The Spanish Society of Pediatric Clinical Immunology, Allergology and Asthma (SEICAP) places in two million the number of allergy sufferers in our country, food allergies being the ones that have grown the most in recent years.
Children are the most vulnerable group, especially those under five, although the most severe allergic reactions are usually found in children above that age. If we have a child with an allergy, What can we do to help them live with her in the best possible way?
Once our child's allergy has been diagnosed, and the necessary means have been put in place to avoid the allergen that causes a reaction, we can implement these simple measures that will help you cope with your allergy naturally:
1. Talk about your allergy naturally
The child has to learn as soon as possible to live with your allergy so it is essential that parents talk to them naturally. Let's make him see that his allergy is part of his life and, as such, he has to learn from it.
Knowing your allergy not only know how to avoid the situations that cause it, but also talk about it with those around you, helping in the important work of inform, spread and create social awareness.
2. Look for resources if it's very young children
When the allergy occurs very early, it becomes difficult to talk with the children about it. His ability to understand us is still limited, especially when we talk about issues as complex as those related to health.
But helping us with drawings or stories We can teach them in a fun way and adapted to their age what is an allergy, what happens in your body when a reaction is triggered and how to avoid it.
Do you remember the wonderful cartoon series "Once Upon a Time"? Well, let's fly our imagination looking for similar resources that help us communicate this problem to our children, however small they may be.
3. Identify your allergy
Although children are fully aware of their allergy and know how to talk about it fluently, we must not forget that they are only children so it is worth looking for resources that help them keep their allergy always present in any environment or situation.
When the child changes his usual environment (for example, if he goes to camps or colonies, school trips, vacations in hotels ...), clearly identifying his allergy with the help of bracelets, badges or little signs can be a great help for them.
The child will feel calm carrying his identification and the adult who treats him and does not know him, will know that this child will require special measures that he will have to control and monitor.4. Engage it when making the purchase
If your child has a food allergy And you already know how to read and write, involve it when making the purchase: from preparing the list of the necessary things, to making the purchase in the supermarket.
Making the list with us we will be involving in their diet and in that of the whole family and we will show you the multitude of alternatives that exist to the food to which you are allergic.
Taking him with us to buy, we will be helping him learn to interpret labels, to read food ingredients carefully and to learn to discard those that are not suitable for him.
5. Involve it when cooking
We can also involve them when it comes to cooking simple dishes that can arouse their interest, taking the opportunity to teach them what measures are important to take when they have a food allergy.
Wash your hands well before and after cooking, wash the utensils we use well with soap and water, preserve the allergic dish once it has been cooked to avoid cross contamination ... There are many situations in which the children can leave involving while learning about their allergy!
6. Encourage them to talk about it when they need it
Sometimes adults, in order to remove iron from a situation that can be painful, avoid talking about it or asking our children for their opinion.
If, for example, your little one has just been diagnosed with cat hair allergy, she may feel very sad because she longed to have a kitten to care for and pamper. Or if you are allergic to food, you may feel out of place when you are invited to a birthday party.
Don't let your child live those feelings alone. Encourage him to talk about what allergy means to him. Ask him how he feels and what you can do to improve the situation. Only then will you verify that there are equally happy and good alternatives, while feeling heard and accompanied on your problem.
7. Teach him to trust the healthcare staff who treats him
Children diagnosed with allergies they live frequently immersed in medical tests, consultations with specialists and medication. From the typical pricks in the arm (prick-test) to evaluate the allergens to which they are sensitive, to extractions of blood, endoscopies, tests of oral provocation, injectable adrenaline, inhalers ...
All this compendium of doctors and tests can be difficult for a child to carry. Therefore, we parents must Help them trust the healthcare staff that treats them and if we can, try to explain in advance the tests what they will do and what they will consist of.
The children, as it happens to adults, they handle uncertainty very badly. What for an adult can be a routine and minor test, for a child who lives it for the first time and from ignorance, can be a trauma.
Let's always accompany them, let's talk with confidence about what they are going to live and how they are going to feel and, above all, we don't miss them. It won't help to tell you that "Your doctor will cure your allergy." when we don't know if it will be like that. Because there are allergies that heal and others that last until adulthood.
Let us soften the information that we are going to give them according to their age and ability to understand but we never miss them, and help them to trust the medical staff that treats them.- IStock photos
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