What Should I Do About My Child With Food Allergies When He/She Goes To School, Camp, Restaurants?

— -- Question: What should I do about my child with food allergies when he/she goes to school, camp, restaurants?

Answer: Any time a child goes to school, camp or to a restaurant with a food allergy can be a very frightening thing. It's important to call ahead and make sure that the restaurant or the school is able to have a nutritional meal ready for the child that avoids the allergenic foods the child is sensitive to.

It's also important to have a written action plan so if there is an accidental ingestion and the child has a reaction, people know what to do.

It's important that the child know what he's allergic to, but it's also important that they have a medical alert bracelet so that other people can tell what they're allergic to if the child is unable to explain it to them as he should.

And finally, it's important that the child have an epinephrine injector or EpiPen available in case there is an ingestion and allergic reaction so the child can be giving emergency medications.

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