Back to School - Emergency Action Plan

If you have a school-age child with food allergies, don't forget to provide an Emergency Action Plan to your teacher and school nurse.

In addition to all the medical forms required by the school, prepare with the help of your child’s doctor a one-page “Emergency Action Plan.” This document should include:
1) the foods your child is allergic to;
2) the possible symptoms of an allergic reaction;
3) the treatment that should be administered and under what circumstances;
4) contact information for the rescue squad (911), your child’s doctor, and you;
5) current picture of your child;
6) doctor’s signature.
Here is a link if you need a sample plan, available from the FAAN website.

Provide the school with epinephrine auto-injector(s) and any other medications as recommended by your doctor. Make note of the expiration dates.

Talk with your child. Reinforce the importance of following all the “food allergy rules” you’ve taught her.

SIGG bottles contain BPA

How disappointing. SIGG water bottles, which have long been perceived to be the eco-friendly alternative to plastic water bottles, has just confessed something that has sent huge ripples through the media - all of their bottles manufactured before August of last year actually DO contain BPA - according to a press statement made by Sigg CEO Steve Wasik. In case you aren’t familiar with the notorious chemical, Bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor. Part of what made SIGG so popular in the first place was when SIGG marketing tactics involved pointing fingers at polycarbonate water bottle manufacturers - claiming that these types of bottles leached BPA. Not surprisingly, parents and eco-conscious consumers everywhere turned to SIGG bottles as a safe way to tote water on the go without being exposed to the dangerous effects of bisphenol-A, but there is a daunting sense of mistrust now that we learn we’ve been duped. Read more at Inhabitots...

Pencil pouch or something more?

I saw this cute little pencil pouch at littlemissmatched.com and thought it would make a great EpiPen carrier! Only $7. Of course it works just fine as a pencil pouch too. Check out their cute selection of backpacks, totes and wallets.

So Many Hugs

I am so proud of my mother-in-law, Deanna Hurtubise! She has always dreamed of writing a children's book and getting it published, and her dream is now a reality. Her first book, So Many Hugs, is now available on Amazon.com. How cool is that? She has so many great stories in the works, so I'm sure there will be more books in the near future. Way to go, Dee! Keep 'em coming.

Pacifier Pocket from SkipHop

This is hilarious and brilliant at the same time. A pacifier pocket with a strap! We always find pacifiers at the bottom of our diaper bag, and I've resorted to putting extras in ziploc bags to keep them clean. This pacifier pocket keeps one or two pacifiers handy and clean with Agion Antimicrobial lining that helps to reduce bacteria growth. Available in 3 other designs/colors.

Treats by Home Free

We bought some cookies made by Home Free at Whole Foods over the weekend. All of their treats are made with organic ingredients and are peanut free, egg free, and dairy free. Rylie typically doesn't get to eat store-bought baked goods, so she was really excited to have a cookie that was safe for her to eat. They also have some great baking ingredients available on their site for allergy-free recipes.