Name: OKM Article with Strip at bott
4 x 9.8"
Customer Name: FREEMAN HEALTH SYSTEM
Ad Number: 082822NWR6151
www.freemanhealth.com/peds
Managing Food Allergies
SponSor Content
By Dr. Paul Petry,
Freeman Health System
Pediatrician
Food allergies are common, occurring
in around 8% of American children,
according to the CDC. That knowledge
doesn't make it any less frightening
to see someone experience an allergic
reaction, though – especially if that
someone is your child.
PREVENTING ALLERGIC
REACTIONS
When introducing new foods
to your child, especially as
they transition to solid foods
from breast milk or formula,
only introduce one new food
at a time and wait three to
five days before introducing
another new food. While
most reactions happen within
hours of having the food,
this will give you time to
make sure your child does
not have a reaction
and if there is a
reaction, to know
exactly what
triggered it.
The only sure-fire way to prevent food
allergy reactions is to completely avoid
the food allergen(s) once you know
what they are. This means:
✓
Carefully reading all food labels
and reading them every time in case
the ingredients have changed.
✓
Preventing cross-contamination in
the home, even when you are not
preparing food for the person who has
the allergy (for instance, dipping the
knife that spread peanut butter into the
jelly jar).
✓
Making sure you inform
restaurants of your child's
allergy when ordering food,
even if it's not an ingredient
in the dish your child is ordering. Again,
this prevents exposure from cross-
contamination.
✓
Teaching your child to not share
food with others.
If your child has been prescribed an
epinephrine device, it's also important
to make sure that whoever is caring for
your child – whether that is a relative, a
babysitter or a teacher – has access to it
and knows how to use it.
Food allergies can be scary, but they can
also be managed. If you have concerns
about food allergies and your child, reach
out to your child's pediatrician or allergist.
For more information about food
allergies, visit healthychildren.org for
American Association of Pediatrics
recommendations. Visit
freemanhealth.com/
pediatrics for more
information about pediatric
services at Freeman Health
System.
8 • SePteMBeR 2022 • www.OfficialKidsMag.com
