The Food Allergy ABCs are a great place to start:
- An Action plan that outlines signs of a reaction and appropriate medical treatment
- A Buddy system that enlists the support of classmates
- Communication and Collaboration with school staff, other parents or child-care providers
AN ACTION PLAN
No matter how hard you try, or how prepared you are, a kid can eat the wrong food by accident. Before an emergency or life-threatening situation happens, create a plan for your child. The plan should spell out what to do, who to tell, and which medicines to take, if your child has a reaction.
- Provide schools and child-care providers with all contact numbers of child’s parent as well as who should be contacted if parents cannot be reached.
- Put a laminated card of all emergency phone numbers in your child’s backpack as well as programming them into their cell phones for older children.
- Keep a list of your child’s routine and emergency medications with times and dosages laminated.
- Help your child learn to recognize early signs of a reaction, and what to do if he/she feels a reaction beginning.
- Keep emergency medications handy with school nurses.
- Cell phones are lifesavers. Keep them charged and ready for use.
- Make sure your child wears a medic alert bracelet if appropriate.
A BUDDY SYSTEM
- Teach your child's friends to recognize the signs of a reaction and how to help.
COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION
Planning and making sure a school knows how to handle allergic reactions can save a child's life. Develop a written action plan before your child starts attending school or daycare. Plan should contain an emergency plan outlined by your child's physician, and a plan describing how school staff will help manage the environment on a daily basis. It is important to work in partnership with your child’s school or daycare setting to create a plan that's safe and realistic:
- Work closely with school nurses. Let them know about your specific situation, tell them what you need and ask for their advice and ideas about how to keep your child safe within the school environment.
- Inform teachers or other child-care providers of early warning signs of an allergic reaction and how best to respond to it.
- Make sure there is no food sharing and have the child sit a safe distance away from children eating allergenic foods.
- Make sure the child is easily observable by a teacher during snack and meal times.
- Have children wash hands before and after eating.
- Make sure school personnel are trained on recognizing a reaction and administering medication.
Tanya Sussman, MS, RD, LD
Executive Director
Nutrition Services
1611 S. Green Rd, Suite 202
South Euclid, OH 44121
Tel: (216) 381-4541
Fax: (216) 381-2430
Email: nutrition.services@sbcglobal.net
