Whether your child lives with food allergies or knows someone who does, helping them understand what’s happening and how to respond can ease anxiety and empower them to stay safe or keep others safe. Here’s how to break it down:

Explain it: “Food allergies happen when the body’s immune system makes a mistake. It sees a certain food as dangerous—even though it’s not and reacts to it when the food is eaten.”

Allergic reactions can look different from person to person. Some people may get rashes or itchiness, some may have stomachaches or vomiting, and others may experience a serious reaction called anaphylaxis, which is an allergy emergency and requires immediate treatment.

Clarify it: Food allergies are typically diagnosed by a special doctor called an allergist or immunologist. They’ll ask questions about the reaction and may do tests like:

• Skin testing

• Blood testing

• Food challenges (where a small amount of the food is eaten in the doctor’s office under supervision)

It’s important to know that food reactions can change over time, and that not all reactions are caused by allergies. Some are intolerances or sensitivities—not immune responses.

Prepare for it: Since there is no real cure for food allergies, preparation is key. This might include:

• Avoiding the allergen

• Reading food labels

• Carrying an epinephrine auto-injector (like an EpiPen)

• Having an allergy action plan

• Bringing an alternative food

Some people also do therapies to reduce their sensitivity to a food. These might include:

• Oral immunotherapy (OIT)

• Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT)

• Xolair, a medicine that helps reduce the immune system’s overreaction

Talk with your child about what to expect in daily life and during medical treatment or emergencies.

Support it: Living with food allergies can bring a lot of emotions—worry, frustration, fear, or feeling “different.” Kids need space to talk about these feelings, and tools to cope.

You can support your child by:

• Practicing clear, confident communication (“No thank you, I have a food allergy.”)

• Building predictable safety routines

• Naming and validating their emotions

• Offering coping tools (breathing, drawing, movement, etc.)

“You can’t always control what your body reacts to—but you can learn how to take care of yourself and feel supported.”

Want More Resources?

You can explore the Difficult Moments Bundle and the Ultimate Parenting Bundle for printable tools that help you prepare, plan, and cope with difficult moments as well as my Amazon store front and partner resources page.

Stay tuned for The Y Method—a brand new interactive workbook (coming soon!) designed to help kids understand food allergies and immunotherapy through developmentally appropriate activities and visuals.