Parenting a Child with a Food Allergy

Time to Stock up with allergy free foods

With a possible swine-flu pandemic coming our way, it may be a good time to stock up on allergy-free food! For quick and easy allergy free snacks and meals, it's helpful to bake and cook in large quantities and then freeze the food in individual size containers. That way when you need a fast fix, you can just pop something out of the freezer and into the microwave. Presto!

Eating Out with Food Allergies - a close call

A recent news article caught my attention, and I'm sure those parents dealing with their child's food allergies will agree with me: eating out can be a scary thing. We teach our kids that their food allergies do not need to keep them from doing things they really want to do, yes, like eating out with friends. So many times we've all talked with chefs, wait staff, looked up ingredients on line, etc. etc. For our family, we tend to eat out only at a handful of restaurants, so we can be as confident as possible with trusting another person in preparing our child's food.

The news article referred to a close call that happened at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant.

"Earlier this summer, Sharon Brigner's son Brandon was one of many children who had an extremely close call. On June 11 at a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant in northern Virginia, Brigner told ABCNews.com that her son had a severe allergic reaction to egg after eating several mozzarella sticks that unknowingly contained the food he was allergic to.

Brigner said this week that the reaction happened despite her son's nanny asking the manager of the kid-friendly restaurant twice whether the food contained egg, and being reassured by the manager that it did not."

It's true, as FAAN says, "We're all in this together." We can check and double check, and in the end, it's all about educating those around us.

An Interesting Editorial about Peanut Allergy

I just read an interesting editorial on the "War On Peanuts." Here's an excerpt: "Officials [in North Carolina] recently sent letters home to parents asking that they no longer pack peanut-butter sandwiches or cookies in their kids' lunches." They go on to say, "We're all for keeping kids free of lethal food reactions. But in the case of peanuts there appears to be an overreaction. Some parents have even gone out and bought peanut-detector dogs for their kids....CDC data show food allergy deaths are extremely rare, with peanut-related deaths almost nonexistent." They claim that although the numbers are increasing, overall, the percentage of children with true food allergies still isn't that big. The author continues, "Punishing other kids for such an extreme minority is, well, nuts. The health benefits of peanuts to the other 99% far outweigh the risks."

Ten years ago, when my child was first diagnosed with food allergies, I would have been livid reading this editorial. The author is too flippant about food allergies. When my daughter was first diagnosed, I thought peanuts should be banned from all of her environments, including daycare and extended family's homes. The information I had at the time paralyzed me with fear. Now that we've lived with food allergies for awhile, I have a different perspective. Peanuts are a part of everyday life, and isn't it my job as a parent to help my children learn how to manage their food allergy in everyday life? I can't control their environment forever, but I can equip them with common sense about food safety.

Reading this editorial actually made me feel kind of embarrassed. Was I the parent who completely overreacted? Did I make people think that I needed a peanut-detector dog? (if there is even such a thing!) I wish I had my perspective now back when my child was first diagnosed. I'd be a little more relaxed but still vigilant. I'd educate and work as partners with people instead of request a removal of all peanut products.

I still feel strongly that I am doing a lot of things right to keep my children safe and teach them how to manage their own allergies. I wonder though if in another ten years, I'll look back again and wonder if I should have done things a little differently. This is where it's helpful to band together with other parents dealing with child food allergies. We can lend perspective to those who have a more recent diagnosis, and we can learn from those more veteran than us. It feels better to know that we're not alone!

Watch Out for Hidden Allergens

I start this blog entry with...UGH! Those of us dealing with our child's food allergies have heard over and over, check and double check ingredients of every food you buy every time you buy it. Campbell's is a well-known company and I generally trust their labels. I was a bit discouraged though on my most recent trip to the store. Campbell's has a new line of soups out called Select Harvest. It's marketed as a healthier choice, without MSG or artificial flavors. Be careful! Their Chicken Tortilla soup contains peanut oil. It's listed in the middle of the ingredient list, but it is not in bold type nor is there a warning statement anywhere else on the label. I know Campbell's did their job by listing it in the ingredients. I just thought that by now, bigger companies would at least put the top allergens in bold letters, if not have a separate warning statement.

It's a good reminder that it really is important to read every label every time.

Halloween and child food allergies

With Halloween approaching, I'm sure many of us who have children with food allergies are getting anxious. It's worth checking out FAAN's article on which candy is safe to eat. The article also has a couple of other links to check out.

Happy trick-or-treating!

Tips for Staying Sane at Halloween

Halloween can be one of the most challenging holidays for those children with food allergies. It's not just that a big part of the Halloween celebration includes candy, it's that the candy given out at Halloween often times has different ingredients than what we buy throughout the rest of the year. For example, a regular size Hershey milk chocolate bar that we buy for making s'mores (think summer camp outs) is fine, but the miniature Hershey milk chocolate bars in stores around Halloween contain traces of nuts. For those of us veteran parents, this probably seems so obvious that it's silly. But I remember my first couple of Halloweens after my daughter was diagnosed food allergies; I was a mess! It seemed easier just to leave the country than to subject my child to so much stuff that she couldn't have.

At first, I put together a Halloween goodie bag filled with safe candy, Halloween stickers, festive coloring books, crayons and other fun little things. As my daughter got a bit older (and I got a bit wiser), we just exchanged the off-limits candy with safe treats at the end of the night. My non food allergic children still enjoy this ritual because they get to trade in some of the "boring stuff" for M & M's, Milky Ways and other candy that we just don't get during the rest of the year.

What we've started doing recently is when my children are done trick or treating and are satisfied with their trades, we give the rest of the candy out to those kids still trick or treating. It's usually a bit later in the evening so the preteen crowd is out and about. They act like they've hit the jackpot when we give out handfuls of Snickers bars and Reese's. Everybody wins.

And truth be told, my daughters with food allergies don't really care that much about the candy anyways. They are in it for the costumes and the fun.

Halloween Tips

If you are one of those parents struggling with keeping Halloween fun and safe, there is a good site that's worth checking out. The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) has a checklist for Halloween fun for children with food allergies. It's a one pager that only takes a minute to look, but it may give you a few ideas.

Happy Trick-or-Treating!

Cherrybrook Kitchen comes through again!

I love Cherrybrook Kitchen!! This company makes great allergy free mixes. My favorite part is the wheat free products! They have new wheat free products that my daughter LOVES! Mini vanilla and mini chocolate chip cookies. Great for lunch boxes! And they have super easy cake mixes that taste good too! If you haven't already, check out Cherrybrook Kitchen.

A letter to a room parent

I'm sure as parents with children who have food allergies, we come across people that are very sincere at trying to make our lives a little bit easier. The room mom in my daughter's class this year is such a person. She is going all out to make sure my daughter doesn't feel left out of class activities and treats. Our way of dealing with food allergies at school is that my daughter only eats baked goods from our house, even if a parent offers to make the treat allergy free. I only have so many ways of saying no thank you and at the same time trying to express my appreciation of the offer.

I recently sent this email to my daughter's class room parent, who has been really trying to make it so my daughter can share in the celebrations. It's so important to express gratitude for those people on our side, especially if we want them to keep helping us!

Hi. I will send Kristine with some of her own pumpkin bread and something else instead of pie. The applesauce should be fine, if it's just the apples and cinnamon and sugar all mashed together.
Also, I want you to know how much I appreciate you thinking of her food allergies. And I don't want you to think that it's your responsibility to take care of figuring out the foods she can eat. I would never put that on you, heck, sometimes it's hard enough for ME to figure out what she can eat! :-) hee hee

You are an awesome room parent! Thanks for all you're doing. Our class is lucky!!

Thanks,
Ann Marie

Egg Free pumpkin muffins

For those of us dealing with our children's food allergies, Halloween can bring many challenges. Even though there is a general push in the direction of healthy snacks in the elementary schools, this time of year still brings lots of treats. Which means we have to be even more on top of things. When I was new to food allergies, I tried to substitute treats at school for my daughters with home baked treats that were as identical as I could get to what the other kids were eating. I now realize that it's nearly impossible to do this and besides, that's not real life. So I substitute the same foods when I can, and when I can't, my daughter just eats something different. And that's OK, with both of us.

So anyway, I have a really easy recipe for pumpkin muffins. You can make them egg-milk-nut free. I also bake them in a rectangle cake pan for variety. All of my children and neighbor's children love them! It's an easy treat to send to school to replace pumpkin bread or pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Muffins/Pumpkin Bars

15-oz can of pure pumpkin
1 box Spice Cake Mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the above ingredients together until smooth (I use a hand mixer). Divide mixture into muffin tins. Bake muffins for 18-21 minutes, or cake pan for a bit longer, until toothpick comes out clean.

You can serve them as is, or sprinkle powdered sugar on the top. I also sometimes drizzle cream cheese frosting on top (for those not allergic to milk).

Allergy Free Food Storage for Everyday Living

I suppose this tip is really only useful for those of us with children who have food allergies, or for anybody with food allergies for that matter. As most of you can probably attest to, I find myself buying different varieties of the same food. For example, bread...for my children and myself without food allergies, I buy 100% whole grain bread, which is usually 100% wheat. But for my daughter who is allergic to wheat, we buy a gluten free loaf. And throw in there a child who doesn't need the extra fiber of the wheat bread, I end up buying a less-than-whole-grain variety of wheat bread as well. In the end, I either end up throwing away a lot of bread or I freeze it.

Here's my trick. I put the bread I want to freeze in a gallon size freezer bag. I cut out the label of the bread, including the ingredient listing and include it in the bag as well. Then when I need to retrieve the bread from the freezer, I know exactly what it is. And Heaven forbid that my daughter ever has an allergic reaction, I will know the details of the food that caused it. Another trick that I read somewhere for thawing bread is to put a piece of paper towel in the bag as the bread defrosts, and the bread never gets soggy. It really works!

Confused about Food Allergy Labels?

WebMD has a good article about the confusion of advisory food labeling. Since 2004, the law states that manufacturers must list the eight major foods or food groups--milk, eggs, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. This is of course totally helpful for those of us avoiding certain foods. Around the same time this law was passed, warning statements started popping up on labels everywhere. Statements like "may contain (allergen)" or "produced on shared equipment that processes (allergen)" are common. To date, there is no labeling requirement for products that might come into contact with allergens during manufacturing.

The WebMD article quotes Scott Mandell, CEO and president of Enjoy Life Natural Brands (which offers gluten-free and allergy-friendly foods), "Advisory warnings are confusing, inconsistent, and do not provide adequate information to make smart and safe decisions."

According to the article, the FDA wants to develop a long-term strategy to help manufacturers "use more truthful, clear, and uniform advisory labels. The agency has addressed the inconsistent use of advisory labeling in the past, and different groups have developed some of their own guidelines, but the public hearing represents a push toward a more unified approach."

Sometimes I believe the "may contain" label, and if it lists an allergen I'm not avoiding, then I figure the food is safe. But other times I'm skeptical and avoid the food entirely. I err on the side of safety (for obvious reasons), but I wonder if I'm limiting my childrens' food selection based on inaccurate information. And so the wonders of food allergies continue...

An unexpected way to carry Epi-Pens

For those of us looking for better ways to carry Epi-Pens, I came across a great idea. My 7th grader began carrying her own Epi-Pens to school this year and so she keeps them in her backpack. We have a fanny pack at home that we've used for over 10 years. It was too bulky to fit in a backpack. We also have a much smaller case which fits 2 Epi-Pens and some Benadryl (tablets, Rapidmelts or perfect pour capsules) perfectly and it's what I use to put in my purse/bag when I take the girls places. My daughter started keeping it in her backpack, which was fine except that I then lost my preferred carrying case.

My daughter's friend gave her a pencil case that came with a backpack that she wasn't going to use. It was the perfect size to fit two Epi-Pens and some Benadryl. The problem was that it looked like a pencil case, not an emergency medication pouch. Preparing for the worst, I imagine my daughter having an allergic reaction and a rescuer going through her backpack looking for clues of what might be happening. A big pouch with the Red Cross or Medic Alert symbol emblazoned across the front seems like it would quickly capture attention.

So, I used bright red fabric paint and painted a large red cross on the outside of the pencil bag. Inside, along with the 2 Epi-Pens and Benadryl, I included an index card with emergency information on it: my daughter's name, allergies, my cell phone number, and a note to call 911. Now my daughter keeps her Epi-Pens in the "pencil case" in her backpack all the time. We have other Epi-Pens that we use after school; you know, to go to friends' houses, sports practices, etc. This way I know that she will always have Epi-Pens with her at school, and not forget them at home on the counter!

Out of curiosity, during my shopping trips for school supplies this year, I kept my eyes open for suitable pencil cases. Surprisingly I found all different pencil cases and even calculator cases that fit 2 Epi-Pens perfectly. Just add a red cross on the side and it's good to go! This of course doesn't work well for those who need to also carry inhalers, which is my other daughter. So now I'm on the look out for that as well!

Food Allergies in Jr. High

I've spent more than 10 years teaching my daughter about her food allergies. I always tell people she is very responsible about what she eats. She carries snacks with her knowing that she may end up some place hungry without a safe food option. I've taught her how to teach others about her food allergies. I've tried to model being safe but not over the top. So when it was time to go to Jr. High, I was pleased but not surprised that my daughter wanted to take matters into her own hands.

Before school started, I went with her to meet the school nurse. We did our usual talk about food allergies and Epi-Pens. Then my daughter suggested that she write a letter to her teachers to introduce herself. With so many new kids entering the school, how would her teachers remember her? How would they know that she has food allergies? So my daughter typed a letter, including a current picture of herself. Then on the first day of school, she introduced herself and handed each teacher a letter. The teachers gave positive feedback. She will still tell her friends, both old and new, about her food allergies and that she always has an Epi-Pen with her. But I still need an adult to be aware of the situation. For my daughter, this is another step in the direction of complete independence with managing her food allergies. For me, it's a time to see some pay off of all of our hard work over the years.

Below is the letter my daughter wrote. Feel free to use it as is, use parts of it, or just give the idea to your child and let them create their own. As FAAN always says, we're all in this together!

Dear Teachers,

My name is Elizabeth and I am allergic to nuts. If I eat anything with peanuts or nut products in it, my throat could close and I could stop breathing. I know this sounds serious, but I'm extremely responsible and I carry medicine around with me everywhere. The medicine is called epinephrine, or an Epi-Pen. To administer the medication, you must remove the gray cap, inject it into my thigh, and then hold it in for ten seconds. The Epi-Pen will start to take effect instantly. After you give me the Epi-Pen, call 911. If you forget these instructions, they are on the Epi-Pen.

All of my friends are aware of my allergy, and I carry an Epi-Pen in my backpack at all times. There is also one in the health office. Thank you for helping to keep me safe!

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

Epi-Pens and School Field Trips

Since I know I will not be able to go on every field trip during the school year, I’ve started doing something which I find valuable as my child gets older. Our school has a form which authorizes the student to carry medication and/or self medicate while at school. Although my child is too young to give herself the Epi-Pen, I have the physician complete the form anyway. This allows my daughter to carry her Epi-Pens from home to school on field trip days. It serves several purposes. First, the teacher doesn’t have to remember to bring along the Epi-Pens from school; which conveniently guarantees that the teacher will not forget to replace the Epi-Pens in the classroom after the field trip. I also know that my child will for sure have two Epi-Pens available in case of an emergency, and I don't have to rely on the teacher to remember to bring both Epi-Pens from school (since one is in the classroom and the other is in the office). It also frees me up from having to meet the teacher the morning of the field trip to hand over the Epi-Pens. If I was available that morning, I would probably be going on the field trip!!

Those of you with small children are probably thinking that I’m nuts. It’s true; to me this works well only as my child gets older. I would not trust a younger child to carry Epi-Pens without adult supervision. I trust my own child because she’s grown up with the Epi-Pen and understands that it is not a toy. I don’t however trust all of the other kids. Also, the older my child gets, the more parents I get to know in her classes. That means there is usually at least one parent going on the field trip whom I’ve already educated about food allergies. So I feel comfortable sending in the Epi-Pen without meeting the parent face to face. Also, since the teacher obviously goes along on the outing, there are at least two people who could respond in case of an emergency.

This works well for us and minimizes my stress over school field trips. It also stops my urge of calling my child in sick the morning of the field trip because it's just easier than figuring out the flow of the day! I'm sure we've all been there... : )