What a 3yo with Food Allergies Wants You to Know
she wants you to give her (only) allergen free foods to keep her safe 🙂
I can’t keep an eye on her to see what others offer her 24/7 so when you take extra care to not expose her to her allergens, you make her wish (and mine!) come true.
Considering she has multiple food allergies, I have to triple check food labels and often email the food company due to possible cross contamination issues in the production facilities and “may contain” labels.
Not fun fact: companies are not required by law to write “May Contain” on their products
but this label could well be the difference between life & death for 1 in 3 children (the amount of kids with food allergies)...
#foodallergyawareness Tip No. 4
Please, please confirm if it’s OK with the parents of children with food allergies before offering the child food 💛
What Food Allergy Parents Want You to Know
Truth is (almost) anyone can help support Food Allergy families like ours.
Here are some hard truths that (if you know) will help you help us:
▪️food allergies are a serious medical condition
▪️like Emma, 1 in 13 kids have food allergies
▪️if Emma eats a food allergen, she could die
▪️we want to feel safe + not feel like an inconvenience
▪️she wants to play & have fun like your kid #inclusion
before anyone says “I feel so bad for you. I wouldn’t last a day in your shoes”— 🛑✋stawp it. we don’t want to be felt bad for! we want to be supported in tangible ways that nearly everyone is capable of.
Here’s how:
#foodallergyawareness Tip No. 3
Ask questions— we love good allergy questions backed by genuine curiosity and openness. there are so many allergy myths out there. we are grateful for anyone who has a heart of “how can I help keep your child safe?”
Thank you in advanced for the empathy, support, and questions. If you have any now feel free to leave them below (:
I’ll do my best to get to them!
Take Food Allergies Seriously
we were hanging out at a park when we received a call— a dinner invitation.
not long ago, I hesitated & often declined to take Emma to anyone’s house because it can be difficult and very awkward on both party’s ends to keep a toddler with multiple food allergies safe…
…but today gave me hope
recently upon seeing Emma have an allergic reaction, her grandparents began to take action in light of her allergies and are learning to take precautionary measure to protect Emma alongside us. it’s making a world of a difference.
today, they thoroughly wiped down their dining table (we use Branch Basics to clean surfaces), agreed to triple wash their kitchenware with emma’s allergen-free *Branch Basics soap + a new sponge, and made her a fresh batch of her favorite Korean soup + an organic veggie platter
it more than warms my heart to be able to sit down and enjoy a meal surrounded by friends/family who are all looking out for my allergy child. I feel like I can breathe.
Me: “this month is Food Allergy awareness month. As grandparents to a child with food allergies what advice would you give someone who doesn’t have allergies?”
Emma’s grandpa: “Take it seriously— people don’t think allergies are a serious issue. They think it’s not a big deal. But it can be life threatening.”
tonight’s dinner conversation naturally led me to:
#foodallergyawareness Tip No. 2
Take food allergies SERIOUSLY— a snack for one kid can be literal poison for another.
in the past, we’ve been dismissed, laughed at, and seen as “difficult”— I get it! no one wants to face the reality that an innocent treat can end my child life, but…
friendly REMINDER:
a person’s allergies aren’t a “diet choice” or a “lifestyle” — our child did not choose to have allergies.
A food allergy is a medical condition. Seriously, it’s not a choice.
Thank you for taking this seriously!
* this referral link gets you $10 off your branch basics order. I get a small referral credit that comes at no additional cost to you.
