by Pat Merewether

Created on: February 25, 2008

Eating away from home can be worrisome and a risky business if your child has allergies. Here are a few tips for making eating out a more pleasant and safe experience.

Medic Alert Bracelet:
The first thing you should do when you learn that your child has allergies is to purchase a medic alert bracelet or pendent and make sure your child knows how important it is to wear it whenever they leave the house, or preferably all the time. Make sure you get a quality one. My friend had a gold one made with a gold chain for her daughter after several others turned green on her neck.

Educate Your Child and Others:
The best protection for your child with allergies is knowledge. Our daughters friend is a allergic to peanuts. It can be deadly for her to eat even one. So, her mother taught her about her allergy and what to say to keep her healthy when she was away from home. She was only three-years old when she first came to our house and she told me first thing, "I can't have peanuts, ever." Since my kids practically lived on PB&J, it was a good thing Mia told me this! Make sure your child informs anyone who may be responsible for feeding them; relatives, friend's and their parents, camp counselors, teachers, care givers, neighbors or classmates.

Take your child to the grocery store and show them the foods they should never eat. Have them help you make a list of foods they should avoid and have them carry the list with them when they go to a friends house or are away from home visiting relatives or at camp.

Restaurants
Mia always brought a snack. When she went to a restaurant, she was very careful about what she ordered. I was so impressed with her when she informed a waitress at a family restaurant about her allergy. The waitress was very considerate and careful. Just in case, however, she avoids fried foods or foods with sauces or dressings as they can have small amounts of peanut oil in them.

Take Your Own Food
Mia often took her own snacks or lunch when she'd visit our house or went on camp outs or sleepovers. Kids don't like being different, however, and although Mia is very secure and smart about her situation, we sometimes try to eat only what she eats to make her feel more a part of things. It's not that difficult and makes us all feel better.

Mia is not grown up with children of her own. Happily, none of her children have food allergies. Taking a few extra precautions kept Mia safe and healthy and we're all happy to have helped.

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