Navigating Food Allergies: A Mother's Journey to Keeping Her Son Safe

At Allergy Apparel, we understand the challenges and fears that come with managing food allergies. That's why we are excited to share this heartfelt guest post by Megan, a dedicated mom who has navigated the complexities of food allergies with her son. Her story highlights the importance of vigilance and the role our products can play in keeping children safe. I hope you find Megan's journey as inspiring and informative as I did.

Now on to Megan's story

In the time it took for me to wash a bottle, he had broken out in hives.

When my son was just 10 months old, I gave him a snack of sliced bananas and peanut butter. Within minutes, he developed hives around his mouth and on his hands – anywhere the peanut butter had touched.

I took away the snack and washed him furiously in the bathtub, watching for any signs that he was experiencing facial swelling or difficulty breathing. Other than being surprised and delighted at the mid-day bath, my son seemed fine. But I knew we had entered dangerous new territory.

A visit with a pediatric allergist confirmed our fears: my son was allergic to peanuts.

At that time, managing his allergy was simple because we could control everything he ate or put in his mouth. Keeping him safe at restaurants, parties, and friends’ homes became our mission. Because we couldn’t know whether exposure would mean a mild case of hives or a medical emergency with anaphylaxis, we carried an epi pen everywhere we went, just in case.

At a follow-up appointment when my son was 3, blood tests showed he had developed more food allergies. Now we were battling peanuts plus tree nuts and sesame seeds – foods we had never exposed him to.

When my son entered part-time preschool, my husband and I had to have long talks with school teachers, nurses, and principals about safety protocol. He can sit next to another child who is eating peanuts or breadsticks with sesame seeds, but they can’t touch any of the same things. Soap and water must be used at clean-up; hand wipes do not remove allergy-inducing proteins. Contact us before anyone gives him an unapproved food item, just in case. Every day was cloaked in fear of getting a call that my son had to be rushed to a hospital because of something as seemingly innocent as food.

I was terrified to send my child to full-day kindergarten, where I would have no control over the foods he came in contact with. A shy and fearful 5-year-old, I couldn’t rely on him to speak up for himself. I began researching the best ways to keep an allergic child safe, and that’s when I found Allerbling Allergy Bracelet.

With its bright colors and personalized charms, the bracelet was a tool we could trust. Teachers and cafeteria aides easily spotted the orange bracelet on his wrist, which told them he had special dietary needs. The peanut, tree nut, and sesame charms featured pictures of his allergens in addition to words, so it was understandable to both young children and adults.

It was also a conversation-starter. Friends and grown-ups would see the bracelet and ask what it was, and it helped my son open up and talk to others about his allergies, and things he could not eat.

My son is now 11, talkative and outgoing. Thankfully, he’s never had another allergic reaction. He is healthy because of our vigilance and because he has worn the Allerbling bracelet every day for years.

Because the charms on the bracelet are not cartoonish or childish, he prefers to keep wearing it. In fact, he shows it to every restaurant server, grocery check-out clerk, or friend’s parents when he points to the bracelet and says that he must avoid certain foods because they can make him very sick.

The Allerbling bracelet has been instrumental in keeping my son safe as he’s growing up, and giving us peace of mind that we’re doing all we can to prevent allergen exposure.

I am so grateful Allergy Apparel carries the bracelets and charms, so we can continue using them for as long as my son wants.

You can read more about Megan's experiences and tips on her blog here.