Juniper Skinner is giving away a signed copy of her book
Food Allergies and Me.
Contest Now Closed
Just tell us in the comments how do you support, empower, or educate your allergic child?
Winner will be drawn January 31, at that time the winner will be notified.
More about this book from amazon:
Food Allergies and Me is a children's book that provides an engaging and relatable experience for children who are beginning to learn about and cope with food allergies. Explore the life of a food allergic child as you follow Jack through a day of school, an allergist appointment, and the playground. Young children will begin to understand the importance of identifying allergens, asking for help when unsure, and alerting an adult immediately should they experience symptoms of an allergic reaction. Jack’s confidence demonstrates to the reader that having a food allergy is not a stigma or shame. Rather, it is a safety issue made simple with the ability to self advocate. Whether a child has allergies or has a friend who does, they will benefit from social lessons such as not sharing food, washing hands, and embracing one another’s differences. This book equips children with social and safety knowledge, as well as the tools needed to confidently navigate life with food allergies.
http://www.foodallergiesandme.com/
27 comments:
My daughter is 26 months old and we have begun teaching her about her allergies. One of the main things we are doing right now is teachign her about different kinds of foods and teaching her the different things dairy is called (cream, cheese, milk etc..) She is starting to learn that some foods have things you can't see in them and it's very important to ask mom or dad if they can eat something before just picking something up or sharing with a friend. She is getting very good at identifying these things, but it's a long road ahead!
let them know from the start what is happening mverno@roadrunner.com
Loads of ways to do this. One thing I do is discuss what food will be available before we go to a place, then ask my son if he would like to take his own snack along in case he can't eat any of it. It gets him thinking about the situation and he then can plan to not be hungry.
My girl is almost 9 and has a peanut allergy. My most important job in all of these is education. I try really hard to inform others about the allergy and how to properly deal with it.
My daugther is well aware of her allergy and copes with it well.
My little boy, Wesley, has had severe food allergies since he was 12 months old. We found out the scary way!
I immediately bought him a medical alert bracelet with his name phone number and allergens on it. Before he could even say his name, if someone asked he would show them his bracelet. Now, the first thing he does when he meets someone is show them his bracelet and says "allergies. milk. soy. eggs" He always asks before he eats anything.
He has just turned 3 and we haven't had an ER visit for a while. I even ask at the dentist office if their supplies have allergens in them (once something did) I would rather look like a psycho helicopter momma than my baby get hurt!
It's hard to trust others with such things. People know not to let a kid play with cleaning supplies or paint thinner... it's a completely different thing when it is common foods that they eat everyday. Wesley and I like to educate others about his allergens.
My daughter is 2. She is allergic to Dairy, Eggs, Peanut and Wheat. We are begining to tell her that certain food make her sick. She really does not get it yet but we have educated the other 3 kids with no FA to help keep her safe. My 4 year old son knows how to recognize the food that will hurt his sister. We have also began to tag food that is safe for my daugter with a certain color. We do not keep a lot of food in the house that can hurt her but the ones that are unsafe have a different color tag. We will bring other food into the house when she realizes she can't put everything in her mouth. At this age she wants what we are eating so I primarly cook what is safe for her
i am motivated to keep up with my blog so we can keep track of safe foods and recipes and so i can keep others informed, especially my family. keeping them informed means we are nurturing the support we have. the more support, the more normal our lives can be. the more normal, the happier our kids are. thanks for the chance!
We started a support group at our sons' school where kids learn about cross contamination, food safety, and have fun learning about managing food allergies together. At home I teach my kids how to prepare food, and when we shop I teach them how to read labels. I would use the book with our club kids.
I have taught my son that even adults do not know if a food is safe, the only person he can accept food from is me and I will do my best always to keep him safe. As he gets older, he understands that "safe" food from a manufacturer may not always be "safe" because of cross contamination. At almost 9, he is very aware of his body and respects his symptoms.
My 8.5 mth old is too young to understand his 4 major allergies but we are slowly educating our 2 yr old (who has been recently tested and has egg & peanut) allergies (thank goodness we held off peanut butter!!!)as to what he can have & cannot have & also how he is unable to share dairy, wheat, with the baby. We are open and honest with him and let him know what will make him sick & he has first hand seen his brother being whisked off to hospital in an ambulance so he understands to come & ask mum & dad before he eats anything or accepts anything from anyone.
Our son who has FPIES (dairy, rice, oats, and possibly soy) is just 21 months old. Most importantly we are educating our 5 year old daughter about what foods are safe or unsafe for her little brother to eat. Having her involved with grocery shopping and cooking is a way for her to understand how her brother's syndrome affects everyone in the family.
My son is 2 years old and he's been diagnosed with milk, potato, beef and lamb allergy when he was 10 months old. I have been researching a lot ever since. He is now down to just the milk allergy. I always try to explain it to him on a way that a 2 year old wil understand that milk can be bad for him, for example, I always include him when I am reading to figure out if that food has milk. If someone gives him something to eat he always runs to m and asks " mommy does this has milk in it".
We started with not sharing food or letting him eat off of our plates (even if he could have it) then got him some books to try and explain to him about allergies.
Sorry but this is long!
My 7 year old son has lived with food allergies literally from day 1! He has always had a medic alert bracelet and will openly tell strangers that milk makes him puke! LOL! By the time he went to kindergarten all he could eat was un-crosscontaminated rice products, canola oil, sea salt, cane sugar and...mountain lion meat (yes, cougar!) The trick to keeping him eating the same foods every day is being creative & if he asked for a strange combo of foods no matter how gross, we tried it. He eats cougar meat rice pancakes! Now he also can eat all fruit & veggies, all meat- domestic & wild, and wheat products.
Thank goodness!
We regularly talk to him about not eating any food unless it came from home. He has a bag of snacks on hand at the school for special occasions so he is never left out. He brings a 'rescue pack' with him everywhere, it contains his meds & his medical info.
He has always had his own cupboard with all his own pots, pans, cups, plates, utensils, food ect. and understands it's because our food is unsafe for him.
I have always told him that his body thinks our safe foods are poisonous. He really got that and it stuck with him. He had powdered cheese dumped on his face last year at school and he swelled right up & was weezing (school didn't administer epi or know what to do, but that's a whole other story!) He had told the other boy to get away because he was allergic but the other boy didn't understand what he was talking about. A few days later my son explained to the other he was okay but he is allergic and that means his body thinks cheese is poison.
The first day of school this year someone handed out candy to all the kids in his class and my son just flat out said "I can't eat that candy, I don't think it's safe" His teacher was very proud of him and so were we when we heard how responsible he was and how well we taught him about his allergies and food safety. Do what makes sense for YOUR child, what makes THEM understand.
Diligence & creativity still getting us through every day life with a boy allergic to everything including grass, perfumes, perscription medications, dairy, eggs, nuts, most grains & furry animals. Living in a house with food allergies becomes a lifestyle :)
my three kids all have allergies, as soon as I have learned of the allergies I talk to them about what they are allergic to, remind them of the past reactions. When we are looking at food they know they are not allowed to eat anything that does not have an ingredient label on it and that has been approved by an adult it is safe for them. If we see something that is not safe I tell them why it is not safe and show them the label
My grandson is 34 months old and has been found to have multiple food allergies. My daughter has been totally overwhelmed with this, so I buy her cookbooks, pick up treats for him and teach her how to watch for hidden allergens.
I try to balance between teaching my boys what they are allergic to and can't eat and trying to not to make them afraid of eating new foods. We check ingredient lists together and talk about why they can't eat what the other kids are having at school or parties. We always pack food for them. They are allergic to dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts and sesame seeds.
I am a single mom and my 3 yr old son has allergies to dairy,egg,peanut,treenuts,soy,fish,shellfish,berries,wheat,and also has intolerances to gluten,preservatives,dyes and sulphites.We are now living an almost processed food free lifestyle,and we are learning alongside each other that not only does this type of eating keep him safe,it keeps our minds and bodies healthier,and lessons our chance for disease. At 2, my son would pick up a package of food and pretend to read the ingredients on the back before asking if he could have some.At 2 1/2 he tells famiy members not to hug or kiss him because they have not brushed their teeth, or wiped their mouths, and he is vocal about telling me not to put my fork near his food at dinner, and rarely gets upset when he cannot have a food that his friends are having, because I am proavtive at finding substitues to the most common childhood foods and treats. All on his own he seems to have done these things without me directly telling him to,which proves to me I can teach by example without instilling fear in my child. I will not allow him to grow up in a bubble, even though many of his above allergies are anaphylaxic to smell and to touch.We go to the park,we do birthday parties. I call ahead and plan meals and treats,and we do public events that we can, and dont mention the others.But by making an effort to get out and do the things we can do, makes my son feel just as average as the next child,and gives me comfort, for the time being,that he may be different,but his differences make him stronger,and more confident,not self concious.
I am a single mom and my 3 yr old son has allergies to dairy,egg,peanut,treenuts,soy,fish,shellfish,berries,wheat,and also has intolerances to gluten,preservatives,dyes and sulphites.We are now living an almost processed food free lifestyle,and we are learning alongside each other that not only does this type of eating keep him safe,it keeps our minds and bodies healthier,and lessons our chance for disease. At 2, my son would pick up a package of food and pretend to read the ingredients on the back before asking if he could have some.At 2 1/2 he tells famiy members not to hug or kiss him because they have not brushed their teeth, or wiped their mouths, and he is vocal about telling me not to put my fork near his food at dinner, and rarely gets upset when he cannot have a food that his friends are having, because I am proavtive at finding substitues to the most common childhood foods and treats. All on his own he seems to have done these things without me directly telling him to,which proves to me I can teach by example without instilling fear in my child. I will not allow him to grow up in a bubble, even though many of his above allergies are anaphylaxic to smell and to touch.We go to the park,we do birthday parties. I call ahead and plan meals and treats,and we do public events that we can, and dont mention the others.But by making an effort to get out and do the things we can do, makes my son feel just as average as the next child,and gives me comfort, for the time being,that he may be different,but his differences make him stronger,and more confident,not self concious.
Our son is not even 2 yet, but he identifies that Red Means Stop, Orange Means Slow and Green Means GO.
So when we're out in public and he sees nuts, we say "Nuts mean Red, Stop" I know it sounds confusing but he seems to be getting it. When he saw the nut shelf he said "no, stop!" He's also very good at washing his hands after touching things in public and always before he eats.
Our son is now 10, but since his diagnosis of a severe egg (and all egg product) allergy at 8 months of age, we've been educating everyone around him. As he became over one year old and was able to understand more, we have an continue to reinforce no sharing food, only eating the food that we provide, if he's out with friends, he must phone us if he wants to eat something (he messed up on this once, and thankfully he was okay), we practice with out epipen trainer monthly. We also teach our other kids to recognize the signs of anaphylaxis (which I suffer from too, so they all need to know) and what to do in case of emergency.
Knowledge is the most important thing, we need to teach our children to protect themselves, as much as they possibly can!
Thanks for the contest
Erin
ekk224@hotmail.com
When our grandson comes to visit I know to have his favorite soy milk on hand instead of dairy milk. I usually make him homemade soy ice cream, too. This has been going on for some years now. He will turn 7 this week. I believe that soy is not healthy and try to introduce him to other choices. My next attempt will be introducing him to homemade almond milk and other milks such as coconut and rice.
When my son wants to pick out a treat, I show him the packaging and we look at the ingredients together. I make sure he reads everything pertaining to his needs so he can make good choices. I've also taught him that even as adults we don't always know 100% if something is OK to eat. He has learned that he can try something and take a break to see if it causes any problems.
Thank you for the giveaway.
amberrose95(at)gmail(dot)com
No dairy or gluten here. Sad times! But most of the time the kids don't think about it, except like tonight at church potluck when they couldn't have the cinamon rolls. :(
candicebroom ta gmail tod com
My daughter is 11 and has had a peanut allergy since the age of 2. I have always taught her to ask before she eats. I remember when she was around 4 years old, we were at church and I can remember overhearing her ask if there were peanuts in the watermelon!!! Now that she is older, I have also taught her how to read labels and to ask me or a trusted adult if she has questions.
Our 4 year old son has milk, egg, peanut, and seafood allergies. We found out when he was an infant so we have always taught him to check with us first before he eats anything. He is not allowed to take food from other people at this time.
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