Managing Food Allergies at Your Child’s Birthday Party

You’ve sent out the birthday party invites, and one of the RSVPs includes a note about a food allergy – or maybe your child is the one managing allergies. Your party planning now has an added layer of responsibility. How do you keep everyone safe without sacrificing the celebration? With a little extra preparation and communication, you’re sure to create a fun and memorable day for everyone.

Determine Menu Options

The first step is to make a menu that’s safe for the kids with allergies and intolerances. Gather a list of which child is allergic to which ingredient, and keep it handy during planning and the party.

If possible, try to eliminate the allergens from the menu completely. If there are too many to do so, make sure you know which allergens are in which foods, and reference your list the day-of to know which child must avoid those foods.

Don’t forget a cake! There are bakers that focus on allergy-free baking, or recipes online that you can DIY, so you don’t have to skip the birthday magic.

Serve Food Safely

Before kids swarm the buffet line after a busy morning at the pool, ensure you’re set up for safety. It’s best to help serve the food, rather than letting it be a free-for-all, so that you can watch for cross contamination. Here are a few tips for keeping food serving safe:
Start with all kids washing their hands

• Let the child with food allergies get their food first
• Label the foods, and be sure to tell those with food allergies what items are safe for them to eat
• Have separate serving utensils for each dish, and don’t let them move from dish to dish

While these tips can help, remember that cross-contamination can happen quickly and can be very dangerous.

Choose Activities That Don’t Involve Food

While food can be a big component for parties, it’s fun to center the party around an activity that doesn’t have to do with food. Bowling, pool parties, laser tag, and game night are just a few of the many options.

Party favors are popular in a lot of areas, and you don’t have to skip out on those because of allergies. Instead of snacks, include things like bubbles, stickers, tattoos, coloring books, and more that all kids can enjoy.

Treating Allergy

If food allergies are causing your child to struggle attending parties or events, or daily life activities in general, it may be time to consider treating allergies at the cause safely with allergy drop treatment. Learn more about treating food allergies following The La Crosse Method™ Protocol here, and if it’s right for your family, find a provider near you to start testing and treatment.