A couple of weeks ago when we were at ECFE one of the teachers mentioned that they gave the kids goldfish for snack but that they didn’t give any to Bo. She said this to me pretty nonchalantly and it was at the end of class as we were trying to gather the kids, coats, all their stuff and head out the door so I was rather distracted and it didn’t fully sink in – the fact that she just said that other kids were given goldfish at snack time. Then I left with Bo, walked down the hallway and noticed he was rubbing his eyes and one of them was bloodshot. By the time we made it across the parking lot and into the car he was sneezing and rubbing his eyes….that’s when the one teachers comment finally sunk in – Bo was at the same table as other kids who were eating goldfish (all goldfish contain dairy) and he must be reacting to that. Luckily I was able to react right away, gave him Benadryl, took him home and gave him a bath and the reaction calmed down. I was frustrated and disappointed because we had so many successful weeks of being at ECFE and being reaction free and I just felt totally bummed that this happened. I was conflicted about what to do because honestly it just sounded so overwhelming to have to call the teacher, ask her about the goldfish and explain to her again that Bo is so allergic to dairy that he can’t even touch it. After discussing with my husband I knew it was best to call the lead teacher to discuss with her, plus, I wanted to do another session of ECFE and was hoping to take class with the same teachers because I had felt so good about how they had handled his allergies. When I called and spoke with her she did say that she was giving other kids goldfish and she was soooo sorry because she didn’t realize that Bo couldn’t even touch/be around dairy she just thought he was safe as long as he didn’t ingest it. I am not trying to blame the teacher at all and I know she feels absolutely horrible but this was a good reminder for me that I need to be really clear about Bo’s allergies, his sensitivity to even touching those foods, and that I maybe need to talk about it or bring it up multiple times so that his caregivers do not forget. I know I explained to the staff that he was allergic, even to the touch, but I also know that those teachers have so many kids with so many different needs and that it’s a lot to remember each kids specific situation/need.
I spoke with this teacher again at our class today and asked her for advice/suggestions on things I could do when I am leaving Bo in the care of others outside of our house – the other big concern I have right now is leaving him in the sunday school at church. I asked if it would be helpful if I put a sticker on him every time that listed his allergies, my thought on this was that if an adult saw that he was sneezing and rubbing his eyes and then noticed his sticker maybe it would trigger them to call me or it would just be a reminder for them that this is the little boy with the severe allergies, his teacher thought this would be a good idea, and she also said to me “don’t be afraid to scare the hell out of the teacher!” I was sort of relieved to hear this coming from a Teacher. I never want to offend or bombard someone by telling them so much information but I am realizing more and more how much I need to constantly remind people and talk about Bo’s specific needs. She also suggested always leaving a written action plan. This prompted me to look online for other action plans mom’s have created for their kids and the ones I was finding were almost too detailed and too much information for someone to sort through at a time of panic or in an emergency . I just wanted something basic that was very clear and easy to follow. I think I found just the answer and I am feeling so good about having this product to leave for those who are caring for Bo. Medpax – what a great idea! This product is a container that will hold all of BO’s medications that we keep with us at all times (Epi-pen, Benadryl & Inhaler) and also has a very simple and clear action plan along with Bo’s picture on the front of the case.
If you have a food allergic kid and have a different ‘action plan’ that you leave with caregivers – what do you use? I would love to hear how other people handle this. Has anyone used a Medipax. I’ll have to write again after we’ve used it for a bit and will let you know what we think.
