When your child heads off to school, it can be a stressful time. Any allergy is difficult for a child to deal with, but peanut allergies can be deadly when not taken care of swiftly and appropriately. Thankfully, just because your child is away at school doesn’t mean that they are away from the help they need.
4 steps to take if your children attend school with peanut allergies
Here are a few things you can do to help prepare the school against a potential allergy trigger.
Meet with Teachers
People have become more and more aware of peanut allergies and their dangers in recent years. However, not every peanut allergy case is the same. You definitely want to take time to speak with teachers so they’re aware of any relevant information regarding your child and their allergy. This includes:
- specifying other nut allergies your child may have
- what their most common outbreak symptoms are
- what steps to take when an outbreak is taking place or suspected
Meet With Cafeteria Staff
Medical authorization forms are documents you need for legal protection when your school-age child with allergies begin attending class. Don’t stop with the teachers. The cafeteria staff should be widely familiar with your child and his or her needs. Cross-contamination guidelines should be in place already, and taking the time to speak with the cafeteria workers about your concerns helps make them aware of ingredients in foods.
Many schools today are already putting bans on nut-based products to protect students with allergies. However, taking the time to go over your child’s needs with the staff can help them know to keep a special eye out in regards to what comes in contact with your child.
Purchase a Medical Alert Bracelet
Medical alert bands are a huge help in case of emergencies. Should a situation arise where your child need medical assistance but isn’t able to communicate for any reason, medical alert bracelets tell paramedics and other emergency responders your child has a peanut allergy.
Even if the allergy isn’t the immediate danger, it’ll let them know the presence of peanut products could significantly worsen the situation. You can put crucial information about the allergy in your child’s backpack. Perhaps, give it to the teacher and office staff.
Set-up an Emergency Plan
Another important step when sending children with peanut allergies to school: ensure the teachers and administrators in charge of your child know what steps to take in an emergency. This includes providing the necessary emergency materials like an Epi-pen.
These medical devices can bring your child out of anaphylaxis should they come in contact with peanuts or peanut oils. To make sure an Epi-pen’s on hand in the event of an emergency, put together an emergency kit for the teachers. It’s the best way to ensure your child has immediate access to what they need should their allergies be triggered.
Food allergies can be deadly even if they start out minor. Because of this, it’s essential those in charge of your child are prepared to act in the event of an emergency. As awareness continues to spread, schools are becoming safer and more capable of handling these sorts of emergencies. However, never assume that they are prepared until you have taken the time to speak to your school’s teachers and administrators.
Author bio: Meghan Belnap is a freelance writer who enjoys spending time with her family. She loves being in the outdoors and exploring new opportunities whenever they arise. Meghan finds happiness in researching new topics that help to expand her horizons. You can often find her buried in a good book or out looking for an adventure. You can connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
