First, let me emphasize this is a topic I am incredibly passionate about- you should educate your children with food allergies, but even more they need you to train them in this area, as early as possible.
My oldest was not yet two when we had been to the Allergist, and received positive results on back scratches, and blood work. I began that day teaching her she couldn't drink cows milk, eat eggs, peas, and the daunting list of allergens she had. By age two my oldest was very diligent in asking grandparents, when she got a cup, "Is this cows milk?". When she had dinner, "Does this have eggs in it? ". She knew the allergies she did have, by name, that fell into the "Major 8" category.
I am amazed how new parents, and old parents alike, approach the "household chemicals" issue with zeal-- we put lids where lids normally don't go, latch it up, lock it up, batten it down, place it in an area we need a commercial-grade ladder to reach; and after all those measures, just in case there is any question whether our child will approach a poisonous substance, we slap bizarre-looking green-man-stickers on our beautiful shelves, and any bottle in our house! All in our quest to protect our kids. With that in mind, it equally amazes me how few 4-8 year olds really know their allergies.
PLEASE, if your child suffers from allergies, approach it with the same fervor, it can be just as dangerous, and toxic.
In Part 2 I cover some tips on how to teach children about allergies, proves to be beneficial to you as a parent, caretaker, or loved one in a childs life who is battling allergies!
This is great! I just read it to my aunt because her baby has just started solid food and has an egg allergy. We didn't realize you could teach your kids about their allergies at such a young age. Thank you for your insights ans keep 'em coming :-)
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