Before waving goodbye to your child at summer camp, it’s essential to ensure the camp staff fully understands your child’s allergy, how to prevent exposure, and how to recognize and handle an allergic reaction.
Despite taking every precaution, accidental exposures can still happen if your child’s allergen is present in the environment. Frank and thorough conversations ahead of time help staff be prepared to recognize symptoms and take action, if needed.
Depending on the age and anxiety level of your child, you may not want your child to be present for these conversations. Because she’s had multiple life-threatening and frightening reactions and ER visits over the years, talking about my daughter’s symptoms and how severe they are makes her extremely anxious. Instead, I assure her that I will train the staff and make sure they know what to do in an emergency.
Communication is KEY!
People without food allergies or who have not witnessed an anaphylactic reaction may not understand how severe they can be. Without personal experience, people may not know how quickly reactions can escalate, may not recognize the signs, or respond quickly enough in an emergency. It is up to you as the parent advocate to make sure they understand the severity, signs, and steps to take.
Time it Right
Educating caretakers, educators, and camp staff about the severity of your child’s allergy, how to prevent accidental exposure, and how to implement the Emergency Anaphylaxis plan is an integral part of keeping your child safe. These conversations need to take place prior to camp drop off, not during the hustle and bustle of orientation and goodbyes.
?Make an appointment ahead of time to discuss your child’s allergy with the appropriate staff.
We met with the camp director and nurse ahead of camp and went through my daughter’s details. They share the background and Emergency Anaphylaxis Plan with other staff ahead of the first day of camp. That way, on drop-off day, I can follow up with my daughter’s specific counselor, review the plan, and address any questions.
What to Bring to the Meeting
When you meet, bring the following:
- a detailed copy of your child’s emergency anaphylaxis plan
- any medications that would be used to manage a reaction.
- An epinephrine trainer or an expired injector for staff training. They can practice the trainer on themselves, or use it on an orange or another fruit to practice with an expired injector pen. (Thank you to my allergy mom friends for this suggestion!)
What to Discuss:
Detailed Description of Your Child’s Allergy
- What are the allergens? (ex: wheat/barley/rye)
- What types of foods/products should be avoided? (cereals, breads, crackers, Play-Doh) Be sure to include things that the allergen often hides in, such as sauces, condiments, candies. For example, soy sauce contains wheat, which most people would not know.
- Explain how the allergen can be encountered (airborne, contact, ingestion) and how to prevent it.
- Review the food management plan you made with camp staff and any precautions they will be taking (eating only approved foods, bringing your own, special seating, etc.).
- Emphasize the severity of the allergy. If it is life-threatening, communicate this! Many people have little experience with or understanding of how serious food allergies can be, so be clear and explicit when explaining.
Allergic Reaction Symptoms and Timeline
- Describe how your child’s reactions usually start (persistent cough, wheezing, runny nose, vomiting, etc.). Having these symptoms listed is helpful, too.
- Emphasize how the reaction can progress quickly, within minutes, to a life-threatening level.
- State again the importance of giving the epinephrine injection immediately if a reaction is suspected.
**Be mindful of your child’s emotions when discussing this. In order to avoid causing your child anxiety, you may not want to discuss the severity of the allergy in front of your child.
Emergency Anaphylaxis Plan
We provide the typical FARE Emergency Care form for the camp, but I also make a more streamlined version that is customized for my daughter. It has less text and larger print for the action steps. When meeting with camp, be sure to discuss:
- Symptoms and Steps
- Your child’s typical symptoms when having a reaction
- Step-by-Step instructions for how to administer medications and call for help.
- Emergency contact information (911, your contact info, doctor’s phone number)
- Clarify where the epinephrine injectors are stored (if relying on the camp’s) or where/how your child’s will be stored/carried.
- Take precautions for summer temperatures– remember medications are temperature sensitive. These products help insulate epinephrine in the heat.
- Ensure that there are TWO epinephrine injectors accessible and that they are within the expiration date. If one fails, you have a backup. You are also prepared for a bi-phasic reaction. Remember each injection buys about 15 minutes of time.
PSA- TAKE A SEAT!
One thing we emphasize with staff about my child’s emergency plan is to have her sit or lie down right away if a reaction is suspected. The goal is to calm and slow her body systems as much as possible.
In summer camp situations, a young counselor may want to walk your child to the nurse or office for help.
This may waste precious moments and could speed up the reaction from the exertion.
Instead, the child should stay put, sit or lie down, and stay as calm as possible. For my daughter, we insist that the epinephrine injector always be physically with her or her counselor- never across campus or in a distant office.
Now that she is old enough, she carries her emergency kit in a hip pack at all times on outings and at camp. We’ve learned at an early age that minutes matter.
Talk with Your Child
Lastly, remember to have a special conversation with your child about staying safe at camp.
- Go over the meal plan you made (which items are safe, which to avoid, whom to ask for help). Provide a highlighted list of safe snacks and foods for their reference, or provide your own snacks and foods to be kept in a designated location.
- Discuss whom your child should talk to if something doesn’t feel right or if they don’t feel safe in a situation.
- Make sure they understand what to do if they suspect they are having a reaction. Ask if they have any questions.
- Empower your child with practiced phrases to decline offers of food that they don’t feel safe eating. Well-intentioned camp staff may have gone to great lengths to make sure a food is “safe,” but if your child doesn’t feel comfortable eating it, empower them to make the call. These are some we use:
- “Thank you for thinking of me, but I brought my own treat.”
- “Thank you. It looks great, but I’m not hungry for ____.”
- Or a simple, “No, thank you. I don’t eat foods without labels.”
- Pack the emergency kit together. Check the expiration dates and make sure it includes a copy of their emergency plan. If you haven’t already, be sure to read this article about Staying Safe at Summer Camp.
Taking these precautionary steps and having these conversations with staff and your child will go a long way to ensure your child has a safe and fun summer camp experience. As allergy parents, we always hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
For More Food Allergy articles and support, check out these articles:
- Food Allergies: Managing the Mental Load
- Food Allergies: Navigating Air Travel
- Food Allergies and Summer Camp: A Parent’s Guide
What’s My Allergy Story?
I’m Colleen, a retired middle school teacher and mom of 3. I’ve been managing my youngest daughter’s severe food allergies to wheat, barley, and rye for over a decade.
Some of what I’ve learned about parenting a child with food allergies, I’ve unfortunately learned the hard way. She has had multiple anaphylactic reactions since she was seven months old, so we unfortunately know our way around an Epi-pen and the Pediatric Emergency Room.
I wholeheartedly believe that with better coaching, more accessible information and support, we could have avoided some of our daughter’s reactions. I hope that by sharing what I’ve learned, I can help make food allergy life a little easier and safer for your loved one.
With love and support for your journey,
Colleen
