How to Survive Lunch
A few weeks ago, my neighbor's infant daughter had an allergic reaction of unknown origin. She landed in the ER with hives and swelling, and my neighbors felt worried and overwhelmed. Understandably so. Raising a child with serious or potentially life-threatening allergies adds an extra layer of unpredictability and fear to parenthood. It's like having unmarked landmines in your back yard, and telling your kid to go outside and play.
It's been almost six years since my son was diagnosed with food allergies to virtually all tree nuts, peanuts (FYI, peanuts don't grow on trees and aren't actually nuts), and sesame seeds. Thankfully we've never endured a second allergic reaction, but we're always ready just in case.
This is how we manage his food allergies:
Always carry emergency epinephrine
When he was 10 months old, I gave my son some peanut butter and he developed a mild case of hives. Our pediatrician sent us to an allergist, where a skin test showed he was also allergic to pistachios and sesame seeds. A couple of years later his allergies increased, much to my dismay.
Part of his treatment plan includes carrying an emergency epinephrine injector with us at all times. I keep one in the tote bag I carry daily, and for short or simple outings (like weekly swimming lessons), we ditch the bag and carry just the injector.
In the beginning we used a traditional Epi Pen, which is long and skinny and about the size of a cigar. For the last couple of years we've had Avi-Q, which has significant benefits. First, it's about the width and length of a credit card, so it's much easier to carry in a pocket. Second, it talks to you. When you remove the cap, the injector gives step-by-step instructions on how to administer the injection. Great for someone who has never had to give this injection before and is panicked because a child is struggling to breathe. So, you know, everybody except a registered nurse.
Talk to your child about what an allergic reaction would feel like
Accidents can happen. If my child were to take a bite of a walnut brownie or sesame seed bun, it's crucial he recognizes the symptoms of an allergic reaction so he can tell an adult. These can include tingling in the lips or throat (sometimes kids mistakenly describe this as a "spicy" feeling), an itchy rash, and/or feeling like he can't breathe for any reason. We tell my first grader that if he has any of these symptoms, he is to notify a grown up right away so they can take the appropriate action.
Read all the labels
You don't have to become a private investigator to deal with food allergies, but it sure helps. Read the ingredients on every package of food. Not just in the grocery store -- also at the airport, soccer practice snacks, at birthday parties, and playing with friends. Federal law requires manufacturers to list if the food contains any of the Big 8 foods that most commonly cause allergies: milk, soy, eggs, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, and shellfish.
If you're allergic to something else, you have to play super detective. Like Columbo without the trench coat. For us, that means knowing a lot about sesame seeds. Like how it has a lot of aliases: gingelly oil, tahini paste (often in hummus) and halvah candy is all made from sesame seeds, which are also known as benne or benniseeds. Simple, right? Sure. It's only life and death. Try to remain calm.
Beware "shared equipment"
If you're highly allergic, you also have to beware of shared manufacturing equipment or facilities. Your food may not contain nuts, but the food they made the day before might...and some of it may have gotten into your snack unwittingly. Some manufacturers will alert customers that an item "may contain nuts" or is "processed on shared equipment" but doing so is entirely voluntary. For everything else, there's the Snack Safely website.
Same goes for freshly prepared food. We love ice cream (it's the only food all four of us will eat), but my son will never be able to have a DQ Blizzard because there could be peanut pieces lurking in the blenders they use for all Blizzards. I know this because I once discovered a chunk of Reese's Cup in my cookie dough Blizzard and thought oh my God. Another favorite ice cream shop scoops the goods out of big round cartons and rinses the scoops between uses. But this isn't enough to stop cross-contamination of allergens. When we go, we ask for a clean scoop from the allergen-free tubs of ice cream set aside just for people like our kid. Thanks, Mitchell's.
For the same reason, always alert your restaurant server that you have a diner with food allergies, so they can tell the kitchen staff. It's not an inconvenience for them. It's your child's health, and maybe his life.
Just say no to things without labels
If it's homemade, freshly prepared, or otherwise doesn't have a label, you absolutely have to ask. That means the donuts someone brought from Dunkin, the birthday cake from the grocery store bakery, and the treats at the bake sale. If there's no one to ask (or if they're not sure), skip it. Our go-to phrase is "when in doubt, leave it out." And teach your child to get in the habit of asking, too.
Get an allergy bracelet
I was terrified to send my young allergic child to school where he's under the supervision of adults who aren't me. How will they know what he's can't have? Will he remember to tell them? I highly recommend getting a kid-friendly allergy alert bracelet like this one. It's a great indicator for teachers, lunchroom staff, parents, coaches, and other adults. It's also a good launch point for him to talk with others about his allergies when kids ask what's on his bracelet. And it's a perfect visual reminder for him.
Work with the school
It's vital that you tell everyone at your child's school that you're dealing with food allergies. Tell the principal, the secretaries who run the front office, the nurse, the teacher, the teacher's aide, the lunchroom monitors, and even the custodian if you have to. The more people who know, the safer your child will be. I had a long conversation with the school nurse before my son started kindergarten to find out what their peanut and nut policies were (not a nut-free campus), how lunchtime would be handled (kids do not have to sit at a separate table, but monitors help ensure kids with nuts don't sit next to someone with a nut allergy), and what would happen in case of an emergency. Then I talked with his teachers at orientation to make sure they are on board as well. Everyone has been wonderfully cooperative and helpful, which in turn makes me feel better about not being able to monitor what he comes in contact with.
Once his classmates knew my child couldn't be near peanuts, they were cooperative too. Some kids will ask their parents not to pack PB&J sandwiches so they can sit next to my son at the table. That's friendship right there.
Send an alternative treat to school
Sometimes parents or teachers bring treats unannounced to school to celebrate a birthday or holiday. Our school hands out a couple of M&M's during standardized testing to (literally) sweeten the deal. For these times, we have given our son's teachers a small number of safe treats he can have that we know don't have any allergens. That way he doesn't feel left out.
Teach the child what allergens look like
Obviously, we avoid all nuts and sesame seeds like the plague around here. Unfortunately that means my son doesn't recognize his enemy. He can't tell what an almond or sesame bun looks like because he's never seen one. If he can't identify it, how can he avoid it in the lunch room? This was a forehead-slapping realization.
So I made him a chart with pictures of his allergens, and stuck it inside the flap of his lunch box. One day I noticed it wasn't there anymore, and I asked what happened to it. It turns out my son had been taking out the chart at lunch every day and quizzing the kids at his table to make sure they hadn't packed anything he was allergic to. I was thrilled at his proactive approach.
In addition to home and school, your child may come in contact with allergens literally anywhere else. I just read a bizarre news story about someone smearing peanut butter on the New York subway. Who does that? Sadists, that's who. Your family may never be able to protect your child 100 percent from allergy-causing foods. But by staying vigilant, and keeping emergency medicine nearby in case the worst happens, you can feel relatively in control of allergies. And this becomes your new normal.
 |
| Your mission, should you choose to accept it. |
It's been almost six years since my son was diagnosed with food allergies to virtually all tree nuts, peanuts (FYI, peanuts don't grow on trees and aren't actually nuts), and sesame seeds. Thankfully we've never endured a second allergic reaction, but we're always ready just in case.
This is how we manage his food allergies:
Always carry emergency epinephrine
When he was 10 months old, I gave my son some peanut butter and he developed a mild case of hives. Our pediatrician sent us to an allergist, where a skin test showed he was also allergic to pistachios and sesame seeds. A couple of years later his allergies increased, much to my dismay.
Part of his treatment plan includes carrying an emergency epinephrine injector with us at all times. I keep one in the tote bag I carry daily, and for short or simple outings (like weekly swimming lessons), we ditch the bag and carry just the injector.
In the beginning we used a traditional Epi Pen, which is long and skinny and about the size of a cigar. For the last couple of years we've had Avi-Q, which has significant benefits. First, it's about the width and length of a credit card, so it's much easier to carry in a pocket. Second, it talks to you. When you remove the cap, the injector gives step-by-step instructions on how to administer the injection. Great for someone who has never had to give this injection before and is panicked because a child is struggling to breathe. So, you know, everybody except a registered nurse.
Talk to your child about what an allergic reaction would feel like
Accidents can happen. If my child were to take a bite of a walnut brownie or sesame seed bun, it's crucial he recognizes the symptoms of an allergic reaction so he can tell an adult. These can include tingling in the lips or throat (sometimes kids mistakenly describe this as a "spicy" feeling), an itchy rash, and/or feeling like he can't breathe for any reason. We tell my first grader that if he has any of these symptoms, he is to notify a grown up right away so they can take the appropriate action.
Read all the labels
You don't have to become a private investigator to deal with food allergies, but it sure helps. Read the ingredients on every package of food. Not just in the grocery store -- also at the airport, soccer practice snacks, at birthday parties, and playing with friends. Federal law requires manufacturers to list if the food contains any of the Big 8 foods that most commonly cause allergies: milk, soy, eggs, wheat, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, and shellfish.
If you're allergic to something else, you have to play super detective. Like Columbo without the trench coat. For us, that means knowing a lot about sesame seeds. Like how it has a lot of aliases: gingelly oil, tahini paste (often in hummus) and halvah candy is all made from sesame seeds, which are also known as benne or benniseeds. Simple, right? Sure. It's only life and death. Try to remain calm.
Beware "shared equipment"
If you're highly allergic, you also have to beware of shared manufacturing equipment or facilities. Your food may not contain nuts, but the food they made the day before might...and some of it may have gotten into your snack unwittingly. Some manufacturers will alert customers that an item "may contain nuts" or is "processed on shared equipment" but doing so is entirely voluntary. For everything else, there's the Snack Safely website.
Same goes for freshly prepared food. We love ice cream (it's the only food all four of us will eat), but my son will never be able to have a DQ Blizzard because there could be peanut pieces lurking in the blenders they use for all Blizzards. I know this because I once discovered a chunk of Reese's Cup in my cookie dough Blizzard and thought oh my God. Another favorite ice cream shop scoops the goods out of big round cartons and rinses the scoops between uses. But this isn't enough to stop cross-contamination of allergens. When we go, we ask for a clean scoop from the allergen-free tubs of ice cream set aside just for people like our kid. Thanks, Mitchell's.
For the same reason, always alert your restaurant server that you have a diner with food allergies, so they can tell the kitchen staff. It's not an inconvenience for them. It's your child's health, and maybe his life.
Just say no to things without labels
If it's homemade, freshly prepared, or otherwise doesn't have a label, you absolutely have to ask. That means the donuts someone brought from Dunkin, the birthday cake from the grocery store bakery, and the treats at the bake sale. If there's no one to ask (or if they're not sure), skip it. Our go-to phrase is "when in doubt, leave it out." And teach your child to get in the habit of asking, too.
Get an allergy bracelet
I was terrified to send my young allergic child to school where he's under the supervision of adults who aren't me. How will they know what he's can't have? Will he remember to tell them? I highly recommend getting a kid-friendly allergy alert bracelet like this one. It's a great indicator for teachers, lunchroom staff, parents, coaches, and other adults. It's also a good launch point for him to talk with others about his allergies when kids ask what's on his bracelet. And it's a perfect visual reminder for him.
 |
| Actual allergic kid shown. |
Work with the school
It's vital that you tell everyone at your child's school that you're dealing with food allergies. Tell the principal, the secretaries who run the front office, the nurse, the teacher, the teacher's aide, the lunchroom monitors, and even the custodian if you have to. The more people who know, the safer your child will be. I had a long conversation with the school nurse before my son started kindergarten to find out what their peanut and nut policies were (not a nut-free campus), how lunchtime would be handled (kids do not have to sit at a separate table, but monitors help ensure kids with nuts don't sit next to someone with a nut allergy), and what would happen in case of an emergency. Then I talked with his teachers at orientation to make sure they are on board as well. Everyone has been wonderfully cooperative and helpful, which in turn makes me feel better about not being able to monitor what he comes in contact with.
Once his classmates knew my child couldn't be near peanuts, they were cooperative too. Some kids will ask their parents not to pack PB&J sandwiches so they can sit next to my son at the table. That's friendship right there.
Send an alternative treat to school
Sometimes parents or teachers bring treats unannounced to school to celebrate a birthday or holiday. Our school hands out a couple of M&M's during standardized testing to (literally) sweeten the deal. For these times, we have given our son's teachers a small number of safe treats he can have that we know don't have any allergens. That way he doesn't feel left out.
Teach the child what allergens look like
Obviously, we avoid all nuts and sesame seeds like the plague around here. Unfortunately that means my son doesn't recognize his enemy. He can't tell what an almond or sesame bun looks like because he's never seen one. If he can't identify it, how can he avoid it in the lunch room? This was a forehead-slapping realization.
So I made him a chart with pictures of his allergens, and stuck it inside the flap of his lunch box. One day I noticed it wasn't there anymore, and I asked what happened to it. It turns out my son had been taking out the chart at lunch every day and quizzing the kids at his table to make sure they hadn't packed anything he was allergic to. I was thrilled at his proactive approach.
 |
| Like an FBI poster. Shoot to kill. |
In addition to home and school, your child may come in contact with allergens literally anywhere else. I just read a bizarre news story about someone smearing peanut butter on the New York subway. Who does that? Sadists, that's who. Your family may never be able to protect your child 100 percent from allergy-causing foods. But by staying vigilant, and keeping emergency medicine nearby in case the worst happens, you can feel relatively in control of allergies. And this becomes your new normal.
Comments
Post a Comment