Healthy Habits: Allergies and Summer Camp

For anyone whose child has outdoor allergies, asthma, or food allergies, summer camp can be full of trigger risks. I had a chance to interview a representative from Aspire Allergy about managing allergies kids may encounter at camp.

 Why is it important for parents and caregivers to talk with their kids about managing allergies at camp?

In addition to communicating with camp leaders and counselors about your child's allergies, it's important to also discuss this with your child! It's incredibly important for kids to know they have allergies and what the symptoms are, so they can be proactive in seeking help or treatment if they are exposed to one of their allergy triggers. 

What are some extra considerations that families need to be aware of for kids with allergies?

It's important for families to know a child's allergy triggers, prepare in advance for them, especially if a child is away at a camp or field trip, and have the appropriate medication or treatment available if symptoms arise. It's also important for families to let the camp know about their child's allergies so this can be communicated to others, especially other families if there is a food allergy involved. In that case it would be very important for other campers and their families to know what foods may and may not be brought to camp. 

How can parents and caregivers make sure to accurately communicate needs about allergies to summer camp staff and encourage their kids to self-advocate if necessary?

• Make sure to communicate all allergy information to camp leaders, camp counselors and in the case of food allergies, other families attending. 
• Depending on the child's age, they should know when and how often to take allergy medication and the proper dosage. Even if they aren't administering the medication themselves it's important for them to know. 
• Make sure camp leaders, staff and your child know about the allergy symptoms that accompany their particular allergy - not all are the same! 
• For a complete camp checklist for kids with allergies, read more here. 

Known for making new and innovative allergy therapies available, Aspire began offering allergy drops in 2012, and just recently introduced an exceptionally fast way to treat allergies, the ExACT Immunoplasty procedure. This procedure treats allergies in just eight weeks, rather than years.