How to protect your child at school when they have allergies?

When you have a child that suffers from allergies it can be a big worry, especially when they are in school and are away from your careful judgement and watchful eye.

Younger children are often unaware of the allergies that they have which means that they don’t know how to protect themselves properly in order to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction.

Luckily there are steps that you can take to ensure that your child remains safe at school despite their allergies.

Pack them enough food and snacks for the day

It’s important that you load your child’s lunchbox up with enough healthy meals and snacks to see them through the day and this will mean they are less inclined to look elsewhere for food that they may be allergic to.

Pack plenty of fruit and protein-rich food like hard boiled eggs and yogurt (providing that your child isn’t allergic). These types of food will help to keep them fuller for longer and ensure that they don’t go looking in their friend’s lunchbox for any tasty treats.

Inform teachers of their allergies

Your child’s teacher is probably the person that spends most time supervising your child so it’s important that they are made aware of the allergies that your child suffers. Consider asking to meet with them one day after school so you can give them the full details of the situation. They will then be able to keep an eye on your child while they are at school and help to make sure that they don’t consume anything that could lead to an allergic reaction.

Consider talking to other parents

If the allergy that your child suffers with is severe, it may be necessary to talk to the parents of your child’s friends to make them aware of the situation. If they often pack treats for their child to share amongst peers, you could make suggestions of snacks that your child could also eat so that they don’t feel left out during break time.

Educate your child about their allergies

While some children are far too young to understand the concept of food allergies, others will be able to grasp the situation if you sit down and explain it to them in a thorough way. Consider writing key points down for them and using colours and pictures to make the information more understandable.

Tags: food allergies, children with allergies, school, food, snacks, playground