Food Allergies And Living Outside The Bubble

As a parent of two children with multiple food allergies, I often saw a bubble tent as the perfect fantasy option to ensure the health and safety of my kids. Once they were up and walking, I quickly realized that this fantasy was not an option.

The options I did have were to educate myself and my kids, learn from our mistakes, and predict what pitfalls my children faced as they grew older, to help them learn to advocate for themselves as the years flew by.

As an AllerCoach ™, it is important that I work with individuals and families to learn what will work for each person(s). For example, I recently worked with two families who have a child with a peanut allergy. Family (A), with one child, was able to keep all peanuts and peanut products out of the home. Family (B) had multiple children with other dietary considerations and wanted to continue to offer peanut butter to some of the siblings. By speaking with all family members, we were able to come up with a plan that would work for family (B), whereby each person in the household learned what they could and could not do in the kitchen, around the house, and on family outings and vacations.

My philosophy, as a mom to food allergic children, and as an AllerCoach ™, is that no one can grow and mature in a bubble. As our kids grow, they need to learn how to self-advocate in an age-appropriate manner. Someday, your child will go away to camp, school, or leave for their own apartment and preparing them to live outside the bubble will be the best tool you can give them to keep them safe for a lifetime.