Tips To Ensure Your Food Allergic Child Has A Safe Camp Experience

July 20, 2010 · Posted in Guest Bloggers

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We recently connected with Jill who spoke to the Food Allergy Educational Alliance in Westchester County, NY, about Food Allergy Camp How-To’s. She shares some of her tips with us here as camps begin, and we look ahead to next summer as well.

Here are some tips to ensure your food allergic child has a successful—and safe—summer camp experience:

•   Determine whether the camp offers the food to which your child is allergic and, if so, whether it has a containment policy.
•   While researching camps, ask about food preparation, storage and cleaning policies to determine safest environment. Be sure to speak with the food services manager and review menus. Do they read ingredients with each food shipment? NOTE: if looking ahead to next summer, Jill urges parents of food allergic kids to tour camps the prior summer and specifically walk the kitchen and dining facilities, as well as talk with the food services manager. Visit the camp in off times so that you can fit in this special tour segment. Even try to speak with and observe how food allergic kids and staff deal with their challenges at camp.
•   Obtain references from parents of food-allergic kids to understand how the camp handles things from a preventive and medical perspective.
•   Ask if food accommodations are allowed, such as shipping up safe foods.
•   Describe to the camp the allergic symptoms your child typically manifests.
•   Inquire if all staff is trained and educated in food allergy symptoms and treatment; do staff survey camp to check up on food allergic kids?
•   Find out if campers are informed of kids with food allergies.
•   Once you have chosen a suitable camp, ensure it can handle medical emergencies; review its communications policies (e.g. cell/satellite phones, walkie talkies); know where the nearest hospital is located.
•   Allergic children need an allergy action plan and to have easy and complete access to an epinephrine autoinjector or other allergy medications.. Identify who, besides the camp nurse, can administer it (including bus personnel). Ask if your child is allowed and old enough to carry/administer a device. Parents, staff and child should be informed where the pens are located, including buses.
•   Check if the camp supplies hand wipes for kids to use when exiting the dining hall or any facility with food. These perform double duty, reducing the spread of allergens and illnesses. Keep in mind that hand sanitizers do not remove allergens and should not be used in place of hand washing or hand wipes.
•   Be aware of the camp food policies for transportation (including buses/parties), packages, visiting days, off premise facilities/camps being visited, and staff when off duty. Is a safe food guidelines communication sent to parents pre-camp?
•   Educate your child in an age-appropriate manner about all policies. Inform him/her to go to the director with any food-related changes that occur and have the director address these right away with his staff. The director should also update the child’s parents to keep them informed. Make your child his/her own advocate.
•   If your child is attending a teen program, be vigilant about food allergy policies and discuss with your child ahead of time since independence is expected.

Members also shared these additional tips for parents of food allergic kids:
•   Have a bathroom buddy. Some food allergies can be delayed and children should go with a friend to the bathroom in case they need to get adult assistance.
•   Distribute Food Action Plans to all point people. Share the documentation with everyone at the camp in case of any food allergy flare-ups.
•   Call the camp area’s local EMS services. Know the camp’s provider, how far they are from the camp and how long it takes them to get to camp; do they carry epipens in the ambulance (this is required in NY state)
•   Maybe consider sending your own silverware/plates to reduce contamination.

Thanks to our guest blogger Jill Tipograph for sharing these tips. Jill is the author of Your Everything Summer Guide & Planner; the 2010 edition has a chapter on managing food allergies at camp. She is CEO/Founder of Everything Summer® LLC, the premier camp, teen and family resource. For more information, visit www.everythingsummer.com. Her company guides families objectively to the right camp and summer experiences for their children and teens, including those with food allergies.