Enjoying the great outdoors despite your child’s food allergy

I live in Colorado with my family for a reason. That reason is the Mountains! I have dreamed of living in the mountains for many years and finally two years ago, that dream came true. One month after our move, I had my son, who has a peanut allergy. As a family, we go for hikes, bike rides, and camping trips every chance we can. Sure, having a food allergy affects what we can take (PB and J’s are not a go to sandwich for us any longer) but we have many other options and a plan for being on trips where no medical facilities are nearby. My son was basking in the sun (and wind and cold) at Rocky Mountain National Park before he was one month old and he summited his first peak at two months old (on my chest) plus many more adventures that we do not plan to stop! Want to know some of my tricks?

• Plan ahead

  • I locate the nearest medical facility and put the address in my phone, that way, if an emergency arises, I know where to go. I share this information with others in the group. If we plan to eat out while traveling, I look this up ahead of time as well.

• Alert others

  • While it is awkward the first few times, informing others of your child’s food allergy is imperative. The last thing you want is a preventable allergic reaction miles from medical facilities.

  • Example script, “Hey, just a reminder before we meet. (Your child’s name) has a (specific allergy). Please avoid bringing anything with (this allergen) and nothing processed in a facility with (this allergen). This will help them stay safe while we are out. Thanks in advance for taking this extra step before our hike! Let me know if you have specific questions about any foods and I’ll bring lots of extra safe snacks for everyone to enjoy!”

• Pack lots of snacks

  • I always bring safe snacks for my son PLUS others. This way, we have a safe alternative if needed. I always pack more than needed if we plan to be far away from food services or if we find a restaurant that does not have a safe option (then I have a backup).

• Have emergency medications and a plan

  • I have a medicine carrying case bag with epinephrine auto-injectors, premeasured antihistamine, and emergency plan. I will pack this in the most temperature controlled spot in my pack. In the winter, it may require a nearby hot pack and wrapped in an extra layer. In the car, I typically have an extra supply of epinephrine auto-injectors (just in case).

  • Be familiar with how to use epinephrine and inform others in case you are unavailable to give it.

  • *Mom tip*- pack more than just the emergency meds. Carry pain reliever/fever reducer meds such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen and extra antihistamine such as cetirizine or loratadine (depending on your child’s age). Once we drove 6 hours to a remote lake and both kids ended up with colds and fevers ON THE WAY. Guess what I forgot to pack? Lesson learned after driving 40 more miles to the nearest open grocery store to buy these medications!

• Have means to contact emergency services if needed

  • We carry a handheld GPS that allows us to call out when needed as well as send messages regarding our location (and updates during the trip). This gives me peace of mind knowing that without cell service, we can contact 911.

  • You can also use the emergency setting on a cell phone but you will need to know your location.

  • Know your trail route, we use AllTrails and can download the map ahead of time.

These tips have been useful for my family. We love traveling to national parks and being in the mountains. Having a plan, everyone on board, and knowing what to do in case of emergency helps me enjoy our time in nature.

If you’d like help to enjoy the outdoors despite your child’s food allergy, feel free to contact me to learn more!

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