1. Don't panic — educate yourself and be prepared.
There's a lot to learn, and it will at times seem overwhelming. Just take it one day at a time. Every day, you'll grow more accustomed to living with food allergies, gain more knowledge, and become even better equipped to keep your child safe.
Here's how you educate yourself:
a. Talk to your allergist – ask as many questions as you need to
b. Go through each item on this checklist, and do what we recommend
c. Go to Food Allergy Resource Links to learn about some of the other resources that are available to you free of charge
d. Find other parents with food allergic children and talk to them – share what you've learned, ask what they know and exchange information
Here's how you find these other parents of food allergic children:
(1) By participating in interest groups found on community websites such as Facebook
(2) By telling everyone you know about your child's allergies
You will be amazed at how quickly you'll find parents in your community who have food allergic children. We predict that by the time you tell 5 people about your child's food allergies, at least one of them will know someone (or know of someone) struggling with food allergies. Ask for their phone number and call them. This is not the time to be shy and reserved; your child's life is at stake. Call other parents of food allergic children, even if they are strangers. Share information, and learn from each other.
