Dealing With Your Kids Allergies

I have to say that the scariest day of my life since becoming a parent was the day we discovered Mason had a peanut allergy. He was 11 months old and that evening he had tasted a little bit of peanut butter. Within minutes of tasting it, he threw it up and started to get hives on his face. I called 911 and the fire department came immediately. We ended up taking an ambulance to the emergency room which Mason was ecstatic with. He had no idea what was going on the entire time. Thank god for that.

That doesn't make your fear or anxiety go away though. You still think to yourself, What if someone doesn't know and gives it to him accidentally? What if I forget to tell them? What if he sneaks it on his own? I just wanted to share some tips and friendly reminders that Scott and I use when it comes to Mason and hopefully they can help you the way they have helped us.

1) Maintain a clutter free kitchen! It sounds silly but with certain allergies, cross contamination can be the culprit. So make sure to keep a clean, cutter free countertop!

2) Store household cleaner where you use it! If you store it out in the open on the countertop where you're more likely to see it, you will be more likely to use it after cooking or prepping.

3) Designate a safe zone at the table. Mason has the same spot at the table everyday to again avoid cross contamination.

4) Contain allergy friendly foods in one area. We keep Mason and P's snacks that they can safely eat and grab on their own in their own little cupboard. Again, it's to avoid them grabbing any peanut related items.

5) Create a medication station in your kitchen! You're more likely to keep your medications in the bathroom but if it's a food allergy you're dealing with, you want the medication where it's close by and where it's more likely to happen at. Meaning the kitchen. We have Mason's medications in a basket on top of the fridge. Safe and out of reach but still in reach for us if we need them.

6) Create a caregiver book. Prepare a three-ring binder with all your child's allergy information including allergy treatment authorization forms, pertinent allergy information, a list of all medications taken, a list with phone numbers of all health care providers, EpiPen® or Twinject® instructions, medical history, schedules, allergy friendly recipes, etc. Having this information centrally located will make it easy to find in an emergency.

7) Keep wipes in your vehicle: Keep a supply of antibacterial wipes in your vehicle so you are prepared to wipe down table surfaces where ever you go

8) Create Play Date Cards. Business size cards typed with important contact information on one side and applicable emergency instructions on the other can give you some peace of mind when allowing your child to play at the home of another.