Food Allergies & 504 Plans!

So with the school year just starting and getting my son back into the routine of things I myself have been super busy with filling out school forms, doctor appointments etc. Being that J has multiple Food Allergies I get pretty anxious when getting all the proper forms filled out and making sure his school has his action plan and EPI Pens in place. Last year while he was in kindergarten I asked the school for a 504 Plan. At first they said he would not need one but because he ended up in a wrong class and was given food with out knowing his history I was pretty annoyed and worried that something worst could of happen
. I pushed for it and was given the forms with a new action plan for him. I learned to not let anyone tell me that my child did not need certain things and that he was safe. Unfortunately I need to do what's best for him to protect him when I'm not around.

Although the school is a "Peanut Free" school and he takes his own lunch that still does not mean anything to me. My son is allergic to more than just peanuts / tree nuts. So with that being said I needed to do what I thought was best. Now yes the school assure me they have EPI Pens throughout the building but that is not enough to reassure me that he would be OK. So when filling out the 504 his EPI Pen is to go with him through out the school. Everyone who comes in contact with him must know how to administer the EPI pen if needed and after lunch all classmates must wash hands to avoid cross contamination. These were just some of the things in our plan. I personally think any child that has food allergies should have a 504 plan. It is a legal document and it truly has given me some peace of mind when he is in school. 

My son was diagnosed at 3 years old and although we knew nothing about food allergies we made it our business to educate ourselves and everyone who comes in contact with him.  We pray that yes he grows out of them but for the time being we alter our eating habits at home and make sure we do everything we can to avoid a reaction. Our family will be participating in the FARE walk in Lakewood, NJ for the 3rd year. Attending the FARE Walk and getting our families to participate has been a great way to learn more about food allergies. There are so many vendors with information about foods, snacks, epi pens etc Please visit there website for more information about food allergy. There are tons of information and tools on teaching your kids about it as well.  

XO~Regina 

Jo Frost (Super Nanny) & I at last years Fare Walk for Food Alleries in Lakewood, NJ