The child allergic to a child's party

2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-22 03:30

Your allergic child is invited to a children's party? Are you worried about the food hazards he will face? It is possible to foresee and reassure you!

When you have a child who has life-threatening food allergies, it can seem difficult to let them go to a birthday party without staying to ensure their safety. Here are some tips that will help you greatly in these situations that can bring great stress. I will speak for children who have more than one food allergy and you can adapt my advice according to your children's allergies.

Communicate with receiving parents

When your child comes to you with an invitation card to go to a boyfriend's party, that's when the party begins for you! Jokes aside, you should call the parents of the birthday as soon as possible to notify them of the presence of your child, but especially to discuss your child's allergies with them. It is important to fully explain to them the potential dangers for your child.

Also let them know that you will be arriving 15 minutes early on the day of the party so you can show them how the auto-injector worksof epinephrine. Find out what is planned in terms of food for the party. In many cases, because of your child's food allergies, it will be safer to bring the meal, a piece of cake or treats that are safe for your child.

Some parents will be much more caring than others and will really go out of their way to accommodate your child, while others will react otherwise. But the most important thing is your child's safety. If you have any doubts, just tell the parents that you prefer to bring everything your child needs, that he is used to operating this way.

Same day

On the day of the party, make sure your child carries their auto-injector.
Remind him to keep it with him at all times and not take it out to show curious friends. If he should ever need it and he doesn't have it on him, the seconds wasted on the panicking hosts looking for it and finding it could cost him his life.
Plan your itinerary well so that you arrive a good 15 minutes before the arrival of the other guests. You will thus have the full attention of at least one parent to fully explain the procedure to follow in the event of an anaphylactic reaction.
Give them the phone number where you can be reached during the party.
Bring a practice auto-injector if you have one.
You can use this key phrase to summarize: “In order it is, the auto-injector, 911 and then, you call me. »
After making sure the parents understand, give them the food you have brought, making sure that they will ensure that it is not contaminated.
Ask them to serve your child first to avoid the risk of contamination. You should also insist that they ask all children to wash their hands thoroughly after eating.
Children present at the party should also be seriously advised not to share any food, glass, plate or utensils with your child.

If it's any reassurance, I've often been surprised at how careful kids are around their allergic friends. They already experience these situations daily at daycare or school. On the other hand, never let your guard down, even the nicest parents in the world can make mistakes. If your child has allergies that don't prevent them from eating the buffet that's served at the party, ask the hosts to see what will be served. They may have forgotten to tell you about a food your child cannot eat that may have contaminated the other foods. You really have to check everything and try to plan for the unexpected!

You may find it difficult to see to all these things, but, as a friend told me: it's like life jackets on an airplane, everyone must know how to use them, but we hope all never haveto do it!

The Secret

The secret really is in the planning.

Always have a cake in the freezer that your child loves. So it will be easy for you to cut a piece of it and even decorate it before going to the party.
Keep a stash of some treats he can eat.

Often, among young children, parties are held in the afternoon, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. So, in the majority of cases, you will not have a meal to plan. You can also slip a small snack in his coat pocket or give it to parents who receive just in case.

Friend advice

In the future, you will be dealing with many kinds of parents. Follow your intuitions and be very careful. But you will also have to develop the art of being reassuring. Despite all your fears, you will realize that you will sometimes need to reassure the parents who will take care of your child during the party. Simplify your explanations as much as possible and explain to them that you are bringing food for your child for their safety, but also to avoid many fears. Don't forget that your child would be very sad to realize one day that so-and-so does not invite him to his party because his mother found it too stressful the last time.

At the psychological level

It is important that your child is aware of everything you are doing for his protection and he should see it as necessary. He must also know what to do withhis side for his protection at the party, he must take the responsibilities that he is able to take according to his age. Explain to him that all these precautions will in no way prevent him from having as much fun as the others at the party. He will laugh so much, he will participate in all the activities and he will eat cake too! Always stay positive.

Summary

Call the parents quickly to organize yourself and notify them of your child's allergies.
If in doubt, bring all the food for your child, it's the safest way to do things.
Arrive early to fully explain the use of the auto-injector and the signs of an allergic reaction.
Your explanations should be as simple as possible and when everything is understood, reassure the parents before leaving.
Friends should wash their hands well and not share anything at the table.
Your child should be served first.
Always have cake and candy at home for the holidays.
Your child must also assume the responsibilities that he is able to assume, according to his age.

So, I wish you to be as relaxed as possible, but vigilant. I hope that your allergic children have a lot of fun at all these parties that they enjoy so much. Know that I have three children and they go to parties regularly. On all these occasions, they never told me about what they ate. Theyalways tell me about the activities they have done. It's all about perception!

Here are some references that can give you a hand in a practical way for the parties your children will be invited to and even for the parties you will be hosting: