How to Teach Your Child About Food Allergies

PAL, the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network's (FAAN) free school program, stands for Protect A Life from food allergies. It educates children to recognize a reaction, what to do in the event of a reaction, and what the usual triggers are. Here's how to teach your children about food allergies.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Make sure your child's friends know what foods trigger a reaction. The top triggers (but not all) include peanuts, soy, wheat, milk, egg and shellfish.

2. Keep a trainer EpiPen (a doctor prescribed shot of ephedrine) for buddies to practice giving your child his/her injection. Make sure your own child has practiced numerous times, too.

3. Determine that your child's friends don't share their lunches with him/her. Also, they should wash their hands after touching any food source, whether it is just crumbs or the entire thing.

4. Encourage questions. Anaphylaxis (the severe life threatening allergic reaction) is scary. Let other parents, teachers and kids know what to expect if a reaction does indeed occur. Symptoms include swelling of lips, eyes and face; red bumpy itchy skin; difficulty breathing or wheezing; coughs, sneezing, itchy watering eyes; or light-headedness, dizziness and passing out.

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