Every family that has a child with allergies needs an allergy action plan, but if your child is at risk for a severe allergic reaction, a firm plan is even more important.
Just like every child is different, so is every allergy action plan. By working closely with your child’s doctor, you'll be able to take into account all likely allergic reactions and come up with a plan tailored just for your child. Then you'll need to share it with all of your child’s caregivers.
A good allergy action plan should include:
- Allergy triggers to avoid
- When to take allergy medications
- When to increase allergy medications
- When to call the doctor
- When to take emergency measures
Allergic Reactions and Severe Allergies
About 50 million Americans experience allergic reactions. Most of these allergies start in childhood with typical symptoms of hay fever (allergic rhinitis), such as runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing. Severe allergies aren’t as common, but they're a lot scarier for you and your child.
“The allergic reactions that doctors worry most about most are asthma and anaphylaxis,” says Robert A. Wood, MD, a professor of pediatrics and chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, Md. Anaphylaxis is an extreme and sudden allergic reaction that causes difficulty breathing and can cause dangerous heart and blood pressure problems. About 1 percent of all anaphylaxis reactions are fatal.
Strategies for Avoiding Food Allergies
Food allergies are the most common triggers for anaphylaxis. The most common food allergies in kids are milk products, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and shellfish. A recent survey of food allergy in American children found that 8 percent of children have food allergies and that of those kids, almost 40 percent have severe food allergies.
“About half of children with food allergies outgrow them, but allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, and seafood are likely to persist,” Dr. Wood says.
Here's how you and other caregivers can keep your child safe:
- “If your child has a severe food allergy, it’s best to just keep those foods out of the house completely,” Wood says.
- Make sure all babysitters and family members who come to your home know about your child’s food allergy and are familiar with the allergy action plan.
- Meet with your child’s caregivers at school or camp, including the school or camp nurse, to give them a copy of your child’s allergy action plan and to review their policies for dealing with food allergies.
- When traveling, make sure to take along all of the allergy medications your allergy action plan requires and plan ahead to find restaurants and hotels that are food-allergy-friendly.
- When eating out, don’t be afraid to call ahead and speak with the manager. Avoid restaurants that have buffets and serve premade foods. Take your child's allergy medication with you just in case.
What Your Child Needs to Know
It’s important to talk about allergies with your child. How you talk with your child about allergies, however, depends on the child’s age. For example, a younger child may need to be warned not to accept food from anyone. For older kids, stress the importance of self-management.
Other tips for talking with your kids about allergies include:
- Make sure you've done your homework first. Know the facts about allergies.
- Keep it simple. Make allergy information easy to understand.
- Describe what can happen when allergies flare up.
- Make sure your child knows to carry their medication with them at all times.
- Make sure your child has a basic understanding of their prescribed allergy medications and how to use them. Practice using the medications as you talk about them.
- Make sure your child knows what to do in the event of an allergy emergency, including calling 911.
To help teach young children about allergies, check out the "Just for Kids" page on the Web site of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.