Five ways to cope with your kid’s food allergies

With that in mind, here are five tips for coping with food allergies:

1. “Allergy-proof” your home
   When food shopping, read the label of every product you buy — even if you’ve purchased it many times before — to make sure that the manufacturer hasn’t changed ingredients without warning. When you stock your kitchen, clearly label the foods that your child can eat and keep allergy-free snacks on a separate shelf where he or she can reach them.    
   
   
2. Buy allergy-free foods
   A growing number of companies specialize in allergy-free foods. These are great for food-allergic families and for friends and relatives who want to provide safe foods when they visit. You’ll find ready-made cakes and cookies, baking mixes, popcorn, gumballs, chocolates and more. Be sure to keep favorite treats handy for play dates or parties at school so your child won’t feel deprived. Check out Divvies, Cherrybrook Kitchen and Vermont Nut Free.
   
   
3. Educate and inform your child's school
   Work with them to develop food allergy management and emergency action plans, as well as access to all medications. Provide educational material, such as brochures, to help the staff, parents and classmates understand why certain procedures — such having as a peanut-free table in the lunchroom — are necessary. 
   
   
4. Have them learn how to self-administer
   When your child is old enough, make sure he or she learns how to give him or herself  epinephrine. Allow them to carry self-injectable epinephrine at all times, including at school (if state and local regulations permit, and your doctor and the school nurse approve). Encouraging food-allergic kids to wear medical alert identification and teaching them to read food labels are important, too.
   
   
5. Write down your food allergies
   Whenever you eat out, carry a food allergy restaurant card — this is a quick and easy way to inform your server about your child’s allergy. When traveling, bring it and your child’s emergency medical plan along with you.
   
   

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Finally, if you’re the parent of a child with food allergies, remember that you’re not alone. The Food Allergy Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure, is a great resource. In addition to funding research, FAI supports education programs to make schools, camps and the food industry safer, along with legislative initiatives to protect Americans with food allergies. Their Web site provides in-depth food allergy information, a list of local support groups as well as sample medical plans and restaurant cards in multiple languages. FAI helped our family cope at the time we needed it most. Today, by serving as a volunteer, I have the satisfaction of knowing that I’m helping to advance research that could save my son’s life —and the lives of millions of children like him. 

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