From The Nut-Free Mom Blog Archives: Food Allergies and Letting Go

My kids head back to school next week, so this is our last Friday before the start of the new school year. I've been thinking about those of you sending new students to school this year and remembering what that was like -- vividly.

It can be very stressful to let go of a child and send them off to school, so I wanted to share one of my posts from the blog archives. Click the link to read my post called "Letting Go." I wrote it right before my youngest began kindergarten and my oldest began a new school as a third grader. We had moved, so our old school with our established ways of managing allergies was no longer there for us. Read more here.

Have you ever wanted to tell someone what it's like to be the parent of a child with severe food allergies? I wrote an article for The TODAY Show Moms site that describes this very thing. Please feel free to share this short essay that outlines the pitfalls of being a food allergy parent.

Coming up very soon, I'm excited to share a back-to-school lunch post with you all. I'll have some great lunch resources and ideas, but I'd love to post some of my readers' lunch favorites. This year, I'm on a mission for a better, more interesting and healthy nut-free lunch. If you have any lunch faves you'd like to share, share them in the comments below. I'll share them in an upcoming blog post and on Pinterest. Tell us what it is and what ingredients you use -- give us the details so that others can recreate it.

Here's one resource I'll be listing in my food allergy-friendly lunch post: Candice Foods, a sponsor of this blog. If you are looking for a healthy energy bar without all the sugar and saturated fat, plus a food that's made in a nut-free, gluten-free facility (and free of many top allergens), be sure to check out their website. These bars are so good, you'd never know that they are "free-from" anything. My daughters like to pack a Candice Foods energy bar in their dance bag, as a snack to get them through the day, or as a quick side for lunch. Click the "Candice Foods" button on the right sidebar of my blog to find out more and to get ordering info.

I know that many of you are heading back to school in the next few weeks, so my best wishes to you and be sure to come back to the blog for more resources, articles, and info. Or if you just need to vent!

Thanks to everyone who shares their family favorite nut-free or free-from lunch to be included in an upcoming post and on Pinterest!

Back to School with Food Allergies: Resources for Educating Others

Many of us are heading back to school with food allergies and are looking for easy ways to educate others about what food allergies are and how to manage them. The following video, hosted by Dr. Scott Sicherer, a leading allergist and researcher at Mt. Sinai hospital and the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, was sent to me by Nut-Free Mom reader Kelly O. She uses the video for teaching relatives and her child's teachers all about food allergies-- this short video is really useful, clear and informative. Thanks again, Kelly!



Another great resource for school  is this free downloadable tutorial offered by FAAN, The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. Allergy Ready (TM) is tailored to helping schools learn about food allergy and how to reduce risk of reaction; it also teaches emergency procedures. Forward it to your district nurse, school health aide, child's teacher or anyone who needs concise and accurate information on managing food allergies at school.

Are you a parent of a child newly diagnosed with nut allergies (peanut or tree nut?) My short e-book offers a guide to navigating the parenting challenges that go hand in hand with this condition. It also includes advice on educating others, including teachers, family and friends, all in a concise and easy-to-use format. Click here to learn more!

School presents challenges, no doubt about it, but educating others about food allergies goes a long way in getting everyone up to speed.

For more Nut-Free Mom articles on food allergies and school, click here.

Back to School with Food Allergies: Taking that Leap of Faith

Since my daughter with severe food allergies is beginning middle school this year, I've been quite nostalgic lately thinking back to her first day of kindergarten and what that was like for us. In a word: scary. Let me explain.

The year before kindergarten, my daughter experienced her first anaphylactic reaction to a peanut butter sandwich. Then she was diagnosed with a tree nut allergy. A few months later, she started experiencing asthma due to seasonal allergies. It felt like a triple threat, and a lot to absorb.

 At the time my daughter first entered school, I felt like I still had a lot of unanswered questions and unknowns that I was facing. I had been fortunate to find a nut-free preschool for her to attend, but elementary school was an entirely new world. It was a place where many of her allergens would be present each day, in one way or another.

Once you start heading down the slippery slope of "what ifs?" you can find yourself in for some serious stress. For example, I wondered if my daughter was going to be exposed to constant allergy triggers and possible reactions. I wondered: How much allergen in the environment would be too much? Then I started projecting into the future: As her school career went on, would she be able to participate in birthday parties, extracurricular activities and play dates? Would her school life be a happy one or one filled with allergic reactions and stress? Would today be the day I get "the call" telling me there was a reaction?

I look at old pictures of my daughter back in kindergarten and I think to myself: How did I let that little face out of my sight? She looks so small, so vulnerable, especially when I look at her now, so grown-up and poised.  I imagine that many of you are thinking similar things about your kids, as you send them off to school carrying backpacks that are nearly bigger than they are. It's not easy to hand over care of your child to others when they deal with serious food allergies, especially when they are very young.

This is one reason why I believe so strongly in teaching kids to be their own best advocates. As parents, we do our best to be informed about everything, but sometimes that is impossible. If you teach your child to question foods and refuse anything that isn't approved by you, that is a huge step in keeping them safe. Of course you must work with the school, too--that's absolutely crucial. However, teaching kids to stand up for themselves and self-manage can never begin too early in my opinion. I've found that this approach has definitely helped my daughter throughout elementary school.

And now comes the really hard part. Once we've taken care of our must-haves for school (like our medical forms, formal written health plans for our kids, communication with school staff and the like), then what?

Eventually, there comes a time to do the most uncomfortable thing of all -- taking that leap of faith that you have taught your kids well, communicated with your school and that it will be OK. It can feel like a very scary leap. In fact, I still feel like I take "the leap" each year and we've been dealing with this for 8 years. Don't beat yourself up if you feel uncertain or unsure. But if you know you've taken all the safety steps you can, it's good to feel happy and excited for your kids, too.

I wish all of you the very best for a wonderful school year whether your child is just beginning school, starting a new school or just starting a new grade. Let us know how it goes for you! We are all in this together.

Food Allergy News: It's Time to Draft Your Food Allergy Emergency Action Plan

At this time of year, I'm often asked about the best ways to keep kids with food allergies safe and healthy at school. Have I got a document for you: the Food Allergy Emergency Action Plan. This document, which explains symptoms and specific actions to take in a food allergy emergency, is crucial to supply at school. You should also have one of these at home, displayed somewhere were you and any other caregivers can easily find it. It's a wonderful document to have no matter where you are -- but it's a school must-have.

You can download a free copy of this important form from The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network website. This is the form I use year after year; my allergist loves it and said it's the best one out there.

The Food Allergy Emergency Action Plan can be provided as part of your child's IHP (Individual Health Plan, that is, a health plan you create with school health officials and administrators and sign off on) or 504 Plan (legal document created to protect severely allergic students.)

The Food Allergy Emergency Action Plan is completed by your doctor and distributed to key school staff, along with any supporting documents such as medication forms or other required doctor's notes.

If your child ever suffers from a reaction at school, this form is a great go-to in terms of helping teachers or staff know what steps to take. Our teachers and school staff have always really appreciated having us present them with this form because it spells out everything they need to know in an allergic emergency.

From personal experience, I have a few more tips about this form:

- Present the FAEAP on brightly colored or neon paper so that it's easy to spot.

- Be sure to provide a photo of your child in the space provided. (Save a school photo from the previous year and use it on the form.)

- Have  a new FAEAP completed each year and dated for the current school year. Most schools require this to be renewed each year.

- Make note of any medication changes--for example, depending on weight gain and growth, your child may now require a regular dose of epinephrine, not the "jr." version. Your form should reflect this.

- Our daughter's teachers have kept a copy of the Food Allergy Emergency Action Plan in the classroom with them where they can see it. One teacher had it taped to her desk, but any easy access area is good. You want substitutes to have access, too.

Back to school with a food allergy can be stressful, but the Food Allergy Emergency Action Plan has always provided me with greater peace of mind. Download yours now!

Food Allergy and Back to School: My Post for the FAAN Website

I was so honored when FAAN asked me to write about going back to school with food allergies for their blog, FAAN Notes. It got me thinking about the many lessons I've learned over the years and how far our family has come in terms of growth and adapting to the challenges of food allergies.

Here is a link to my post. I hope you enjoy it, and that you will also check out the many great back to school resources that FAAN has to offer on their site. Thanks to FAAN for all that you do!

Food Allergies in School: The First Week

School's in session for many of us and it's no secret that food allergies at school can be a major cause of stress for parents, teachers, administrators and the kids themselves. I wish I had a one-size fits all option for everyone, but the fact is, many factors will determine how your school handles food allergies. Sometimes it's the people, sometimes the policies and sometimes it's a little bit of both.

We have just completed our first week of school and I have to confess--after the first partial school day, my oldest (with food allergies) has been home all week with some kind of virus that is luckily improving. So there you go! Never even thought about that happening with all the other allergy-related stuff on my mind. However, the feedback I've gotten so far from teachers and other food allergy parents has been really encouraging.

I spent a lot of time before the "big day" communicating with teachers, staff and other parents about how we would handle food allergies at school. I also had doctor's appointments and prescriptions, forms to fill out and discuss. In previous years, I have been extremely fortunate to work with wonderful teachers who wanted to help our daughter have a great school year. Without fail, they helped institute several safety measures.

However, throughout the entire school, rules about food allergies were often inconsistent and that was frustrating.

That was last year. This year, it's a whole new story because of the new district-wide food allergy policies now in place. Last year, after an Illinois law was passed that gave tax breaks to schools who follow the Illinois state food allergy management guidelines, our district came up with an extensive protocol for dealing with food allergies in a consistent way. 504 Plans and IHPs (Individual Health Plans) are still available for those who need them, but overall there is now a detailed document to refer that illustrates how our district mandates the handling of food allergies.

For example, the school lunchroom must have an allergy-free table and cleaning protocols. Lunchroom supervisors are advised of the allergic kids and their right to sit at this table (if they desire) along with one or two friends. This sounds easy, but if these measures are not spelled out and implemented, it can create chaos for the allergic kids in the lunchroom (as well as the staff.)

In addition, classroom procedures regarding handwashing and eating are being implemented that will help protect allergic kids (and probably eliminate a few colds or flu in the process.)

Even with good district policies on food allergies, parents still need to speak up about concerns and if possible, offer a solution that works. It's always good to become a resource to the teachers and the school, whether it's helping out with parties or suggesting simple and workable ways to maintain a safe classroom. Recognize that teachers have a lot to deal with and offer to help them in any way you can. If they do implement food allergy safety policies, always say thank you.

Not every school throughout the country has implemented state guidelines on the issue of food allergies, so please write to your state reps if you want this in place in your state. That's how we got it in Illinois. Support groups like MOCHA as well as FAAN helped with letter-writing/calling. Bloggers (including me) urged readers to write to their reps and explain the positive difference that food allergy guidelines would make at school.

It takes time and effort. It might even give you a few gray hairs along the way. But just knowing that there is a well thought-out policy being followed is really reassuring.

No risk can ever be eliminated entirely and no parent expects that. Simple precautions have been proven to work and I'm very grateful that our school and teachers have become our partners with this.

Here's to a happy school year to everyone!

For more info on helping your school to become safer, please see this recent back-to-school post.

Food Allergies and Easing Back-to-School Anxiety

I recently posted this amazing article, "Easing Back-to-School Anxiety" from FAAN on my Facebook page, but since so many of deal with this problem, I wanted to repost it again to make sure that everyone sees it.

Even though my daughter is entering 6th grade, each year brings new variables. The FAAN article, written by Kristen Kauke -- she was a speaker at the most recent FAAN conference I attended and she was so warm, wise and engaging--really hits home with her points about trying not to anticipate catastrophe and trying to live in the moment. (This is, of course, after you've filled out your zillion forms, spoken to teachers and staff and in other ways done your best to ensure an environment for your child that is as safe as possible.)

It's not always easy to feel relaxed about school, especially for younger kids who need to rely on adults for help and support with regard to their allergies. I also get diseheartened when I hear stories like the one someone shared on my Facebook page the other day about a "surprise" peanut butter treat (brought in by another parent) and served by the teacher on the first day of school. This was after a food allergy meeting with this teacher, apparently, so I'm fully aware that sometimes we do need to be persistent and discuss things more than once.

On a brighter note, I've also seen my own child take charge of her allergies which is very rewarding. So those of you with very young kids, take heart. When you feel your child has reached a certain level of maturity and understanding, it does help ease your mind and it is also a healthy thing for them.

I'm in the middle of my own back-to-school meetings and negotiations, so I truly get how demanding this time of year is. Once you've put your plans into place, I want to encourage you all to try to forget the allergies for a minute and look at your child as the beautiful person they are, give them a hug and celebrate the fact that they are about to enter a new school year that will benefit them with growth, learning and friendships.

For additional back-to-school allergy help, here is a link to one of my recent posts featuring collected links and back-to-school resources.

Back to School with Food Allergies: Helpful Links and Resources!

Back to school time is right around the corner for many of us, so I've compiled a list of links to help get you on track for a great year.

I've included links for preschool, elementary school, parties, play dates, etc. Some of the articles first appeared on this blog, some I wrote for other publications and the last one quoted me as a source. :)

I hope you find these to be helpful!

Preschool and day care tips Nut-Free Mom blog post

Elementary school checklist Nut-Free Mom blog post

Back to school with food allergies article for Chicago Parent magazine (by Jenny Kales)

Play dates and birthday parties with food allergies Chicago Parent magazine by Jenny Kales

Back to School with Food Allergies Real Simple magazine

FAAN Back to School Tips

Peanut Allergy-Safe School Lunches: My Guest Blog on Sunbutter

As many of you know, I am a recent and devoted Sunbutter fan and had the honor of writing their current Guest Blog. Click the link to read the entire post. In my post, I talk about how Sunbutter makes a Nut-Free Mom's life easier. Does it ever.

Thanks to Sunbutter for letting me share my thoughts with their fans!

Encouraging Food Allergy News on a College Campus--UW-Madison

As a proud graduate of University of Wisconsin-Madison, it is no surprise to me that this compassionate and progressive school would have a proactive approach to students' food allergies. I had to share this story from The Capital Times. It is inspiring and comforting. And besides that, University of Wisconsin-Madison is a terrific school. I loved my years there and I'm happy to see their accommodating measures for food allergies. My girls have visited Madison many times and said they want to attend the university someday. I say--go for it, girls!

I know it seems like a long way off to some of us, especially if your child has just been diagnosed. But I thought it was important to share this story as we all enter into back-to-school mayhem. If a huge university can have a positive food allergy policy for their food service, so can every school, everywhere.

Madison is just a great place and the campus rocks. I'll never forget when we took a trip with our two kids, then 4 and 18 months. My daughter wanted their delicious ice cream (made on campus from the school's own cows from agricultural studies!) and a student worker got a new scoop and opened a new container of ice cream just for her. My daughter still remembers that kind gesture.

This story should serve as reminder to all of us dealing with school flak that schools can and should help us make school a safer place for food-allergic kids.

Go Badgers!

Food Allergy Checklist for Back-to-School!

Depending on when your school year begins, many of us have bought our backpacks, pencils, shoes and other school must-haves, but as we know, nut-free parents have a few more items to cross off our lists before sending out little darlings out the door.

Some of the following items are important if your child is a new student to the school (e.g. an initial meeting with the principal) and some will need to be done ever year (like providing medical forms an updated food allergy action plans). Before the First Day, be sure you have checked the following items off of your list:

•Speak with the principal (preferably in person) to let them know your family's needs. Ask them if they can include an item in the first parents' newsletter about food allergies at school and basic precautions to take (offer to write it, if they don't have time.)

•Work out a cafeteria plan if necessary. For example, will there be a dedicated peanut-free table? If not, what precautions will be taken for your child's safety? Can you introduce a peanut-free table if one does not yet exist, for kids who haven't brought peanut butter or nut products?

•Find out (from health office or principal) who is trained in epinephrine auto-injector usage.

• Make sure all medication is current and/or not about to expire soon.

•Have at least 2 epinephrine auto-injectors for school--one for the health office and one for your child's classroom.

•Invest in a fanny pack or other carrier for your child to carry their medication in.

•Make sure you have all of your doctor's notes and food allergy action plans filled out and ready to go. Be sure to initiate a meeting with the school nurse or district nurse to discuss emergency procedures (this can be combined with the principal meeting for convenience.) Include a recent photo of your child that can be glued/taped onto their emergency plan. FAAN has free, downloadable Food Allergy Action Plans on their website.

•Write a letter to your child's new teacher explaining their condition and offering to be the "Treats Parent" for the school year. If you're not the Room Parent, get their name, phone number and e-mail so you can contact the person (or persons) in charge about food before the first class party.

•If your school allows birthday party treats in the classroom (our new school doesn't!), make sure you send a "treats bag" with safe goodies with your child on their first day.

•Make sure your child has a MedicAlert or other medical I.D. bracelet and invest in additional "awareness" bracelets such as those found at Allermates. If your child feels fashionable, they will be more excited about wearing them.

Whew! That's my list...what do some of you have on yours? If I left out anything important, please let me know!

Allergy Essentials USA--New Website and a Back to School Sale!

Back to school is now in full swing for everybody and if you have a child with life-threatening food allergies, you may be looking for convenient products for storing the Epi Pen and protecting school surfaces during lunch time.

Well, you're in luck because Alison of Allergy Essentials USA just let me know about a back-to-school sale currently running on her newly refurbished web site.

I wrote about this innovative company a while back and since then the site has been given a new look but the prices on Alison's same great products have been slashed.

Two products you might be interested in are: the Food Allergy place mat, which is great for protecting lunch tables. My daughter uses one--many designs are available and the mat even says "Food Allergy" for greater awareness. Currently place mats are $12.99 down from $14.99. They are machine washable and perfect for many uses including dining out, picnic tables and travel.

Also, the Epissentials holders are now on sale for $19.99, down from $24.99. These ingenious, adjustable holders come in sizes for both kids and adults and allow you to "wear" the EpiPen on your body -- such as your leg or arm--at all times. They even fit under loose-fitting trousers so you will know you're wearing it but no one else will.

I recently posted about ways to remember the EpiPen and the Epissentials holder is certainly a convenient way to do so.

The sales last until October 31st, so please visit http://www.allergyessentialsusa.com/ for more details and a large selection of allergy products.

"Allergy Injectors are Liberating and Daunting"

Here is an interesting link from CNN sent to me by a friend. I like the way it discusses carrying an Epi Pen from the perspective of people who actually carry them, especially adults who have developed severe food allergies in later years.

The inclusion of food-allergic adults in the story is helpful in another way: it proves that anyone can have food allergies and that they can develop them at any age.

This Epi Pen discussion also reminded me that when we received our first diagnosis we kept forgetting the darn thing. It's hard to remember to carry something like that when you're not used to it.

I want to pass on our low-tech means of reminding ourselves to bring the Epi Pen with us: Post-It Notes. We placed them on the dashboard of the car, on the front and back door and on the fridge. I guess it looked a little weird to people when they saw Post-It notes with the word "Epi Pen" on them everywhere in our home, but it worked!

Anyone have a unique way they remember their Epi Pen?

Back to School Tips and a "Killer Peanut Butter Sandwiches" Article Link

Ready or not, here it comes! The school season is here or almost here and many of us find ourselves discussing our child's allergies with teachers and staff.

You will definitely want to print out this article by Linda Coss: "Attack of the Killer Peanut Butter Sandwiches" to bring along with you. It's a terrific explanation of what allergic kids (and parents) are up against at school and it takes the non-allergic point of view into account.

I'm on my way to a meeting on Monday (we begin school on Tuesday). I've been through several of these meetings already and have learned what to ask over the years. Here are a few "talking points" as you get ready to talk to the school about your child.

- Your child must carry the EpiPen at all times, to every location in the school. This is law in many states; for others you may be required to have a doctor's note. In any case, make sure that your child's teachers understand the need for an accessible EpiPen--every second counts. No locked cabinets, no "we only keep it in the health office." Explaining how a reaction works helps; a doctor's order will clinch the deal.

- Which staff members and teachers have EpiPen training? And will you use it? Asking them these questions helps identify what you may need to advocate at your school. It's been my experience that all staff are trained at our current school, but as schools all have different rules, please find out. Offer to train them or to have the nurse/health aide do a training. Make sure your child's teacher is comfortable using the EpiPen and ask what you can do to make her/him more comfortable. It's crucial.

- What are your emergency procedures? Get the exact details. You may discover that you want to revise these a bit.

- Please follow our Food Allergy Emergency Plan. Available at the FAAN website, this is the life-saving "go-to" guide if someone suspects your child is having a reaction.

- What's the "treats schedule" for the year? For example, any special holiday or event celebrations? If you can nail it down early, you'll be prepared to deliver safe treats to your child's classroom if necessary. You really don't want to be stuck making food at midnight. It makes you cranky.

- Make sure that you mark down the expiration dates for your meds--and ask if the school has a "reminder" policy for this. Many schools do, but you should be the one who really is on top of this so there are no gaps where your child is at school without their EpiPen. Just mark it down on your calendar for two weeks before it expires so you have plenty of time to get new ones.

Back to School with Oliver's Labels and Vermont Nut Free Chocolate!

I want to let you know about two great resources that are currently running sales promotions to help you and your allergic child prepare for the Back to School Season: Oliver's Labels and Vermont Nut Free Chocolate.

I just discovered Oliver's Labels after being contacted by them recently and I really like this product. If you've got kids in preschool, daycare or elementary school, you'll want to pick up these personalized labels that not only have your child's name but that also raise awareness about your child's nut allergy.

Labels are completely waterproof and carry a full-color "No Nuts" symbol along with your child's name or initials. Oliver's Labels also has stickers for egg, gluten and dairy allergies as well as others. You can use them to label clothing, book bags, toys, lunch bags, musical instruments--anything that your child takes to school. I really like the samples I received--they are eye-catching and quickly identify my daughter's belongings while raising food allergy awareness at the same time. Plus, when you order your labels, you get use of a free online service called FoundIt (TM) that helps you get your lost items back without having to share personal info with strangers.

I wish I'd had these sooner--especially when my child was in preschool and kindergarten. It's just one more layer of awareness as your child goes throughout their day. Click on the company's web site for more designs and colors.

If you order now, you can also receive 10% off of your initial order as a reader of this blog. Just use the coupon code OliversFriends at checkout.

Also, many of you already know how much I love Vermont Nut-Free Chocolate! They make delicious candy that is prepared in a peanut and tree-nut free facility, though they do use other allergens such as dairy and eggs. If your only concern is nut-free, however, you should know that they are running a special back to school promotion right now. Just use coupon code Back2School at checkout time to receive 10% off of your purchase through August 31st.

Vermont Nut-Free is a special treat because they make holiday and event-themed candy--a difficult thing to find if you need nut-free. The treats are great to have on hand in a "safe treats" bag that your child brings to the classroom. Check them out if you can!

I'll have more back-to-school resources in the days ahead, but I'm happy to pass along these discounted offers to all of you. If you need more info on either company, go to their respective web sites: www.oliverslabels.com and www.vermontnutfree.com.

Back to Preschool and Daycare Food Allergy Tips

Lately I've gotten a lot of feedback and e-mail from parents with children who are preschool age or younger. I've talked a lot about elementary school tips and will have more of those in coming days, but I want to welcome these new readers to my blog by sharing some preschool and daycare tips that worked for me and my daughter.

When my daughter entered preschool after her first allergic reaction, she was the only student the school had with nut allergies at that time. Still, we did very well and had wonderful teachers, although there were a few bumps in the road (luckily, minor ones.)

By the time her sister followed her (two years later) students at the preschool had a multitude of different food allergies and dealing with allergies had become the norm.
Even at a nut-free school, understanding of food allergies varies. Some preschools and daycare centers have mandatory meetings about how to use epinephrine auto-injectors and how to avoid allergic reactions. Be sure to ask for a face-to-face meeting with key people such as the preschool director and top staff, including any staff member who will be caring for your child

 One thing that makes preschool and daycare difficult is that you rely almost entirely on the teachers and staff to keep your child safe. Depending on your child's age, they will not be able to communicate as effectively about their allergies.

Now, the bright spot. Things are getting better. Peanut-free and nut-free policies have become more of a standard at many preschools and daycare centers and I would strongly recommend that you try to get your child into a nut-free preschool. Food allergy training is widespread and many schools are more aware than ever before. That doesn't mean you can let your guard down, it just means that you may not have the be the "pioneers" at your school, which, take it from me, is very reassuring.

If your school currently is not nut-free and you can't or don't want to leave, log on to the FARE (formerly FAAN) website to get stats and information to share with your school. If they have the facts, they will be more able to understand why you want the nut-free policy and why it benefits them, the school, in the long run. Preschool is too young to expect children to manage their own life-threatening medical condition; it's easier to prevent a reaction than to treat one.

Parents are often asked to give a presentation to the preschool about their child's allergies and to outline emergency plans. This is your chance to educate and advocate for your child, so embrace it! In my experience, you want to give enough information without overwhelming people. If you present your info in easy-to-read format using bullet points and lists, they'll be more likely to read and absorb the information. Beyond a Peanut flashcards are perfect to share with your preschool -- this amazing resource helps teachers and kids understand nut allergies in an easy-to-use format. I also like the Linda Coss food allergy books. My new e-book is another good resource, very concise and easy to follow. Please feel free to share it with your preschool too...they might want to download it. Several preschools follow my blog already, so see if they are interested!

When I presented my preschool/daycare info, I provided a brightly colored (easy-to-spot) binder with my daughter's name, my name and contact info and her photo. It included a brief description of symptoms to look for (provided by my allergist), a Food Allergy Emergency Action Plan (signed by my doctor) and also doctor's contact info. I included a diagram instructing them on how to use an epinephrine autoinjector (available online at FARE as part of their Food Allergy Action Plan docs). I also included a list of "safe foods" or foods that I would allow her to eat. This is a short list--and much easier to follow than an "unsafe foods" list. Update the lists as necessary--important, since labels change!

If your child eats snacks or meals at preschool/daycare, consider sending your own lunch or meals to school. You should definitely have a chat with the school cook, but sometimes it's hard to know what has cross-contact and what doesn't. Even the school may not know; the suppliers may not have that information readily accessible.

Because of this, I always sent my daughter to preschool and daycare with the following: alternative snacks (just in case, remember my school was nut-free), a homemade lunch and "safe" treats for when kids brought in birthday food.

Birthday treats are another problem. These are almost never nut-free (or dairy-free, egg-free, whatever your allergy is--you know what I mean.) My daughter ate her "safe" treats alongside the other kids, but a much better option--especially because so many kids have multiple food allergies these days, not just peanut--is a non-edible treat. I also like to suggest crafts to teachers instead of birthday food. Your motto should be: Exclude the food--not the child. For ideas on how to do this, check out this article I wrote for Chicago Parent in which I suggested alternatives to food during school celebrations.

Currently my kids get a free paperback book of their choice for their birthday. This is paid for by the PTO. Daycare and preschool work a bit differently, but see if anyone would contribute $1 to a class b-day book fund. Daycare/preschool teachers can get great deals from the Scholastic Book Club so the cost should be relatively low.  Or how about stickers or colored pencils? Cupcakes may be traditional, but they don't have to be the only option.

Occasionally, preschool craft projects or activities can involve food. At the beginning of each month, ask about these projects and see if non-food items or "safe" foods can be substituted.

Understand that educating preschool staff will not be a one-shot deal. It's a good idea to check in, keep in touch and make sure everyone is on the same page. A friendly check-in can save a world of trouble. Since the understanding of food allergies varies from person to person and school to school, you may have to keep bringing your point home all year. If you remain upbeat, positive and compliment the staff on the efforts they make, you'll see that soon it will become second nature for your child's teachers. If it doesn't, speak up to the teachers directly before you go to the school director. Usually they want to help and just may need reminders. If your preschool director needs to be contacted, don't hesitate. We need to work together.

Many preschools are conducted in multipurpose buildings, including places of worship. Here is a link to a preschool held in a temple and the excellent nut-free policy they provide. Note that they say they can't control the entire building, but they give detailed steps on how they keep the classroom safe for nut-allergic children. For anyone seeking a "nut-free policy" model, check this out.

Preschool should be a wonderful, happy time for your child and even with nut allergies it can be just that. Work with your child to help them understand allergies, work with the school and then watch your child blossom!

Food Allergy Parents...Don't Forget to Breathe

If your kids are headed back to school soon, you are feeling stressed right about now. Besides the added pressures of new shoes, book fees and extracurricular sign-ups, food allergy parents have tons of forms to fill out, teachers and staff to speak with, worries to combat.

With all of the food offered at school, whether for a class party or even for a science experiment, it's easy to get caught up in worries about what might happen. I feel anxious each year, though as my daughter gets older the anxiety lessens somewhat. Still, depending on where we live and what policies our schools have, back-to-school can feel like yet another battlefield for us to conquer.

I've felt the frenzy and all of the fears, especially right before my severely allergic daughter started kindergarten. That year I had to beat down the door of the principal's office to be heard about their FA policies--of which they really had none.

I was able to help craft a food allergy protocol that really worked for us and the other food-allergic families. The year had a few hitches (100th day of school "snack mix" comes to mind) but overall it went great.

It will for you too. If you've done all of your own homework with med forms, medications and talking to staff, you've done your best. As the nurse told my husband and I as we left the hospital with our newborn daughter all those years ago "Don't forget to breathe."

It's always good to be cautious and on top of things, reminding the teachers and staff about your child's allergy needs. But don't forget to breathe. While we have every reason to have stress about our kids' allergies, calm but firm parents get taken more seriously. Trust me on this one.

I hope everyone is enjoying their last few weeks of summer and that all your back-to-school preparations go smoothly.

Make Your Allergy-Free School Lunches Fresh, "Green" and Litter Free!

School is just around the corner and for many of us that means packing our allergic child's lunch every day. I've found some great, environmentally-friendly products to help us do this the "green" way. Plus, these products give a little extra cheer to your child's lunch--especially nice if your child is eating lunch at school for the first time this year of if they feel conspicuous about not eating the cafeteria offerings.


If you're looking for reusable lunch containers and napkins, check out Litter Free Lunch, a company started by two moms--one of which is a "nut-free mom" that I met at the FAAN Conference last spring. Her company offers "green" lunch napkins that you can include in your child's lunch and just throw in the wash after using. Plus, they now offer stainless steel lunch containers and thermoses. Check out the site for styles--right now you can save 15% if you buy two or more sets.



What a great way to save $$ on paper napkins--not to mention helping the earth by reducing the amount of garbage you produce. We recently received our pack of Litter Free Lunch napkins and my daughter is thrilled with them. They're a nice touch to any lunch! And you know that moms invented these when you look at the back--each napkin has a label for your child's name. Cool!



As far as chic and green lunch accessories go, check out Litter Free Lunch's stainless steel lunch containers and thermoses. My kids really enjoy getting a hot lunch in winter and the Litter Free Lunch thermoses are a great option for soup or hot drinks. The stainless steel lunch containers are perfect for lunch foods and have handy compartments to accommodate condiments, etc. I really like these and I think my kids will too. Besides saving money on plastic sandwich and snack bags, you won't add to the landfill. It's a win-win.

I like to support the efforts of other moms who want to provide products or services that benefit kids with food allergies, so let me suggest a company to try if you're looking for something to fill your Litter Free Lunch food containers: FAB Snacks. Founded by the author of Food Allergy Buzz, FAB Snacks has nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free and many other allergy-free snack foods that are safe for kid with allergies.

I don't know about you all, but with the mad crowds packing the stores and malls right before the start of the school year, I like to sit back and shop the "point and click" way. Any other allergy-friendly back to school products that you love? Let me know.

Letting Go

Today is my food-allergic 3rd-grader's first day back at school. (Well, not all day--more like a couple of hours.) She's not a kindergartner anymore (I've got one of those going later today and am fully-stocked with Kleenex) but I still get very emotional every new school year.

For my family, this year is especially filled with uncertainty, since we have moved recently and my kids are attending a new school. When you've been part of a school for awhile and feel that your child's allergy needs are being met, you get comfortable. Now that's gone for us--it's time to start over.

My daughter is older now and articulate--I'm not as worried about her as I used to be. Still, it's hard for me to let her go.

All parents face this each year, but for parents with food-allergic kids, the "letting go" takes a big leap of faith.

We've talked to the teachers, principal, staff. We've gotten the doctor's notes, reviewed the emergency plans, filled out so many medical forms. We've filled the epinephrine prescriptions and labeled the Benadryl. We've offered to bring treats for the class parties and there's nothing more we can do.

If there's one thing having a child with food allergies teaches us, it's that we have so little control over our kids' lives. Every parent faces this fact sooner or later. For us, it's sooner.

When my precious daughter left this morning, I was so proud of her. She looked confident and stylish in her new school clothes and backpack. She was excited and happy, if a little nervous. I guess I must be doing something right.

So I took a deep breath. And let her go.