Back to school means back to the cafeteria for lunch, and if you have a child with food allergies this is undoubtedly one of the most stressful parts of going back to school.  When my cell phone rings near my daughter’s lunch hour, I always have a little pang of anxiety as I check my caller ID. 

We have elected to have my daughter eat at the peanut free table for yet another year, a personal choice for our family, and have a plan in place with her teacher and the cafeteria team to manage her allergies at this critical school day period.  No matter where you choose to have your child sit, having a plan in place with the food service team is essential. 

To help with that plan, I talked to Lisa Musician, owner of Food Allergy Dietician, and author of the new book, Parenting a Positive Reaction.  In her book, she discusses multiple strategies for thriving on at school and keeping your child safe and included. 

Here is her great advice on keeping lunchtime safe and inclusive:

1. Before you meet with the school to create your child’s plan, talk to your child to get a feel for where he or she would like to eat lunch. Perhaps your child is uncomfortable eating in a large area, such as the cafeteria, and would prefer to eat with a teacher.
2. Next, meet with the school foodservice director and work with the school cafeteria staff to ensure that your child receives safe meals if you decide to have your child eat school lunches. The food service staff and lunch monitors play an important role on the food allergy management team and should attend all meetings on the topic. If attendance is not possible, a separate meeting should be scheduled to review the plan.
3. Introduce your child to the head kitchen supervisor or director and create a system in which your child will be identified.  Some schools require these students to name themselves to lunch staff or have lunch tickets that are coded as a way of notifying the staff that they have a food allergy.

   Consider the following ideas for lunch when creating a plan:

• Seating: Discuss the possibility of designated tables in the cafeteria for students with dietary restrictions. Your child may feel more comfortable eating in a classroom with a teacher, in the nurse’s office, or in the principal’s office. Assess your child’s needs and review the options that are best for your child. Discuss all the possibilities with your child so he or she feels vested in the process.
• Lunch buddies (sign-up sheet): If it is important for your child not to eat alone, perhaps a sign-up sheet could be posted in the cafeteria or classroom to have other students eat at a designated table with the requirement that all lunches be free of the requested allergens. 
• Hand washing policy: Washing hands before and after eating is good hygiene and helps to reduce the risk of a possible reaction from outside sources.

Such great advice!  Personally, we have implemented the buddy system with my daughter.  We met with her teacher at the beginning of the year to talk about how important it is that my daughter has a friend join her at the peanut free table each day.  Through partnership with her teacher, my daughter identifies a friend with a safe lunch each morning and that person joins her later that day for lunch.  Much to my surprise, sitting at the peanut free table with my daughter has become a “hot ticket” and she usually has more than one friend asking to sit with her- makes a food allergy mama’s heart smile!

Take the time now, if you haven’t already, to reach out to your teacher and food service team to ensure you have a plan in place to help your child Thrive On and enjoy their lunch, in whatever way keeps them safe and makes them feel included.

Thrive On!


Get the book and learn more about Lisa:
Get more great school safe strategies from Lisa!  You can purchase her book on Amazon.  You can also learn more about Lisa by visiting her website or following her on Facebook and Twitter.

Thrive On with Food Allergies:
Learn more about Tami and her company, Thrive On Consulting, which provides food allergy coaching and training.  You can also follow her on Facebook for tips to Thrive On with food allergies.

Product Disclaimer:

Thrive On Consulting was not paid to promote this product.  Products mentioned here are provided as ideas and suggestions to help you Thrive On with food allergies.