Keeping Your Child with Food Allergies Safe on Field Trips

When your child deals with food allergies it is your role as a constant guard to make sure that your child stays safe. One of the easiest ways to make sure your child stays away from foods that they are allergic to is to make sure you are always around, but that is not practical. It gets very hard to make sure your child stays safe when they are in situations that are not typical, such as a school field trip. These are some tips to give you peace of mind that your child will be safe while on a school field trip.

Make sure everyone knows exactly what your child is allergic to. This seems obvious, but you need to make sure your child's teacher and any other adults on the field trip know exactly what your child is allergic to. Make sure to mention any common items that contain the item, for example if your child is allergic to peanut butter some people might not think about it before they give your child peanut butter crackers. If you can give your child's teacher a list of all common items that your child is allergic to it should help clear up any problems.

Make sure your child knows what they are allergic to. Often people forget how important it is to teach your child about their allergy. Kids can learn to stand up for themselves, and make sure they don't pick foods that they can't have. Older kids can usually easily make sure they stay away from foods that contain things they are allergic to. Younger kids can learn to not take any foods from people that don't know about their allergies. Also teach younger kids that its not okay to trade lunches or snacks with other kids.

Send a lunch if you can. If your child has several food allergies, or is allergic to things that are harder to avoid such as wheat sending a lunch is often the best option. When you send a lunch for your child you can make sure everything they will be eating for lunch is perfectly safe for them.

Be prepared in case anything happens. Make sure your child wears a medical ID bracelet identifying what they are allergic to, and how to treat it. Also make sure you have a phone number that you can be reached at. Make sure your phone number is on the medical ID bracelet, and that the teacher has your phone number. Be sure to tell the teacher to feel free to call you if she has any questions regarding what your child can have or if anything happens.

When you have a child with food allergies it can be scary when they are away from you, but it can be safe. You just need to make sure you follow these tips, and your child should be able to have a fun safe field trip. I know as a parent it often seems like it is our job to worry, but we never want that worry to get in the way of our child growing up and having fun.