We hope that this section will continue to grow and develop as ideas and experiences are shared in order to help make life easier. We have provided a simple chart for you to print and fill out as a food and symptom diary. This will act, not only as a prompt for when your child reacts, but could also help you to remember your child's presentation over time and so inform your discussions with healthcare professionals.
Below are our top tips. Most of them are from experience, talking with other parents and just common sense. We hope that there may be some ideas that will be helpful to you and your child.
In the home:
Minimise cross contamination:
- Hot dishwasher cycle if available. If hand washing, wash your allergic child's plates and cutlery before others in hot, soapy water
- Check your washing up liquid ingredients - we found that ours contained whey
- Use a separate shelf in your fridge for allergy free food, preferably on the top shelf
- Use clean kitchen roll to clean surfaces
- Prepare allergy free food first
- Use separate chopping boards, cheese graters, knives etc
- Teach your child to wash his/her hands before eating
- Have separate biscuit/treat tins
Talk and share with your child and family:
As parents we are responsible for preparing our children for life outside the home. The list is endless, learning social skills, how to play together, take turns, be patient and for your allergic child learning about safe and unsafe foods is part of that preparation.
Teach your child as they get older to know what they can and cannot eat and to ask for help if they do not know. This will empower your child, allowing them to gain all important independence and it will help relieve your anxiety as a parent.
- Although it is difficult, try to allow other members of the family to eat a diet as any other non-allergenic person would. Your allergic child has to grow up knowing that other people eat different things and some things he/she cannot eat. It is a fact of life for your allergic child so preparing them in the home for life outside is essential. For the other family members, they can also learn how to safely eat their food without excluding the allergic child.
Cooking:
- Try to make allergy free recipes for the whole family. Start with meals with substitutes that are easy to buy such as dairy free milk and cheese, try some of our recipes and then start to expand your repertoire.
Going out:
- Always take medication - epipen/piriton etc
- Wipe surfaces with antibacterial wipes, especially the table and around the highchair where your babies skin may come into contact
- Look on line for restaurants menus or phone ahead to ask about catering for allergies
- Always take your child's meal with you and your own snacks as a back up
Baby and Toddler groups:
- Take biscuits and drinks with you to cater for snack time
- Be snack aware - look in supermarkets at the ingredients of the snacks provided at the group. Aim to be as inclusive as possible for your child. Occasionally the provided snack may be a safe option.
Nursery and childminders:
- Provide the nursery/childminder with correct written information
- Get a doctors note with medication instructions, symptoms to spot and a photo of your child
- Check training and protocols about anaphylaxis and the management of other children's food
- Provide appropriate medication
Parties:
- Accept help. If the host offers to provide for your child, give them a list of safe foods or try to provide similar snacks for your child so that they can be included
- Have an ally. Ask a friend to help you keep an eye on your child
- Check party bags for sweets, biscuits and chocolates and try to replace them with allergy friendly alternatives
- Go prepared - party games often include chocolates and sweets. Take alternatives for your child.
- Accept that you have to be extra vigilant. You are not being an over protective parent. You are being responsible for your child's safety.
- Run through a 'what if....' plan in your head or with a friend/partner/relative for the worst case scenario.
- Don't allow your child to share cups, drinking straws, utensils with other children. If another child uses your child's discreetly remove it or clean with a Milton surface wipe.
Shopping:
- Supermarkets provide 'Free from....' lists. You can access these online from the supermarkets website. Always check the labels anyway however and make sure your lists are up to date.
- Always check labels. My friend had kindly bought crumpets from a 'free from' range which I wrongly assumed would be dairy and egg free. I doubled checked the ingredients too late and they contained egg white. Zach had a severe reaction.
- Compulsory labeling - manufacturers must label 14 allergenic ingredients (EU Labeling Directive, 2007):
- Cereals containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, and kamut)
- Crustaceans (crab, lobster, crayfish, shrimp, prawn)
- Egg
- Fish
- Peanuts
- Soybeans
- Tree nuts (almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, Brazils, pistachio, macadamia and Queensland nuts)
- Celery and celeriac
- Mustard
- Sesame seeds
- Sulphites (in concentrations over 10 parts per million)
- Milk (including lactose)
- Lupin
- Molluscs (oysters, clams, mussels, squid, abalone, octopus and snail
- It's best to buy fresh, unprocessed food.
- Keep allergenic food in a separate part of the trolley in case of spills.
Other stuff:
- A coconut is not a nut, it is a seed from the coco palm.
- Water chestnuts are not nuts
- Nutmeg is not a nut
- Cocoa is safe for dairy allergy sufferers. Cocoa butter is also safe
- Lecithin emulsifier and E322 can be derived from soya or egg but labeling will specify. If made from egg it is not thought that this is enough to trigger a reaction in a sensitive individual.
