Kiddo has a food allergy — she's allergic to nuts. We do all of the right things, we carry an epi pen, take all of the precautions, talk about it a lot, she even knows to ask if a food has nuts. But, she's 4. Too young to be fully capable of handling this by herself and nor do I want her to, but summertime, for some reason, makes it a little harder to manage … and manage my worry. She's not in school, she's at camp, at the park. She's running around in the sunshiny fun, may not have her lunchbox or backpack with her that has the huge red alert label on it. So what's Mom to do? How do I keep her safe when she's around some moms and dads — all perfectly nice — but who may not know or remember she is allergic to nuts.
One click of the mouse and I found a ton of gear made just for this situation. I rounded up a few that are great for any age, any type of food allergy.
Bracelets like these were made with kids in mind — colorful, cute, almost like part of some superhero costume. AllerMates Allergy Alert Bracelets cover a variety of allergies and are a bright reminder for those adults around your kid, too. Adjustable, fits kids ages 2 and up and are $6.99 from My Precious Kid.
Another great bracelet, this AllerBling wristband comes with special charms you add to your band with allergy alerts. Great for kids with multiple allergies, there are charms out the wazoo: from milk allergies to wheat allergies to bee sting allergies. For kids ages 3 and up, you can get a full kit for $18.00 or buy everything separately from AllerBling.
Maybe your kiddo doesn't like to wear stuff on her wrist. Fine, let her wear her allergy proudly on her shirt. I think shirts like this are ideal when your kid will be with adult chaperones who you may not know as well — as you really can't miss the message. The shirt also comes also with a basic "Food Allergy" motif and you can snag it in a long-sleeved version; both are $8.88 from AllerGators.
For a "no one can miss this info, even from space" approach, grab these disposable wristbands. You get a sheet of 10 for $9.95, that come in red or pink. Think of your 7-year-old's field trip to a water or amusement park — you can alert the people around her, but still enjoy herself without the worry of losing a bracelet. These won't fall off no matter how many times she goes down the water slide.
Again, if your kid doesn't want something on his wrist, go the shirt route. I found these Allergy Warning t-shirts on Etsy in ThreeCsCustomDesign's shop. They offer onesies for 18 month olds as well as shirts up to size 6-7. For $17.99, you can customize it, pick the font style, wording and colors. An awesome and super-cute way to help you and your child feel confident when she's out and about without you.
How do you alert others to your child's food allergy?
Image via etsy
