Food Allergy Living Blog Tagged Results

Back to school is near. This is the perfect time to prepare if your little one has food allergies. Last year Nita provided some great tips to help you prepare for the first day of school. In addition to those, I wanted to share a great article I came across on www.FoodAllergy.org . It discusses how to best handle the education of food allergies for teachers and other school mates. The article talks about an educational awareness program called PAL: Protect a Life from the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. The PAL program provides educational brochures, posters, and even certificates to give out to other children who have shown they are a PAL.

Communication and education is the most important aspect for a child going back to school with food allergies. Hopefully this will provide you with some ideas on how to best educate your little ones new classroom on living with food allergies. If you have any creative strategies to help prepare for a safe school year, we’d love to hear about them in the comments!

- Christine

The first day of school or daycare is an exciting time for young children, but introducing food allergic little ones into a new environment can be dangerous. It is important to educate and remind your children’s teachers and caregivers about food allergy precautions and safety before they begin their new adventure.

Here are some simple steps you can follow to make sure that the transition into a new environment is a safe one for your child:

1) Schedule a back-to-school check up with your pediatrician or allergist to make sure that your current treatment plan is still effective.

2) Document your child’s allergies and treatment plan in school or daycare paperwork.

3) Provide teachers and caregivers with brochures and information on your child’s allergy to prevent accidents.

4) Create a one page “Cheat Sheet” with information about your child’s allergies for substitutes or new employees.

5) Discuss what to do in case of an emergency. Ask your pediatrician about keeping an EpiPen on-site. Be sure to train the caregiver on when and how to use one.

6) Make sure that your child fully understands what can trigger their allergy.

7) Look at upcoming lunch or snack menus and identify safe options, also provide the school with a list of safe foods that your little one can enjoy at any time.

8) If no safe options are available, pack food from home and warn your child not to share with their classmates.

9) Offer to bring in allergy-safe treats for holidays and special events. This way you know that your child is safe, and he/she won’t feel excluded from the fun!

Other tips? Let us know what you are doing to prepare your child for the upcoming school year.

- Nita

Although summer seems to have only started, back-to-school is really only just around the corner. To help you plan for success this fall, Ruth of http://www.bestallergysites.com/ and Jennifer B of http://www.foodallergybuzz.com/ are hosting a Back to School Twitter Party! If you participated in their Food Allergy Awareness Week Twitter Party in May you know this is a great way to connect with others in the food allergy awareness community.

The party will take place on Thursday, July 23rd from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at summize.com or tweetgrid.com. The hashtag for the party is #foodallergy.

The party promises to be as fun and informative as the last, with more door prizes, fun trivia, and sharing of tips and expertise. The discussion will be focused on what it’s like managing food allergies in school and during the school year. For more information, and to RSVP, be sure to check out the event invitation here. Also, for those who aren’t seasoned twitter partiers, be sure to stay tuned to Food Allergy Buzz for a Twitter Party tutorial coming a couple of weeks before the event.

Hope to see you all there!

-Nita

Hello!

My name is Christine Graham-Garo, and I am the newest addition to the Baby Health blog. I’m a nutrition specialist and I work with Sarah and Steven here at Nutricia North America.

A little about me - I grew up in Miami and received my Bachelor of Science degree in dietetics and nutrition from Florida International University. Since then, I’ve worked in hospitals in Florida and in North Dakota (hubby was stationed there for the military). Just recently, the hubs and I settled into a cozy little place in Northern Virginia and I joined the nutrition team at Nutricia North America.

I am very excited to begin this blogging adventure and the time couldn’t be better – starting something new as summer winds down always makes me think of the excitement of back-to-school when I was growing up.

I know it’s hard to believe it’s that time of the year again, but traffic is beginning to pick up and the big yellow buses will soon fill the streets. It’s a busy time for any parent, but when your child has allergies, it can be more stressful than most. Anything from craft projects to birthday parties may cause concern!

Here are a few suggestions to help your child start the school year off right and to ease your mind as an allergy parent!

• Meet the Teacher Meet with your child’s teacher before the beginning of every school year – especially if he or she is new, but don’t forget the familiar faces as they’ll likely benefit from a refresher on your child’s condition. Make sure the teacher understands the condition and emergency procedures and ask about any activities or lessons he or she has planned that involve food. Offer to help find alternatives that everyone can enjoy (i.e. plastic beads instead of candies for counting exercises).
• Plan Ahead for Lunch If your child relies on formula like Neocate, make arrangements with the school to allow him or her to either spend lunchtime doing a quiet activity with the school nurse or secretary, or to bring a coloring/activity book in the lunchroom in place of food. If your little one is allergic to peanuts, talk to the school about a peanut-free lunch table.
• Talk to the other Parents Developing a good relationship with the other parents – especially those who help out around school – will go a long way. Explain your child’s condition and ask them to notify you when they bring in birthday treats so you can provide an allergen-free treat for your child or, if your child is on formula, a non-food treat like stickers or something to color.
• Introduce Yourself to the 504 Plan Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act ensures that children with special needs get a level playing field from government services like public school. Depending on the details of your child’s food allergy, he or she may qualify for a 504 plan for the school to follow. Check out this entry at Allergy Moms for more.

Along these lines, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology has created a wonderful back-to-school checklist. Click here to see the checklist as well as to download a sample food allergy action plan. The checklists are divided up into three sections: asthma, allergens at school and food allergies at school. This is very helpful for those children with one or multiple allergies.

If you have any questions about me or about going back to school with food allergies, feel free to comment below or email me at babyhealthblog@ecius.net. I’m looking forward to a new year of blogging!

- Christine

It’s time for back to school and whether it’s your child’s first day of school or they’re returning to school for another year, introducing a child with food allergies into a new environment can be nerve-racking.  This is why it is important to educate and remind your children’s teachers and caregivers about food allergy precautions and safety before school starts.

Here are some simple steps you can follow to make sure that the transition is a safe one for your child:

1. Schedule a back-to-school checkup with your pediatrician or allergist to make sure that your current treatment plan is still effective.
2. Document your child’s allergies and treatment plan in school or daycare paperwork.
3. Provide teachers and caregivers with brochures and information on your child’s allergy to prevent accidents.
4. Create a one page “Cheat Sheet” with information about your child’s allergies for substitutes or new employees.
5. Discuss what to do in case of an emergency.  Ask your pediatrician about keeping an EpiPen on-site.  Be sure to train the caregiver on when and how to use one.
6. Make sure that your child fully understands what can trigger their allergy.
7. Look at upcoming lunch or snack menus and identify safe options, also provide the school with a list of safe foods that your child can enjoy at any time.
8. If no safe options are available, pack food from home and warn your child not to trade food with his/her classmates.
9. Offer to bring in allergy-safe treats for holidays and special events.  This way you know that your child is safe, and they won’t feel excluded from the fun!

Communication and education is the most important part of going back to school with food allergies.  Hopefully these tips will provide you with some ideas on how to best educate your child’s new classroom on living with food allergies.

If you have any creative strategies to help prepare for a safe school year, we’d love to hear about them in the comments! 

If you’re used to preparing your little one’s powdered Neocate formula, you might be wondering if there is an easier way. It’s tough enough getting kids dressed in the morning, much less having to measure out and prepare powdered formula to send to daycare or school. Fortunately another option is E028 Splash!


What is E028 Splash?

E028 Splash, or just “Splash” for short, is part of the Neocate line of hypoallergenic formulas. The “E028” doesn’t mean anything special: it’s just a unique product code that stuck! Splash is technically a “medical food,” which falls somewhere in the middle of a food, a drug, and a supplement. Orange-Pineapple Splash has been available in the US since 1995, and in 2006 we introduced 2 new flavors: Tropical Fruit and Grape.

Splash, just like Neocate Junior, is designed for kids over a year old and contains some of all of the nutrients growing bodies need, like carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Splash is unique because the protein source is free amino acids, which are safe for kids with food allergies and other medical needs that require an elemental diet. It’s also gluten-free and casein-free.


What makes Splash so great?

The number one reason parents love Splash is because it’s so convenient. Splash is the only ready-to-feed amino acid based formula there is! It goes into a backpack just as easily as any other juice box. No more measuring powder, measuring water, and shaking! Not only is this convenient for daycare or school, but it also takes the guesswork out of the equation for babysitters, family, and other parents when your child visits on a play date.

Kids love Splash for a number of reasons. Severe allergies may mean they need a special formula, but who says it has to LOOK like a special formula? Not us! Splash is packaged to look like other juice drinks, so allergic kids don’t have to feel “different” from everyone else. We even use colored straws to mask the look of a formula, because Splash has NO artificial colors. For some kids, the novelty of getting to drink their formula through a straw instead of from a cup can make a world of difference. And don’t tell your little one that we said this, but the drink box keeps the distinct smell of formula wrapped up. And to top it all off, Splash comes in 3 great flavors, which can help kids to stick to an elemental diet by adding variety.

Splash has been a blessing for so many families that it has even appeared in a few news stories: here’s a video of Splash helping Matthew Bernard!

- Rob

Three million children are affected by food allergies in the US. Studies have also suggested that food allergies persist longer in life than was once previously assumed.¹Food allergies can have a wide ranging negative effect on children and their families, affecting life at home as well as the social lives of the family.

Sending a food allergic child to school, camp or any child care can be a scary task for a parent. Doctors are helping families prepare for these situations by ensuring that:

• Each child has an epinephrine device
• The family and child (if age appropriate) know how and when to use the device
• The family can train others on how to use device
• The student has an emergency plan (such as a 504 plan) for the facility in case of a reaction

Reactions in schools

Reactions in schools are actually rare. However, it is important to know that reactions do occur in schools and can be severe in some circumstances.

There has been a growing trend of parents who home school their food allergic child due to fear of a reaction. It is important to know that the vast majority of food allergic children can and do attend school safely.^2-4

The highest risk of a reaction is from direct ingestion of the food. Studies have shown that reactions to environmental or airborne exposure to allergens are extremely low.  In summary, the greatest risk of a reaction is from direct ingestion of the allergen.

Management of reactions at school

Reaction to a food allergen should be treated in a universal fashion. Isolated skin or mild GI symptoms without signs of shock (ie. hypotension, respiratory symptoms) can be generally managed with short acting oral histamines such as Benadryl® or Vistaril®.

Epinephrine should be given as soon as possible for more severe reactions involving laryngeal, pharyngeal or respiratory symptoms, severe vomiting or shock, followed by antihistamines with additional epinephrine as necessary. These protocols should be clearly communicated to parents by the healthcare professional.

Food reaction scenarios are where an Emergency Plan or 504 plan for your child must be available and easy to follow for all appropriate personnel at the school. Full time nursing availability in schools is becoming uncommon, which has placed the burden on the teachers and administrations. Studies have shown that emergency plans are not always followed as written, especially in schools without full time nurses.  This is why the healthcare community and parents must seize the opportunity to better educate all involved.

Do you have any tips for managing your child’s food allergies at school?

*This article was adapted from a Medscape Special Report, Oct 2011, written by Dr. Matthew J. Greenhawt, MD, MBA

1. Boyce JAS, Assa'ad A, Burks AW, et al. Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of food allergy in the United States: report of the NIAID-sponsored expert panel. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010; 126(6 Suppl):S1-S58
2. Young MC, Munoz-Furlong A, Sicherer SH. Management of food allergies in schools: a perspective for allergists. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009;124:175-182.
3. Greenhawt MJ, McMorris MS, Furlong TJ. Self-reported allergic reactions to peanuts and tree nuts occurring in schools and child care facilities (Abstract). J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008;121(S1):S95.
4. Sicherer SH, Furlong TJ, DeSimone J, Sampson HA. The US peanut and tree nut allergy registry: characteristics of reactions in schools and day care. J Pediatr. 2001;138:560-565.