plans and Epinephrine
Avoidance of The Allergen. Medical training around Epinephrine is imperative to the safety of a child with food allergies, however, it is important to remember that medication is not a cure. The only true treatment for food allergies is complete avoidance of the allergen. This means that you will become an avid label reader! You will learn to understand the many ways a safe food can come in contact with a food allergen through cross-contamination and you will come to understand key safety practices to stay safe through the avoidance of food.
2. Recognizing a Reaction Some signs of an allergic reaction – Tingling sensation in the mouth – Difficulty breathing – Vomiting – Diarrhea – Swelling of the tongue and throat – Hives – Abdominal cramps – Drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, and potential death.
How a child might describe an allergic reaction. Understanding how a child might explain the onset of a reaction and the initial symptoms will allow you to react quickly to an emergency situation. A child may explain an allergic reaction by saying that their throat feels tingly. Symptoms of an allergic reaction typically appear within 2 minutes to 2 hours after a person has eaten or come in contact with the food to which they are allergic.
3. Emergency plans and Epinephrine Should a child have an accidental exposure and have an allergic reaction understanding the plan that is in place between the school and the parent is imperative.
