Leaving Your Food Allergy Child with Sitters

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Published on Monday, February 20, 2012 20:20

Written by Renee Yarborough

This past weekend, I had a very long-overdue grownup girls-only weekend away with my sister.  Due to my husband's work schedule, I had to trust my allergic son's care to others--in this case, my parents.  I trust my parents wholeheartedly, but every time we do a family travel event outside of our safety zone, a.k.a, our home, I worry. This is where we once did a potential allergy sweep only to have my son who is highly allergic to dairyfind a Cheez-It. This was also the first time in two years I have allowed him to go anywhere without my husband or myself there to make his food.

The Preparation Process

Before we even left our home, I gathered the following in case of emergencies:
- Load up on Epi-Pens
- Written prescription from Allergist for additional Epi-Pen
- Benadryl
- Note from me allowing my parents to make health-care decisions for my son in my absence
- Phone numbers for Allergist and our family peditrician
- Packing of food and safe snacks

Most of the above are items we've been taking these items along ever since our Epi-Pen froze on a previous visit.  Perhaps the note from me was a bit over the top,  but I wanted to ensure all our bases were covered in the event a decision needed to be made before I could return.

Upon Arrival
Once we arrived, we did our usual allergy sweep: locking away the peanut butter (which is also an allergy trigger for my son), clearing the house of all dairy, and making my parents promise that no eggs would be cooked, as this can at times be known to trigger allergy issues.  We also reviewed Epi-Pen procedures (courtesey of our new “practice pen”) and when it is needed and follow-up steps.

After making calls nearly every two hours for half a day, I was finally able to relax and enjoy myself.  When I returned, I found two happy over-sugared children, two very tired grandparents, and a realization that I CAN give away control with the proper steps in place. This mom may even begin traveling alone more!

Renee Yarborough is the mom of a beautiful daughter and a toddler son with food allergies. She works from a home office as a freelance marketer and consultant. When not chasing around her children, she enjoys reading, knitting, running and eating her husband’s cooking. Follow her on Twitter at @reneeyaborough