UPDATE IN RED: My son is starting Kindergarten and I'm scared. He has allergies and asthma.
My 5 year old son is starting school next week. He has food allergies. He's allergic to eggs, peanuts, treenuts, and coconuts. He allergic to cats, dogs, pollen, tree's, grass, dust, and so on. And he has asthma.
I am not scared because I don't want my baby to go to school or anything like that. I am scared because I have only let a handful of people take care of my son over the past 5 years because of all his allergies. Now I have to trust an entire school to take care of him.
I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack. I don't know how to handle all this. I have read articles about kids who have died because they got a hold of things they are allergic to at school.
Anyone who is going through or has gone through this, I could really use some advice.
Thanks for listen.
I got to meet my sons teacher. The school put my son with this teacher because 2 of her kids have food allergies. The school gave me all the paper to take to the doctor. I really like the idea of putting a note on the door to let other people know that there is a child with allergies in that class room. I am going to see if I can get a meeting with the teacher before school starts. I want to see the class room and ask how things are done in her class.
My son is aware of his allergies and he know not to take food from people. BUt he has never been in a situation where I wasn't there to check the food before he ate it.
My DD is severely allergic to peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish. She breaks out in hives on days when the pollen counts are high. She went to preschool a few days a week at 3 and 4 years old and started kindergarten at 5. She's now about to turn 8 and begin the 3rd grade.
We've yet to have an allergy related incident at school.
The first, most important thing you can do is empower your son to take control of his allergy management. This is not to say that an adult is not responsible for his ultimate care, but it is so important that an allergic child understand his/her allergies, can communicate those and can feel in control. DD understands not only what she can and can't have, but also how to read labels and what allergic reactions might look like. Further, she's well versed on how to teach others. Starting in preschool, DD has been teaching her peers and teachers about food allergies. Within a week into the school year, she'll have her entire class up to speed. ;) Honestly, we've not had any issues with kids giving her a hard time. In fact, most of her classmates are among her best advocates.
2ndly, get to know the nurse and the teacher. Lay out your expectations. KNow where you are wiling to neogiate and where you are not. Understand what you need to keep DS safe and for your peace of mind. Also, however, know what you can live without. Ask what policy is in place to ensure a substitute will be brought up to speed before DS enters the classroom.
Ask where you can keep a supply of 'safe' snacks. I keep, for example, a box of Entemann's donut holes and a stash of cupcakes in the freezer in the nurses office. When there is a birthday or other classroom celebration, DD goes to the nurse to retrieve one of her safe snacks. I do my best to make sure her cupcakes are always extra fun - rainbow-tie-dye frosting or whatever she requets. My favorite days are the ones when DD comes home and says "So-so and so brought in cupcakes for her birthday and everyone said they wished they had mine." It's not about a pride thing - it's about knowing that a child that has to be excluded for her allergies is viewed as lucky. kwim?
Clearly communicate to the school nurse and teacher what a typical reaction might look like. First, this helps give *you* some peace of mind and second it helps give *them* some peace of mind. :) DD hasn't had a reaction to her food allergens in 4 years. Both times she did, however, the reaction was primarily severe, profuse vomiting and hives. So we're clear with the school that she is highly allergic, she does require an epi-pen and can be at risk for anaphylactic shock, however, "if she throws up, please do not assume I sent her to school with a stomach bug. Please give her a dose of benedryl and then monitor her closely. Ask her what she's eaten, handled, or come in contact with. Call me and her allergist." On days when I see the pollen is shooting up hives, I get in touch with the teacher and nurse - just a heads up, she's coming with hives from the pollen. Don't worry. It's not her food alelrgies, it's the damn oak tree. ;)
I know this is hard. I'm confident the school staff has a handle on how to manage DD's needs. We have a history of success. However, we're heading into a new school year with a new teacher and so there's a little bit of the "unknown" tickling up a little nervous energy. BUT, I also know that we're prepared and we can do this and the school can do this.
Good luck and feel free to PM me if you need to chat.
Quoting c_ramirez8606:I'm sorry to hear you son has gotten sick beause of his lactose intolerant. My biggest fear is that my son will feel pressured into eating something. His allergy to peanuts and treenuts could kill him. He knows not to take food from anyone. But peer pressure is hard to fight sometimes.
I cannot stress enough how helpful it can be to empower your child to be able to explain and share his allergy needs with peers. Honestly. We're very clear with DD about what could happen if she were to eat her allergens. She remembers her last reaction vividly and it was over 4 years ago. We allow her to practice with a Epi Pen trainer - both recieving 'shots' with the trainer and giving everything and anything in her wake shots with it. As I noted before, she's been teaching others about allergies since she was diagnosed at 2 years old. Seriously.
Also, building self-esteem outside of allergies is tremendously important. Knowing you can say no and stand by it no matter what is being pressured is huge. Being able to know that what you eat should not dictate whether you're fitting in. Being able to say no and why goes a long way. Being able to say "no and I don't care what you think about it" is even bigger. And believe me, it *is* possible for a 5 year old to do it. Mine did. She's now about to turn 8 and still does it very well.
When she gets to school next month, the teacher will outline who can and cannot sit by Meg at lunch based on what's in their lunch box. Over the next several weeks, Meg will explain to anyone and everyone that sits still long enough what she's allergic to, what can happen and what she can/can't have. Within the first month of school, her classmates will have it down. I hear often from other parents that their child has come home and said "please do not give me PBJ for lunch I want to eat with Megan today." or "Can you check the label on the box for peanuts and nuts? My friend can't have them and I want to sit with her." I've heard countless stories about how it's Meg's friends that will ask the teacher to read a label on a craft item or a party treat before Megan can do so herself. I've had her friends ask *me* if I double checked a snack. In kindergarten the kids had 5th grade buddies that came down one afternoon to share lunch with them. One of the older buddies had a PBJ. Meg was knew she would be ok as long as she didn't sit next to this older boy and didn't touch anything he did or share food with him. Her friends, however, told this boy he couldn't eat until they moved him. Then the got the teacher and told her that the older boy (a cousin of one of the younger boys) had to have a new seat because it wasn't "fair to make Megan move from her usual seat because he didn't know the rule to keep her safe." Honestly, her classmates are usually even more strict then she or I would be -- and we're pretty darn hardlined when it comes to her allergies.
Protein in the lunch box?
- c_ramirez8606
on Aug. 9, 2012 at 9:45 PM