Seattle's Child

Your guide to a kid-friendly city

Food allergies, classroom cupcakes, and why you should care

 

Chances are, there are two in your child’s classroom. No, not left-handed students, or class pets. In the U.S., nearly 6 million children have food allergies, or about 1 in 13 kids. If that describes your child, you are already on the sometimes complicated journey of navigating school life with food allergies. That can mean extra planning and vigilance around school lunch, snacks, class parties, field trips or even materials used in class.

Or maybe you’ve noticed that policies about food at your kid’s school have changed, or are being debated. The Bellevue School District earlier this spring updated its procedures on how to handle life-threatening food allergies, after a bumpy attempt at change last fall. Edmonds jumped in last year (for multiple reasons) over birthday cupcakes. A bill that would have required schools to label food allergens, such as in the lunchroom, failed in the state Legislature this year.

In honor of Food Allergy Awareness Week, May 10-16, this parent of a child with food allergies invites you to take a few minutes to learn more about life-threatening food allergies (check out this documentary narrated by Steve Carell — trailer here), lend support to a fellow parent who is managing them for his or her child, or help your child learn how to support their friends.

About the Author

Margaret Santjer