Back-to-School Tips for Allergy Parents

Allergy Mom’s Guide to Back-to-School Safety Tips for Allergy Parents

We’ve been egg allergy since my daughter was 6 months old. I was terrified when we started school but after my first interaction with the school nurse, I was a bit relieved. I will say, we are in a private school so our experience may be a little different, but the conversation should be the same no matter what school or grade level your child is in.

Ahhh, the smell of back-to-school is in the air. Generally, this means shopping for supplies and clothes, crayons and lunchboxes. However, as an allergy mom, it also means filling out Allergy Action Plans and medication consent forms and checking the expiration dates on EpiPens and Zyrtec. If you have been navigating a food allergy for a while, you are already aware of how quickly a regular day can turn into an emergency. This is why I believe building a trusted relationship with your school’s nursing staff is not just helpful, it’s essential to ensuring a shared understanding. Our schools nurse staff greets us at back-to-school night every year. We then go to the nurses office, review the allergy action plan, medication list and discuss any concerns we have.

Here are three key points that have helped our family advocate for our daughter with warmth, confidence, and clarity.

1. Preparedness is key.

We work with our allergist to make sure all required and supplemental forms are completed at least a week before the back to school event. This allows us time to re thoroughly review the allergists recommendations and make sure we understand and agree with the action plan. When we feel like we have a good understanding of the medications and response plan, then we feel prepared to share this with the nurse, discuss school protocol and respond to any questions the nurse may have. As I mentioned, our nursing staff knows us by name and knows our child’s allergies by heart. Even with that, we still do this same process each year. It gives us peace of mind and ensures alignment.It is best to have this conversation once per year when there is not an emergency than to wait until there is an intense situation.

Along with the annually updated forms, also make sure all our medication is in the original box, showing our daughters name and the prescription expiration date. The school will review all labels, but we try to make everyone’s life as uncomplicated as possible.

Our forms include:

• Allergy Action Plan
• Virginia Asthma Action Plan
• Food Allergy Action Plan
• Written Medication Consent Form
• Request for Medication/Treatment During School Hours
• Honest communication is essential

Use this time to ask if any school protocols have changed and share any concerns you have about your child’s allergy. For us, we use this time to discuss anything that may be helpful for the nurse and teacher. For example, I always mention that when the seasons change they can expect a message from me so that I can share if there are asthma triggers that may require the use of our inhaler. For example, every year during the first weeks of Spring, our daughter has a upper respiratory issues that may require the nurse to administer albuterol during the school day. We hope that this never happens, but we share openly in case there is ever a need. Last Spring was the first time we had a to use an inhaler at school. I emailed the nurse ahead of the school day, let her know she might have to use it and asked her to call me if she did. She called to let me know when she used it and how our daughters symptoms were responding. Later in the day she called back to let us know she had checked on her ad she was fine. The response took 5 minutes and the follow up calls were appreciated.

2. Communicating with the School Nurse About Allergies

Here are some sample questions to get you started.

• Where are EpiPens stored during school hours?
• Are teachers trained on using them?
• How are snacks, birthdays, and cafeteria food monitored?
• Will I be contacted after minor reactions or only emergencies?65

Remember, you don’t have to ask everything at once. But the more you understand the protocols, the better you will feel.

3. Stocking Allergy Safe Snacks for the Classroom

So far, our teachers have done well with giving us at least 24 hours notice when a parent is planning to share treats, just in case I we need to send a safe option. However, the school day moves at the speed of light and so we like to cover as many bases as possible. Each year we prepare a small bucket of safe snacks for our daughter to leave in the classroom during back to school orientation. The expectation is that these snacks are used on days when parents decide to bring in last minute treats for various celebrations or the teacher decides to share fun snacks. Since we are egg allergy, we pack things like:

• Safe chips
• Oreos
• Cheez-it
• Made Good Granola
• Belvita Breakfast Bars
• Gold Fish
• Dum Dums
• A few pieces of candy (Kit Kat, Kinder Eggs)
• Pack whatever else feels right for your family and to give yourself peace of mind.

All in all, it’s easy to go into mama bear mode when it comes to the safety of our children, but considering these three points will help ease some of the anxiety. Hopefully what I’ve shared will help you as you become more comfrotable advocating for your child with warmth, confidence, and clarity, before there is an emergency.

You’re doing a great job!

💛💛

Andronica