9 Essential Tips For Holiday Parties With A Food Allergy Child

The holidays are a time of celebration, fun and festivities. But when you manage a food allergy (or multiple food allergies), festivities can turn into a to-do list longer than Santa’s Good list! During a busy season like Christmas, this will make even the most prepared mama’s heart “two sizes too small”.

Side note: Because of all extra work that social activities and food allergies bring, I’m often tempted to put social activities to the wayside. Going out to someone’s house and explaining how to safely manage food allergies can be exhausting, and going to a potluck or family event where the food and environment is unknown adds a whole new layer of stress. Sometimes I feel like it’s just easier to stay home. But after 12 years as a food allergy mom, I also know that loneliness is real and can be just as bad as the food allergies themselves. Which is why I intentionally work on going to more social events.

As I’ve become more intentional about attending social events, I’ve come up with a few things that help you to mentally and practically prepare for holiday events.

Let your host know of your child’s food allergies.

This isn’t telling them so that they will accommodate the allergies, but letting them know will help them understand why you and your family might not eat at the event or why you’re making certain accommodations. Basically, I don’t tell them about the allergy in expectation of them accommodating the allergies, because some people are just not comfortable or able to make accommodations.

Warning: Having an expectation that others will accommodate for food allergies can leave you disillusioned and the host feeling like we’re demanding.

That said, making the host aware allows them to think about food allergies in general terms and helps them understand your circumstances. It may even open the door in case they do want to make accommodations in the future, even though it isn’t the main intent.

2. Decide if you would rather bring safe allergy food or attend the event after food is served.

Depending on the event, either of these can be a good alternative. It all depends on the event, how much time you have to prepare, how old your child is and what the event is. There is no wrong answer, just the answer that works best for your family.

3. Bring your own main dish just for your food allergy child.

If you choose to bring safe food, keep it simple. Something that can be warmed up easily and something that your child likes. If you make a meal your child likes during the week, pop an individual portion in the freezer to take out and warm at the party.

You can also plan for this when you’re doing bulk cooks. Instead of placing the food into a family-size container, store them in individual container sizes and pop them into the freezer. You’ll be set to grab and-go meals for any holiday party!

4. Bring something to share that is safe for your child’s food allergies.

Now that you have the main dish figured out, you may want to bring another item to share. By doing this, your child will be eating something safe that is the same as everyone else so they feel included.

Again, keep it simple to save your sanity!

We have so much to do when it comes to food already, so don’t make this too difficult. At our house, we tend to eat healthy for the most part, so when it comes to parties and social events, we’ll often opt for quick and easy treats. A couple of special top 8 allergen-free treats we fall back on are plain potato chips or a fruit tray. If you like to go fancier, feel free to make whatever you have the time and effort for!

5. Watch the RSVP list to watch for possible allergy-friendly goodies.

This is optional if you have the time. If you’ve been invited online, there’s usually a list where people say what they’re bringing. Keep watch over it and check to see if there might be one or two safe things your child can enjoy. Once you spot them, check out safety of food before the event, (and not at the event). You can do this by asking the person bringing it, OR if it’s purchased from a store, you can call to see if it might be safe.

Now, if your child is old enough, you can let them know if there are safe items or if they should avoid all foods brought by others.

If you check for safety before the event, it avoids making the food allergy into a huge conversation at the party. I find large-crowd food allergy conversations are not usually the most productive and can be stressful.

6. Keep alcohol consumption down so you can spot an allergic reaction.

Even if the event is walkable, my hubby and I try to have one adult that is not drinking so we are able to spot an allergic reaction quickly.

7. Teach your food allergy child what to do in public to keep themselves safe.

Knowing that your child can take care of themselves is huge! It brings a feeling of control over our circumstances that we often feel helpless to change. Of course, this is age appropriate, but start early because it will help your child become more independent as time goes on. For example, washing hands often and especially before eating is one, but there are others too. Click HERE for ideas about what to teach your older child to keep themselves safe or HERE for ways to empower your toddler.

8. Hire a responsible tween or teen who understands food allergies.

If you have a younger food allergy child, you might consider hiring a responsible tween to come to the event with you to be your child’s “playmate/helper”. The idea would be to have someone making sure your child doesn’t put things in their mouth and to wash/wipe your child’s hands frequently. By having this dedicated, extra set of eyes, you might be able to relax just a tad. Remember, if you don’ t know of a teen or tween that already understands food allergies, you can always teach them!

9. Always have two epinephrine injectors and your little’s food allergy emergency plan with you.

This goes without saying but is SUPER important so I will say it.

Always remember that having 2 working epinephrine injectors and your food allergy emergency plan WITH you may be life-saving and that you can depend on them if an allergic reaction occurred. Of course, we never want our little to actually have a severe food allergy reaction, but by having your epinephrine and emergency plans, you can feel confident that you will be able to help them quickly.

Conclusion

Holiday parties and events with food allergies can be done safely! Putting these plans in place have helped to decrease the stress for our family and makes it possible to enjoy more of the holidays with food allergies. You can learn how to enjoy Christmas and holiday parties safely too!

What do think? Which tip will you try at your next holiday event? Share in the comments below!