Back to school with food allergies: how can you prepare?

16th August 2023

Back to school with food allergies: how can you prepare?

It’s a scary time in any parent’s life: when your child goes off to school. Whether they’re just starting primary or are moving up to secondary school, you can’t help but feel this anxiety. Will they be okay? Will they do well? And will they make friends? All completely understandable concerns.

But if your child has an allergy, that’s a whole new level of stress. Not only are you worrying about the above, but now you have to face the prospect of letting your child head into an environment you can’t control. It’s something you can’t avoid. There is a silver lining, though. You can be proactive. Here’s our advice for managing your child’s allergies as they head back to school.

Talk to the school ahead of time

Your best first move is to let the school know that your child has an allergy. Yes, even if they’ve been going there for a few years already, it’s still best to check in every September. The school will have a duty of care to look after your child. The Children and Families Act 2014 makes it a legal requirement for them to make arrangements for pupils with medical conditions – and that includes allergies.

Talking to them allows you to get on the same page. What are your concerns? How do they address them? Ask about their allergy policy and what their response is to an allergic reaction. This conversation may also involve school nurses and catering staff, especially if your child has a food allergy.

Talk to your child

Depending on their age, there’s a good chance your child already knows how to handle their allergy – at least partly. They’re going to have to be responsible for themselves, so the more you can equip them with knowledge, the better.

For younger kids, it’s about making sure they know which foods (or other allergens) make them sick and to avoid them. No trading snacks or accepting food they don’t know. It’s also important you explain why – you don’t have to go into all the worst details, but they should know that “X food = sick”.

Older kids are more likely to be aware of their allergies, but they’re also at that age where identity is important to them. What teenagers want is to feel in control of their lives, especially when they have an allergy that holds them back. So work with them to come up with a plan. Give them some control in how they manage their condition.

What happens to their adrenaline auto-injector (AAI)?

Each school will have its own policy in how it handles any AAI. In fact, they should have a tailored allergy plan for each child with the condition. And that will involve the question of what to do with AAIs.

There are two concerns for you here: location and staff training. Where are the AAIs stored? And how long will it take for them to reach your child in an emergency? Anything longer than 5 minutes is a no go, so make sure it’s closer than that. Older kids may be allowed to carry their own on their person. 

In regards to staff training, you’ll want to know who is capable of administering the AAI in case of an attack. If the school doesn’t have someone, make sure they work on getting a teacher or member of staff qualified before term starts.

Controlling food

It’s hard to talk about allergies without specifically mentioning food allergies. They’re common and can lead to some of the most fatal reactions. This is why you want to talk to the catering staff at the school. They should be required to make reasonable adjustments for certain pupils, so ask what their policy on food allergens is. How do they mitigate risk?

If their answers don’t fill you with confidence, consider packed lunches. It’s much easier to control. Talk to the school about potentially setting up a lunch buddy system so your child can eat at a table with students that have allergy-safe food.

Will this remove your anxiety? Likely not – nothing ever will. But will it at least make you feel more prepared? Absolutely. These are proactive steps you can take to make sure your child is as safe as can be. It’s a difficult time, but one you can get through together.

If you need more advice and strategies for managing your child’s allergies, get in touch with our experts today. You can register as a new patient or simply call us on 02031 433 449.

Can you prevent allergies in your newborn baby?

22nd July 2020

Can you prevent allergies in your newborn baby?

Being the parent of a newborn baby can be a stressful time. Wrapped up in that bundle of joy is the worry about their health. One thing in particular that has gripped parents is the fear of a deadly food allergy or anything else they might be allergic to.

And it’s no surprise; it’s believed that 1 in 4 people in the UK have an allergy at some point in their lives. This is part of a wider trend of more and more people being diagnosed with allergies. It’s estimated that food allergy cases have risen by 50% in the past decade. But is there any way to prevent allergies in your newborn baby?

The mother’s diet

Some advice that you might see thrown about is to restrict what you eat while you’re pregnant. You would stop eating food that your child could be allergic to, such as peanuts, eggs, or dairy. This advice is false. There is no strong evidence that restricting what you eat will help your baby avoid allergies. This goes for after the birth when you’re breastfeeding – eat away!

Breastfeeding

Speaking of which, you should breastfeed your baby if you can, for at least the first six or so months, if not well beyond that. It isn’t likely to cause an allergic reaction in your infant and has great benefits to their immune system. It also has benefits for the mother and is a great way to build a strong bond with your new child. As for how it affects allergies, it’s not big enough to cause concern; you can’t pass your allergy down through the milk.

Introducing new foods

The right time to introduce solid foods to your child is at about six months old. If they can support their head, they should be fine with new foods. They shouldn’t be completely solid; try mushed-up food, pastes, or other popular baby food. Some say you shouldn’t introduce likely allergy triggers such as peanuts, eggs, or dairy, but research actually shows the opposite.

It recommends giving them to your child when they’re used to more solid food, trying one at a time. Delaying feeding them to your baby might actually increase the likelihood of them developing an allergy.

Asthma

It’s not a food allergy but is a common ailment in children, affecting 1 in 11 kids. To give your child the best chances of avoiding it, you should keep asthma triggers away from them if you can. This might mean taking the carpet out of their bedroom and using wooden or wood-effect floors to remove dust mites. Regularly wash their bedding and pillows (at least once a week). And this one goes without saying – don’t smoke around them.

If you’re scared about your child’s health, don’t be. By being sensible, you can make sure your baby has a normal life. If you ever have any allergy concerns, get in touch with your doctor for their expert advice. Just give your child the best life and if they do ever develop allergies, you can follow the advice in some of our other blogs.

Your child can still live a normal life with an allergy. If you want to talk to an allergy specialist, reach out to us on 02031 433 449.