Food Allergies at Camp: How to Have Fun & Stay Safe!
Food allergy moms around the world balance their children’s need for safety with their need for a “normal” life every day. For most of us, summer camp was part of that normal life, and while you might think of camp as “Mission Impossible” for your food allergic child, it really boils down to just a few steps. So here is my CAMP guide to help you prepare your child for the fun this summer.
C Communicate with the Camp Director Explain the extent of your child’s allergies and make sure they are willing and able to accommodate your child’s special needs. Do they have safe foods or meal options? How is food stored, prepared and served? What is their experience with severe food allergies?
Find out if the staff is trained to handle allergic reactions; how far the nearest medical facility is; how your child would be transported; and if any activities would take him or her out of cell phone coverage or far away from the camp site. Remember that camp counselors are often teenagers who may not fully appreciate the dangers of food allergies so make sure that your child would always be in the company of a trained adult, especially when in a remote location.
Before camp begins, review your child’s Food Allergy Action Plan and discuss who will carry your child’s medications. If possible, have a food allergy savvy friend go with your child. Friends can often spot a dangerous situation or reaction and can speak up for their friend if he or she is unwilling or unable.
A Adults in contact with your child should be trained on avoiding, recognizing and treating allergic reactions. Even if your child carries his own epinephrine auto-injector (Epi-Pen or Twinject), a trained adult should be available to administer medications at all times.
Talk with your child ahead of time and make sure that he/she will inform the counselors if experiencing even a mild allergic reaction. Remind him or her not to eat anything without checking ingredients or without prior
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June 29, 2009 @ 10:49 am
So that my 10 year old daughter, who has a life threatening allergy to milk protein, may experience the joys of overnight camp, I have become a volunteer adult camp counselor, so I may prepare and serve her meals. If anyone is interested, I’ll keep you posted as to how this goes. We go the last week of July.
August 2, 2009 @ 11:21 am
I am following up on my previous comment. First of all, I want to say my camp experience as an adult camp counselor was wonderful. My daughter’s experience with overnight camp was wonderful. Now hear the really important news… DO NOT SEND YOUR FOOD ALLERGIC CHILD TO OVERNIGHT CAMP WITHOUT BEING THERE TO HELP SUPERVISE!!!!!!!! My child did not have any problems. The kitchen staff was wonderful! Very careful and understanding. However, the camp staff was not well educated, or prepared on the importance of having epipens and life saving equiptment and personel on hand for immediate access. The last night of camp, a camper had an anaphylactic reaction due to cross contamination. The medic was not there to administer the epipen. So, a teenager did. The camper ended their camp experience in the emergency room. At that moment I knew 100 percent that my decision to volunteer and go through hours of precamp training and preparation was all worth it.