Bag for epipen, boy starting secondary school

[Dillydreamer]

Any suggestions for a small bag cool enough for a boy to carry an epipen at a very large secondary school? Wondering about a small backpack or belt. Would a cross body bag work? His school bag won’t always be nearby.

And please don’t assume telling one person at school will ensure his tutor knows. As a minimum I would also be making sure I told his science and food tech teachers yourself about any food allergies.

I got my son a small cross body bag that I think was designed for a phone or similar. It’s plain black and fits his 2 EpiPens, a pack of antihistamines and used to just about fit his inhaler in when he needed to carry that.

try looking at ‘gadget’ type bags, things that are designed to store bits of cameras, phones etc. they are generally smaller than regular bags and have pockets/zips etc that can be handy for things like instruction leaflets for the epipens etc x

Also make sure he teaches some trusted mates how to administer his epi pen. They sometimes have a practice pen at the allergy clinic, where they can practice how to use the pen and what the action feels like ( dummy pen with a blunt needle that goes in to the pen when pressed against leg, rather than into the leg).

it’s second nature for my son to have his ‘allergy bag’ with him now. It helps if the pens stay in the same bag all the time , but GP can be arsey about prescribing more than the required 2 at a time.

I am a nurse at a large comprehensive. Younger students are happy to have it on their body, with a bum bag type thing. Older students, not so. They often want it in their bags. They are allowed to take their bags wherever they go. We hold a spare epipen in the medical room. I also have 2 spare epipens, as advised by the D of E.
I gave an epipen to a pupil recently, who had no known allergies. That was scary I can tell you.

This is why my DS uses the cross body bag he carries when he’s out and about. All his mates know it, it has distinctive key rings on the front so it’s easy to spot.

You should have an allergy plan agreed with school. For ours, school have school issued epipens in the office which we've signed to say we're happy for them to use. Hers then stay in her school bag in a fluorescent pouch with medical emergency written on it and a card with an idiots guide on what to do. Her bag goes to PE or wherever with her rather then left in the changing rooms. Her friends all know where they are. Her food tech teacher has an allergy station which is kept clear of all the main allergens and calls me to run through the rotations plan and if any changes need to be made.
Any out of date ones we keep in extra circular bags in case we forget to take the home ones with us.

Just thought I’d add a link for the type we had. It’s very discreet which helped when DS started going out and about with friends, he didn’t have to take a bag or carry anything bulky.

https://www.allergylifestyle.com/shop/allergy-shop/epipen-cases/slimline-lightweight-insulated-epibelt/

Dd wouldn’t carry anything that was convenient because it was just, because she wouldn’t. We settled on a sturdy pencil pouch with a loop at the end that was easy to hold.

You can get some on Etsy that have material that helps keep the inside of the pouch cool and that don’t scream medication. You can also get ones in multiple places that scream medication, which is what I carry as an adult, but I’m not a teenager worried about what other people think.

I recommend an AirTag inside. That way if it gets left behind it is easier to track down. It’s easy to get distracted by friends at the end of class and forget to grab your med kit. When the consequences are so high, it’s worth having a redundancy.