Saturday, January 16, 2010

How To Keep Your Allergic Children Safe

By Lakisha Cotta

It can be hard to know what to do when you find out that you have allergic children. You hardly know what questions to ask, and it can be hard knowing what exactly you need to do to take the best possible care of your child. You might even wonder how this happened, and how you're going to be able to protect your child, especially if they have a severe food allergy. Before you panic, take a deep breath and calm down. There are some simple steps you can take to make certain your allergic children are safe and healthy.

The first thing to do to protect allergic children is to remove any food items which contains the allergen. If your child's allergy is severe, then you have to know that it doesn't matter how small the percentage is, it has to go. One prime example is someone suffering a peanut allergy. Peanut oil can be just as dangerous as the peanuts themselves, and peanut oil is in many common foods you can buy in the supermarket. This means you have to take more time when you go shopping for groceries to read all of the ingredients carefully. But this is a small task that any parent will gladly suffer to protect their child from harm.

Make certain your child's teacher or daycare is aware of their allergies. Many schools are aware of the dangers faced by allergic children, and will already know what steps to take. But for babysitters, family members and even family friends who may unknowingly bring food into the house, make certain they know what your child can and cannot eat. Take the time to set out a plan of action in case your child is accidentally exposed, and keep a copy of that plan posted on the fridge or somewhere easy to find. Keep a pre-measured dose of Benadryl or an Epi-pen nearby to make it easy to find in case you or your child's caretaker has need of it.

Remember to include your friends and family on your plans to take care of your allergic children. The more people who know what to do in case of an emergency, and are aware of what foods may be dangerous to your child, the less chance there will be of accidental exposure. If you are traveling for the holidays or on vacation, don't be afraid to tell restaurants about your child's needs and restrictions. Many times they will have alternatives for your child's meal.

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