Overnight school trip for anaphylactic 6yo

[Weta]

The school has just told us they're planning an overnight trip. DS1 is anaphylactic to dairy in the sense that he will have a reaction where all his body systems are affected.

I have some concerns about him being a bit young anyway and whether he'll find it upsetting at bedtime etc, but on the other hand it may be an opportunity to build his confidence and independence.

Obviously the allergy is also a big concern, but I really don't want to be overprotective and always coming along to everything to watch over him. They need 2 parent volunteers - 2 have already volunteered, but one is the mother of an autistic child so they might not mind an extra one. Problem is that DH is at home at the moment but is about to start looking for work so we can't really commit to it right now - childcare for DS2 would be a problem if DH found a job between now and then and I wanted to go on the trip.

The (very experienced) teacher is happy to take the responsibility, although I tend to feel he is slightly blase about the whole thing. DS1 is extremely sensible and has never been tempted by the wrong food - any reactions have always been our fault or someone else's.

I would provide vacuum packed ready meals for lunch and dinner (although not sure what to do about salad - either skip or send along a big container of carrot salad!), and for breakfast he is fine with bread and jam and a soy drink, plus I can obviously send snacks.

Any thoughts or advice?

I'd want to know that the teacher in charge and the 2 parent helpers are all aware of what the allergy means in terms of food preparation. i.e. that they have to be careful of cross contamination from cutlery for example when spreading toast. As well as them all knowing what to do if ds does have a reaction.

Perhaps you could request a meeting with them (teacher and helpers) near the time in order to go through these points? List common foods that he cannot have and must not come into contact with, go through emergency precedure - what meds he must carry with him, how and when to use epi-pen, piriton, etc.

The issue of him being home-sick, I guess, is the same for all the parents/children and separate to the allergy issues, imho.

If your dh does get a job, many companies will honour commitments made prior to the appointment.

Can you also go to where they are going to be staying over and talk direct to the staff there? I feel for you - I dread the trips away but think it's going to be more a right of passage for me than DS ... good luck!

Thanks Pixie... that scheme does sound fantastic, but sadly there is much less awareness of allergies here in Luxembourg and I don't really feel up to battling it on my own.

DS is quite used to taking his own packed lunch to the canteen - at this school they can choose to bring their own lunch or have what's provided, but at the previous one everyone had to have the canteen lunch except him, so he doesn't have a problem with eating something different to the others. He's only really at risk from eating dairy, and I don't think it's an issue if the kids around him have it as he is extremely sensible and careful and has never been tempted into eating anyone else's food.

Also our allergy specialist is adamant that we should never trust anyone but ourselves (or close and trusted family members or friends) to prepare his food, so it's kind of easier just to give a blanket ban on anything except bread and fruit, and then provide the rest myself. Bread here isn't allowed to have dairy in unless you get the plastic sliced variety, though I might need to check what bread they will be having.

Will definitely talk to staff and parent volunteers about the Epipen and general prevention/action in an emergency.

I definitely won't stop him going, but to be honest I'm in two minds about his maturity for it anyway so DH or I may try to volunteer as a helper.

if he is not touch sensitive, is well trained in what he can have, has an epipen and the staff have been trained to use it I would let him go. Mine was 8 when they first stayed away with the school and I rang the venue to talk it through with them. I didn't send food and they didn't have a reaction.

If it's the first time away best to try a night with a trusted friend first.

I would say let him go if he is OK to go and be brave. You don't want him feeling left out and if he is going to have to cope with this forever then the earlier he is confident to trust others the better for all concerned.

Easy for me to say I know now SDD is desensitized but we did have to go through the letting go stage and she was glad we did, she always loved to have her independence and taking her own food was never a problem, especially as we always packed her absolute faves so there was no competition between that and whatever they served up to the other kids.

Good luck,... would most likely vote myself as a helper too though...

I definitely wouldn't stop him going, it's more a question of whether DH or I bust a gut to go along as a helper - but I think that will be based more on how we feel he'll cope with being away from home (and whether we think there are enough adults for the number of children) rather than the allergy issues.

He's great at taking his own food, I have no concerns from his end.

He is due for his oral challenge tests in March for going on the desentisitation programme, so maybe, just maybe, we too will no longer have to worry about future trips...

Weta - good news that he is moving to desensitization, where is that taking place ?

We live in Luxembourg and he's able to do it (if the oral challenge goes ok) at the hospital here with a specialist attached to an allergy clinic in France.

Oh cool, very best of luck and best wishes