It's hard enough caring for a child with allergies in the home environment. When your child starts school, there is a whole new range of challenges to face to ensure that your child isn't faced with a life-threatening situation. Here are some suggestions on preparing your allergic child for school.
1Inform the teachers, the principal, and the front office. If your child will be in after school care, also tell the carers. Make sure that each person gets a copy of this letter or list. Include:
- The allergy's common name and any scientific name
- The allergy's severity level for your child
- What can bring on an allergy attack in your child
- Warning signs to be on the lookout for
- What the person in charge needs to do in the event of an anaphylactic shock and the consequences of not responding
- A list of contacts in an emergency (at least 3 people).
2Include a letter from your doctor outlining particular concerns and needs in your child's case. Ask your doctor if they mind the school contacting them for more information if needed, as this can help set the school carer's mind at rest.
3Provide your child with any relevant medication needed. Label it clearly and put it somewhere safe. As an added precaution, give the school a back-up of the medication and be sure to replace the back-up if the use-by date expires during the school year.
4Talk directly with your child's teacher about the allergy and any emergency plans. This will reassure both of you and will enable you to outline anything that is specific to your child's needs, including whether the teacher will need to ban certain food or items from the classroom.
5Talk to your child about allergy management at school. Check that she is aware of what needs to be done in the event of an attack and whether she can treat herself or needs to get the help of the teacher or someone else in charge.
- Make sure your child knows how to use any special medication, such as an EpiPen if this is part of the plan.
- Tell your child not to share food from other children's lunchboxes if she has a food allergy. Help your child to understand that this could leave her very sick, if she doesn't already understand this.
- Being open and willing to share information about the allergy is an important role as a parent.
Things You'll Need
- Letter from you outlining the allergy issue
- Letter from your child's doctor outlining the allergy issue
- Special foods (if required)
- Medication for your child, labelled
- Back-up medication for school, with instructions