{"id":36815,"date":"2022-09-15T12:56:28","date_gmt":"2022-09-15T17:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.allenandallen.com\/?p=36815"},"modified":"2024-07-30T12:30:10","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T17:30:10","slug":"consejos-para-empezar-el-colegio-con-alergias-alimentarias","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allenandallen.com\/es\/blog\/tips-for-starting-school-with-food-allergies\/","title":{"rendered":"Consejos para comenzar la escuela con alergias alimentarias"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the scariest days of my life was the day that my child with life-threatening food allergies started kindergarten. At the time, my child was so allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, that she could (and did) go into anaphylaxis from merely touching nut residue or breathing nut dust.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"someone<\/p>\n

Until she started kindergarten, we felt that she was safe. We maintained a nut-free home. Friends and family knew about her allergy and understood that it was serious. They went out of their way to serve nut-free foods, and to remove any nut products from the room when we came to visit. We avoided restaurants that served foods containing nuts, to prevent the possibility of cross-contamination. Her preschool served nut-free meals and snacks, and her camps prohibited nut products.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Until she started kindergarten, we had control. We controlled her environment \u2013 the places we went and the people with whom she came into contact. We studied food labels and did not give her any foods that contained nuts, might contain nuts, were manufactured on equipment that processed nuts, or were made in a facility that handled nuts. We made sure that she always had access to epinephrine. If we accidentally left it at home, we turned around and went back to get it.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite these precautions and our best efforts, there were times that she came into contact with her allergens, and she went into anaphylaxis. Fortunately, that was a rare occurrence. For the most part, what we were doing was working. Although we could not eliminate the risk of exposure completely, we had learned to live with her allergy, and we felt like we had it under control.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That all changed when she started kindergarten.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"kids<\/p>\n

For the first time, we could not control her environment. She was going to attend school with people that we did not know, who did not understand the severity of her food allergy. Other students were going to bring lunches and snacks from home, and we could not prevent them from bringing nuts. Some children might come to school with nut residue on their hands, or nut dust on their clothing and backpacks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My child was at risk, and she was too young to protect herself. When she started kindergarten, she could not yet read ingredient labels, and she was not old enough to carry epinephrine or administer it to herself. This meant that we had to depend upon others (teachers, staff, students, and their parents) to keep her safe. We had to hope that other people \u2013 complete strangers \u2013 would not expose her to her allergens. If she were exposed, we had to trust that they would recognize and identify the signs that she was having an anaphylactic reaction, and that they would administer life-saving epinephrine quickly enough to keep her alive. I could not control any of it. And I was terrified.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I hope that the people reading this article never experience that kind of fear and helplessness \u2013 knowing that your child is at risk, hoping that complete strangers will do what is required to keep her safe, and praying that everything will be okay. Over and over. Every day.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But for the parents of children with severe food allergies, for whom this fear is a reality, the suggestions below might help ease the transition from preschool to elementary school. Some of these suggestions might not work for everyone. Every child is different, every school is different, and every situation is unique. Parents and schools must work together to develop a plan that works for them and their situation. But if you aren\u2019t sure where to start the discussion or what to ask for, the list below can be used as a starting point.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"doctor<\/p>\n

How to handle your child\u2019s nut allergy while they\u2019re in school<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

1) Get a doctor\u2019s note.<\/h3>\n

In our experience, it is critically important to get a doctor\u2019s note. A doctor, especially an allergist, will know his or her patient\u2019s medical needs, which is the first step in managing a child\u2019s food allergies at school.\u00a0<\/span>For example, our child\u2019s elementary school did not allow nuts in the classroom, but it did allow nuts at the lunch table in the cafeteria. Because our child could have an anaphylactic reaction from merely touching nut residue or breathing nut dust, her doctor wrote a note stating that it was medically necessary for her to be in a completely nut-free environment, both in the classroom and in the cafeteria.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2) Complete the school health forms.<\/h3>\n

Before the first day of school, investigate whether the school requires <\/span>medical forms<\/span><\/a> to be completed pertaining to the child\u2019s allergy. For example, in addition to the <\/span>School Entrance Heath Form<\/span><\/a>, Virginia has additional forms relating to allergies and asthma \u2013 the <\/span>Anaphylaxis Emergency Action Plan<\/span><\/a> and the <\/span>Virginia Asthma Action Plan<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span> These forms, and any others that the county, city, or school might require, outline what is to be done and who is to be contacted if the child has a medical emergency. Because many of these forms require a physician\u2019s signature, it is important to complete the forms early, well in advance of the first day of school.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3) Schedule a meeting.<\/h3>\n

Before the first day of school, schedule a meeting on campus to discuss the child\u2019s allergy and develop an allergy plan with the teacher, school nurse, resource officer, and any other individual who should be involved. Holding the meeting before school starts is critically important because it provides an opportunity to set expectations, strategize solutions, and have an action plan in place when the child enters the building on the first day.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4) Develop a transportation plan.<\/h3>\n

Children with severe food allergies must always carry or have access to epinephrine because they can be exposed to their allergen anywhere. If the child is going to take the bus to and from school,\"kids parents and schools should ensure that epinephrine is available.<\/span><\/p>\n

When my child was in elementary school, she rode the bus to school in the morning. After school, a daycare van picked her up and drove her to daycare. To ensure that she had continuous access to epinephrine, we placed her epinephrine into a sturdy box that was labeled with her name, school, grade, and teacher, and our phone number, and we placed a copy of her Anaphylaxis Emergency Action Plan into the box. We handed the box to the bus driver in the morning, who then gave it to the staff member on duty in the bus lane, who then gave it to the school nurse for safe keeping (Our child also had epinephrine in the classroom, which remained at the school).<\/p>\n

In the afternoons, the school nurse gave the box to the daycare driver, and then we collected the box when we picked up our child from daycare. We found that pencil boxes manufactured by Vaultz<\/span><\/a> were affordable, readily available, and held up the best, but any sturdy box would work. Note: do not lock the box containing the epinephrine. If the child starts to have an anaphylactic reaction, the bus driver or staff member must be able to access and administer the epinephrine quickly.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5) Send a photo.<\/h3>\n

In our school, the teachers return to campus the week before students arrive. During that week, they attend trainings and prepare for the upcoming year. The principal asked us to provide a photograph of our child so that she could show it to the teachers during one of the training courses, and put them on notice of our child\u2019s allergy.\u00a0<\/span> When our child started school on the first day, she felt like a celebrity because the teachers and staff knew who she was and greeted her by name \u2013 even teachers who taught higher grade levels. Medical information is protected, and so the principal got our permission before discussing our child\u2019s allergy publicly. We always gave permission because we wanted teachers and staff at the school to know about her allergy, so that they could help to keep her safe.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6) Develop a lunch plan.<\/h3>\n

The most dangerous part of the school day for a child with food allergies, is lunchtime. And so, parents and schools should give special consideration to how lunchtime will be handled, to minimize the child\u2019s risk of exposure to their allergen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our child\u2019s lunch plan evolved every year, as she got older. When she started kindergarten, before she could read food labels and fully advocate for herself, the school gave her an assigned seat in the cafeteria, close to the doorway, within view of the nurse\u2019s office. Cafeteria workers and volunteers were told that the child who sat in that seat was allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. They made sure that the other students at the table \u2013 especially the students who sat next to her \u2013 did not have nuts, and the cafeteria workers took extra care when cleaning the table before and after our child\u2019s lunch block.<\/p>\n

As my child got older, and especially after she learned to read food labels, the lunch plan relaxed. For example, when she was in kindergarten, none of the children in her class were allowed to bring nuts for lunch, and both lunch tables for her class were designated as \u201cnut-free.\u201d In later years, when she was less vulnerable, only one of the two tables was designated as \u201cnut-free.\u201d As she got older, her classmates were allowed to bring nuts for lunch if they sat at the other table, and our child could sit wherever she wanted at the \u201cnut-free\u201d table.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

7) Allergy table<\/h3>\n

Some schools have a special table in the cafeteria called an \u201callergy table\u201d where children with food allergies, and perhaps some of their friends, can sit and eat lunch apart from the rest of the class.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Although having an \u201callergy table\u201d is a solution that has worked for many students and schools, that was not a good option for our child. First, not all children at her school were allergic to nuts.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States currently recognizes nine major allergens. The <\/span>Top 9<\/span><\/a> major allergens are:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n