Allergy Safety in School

While being dropped off at school, a child with allergies once said, "Is this the day I'm going to die?"

Hearing that is like a dagger through the heart. Every parent of an allergic child not only wants their child to be safe at school, but also to feel confident.

Many schools make the effort to be peanut-free. But it's not always fool-proof. And serious allergies don't stop there...schools also need to be vigilant about tree nut, egg, dairy, soy, sesame and wheat allergies, to name a few.

Think about the dozens of people that enter your child's classroom in a day: the teacher, a substitue, an aid-worker, other kids' parents, the principle and administration staff, custodians...

Are all these people gong to respect the allergy-free status that the classroom has been dubbed? Or remember your child's allergies?

So we send our kids to school with a medic-alert bracelet on wrist. Great. Except that sometimes bracelets end up in the bottom of sand-boxes and water-tables. And while a medic-alert bracelet can save a life once an allergic reaction is triggered, how can we better prevent one?

It's all about Allergy Awareness. And it's time to up the ante.

1. Flag allergy-free zones-whether its the entrance of the school, the classroom door or a particular lunch-table-with durable, weatherproof labels.

2. Ensure auto-injectors are easy to access. Your child should never be without their injector. Check out Blue Bear Aware's selection of neoprine autoinjector carriers designed for children: durable construction, easy zippers, adjustable straps for those growing spurts, and fun graphics.

3. Remind Caregivers! Let's face the fact that not all adults are going to remember your child's specific allergies. Make it easier for them to remember with allergy alert t-shirts and badges. Choose from dozens of cute and cool allergy aware graphics on the market. And badges are great for the playground. One mom states, "My son's teacher commented on how good it was that he has a bright green coat so that it was easier to keep an eye on him at recess-now with a red allergy alert patch on the shoulder she is even happier!"

With these 3 top tools, you child is significantly safer. And when conditions are safer, its easier to be confident. Besides, isn't there a cool factor to allergies? With trendy new product choices and kids talking about their allergies, there's a new level of allergy-empowerment.