Powerful Physical Therapy

Take These Precautions When You Have A Child With A Food Allergy

8 September 2017 by Clifford Ramos

If you've had your child tested for allergies and learn that he or she has a food allergy, you'll have to make some considerable changes to how you prepare this food. If the food allergy is serious, such as peanuts, you should avoid keeping any peanut-related products in the house at all. However, if the food that your child cannot eat is something that the rest of your family will continue to enjoy, you'll need to be vigilant about avoiding cross-contamination. Here is a series of precautions that you can use to avoid accidentally exposing your child to the food to which he or she is allergic.

Prepare Foods In Different Areas

One effective way to avoid cross-contamination is to prepare any dishes that use the food in question in a separate part of the kitchen. For example, if you're making meals for your family and everyone will be having the one food that your child cannot have, keep your allergic child's plate on the kitchen island and have the other plates on the counter. This will prevent you from accidentally exposing your child's plate to the food to which he or she is allergic.

Use Separate Preparation And Serving Utensils

Another precaution that you need to make is to use separate utensils for preparing and serving the food. For example, if your child is allergic to soy and the rest of your family is having a tofu dish for dinner, don't use a spatula to turn the tofu in the pan and then reach over and turn whatever you're cooking for the child. Doing so can expose the child's food — chicken, for example — to trace elements of tofu, which may be enough to give him or her an allergic reaction. Likewise, when you're serving the chicken, do so with a dedicated serving utensil, rather than with whatever you're using to serve the tofu.

Wash Things Thoroughly

It might seem like common sense to know that you should wash plates, cutlery, serving utensils, and storage containers thoroughly, but it's worth remembering. This is especially the case if you get your children to wash the dishes, as they may not take as vigilant an approach to cleaning things as you'd like. You don't want a dish or a fork, for example, to have been in contact with the allergen, washed minimally, and then be used by your child with the allergy.

Share