Growing up I only ever knew one child with allergies, and I always felt she was singled out because of it. Parents and teachers alike would blame that child because they . . .
were unable to send certain foods. When I grew up and began working in childcare I quickly saw that allergies were very normal and growing in number all the time, currently “about 300,000 Canadian children under age 18 have food allergies” (foodallergycanada.ca).
I can remember restricting eating peanut butter in the mornings for fear of coming in contact with one of my students and causing them to have an anaphylactic reaction. Now as a mom, with so many children in my life I know the real fear that parents of children with allergies face. The fear is present everywhere for them and their child, at birthday parties, school, restaurants, visiting friends, play dates, at family functions, basically everywhere there’s food the worry of an allergic reaction is present. I personally love that most schools and activity centres have adopted peanut free centres. It shows that all children are included and supported. I feel that not only is it the job of parents of children with allergies to teach their children how to stay safe from harmful foods but it is also our job, parents of children who are allergy free to educate our children on the importance of keeping their peers safe.
Teaching your child with allergies about safety:
From an early age, as soon as the allergy is detected parents should explain to their child about why they can’t eat certain foods. It’s also important to have replacements on hand for occasions such as birthday parties where they may not be able to eat the treats. I feel sad when a child is excluded due to their diet, it’s nice to have a safe replacement for all children. It’s a question of planning ahead and always disclosing the allergy to people who are cooking the food. Some parents may choose to bring their own food to events as well.
It’s important to educate your child about their EpiPen. Most children are advised to carry their EpiPen on their body at all times. I’ve seen really great fanny pack type bags that attach around their waist. They can also wear a bracelet or necklace identifying their allergy. If you introduce this when they are very young they will know it’s normal and hopefully won’t whine at having to wear it. No one ever wants to use the EpiPen but make sure you know how to administer it. As your child grows they too should know how to administer it in case of emergency. Most childcare professionals will already know how to use an EpiPen but giving them a crash course is always a great idea. Depending on the centre/school your child is at you may also be required to supply an EpiPen to be kept at the school.
A child with an allergy should know what they can and can’t eat. They are their own advocate! I’ve heard children as young as three ask, “Does that have peanuts in it?”. It’s amazing how smart they are. Teach your child to always ask before they eat anything given to them, or to just always stick to the food they have brought with them.
Adcovate for your child, if the school your child goes to doesn’t restrict allergen foods you can advocate for your child and discuss your child’s safety with the school staff.
Teaching your child with no allergies the importance of keeping their peers safe:
I strongly believe that respect and empathy are two of the most important values we should be teaching our children. Respecting the children in their environment is such a meaningful job for our young children! If eating a harmful food will impact another child we need to explain to them why they can’t have that food and what it would do to a peer if they did. When they get angry or upset because they can’t have a certain food at school remind them that it helps keep other children safe, choose another time that they can enjoy that snack and not put children in harms way.
Substituting foods that they love because it keeps their classmates safe is a great way to show empathy for those around them. Saying things like “instead of a peanut butter cookie lets bake chocolate chip cookies so that a classmate won’t get sick” is really showing your child that we all should look out for one another. There are products on the market that you can use to replace things like peanut butter so that you can still create similar snacks and lunches without putting children at risk. (If you are doing this make sure to mark it on the food container so that teachers know there is no peanut butter in the snack).
It should feel like no big deal to have to make some substitutions in order to ensure another child’s life isn’t at risk. In the end, anaphylaxis is nothing to shrug off, it could end a life after all. We all need to know how serious this is and be empathetic to the families and children dealing with severe allergies.
In the end, food allergies are a growing public health issue in Canada, it is not something we can ignore and it’s our job as parents to keep our children and their peers safe.
