Five Ways to Protect Your Food Allergic Child During Thanksgiving

Have Thanksgiving at your house. While this may entail a whole lot of extra work on your part, you will nevertheless have more control over what goes into the food your child will eat. All your knowledge about cross contamination and the like will be put to good use in preparation of your family’s Thanksgiving feast, and you will have the peace of mind knowing that your expertise was employed to keep your child safe. However, you must still be careful to keep an eye on what guests might bring. Treats such as pumpkin or pecan pie most often contain potent allergens like milk, eggs, and nuts.

	Educate family and friends. No matter where your gathering is held, take the opportunity to remind your loved ones of your child’s food allergy. Many people who do not have food allergies do not understand the full repercussions of exposure to even tiny amounts of the offending allergen. You can send out note cards and include some Food Allergy Restaurant Cards, explaining that this is what you give to servers at restaurants. Surely your family and friends will learn more about the dangers of exposure.
	Reinforce the message. Dressing your child in a Food Allergy T-Shirt reminds adults to be careful what they feed your child every time they look at them. Not only will this remind friends and family of your child’s special needs during the family gathering itself, but it will also help reinforce the message for future gatherings.
	Bring place mats for young children. Using disposable place mats can give you added protection when serving young children at the Thanksgiving table. Not only do they help prevent cross contamination from allergen traces that might be present at the table, but you can control what goes on the place mat and make sure that nothing dangerous is put there.
	Be prepared for the worst. No matter how watchful you are and how considerate relatives and friends are, accidental exposure to food allergens does occur. Make sure to bring along your EpiPen. The Protectube and the Ana-Tote Auto Injector Case protect this life-saving device and make it both convenient to carry and accessible. The Ana-Tote Twin Injector Case, which holds two injectors, is a good option for longer stays with relatives, or if you have more than one allergic child.