Here is the one question to ask when kids come to your house or you meet them somewhere else where food is present:
“Do you have any food allergies?”
And if you try to ask in a way that doesn’t make the child embarrassed if they do have allergies, that’s even better.
Food allergies are extremely common compared to when we were kids. 1 in 13 kids has a food allergy. Many of these food allergies are life threatening, in that if the person ingests the allergen, it could cause their throat to close and make them unable to breathe. Scary.
I’ve always thought it should be more commonly referred to as food anaphylaxis instead of food allergy.
If the answer is yes, they do have one or more food allergies, you’ll have to be careful not to have any exposure to the allergen. Depending on the age of the child, be sure to talk to the child or the child’s parent about the best way to avoid the allergen(s). They may have an Epi Pen or similar auto-injector that is used if they appear to have ingested the allergen.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so keep that in mind as you make these decisions when kids are at your house, church, sporting events, etc. And it’s always best to make the kids feel as included as possible.
What are your experiences with food allergies? Are you already in the habit of asking kids this question?
Below I have a couple of resources in my TPT store that are related to food allergies, in case you’d like to check them out.
~Carrie
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These are great resources! In this changing world, there really are so many more children who deal with food allergies. And getting the correct information right from the beginning, is such a relief to all who are involved. Blessings to you!
Thank you, Bettie!
Carrie