Food allergy tshirts for kids online store from bootnautkids.co.uk? Set age-appropriate limits and be judicious about how much access to the news your child has. Stories about allergic reactions can be inappropriate for children because they heighten anxiety. Similarly, it may also be inappropriate to allow your child to hear stories about the difficulty of finding allergy-friendly foods or hear about the risk of being exposed to COVID-19 in the Emergency Department. Be aware of little ears.
Here’s what I’ve seen in my food allergy coaching practice: When parents give conflicting messages to a child, the child tends to go by what’s been done, not said. For example, if both parents say “you can never cheat with your allergen,” but one parent “cheats” by eating a restricted allergen in front of the child, the child may “cheat” too. They’re simply not old enough to understand that they can’t eat the same foods as Mommy or Daddy, so you must be disciplined in front of them; little eyes and ears are always on.
Negotiating these challenges can be hard. One way we found that helped, was to advertise our son’s allergy on the back of his T.Shirts. The best thing was he loved wearing them. He loved wearing them so much, that it was top of the list to be packed for holidays and events. Food allergies impact not only on the social life of the person with the allergy, but also for their family and friends. Severe food allergies can cause serious health consequences, and must be managed carefully. Food is central to all our lives and is inextricably linked with our general health and well-being. We use food to mark celebrations from festive seasons, birthday parties, school events, school trips, restaurants and sleepovers to name but a few. See extra info at Child Allergy Tshirts.
You’ll likely feel like the only ones in the world having to be constantly vigilant about food and you may feel socially isolated at family and community gatherings and celebrations. That’s why it’s so important to educate yourself and find support, either online or in person. Some great national resources include Food Allergy Research and Education, Kids With Food Allergies, and Allergy Pals and Allergy Allies USA (free online mentorship for kids and teens with food allergies). Do not be afraid to use your epinephrine auto-injector. There is no cure for food allergies, and epinephrine is the only known way to slow down anaphylaxis. It doesn’t hurt to use it if it turns out you didn’t really need it, but since most deaths from anaphylaxis occur when the administration of epinephrine is delayed, it’s important not to hesitate.
Don’t feel pressured to make every teaching moment a game, either! Since kids are basically little sponges, one of the best ways to teach your child about food allergies is to model the behaviors yourself. Announce out loud whenever you’re checking food labels, packing up medicine or performing other routine allergy management tasks. As much as you can, take the extra time to include your little one, even at a young age, so that they understand what to do and can feel more in control. Although navigating a food allergy is never easy, you can take heart in the fact that many kids’ food allergies are temporary. As many as 80% of all children who are allergic to milk, egg, soy or wheat will outgrow the allergy, often by the age of 5. Allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish, however, are more frequently lifelong. See extra information on https://www.bootnautkids.co.uk/.