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At Home

At Home

One of the easier places to manage a food allergy is in your home.  Here, you are in control:  You decide if, when, and how different foods are introduced. Your home can become your “safe space”—a place where you can relax in comfort and without worry about accidentally ingesting harmful food allergens.

Some families decide to allow problem foods in their home and exercise precautions to keep the food-allergic member safe.  Others find it easier to implement a total ban.  Either way you decide to go, in this section you will find the following tips:

To Have or Have Not:  How to Decide
Keeping Safe At Home
Communicating with Caregivers
Helpful Food Companies

To Have or Have Not: How to Decide
Your first instinct may be to ban all problem foods from your home, but this may not necessarily be the best decision for your family.  To decide which approach will work best, it’s important to take a look at your family’s needs and lifestyle.  Asking yourself a few questions can help you decide:  How severe is the allergy?  If we were to completely eliminate problem foods, how difficult would it be for other family members?  How many children are at home, and how old are they?  How will our decision affect the overall quality of our home life?  If we do decide that it’s best to ban problem foods at home, how do we teach the food-allergic child to manage outside, in the “real world”?  As you answer these questions, here are a few factors to consider: 

• You may decide to ban an allergen like peanut completely, since this won’t cause undue hardship for other family members.
• Milk, egg, or wheat allergens may be difficult to eliminate altogether.  You may be able to take strong precautions that create a safe environment, even if you allow these items  in your home.
• Living around problem foods can help food-allergic children cope as they grow and gradually spend more time away from home.  Learning strategies for avoiding allergens at home, along with being prepared to handle a reaction, can calm their fears and provide the skills needed to stay safe, no matter where they are. 
• It’s also important to look at your family environment.  Do you usually sit down together for meals at set times?  Or does everyone come and go, treating the kitchen like an all-night take- out stand?  If it’s the latter, it may be more difficult to avoid problem foods.  Your family dynamic, and whether you have young children or your food-allergic child is now a teenager, is an important factor in how you decide to “allergy-proof” your home.  

Tips for Keeping Safe At Home

• Learn how to read and decipher food labels and make sure everyone in the family can, too.
•  All family members should wash their hands before and after eating to avoid contamination.
•  Scrub down counters and tables after food preparation and after meals.
•  Practice proper food preparation to avoid cross-contamination.  Thoroughly clean counters, cutting boards, knives, slicers, spoons, measuring cups, mixing bowls and other food prep equipment between foods.  Have a separate set of utensils for handling safe and unsafe foods.
• Separate safe and unsafe food by designating specific shelves in the pantry and refrigerator and storing all foods in sealed containers.
• Label the problem foods, or conversely, label the safe foods.
• Create allergen-free zones in the home, or restrict eating to the kitchen and dining room only.
• Beware of airborne allergens when cooking; keep a safe distance from the cooking area and allow the air to clear for 30 minutes afterward before entering the room.
• For young children, fixed seating arrangements at the table may be helpful.  This will discourage younger siblings from sharing “tastes.”
• Stock up on the essentials and have safe substitutes on hand.  Check out our list of helpful food companies here.
• Assemble an emergency kit that includes your medications, autoinjectors, and Emergency Medical Plan. You might want to make two kits—one that stays in the house in a safe, convenient place that everyone knows, and one that travels with you.

Communicating with Caregivers
 You, of course, know the routine inside and out.   Now you have to communicate it to your child’s caregivers.  Whether you go out for a night on the town, or Grandma and Grandpa come to visit from out of town, it’s important that everyone who may be taking care of your child be trained about the seriousness of food allergies.

Tips for Babysitters

•  Set up a time to meet with your babysitter before he or she is scheduled to sit with you. Perhaps an afternoon as a “mother’s helper” would give the sitter a feel for your home and family and provide the time you need to review the allergy information.
• Inform the sitter about the allergy in a clear, concise, calm manner and give the sitter time to absorb the information. 
• Go over every food that your child is allergic to.  Give the sitter the allergen avoidance information for each food.  If you keep problem foods in your home, let the sitter know where they are.
• Teach the sitter what symptoms to look for that could indicate a reaction.
• Tell the sitter exactly what your child is allowed to eat, and set out the acceptable foods.
• Make sure the sitter understands the house rules on what can and cannot be eaten around your child.  Explain that take-out orders, special snacks, and treats are strictly off-limits.  
• Explain the dangers of cross-contamination and how to avoid it.
• Post emergency contact numbers and the number of the location where you will be as well as your cell phone numbers. Provide details on how and when to contact you, and include the phone numbers of others who may be able to help in the event of a reaction. 
• List the prescription medications and their dosages if the child has a reaction.
• Show the babysitter how to use an epinephrine autoinjector, and make sure the sitter is comfortable using it.  If you have expired pens, let the sitter practice on an orange to get a feel for it.
• Leave a signed Authorization of Emergency Treatment in case the paramedics must be called.  Keep it near the phone, along with your child’s Emergency Medical Plan.
• Stress the importance of calling 911 in an emergency, especially if the autoinjector is used.
• Put it all in writing.

Tips for Grandparents and other Visiting Relatives 

• Explain the allergy, which foods to avoid, and the safety precautions you follow at home.
• Demonstrate how to use the autoinjector, and symptoms to look for that might indicate a reaction.
• Emphasize that as hard as it is, "just this once" could be dangerous and foods that are off limits are exactly that—off limits.
• Provide safe foods that can be given as treats, particularly during holiday times or special occasions when food is a big part of the celebration. 

Helpful Food Companies
Today, more than ever before, a growing number of companies are serving the needs of food-allergic customers. While reading labels is still a must, many companies offer products that help make living with food allergies easier and tastier.