Precautions to Take When Your Child Has Food Allergies

When you suffer from allergies, your body reacts negatively to particles in the environment or to pets. While it is possible to avoid environmental allergies, food allergies can be difficult to detect.

When your child has food allergies, it’s a constant worry. A child might not recognize the food that they are allergic to, and you can’t monitor what they eat all the time. Children can come to harm by accidentally consuming a food they’re allergic to.

If your child suffers from food allergies, there are precautions you can take to keep them from accidental harm. Here are some suggestions.

Explain It To Your Child

The word allergy is often thrown around as something light. Many children might associate allergies with sneezing or other lighter symptoms. A food allergy can do more damage, attacking the stomach and causing great pain.

Make sure your child understands that their food allergy is serious. It’s harder to stay safe from a food allergy than it is to avoid contact with cats; your child needs to know what might happen if they eat the peanut butter. Children are more clever than we think. If told the truth about their condition, they will take it seriously.

Find Other Snacks

To keep your child safe from the temptation to eat food they’re allergic to, look for other snacks that are also tasty. Giving them options for their dessert will make it feel less like a restriction and more like a precaution. If a child feels restricted, their curiosity might prevail, causing them to eat what they shouldn’t. Send their own snacks for when they are out of the house and at friend’s for playdates, so that they are not tempted to try foods that will provoke an allergic reaction.

Tell Your Child’s Friends

If your child has a food allergy, tell their friends’ parents about it. When your child goes to play with their friends, well-meaning parents might give them snacks that they don’t know they’re allergic to.

Make sure that your child’s teachers know about the allergy, as well as those who work at a daycare, if your child spends time at one. A child might forget about their allergy and eat the snack, but if their guardians know they shouldn’t eat peanut butter or potatoes, they can provide an alternative.

Life with a food allergy doesn’t have to be a burden. There are creative ways to keep your child safe from illness. If you suspect that your child might have this condition, consider allergen testing to be safe.

By Emma Sturgis