Dairy Free Classroom Poster

Dairy/Milk Free and Dairy/Milk Aware Classroom Posters 

I made this with a friend's daughter in mind. She has a severe dairy allergy, and has hives with skin contact. Many people are surprised that a dairy allergy can be life threatening.  

Most associate dairy allergies with lactose intolerance, and do not realize that they can be just as severe as the well known peanut, nut, and shellfish allergies.  I did not realize that they could be so severe either until meeting this lovely little girl. 

Many dairy allergies are outgrown by the age of five, but more and more they are unfortunately sticking around throughout the school years. 

To print, right click on image, save to device, print.  It will print as an 8x10.

Substitute Teacher Handout   

Allergy Shots and the Mysterious Reaction that Wasn't

The mysterious reaction that could have brought the immunotherapy to an end.

The first of my daughter's allergy shots went off without a hitch. She loves her Shot Blocker, and uses the Buzzy Bee on the opposite arm for distraction.  She sits on the table with the shot blocker pinched on one arm so that she does not feel the needle, a lollypop in her mouth to ease the pain, and the Buzzy Bee on the other arm to look at and distract her so that she does not think about the shot, or look at the needle. Sigh, whatever it takes! I would do magic tricks, or stand on my head to distract her if I could!


The Reaction: After the third set of shots she ended up with a large red rash that appeared on the same arm. I wondered if it was eczema, and if so, was it from the shots? Her next set of shots was three days later as we were doing the shots twice a week. The nurse was concerned, but because my daughter has eczema flare ups, we thought it may be a coincidence.  After the next set of shots our concern turned into something more. That night she was covered head to toe in what looked like a bright red severe eczema flare up.

I notified her allergist right away who was very surprised as she is on a very low dose shot, and he told us the bad news: We may have to stop the allergy shots. I was so upset as we had spent a year considering them, researching them, and had spent months convincing our daughter (who is terrified of needles) to go through with them. She was doing so well, barely flinching with the shots, and was excited to see if they would help her.

Little brother saves the day! 

The rash that we all assumed was eczema, as it looked just like it, took five days to go away. We decided to give the shots one more go, and then terminate the immunotherapy if there was a further reaction.  I was up all night worrying about what we would do if immunotherapy was no longer an option.

Surprisingly, the day before the next allergy shot, her little brother gave us the answer to the mystery reaction, and we were able to go ahead with the shots with no fear! The allergist was very relieved, and amused! My son solved the mystery by developing a bright red rash, an exact replica of his sister's rash, from head to toe. I took him in to the doctor, and he was diagnosed with Fifth's Disease. A virus that caused him to have a runny nose, and then at the end of it, after he was contagious, a bright red rash that covered his body. I was ecstatic! I have never been happy before about my children being sick, of course, but this meant that my daughter most likely also had Fifth's Disease, and not a reaction to her allergy shots!


We were not 100% sure, so we proceeded with caution. We waited a good ten days, and then started the shots once more. No reaction! We were all so happy, and relieved. We are now back on track with the allergy shots, and on the up hill climb to better health! There may be some reactions along the way, but not this time!

Peanut, tree-nut free classroom poster, Food Allergy classroom poster

Peanut, and Nut Free Poster for School and Daycare

My daughter's classroom has been peanut, and tree-nut free for Kindergarten, and now first grade. So far it has worked out well.  She has many other allergies, but peanut and tree-nut are her most severe.

There are many great signs out there, but I was looking for one that mentioned hand washing as well as keeping the allergen out of the room. It was a lot of fun to make this.

I am so grateful for the  helpful input that I received from my food allergy support community! Thank You!

Email me at eliza.marz@gmail.com if you have a poster need that is not shown here, and I can create one tailored to your needs.

How to Print:  It prints as an 8x10.  To print, double click, or right click on the image, save to your device, and then print from your printer. 

New: Prints as an 8.5x11

Sub folder handouts:

Class Letter from Teacher to Parents: 

Super Dad! Dads and Food Allergies

Dads and Food Allergies

A common issue that comes up frequently on food allergy support groups is that the father of the child with food allergies seems to not take the food allergies seriously.  A common complaint/worry is: "My husband does not seem to understand that food allergies are a real danger".

There are many good guesses as to why this is such a common and shared issue, and I am sure the reasons are different for every family.

For my own family, it took some time for us to be on the same page. Since I happen to do the majority of the grocery buying and cooking. I was on the front lines daily. The pressure was on me to buy the right products with the right ingredient list. One slip up, and that could mean a trip to the ER.

Reading every label every time may sound easy, but as you probably know, it's not that easy, or that simple.

Because I had taken on the role of head chef, and sole nutrient gatherer, I naturally was the one reading the food allergy books, and scouring the Internet for medical journals, blogs, support groups, and anything that I felt could give me a greater understanding of what products were safe, and which were to be avoided. I also was teaching part-time, and so was the eyes and ears, and "historian" for the allergist appointments.

Being the main food and health recognizance officer for the family naturally led to my greater understanding of the issue. Filling in my husband on the issue did not come as easily... Listening to my daily ramblings on the subject was about as entertaining as watching the grass grow in the fall. 

As time has passed, I learned to forward the articles that I found, include him in the doctors visits, trust that he could make a grocery store run for the right/safe products, and let him research food allergies on his own. We are now both educated about food allergies, and I have found that Dads are very important in the food allergy equation.  They can be phenomenal advocates for their children's safety and inclusion in school, and family gatherings. They can also shop, cook, and dine out safely with their kids, all while modeling good food allergy safety such as: reading labels, asking questions, bringing safe treats from home, and carrying epinephrine.

My kids are still at the tender age where Dad looks cool no matter what he's wearing, or doing. In their eyes he is a superhero. Seeing him carry epinephrine, ask questions, and pack a safe treat will go a long way in creating good habits for the future, when he may seem just a tad less than cool.



Allergy Shots for Kids!? Our Environmental Allergy Shot Journey Begins!

 Our Allergy Shot Journey Has Begun!



I was very nervous, and worried about my daughter getting her first allergy shots. But, with Buzzy Bee, a lollipop,  and a Shot Blocker, the first allergy shots went better than I could have ever imagined!

My seven year old daughter was terrified, but with these three things, and a lot of talking them up as being almost painless, she barely even winced!  She was thrilled that the shot was almost painless!

We are both excited that she is on her way towards being able spend less time sneezing, eye rubbing, itching, wiping her nose, wheezing, and coughing, and hopefully one day, snuggle with Grandma's cat.

The 35+ weeks of weekly shots seems endless, 5 years of maintenance seems like an eternity, but it will be worth it! Hopefully...

I felt silly bringing in a shot kit with the skin distractors to the office, because I called ahead, and the nurses had never seen either the buzzy bee, or the shot blocker, they have nothing for kids... But it was worth it!

My daughter is normally shaking, and crying, and they worked to keep her calm, and happy.

I would not say either would make the pain non-existent. Both seem to work in the similar way of confusing/stimulating the nerves/skin, so the focus is not all on one tiny spot where the needle goes in. Plus there is the psychological comfort of being told that it will help, and that there is something being used to make the pain and fear go away.

The shot blocker reminds me of acupressure points, here it is: http://www.buyshotblocker.com/ the buzzy bee vibrates, and has a frozen pad that can go on it as well. Here is the site for it http://buzzy4shots.com

The nurses loved them! They told me that I should do a U-tube video as they have many young patients who could really use them.

Food Allergy Alert Daycare and School Handout

Food Allergy Alert Daycare/School Handout

Here is a handout that I made for Daycare, Sub folder, and Specials Teachers to compliment FARE's Emergency Food Allergy, and Anaphylaxis Plan. 

I made one for my daughter for daycare and pre-school and had it posted in the snack cabinet. For elementary school it may be helpful to have in the sub folders, and for specials teachers. 

To print double click, or right click on image, save image to your device, and then print:

                                        

The Best Way To Celebrate a School Birthday is Food Free!

The Best Way To Celebrate a School Birthday is Food Free!

This year my daughter has a safe snack box for parties, but they are also celebrating birthdays with bookmarks, silly straws, pencils, books, and more. She loves being included, and I am enjoying her delight on days when a birthday is celebrated at school, and she is included!