Dear Parent,<\/p>\n
We know that it can be overwhelming to be told that your child has a food allergy.\u00a0 You might be wondering: Will my child have a normal life?\u00a0 What can my child eat?\u00a0 Can my child safely stay with a babysitter or go to a childcare center or school?\u00a0 Could I use an auto-injector if I had to? \u00a0Could my child die? \u00a0How will I <\/b>be able to cope with all of this?\u00a0 <\/i>You may feel like you are alone, but you are not. \u00a0Many parents have these same worries.<\/p>\n
Things change when your child has a food allergy. \u00a0You have to be careful all the time, when buying and preparing food and when eating away from home. \u00a0You need to teach others to care for your child at home, childcare centers, schools, and family or social events.\u00a0 This can be very stressful at first.<\/p>\n
Through our experiences as healthcare providers and parents of children with food allergy, we have learned that families do well when they know the facts<\/span> about food allergy and what they can do to keep their children happy and safe.\u00a0 That is why we created this handbook.<\/p>\n This handbook is meant to teach you important information about food allergy, suggest ways to educate your child and others, and offer helpful tips and support. \u00a0We suggest that you go through the \u201cmust-read\u201d sections of the handbook first, from Frequently Asked Questions to Managing Food Allergy at Home.\u00a0 Then read the other sections as you need information.\u00a0 You can go at your own pace. To help you understand and build skills, we have put together a number of real-life exercises. \u00a0We have also created a list of trusted resources about food allergies that you may find helpful.\u00a0 You can download activity sheets, exercises, and resource sheets from www.anaphylaxis.ca<\/a> and www.AllergyHome.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n Please keep in mind that this handbook is a resource to help you learn. It does NOT replace advice from your child\u2019s doctor<\/span>. \u00a0Speak with your doctor directly if you have questions or are worried about your child.<\/i><\/p>\n You will find that as you learn more, managing allergies will become part of your daily life.\u00a0 You will begin to feel more in control and less anxious or worried about your child\u2019s allergy.\u00a0 Your child will feel better as they learn about their food allergy and become involved in daily routines.<\/p>\n We hope that the information in this handbook will help you and your child to feel confident about handling food allergies!<\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget, passing this book along to friends and family is a great way for them to learn more about food allergy too!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Warmly,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Michael Pistiner, MD, MMSc, Pediatric Allergist<\/p>\n Jennifer LeBovidge, PhD, Pediatric Psychologist<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anaphylaxis Canada – Lauren James, Development Coordinator<\/p>\n Laurie Harada, Executive Director<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear Parent, We know that it can be overwhelming to be told that your child has a food allergy.\u00a0 You might be wondering: Will my child have a normal life?\u00a0 What can my child eat?\u00a0 Can my child safely stay with a babysitter or go to a childcare center or school?\u00a0 Could I use an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-274","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nLaura Bantock, Director, Western Region<\/p>\n