Starting Nursery or School with Allergies

5 Top Tips to Help Navigate your Child’s Journey with Confidence

Starting nursery or school is a huge milestone for your child and it often leaves us feeling overwhelmed, unsure and emotional. Add in a medical condition and these feelings increase ten-fold. As a parent of a child with allergies, sending your child off to nursery or school can be an anxiety-inducing experience; Will the teachers and staff be capable of handling an allergic reaction? Will the other children understand the seriousness of your child’s condition? Will your child feel excluded due to their allergy? The list goes on…..

However, it is important to remember that your child’s education setting wants to keep your child safe and thriving during their time with them. Communication between yourself and your child’s caregivers is crucial to ensure that both you and your child have a positive experience of transitioning into a new routine as they enter the next phase in their developmental journey. Read on for our top 5 tips on how to prepare for your child’s next step (and see the bottom for a special announcement)..

Tip #1 Be Prepared

Before you approach your nursery or school it is helpful to have a checklist of all the information, concerns and questions that you wish to discuss with them. It is likely to be an emotional topic for you, discussing how to keep your child safe, so it is important to be prepared so that you can remain focused on creating the correct care plan for your child. If you can, write or print out a checklist in advance of a discussion with your nursery or school, and take notes during the meeting to refer back to and follow up as necessary. For a comprehensive strategy for managing your child’s allergies in partnership with your school or nursery, including over 23+ downloadable pages of done-for-you checklists I recommend this talk and resource series which is just £10 …. Dr Helen Allergy starting nursery or school module)

Tip #2 Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

As a parent or carer, it is crucial to communicate extensively with the school or nursery setting about the required care for your child. This could involve meeting with class teachers, school leaders, the SENCo, nursery practitioners and management or any other relevant staff to create a detailed plan for managing your child’s allergies. This plan should include information about the child’s specific allergies, how to safeguard against the allergen or allergens, symptoms of an allergic reaction, and steps to take in case of an emergency. This plan should be reviewed regularly to ensure it is the most up to date it can be for your child.  For tips on effective communications, and the psychology behind it, I thoroughly recommend Clinical Psychologist D Francesca’s module Preparing for School with Allergies- A Psychological Guide containing trips. strategies and exercises to work through with your child.  Starting School when Living with Allergies

Tip # 3 Medication at the Ready

 If your child has prescribed or over the counter medication for their allergy (including inhalers and/or EpiPens) you will need to liaise with your setting to complete the necessary paperwork to allow this to be administered as appropriate. If necessary, speak to your GP regarding issuing additional medications to be stored at school/nursery. You may also wish to ask about staff training in administering emergency medication and how your medicines will be stored.  Ensuring that emergencies have been thoroughly planned for will give peace of mind should a reaction happen. For further information on administering emergency medication visit (link to Anaphylaxis UK EpiPen videos). (Don’t forget Anaphylaxis UK has a great training program for teachers – why not let them know about it – training is just £100 for ten teachers!!)

Tip #4 Talk to your Child (and their Friends!)

How you prepare your child for their new chapter will depend on their age, their understanding and their individual personalities. If you are able to, educate your child on their allergens and some simple practices (such as not touching other children’s foods) so that they are able to take personal responsibility for their care.  Furthermore, educating the other children in your child’s class with inclusive policies and talking to your child’s classmates can help foster a culture of understanding and support which can be incredibly beneficial for the allergic child. Children have natural empathy and are very willing to create a kind and inclusive environment for their peers if they are guided to do so. 

Tip #5 Manage your Own Stress

Being the parent or carer of an allergy child is a very demanding and stressful role, none more so than when you have to ‘hand over’ some of the responsibility of keeping your child safe to someone else. It is important however that you take control of managing your own stress and anxieties, so that these are not passed on to your child and so that you can focus on being the best caregiver you can be. For help with managing the mental load that comes with transferring your child’s care over to a third party consider investing in Dr Francesca’s modules.

Whether you are already at school or nursery, or preparing to start in a few weeks or months, just know that you are not alone.  It might take extra planning, and you are likely to feel incredibly mixed emotions but we are here to support you today, tomorrow and in the future.

I mentioned a little special announcement, so as an extra ‘back to school bonus’ we are current gifting anyone who enrolls in Dr Francesca’s module ‘Preparing for starting school- The Psychological Guide’ our ‘Preparing for Nursery or Schools with Allergies’ Talks series, checklists and resources for free.  But only until Friday so you will need to be quick.  The module is the equivalent of 3 1:1 sessions unpicking your mental health worries, anxiety and fears and working through them to create balance and resilience with Dr Francesca, and there’s a workbook too with tips and exercises.  Combined with the talks and checklists- it’s all you need for a positive start to school life and for a fraction of the investment of face-to-face.  The feedback has been incredible so don’t miss out. 

Module Link https://drhelenallergy.co.uk/product/starting-school-when-living-with-allergies

Talks and checklist link. https://drhelenallergy.kartra.com/page/schools