As the weather warms up and school lets out, many of you are likely planning a summer vacation with your family. When you have a child with food allergies, traveling can be stressful because you are out of your comfort zone. By planning ahead, you can ensure that the trip goes smoothly and that your child gets to experience all of the fun. It will also take away a lot of your anxiety so that you can relax and enjoy your vacation time too! Here are some tips for planning your next vacation.

Automatic Epinephrine Injectors (EpiPens)

If your child has an automatic epinephrine injector (or EpiPen), make sure it isn’t expired and consider packing an extra just in case. Have it handy at all times and get an insulated carrying case to prevent it from getting too hot or cold.

Air travel

Traveling by plane can be incredibly stressful for those with food allergies, especially those with peanut allergy and anaphylaxis. However, there are steps you can take to minimize the risk for an allergen exposure.

• Ask ahead if you can pre-board so that you can clean the area around your child’s seat.
• Bring a sheet or cover for the seat. You can buy washable or disposable covers from Plane Sheets.
• Call ahead to alert the airline of your child’s food allergies and find out about their policies. Some airlines are more allergy-friendly than others so do your research. For example, Continental does not hand out snacks that contain peanuts. Delta will create a “buffer zone” of 3 rows where they will not serve snacks containing peanut ingredients.
• Request a special meal that accommodates your child’s dietary restrictions if you are flying on an extended flight where a meal is served.
• Prepare for anything! Even when all precautions are taken, you can never completely eliminate the risk for allergen exposure. Have emergency plans and medication handy at all times.

Road trips

Road trips are generally less stressful because you have control over what comes into the car. However, it still requires a lot of planning to ensure you bring along enough safe foods for the trip. Check out Kids with Food Allergies for some great  tips on how to plan effectively for your vacations & road trips.

Amusement Parks
In addition to being the happiest place on earth, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is also perhaps the most accommodating place on earth. With ample notice, Dining Services can accommodate just about any dietary restriction. Disney Land, in Anaheim, California, also strives to accommodate dietary restrictions. Other parks, like Six Flags and Busch Gardens, will usually provide an exception to the rules about bringing food into the park when a person has a food allergy or intolerance.

More articles on travel with food allergies

• Camping with food allergies
• Trouble-free travel
• Allergy and asthma travel tips check-list
• Cruises with food allergies

Resources

• Chef cards
• International chef cards (translations for your food allergies)
• Food allergy t-shirts

Based on your experiences, what tips can you offer other parents about traveling with a child with food allergies?

- Mallory

With summer approaching, baseball season is back in full swing. I was at a baseball game not too long ago (Nationals vs. Marlins…Go Marlins!!) and wondered how people with food allergies, especially peanut allergies, would be able to enjoy a baseball game with all the peanut shells on the floor.

Excitingly, there are several baseball teams that designate certain “Peanut-Free” or “Peanut-Friendly” games where they offer special sections or suites in the stadium that do not allow peanuts. Some teams take it a step further and don’t sell any nut products on these dates. Here is a listing of teams that host these peanut-free games for 2010. The links below provide important details for the games so be sure to check them out!

• Arizona Diamondbacks: Two peanut-controlled games in 2010.

• Minnesota Twins: Four games with a peanut-free skybox.

• Boston Red Sox: Two peanut-friendly games in 2010.

• San Diego Padres: Peanut-free seating on May 2, 2010.

• Seattle Mariners: Four peanut-safe games in 2010.

• St. Louis Cardinals: Three games with peanut-free sections in 2010.

• Washington Nationals: Three allergy-friendly games in 2010.

I hope this information will add lots of fun to your summer activities. Have you heard of other sports teams that offer allergy-friendly days? We would love to hear about them!

- Christine

Jacob was only a month old, when he was hospitalized for vomiting and dehydration. An upper GI exam at the hospital revealed that he had gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and he was discharged with a prescription for Zantac.

Despite the new prescription, Jacob continued to cry constantly and had horrible gas. Jacob’s parents barely got any sleep, and with both of them working, they were constantly exhausted and tense. “I hated seeing my son in constant pain — his stomach was always hurting and he was constantly vomiting,” says Michelle, Jacob’s mother.

Jacob Before Neocate

Michelle thought that Jacob might be allergic to her breast milk, and her pediatrician decided to try him on Nutramigen, a hydrolysate formula in which the protein chains are partially broken down. However, Jacob’s symptoms continued and he started developing blood in his stool.

The doctors switched Jacob to Similac Alimentum, another hydrolysate formula, and prescribed Prevacid for his reflux. But baby Jacob was still miserable.

Frustrated, sad and tired, Michelle searched the internet for anything that could help her son and found the Neocate Web site. Neocate is a hypoallergenic formula made up of individual amino acids (the building blocks of protein) instead of the partial protein chains found in the other formulas that Jacob tried.

“After reading through the Web site and testimonials I decided that the formula was definitely worth a shot,” says Michelle. “What did we have to lose? I figured, things could only get better at this point.”

Michelle consulted with her doctor and they decided to make the switch. Within two weeks of trying Neocate Infant, Michelle started to notice a difference. At five months old Jacob was finally able to sleep through the night and Michelle no longer had to give him gas drops.

In addition between five and seven months, Jacob was finally growing and thriving, improving from the 40^th percentile to the 85^th percentile for weight and the 75^th percentile for height.

 After five long months of trying everything from an elimination diet while breastfeeding to various formulas, Jacob and his family finally found Neocate.

“Neocate has allowed Jacob to be the happy, fun-loving baby I knew he could be,” says Michelle. “I only wish we would have found out about the formula sooner. Every pediatrician and gastroenterologist should be informed about Neocate.”

If you want to share your before and after photos, we’d love to see them! Send us an email at FoodAllergyLiving@shsna.com.  

We’re excited to introduce you to our newest product — Neocate Junior with Prebiotics. As many as 55 percent of children don’t get enough fiber and for those on a restricted diet, it can be even more difficult! For that reason, we have added prebiotic fiber to our Neocate Junior formula.

Why is prebiotic fiber important? Prebiotics promote digestive health by supporting healthy bacteria in the gut and inhibiting bad bacteria. Studies have shown that prebiotics can help decrease constipation, diarrhea, gas and vomiting.

If you want to learn more about how prebiotics work and the importance of fiber in your children’s diet, check out this blog entry.

Question:

 I heard about Neocate Nutra, but I am a little confused about how to use it. Will it replace my son’s Neocate Junior?

 Answer:

Neocate Nutra is not meant to be a replacement for any type of Neocate formula, because it is not formulated to be nutritionally complete. However, it is a great way to supplement your child’s diet with some extra calories, vitamin D and calcium. If your child is around six months old, it can be used to introduce new textures. A lot of parents also give it as a snack, or mix it with other safe foods to make things like pudding or mashed potatoes. Check out our recipe guide for some more ideas!