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How to help children with food allergies this Halloween
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The goal of the Teal Pumpkin Project is to increase awareness about the serious nature of food allergies and be more inclusive of children who live with the condition every day of their lives. One mother shares her story of childhood allergies. - photo by Alicia Walters
Wondering what is behand all these bright teal pumpkins you see on your social media and news feed?

Teal is the color for food allergy awareness and in 2014, Food Allergy and Education Research started an ongoing tradition to benefit families with children affected by food allergies known as The Teal Pumpkin Project.

The goal of the Teal Pumpkin Project is to increase awareness about the serious nature of food allergies and to be more inclusive of children who live with the condition every day of their lives. Families are invited to place a pumpkin painted teal on their front porch to let trick-or-treaters know that their home will be passing out non-food or allergy-safe treats. The Teal Pumpkin Project has exploded with supporters showing their compassion for young trick-or-treaters with food allergies.

One of the biggest misconceptions about food allergies is that they are similar to food intolerance such as gluten sensitivity. Many people still do not understand that when a parent says their child has food allergies that it is not a lifestyle choice or something that can be resolved simply by changing the way a food is prepared, but that ingesting certain allergens found in everyday food is an actual threat to a childs life. Parents of children with food allergies must be prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure their child does not ingest or have direct contact with their allergens. For school-aged children, this can present a complicated schedule of doctor appointments, visits with the school principal, teachers and school nurse and extra paperwork and continuous communication to ensure that medical supplies and plans are in place in the event of an emergency.

Parents have to monitor their childs food in a similar way that parents of children with Type 1 diabetes have to monitor their childs insulin. These parents are never completely relaxed when sending their children to school because they must be ready to drop everything and rush their child to the emergency room if exposure to allergens occurs. This often leads to anxiety and feelings of loneliness on the part of the parent, the child or both.

Stacy Chatterton is a food allergy advocate raising her two daughters who have food allergies. Holidays like Halloween can be a stressful time as she has to constantly weigh wanting her daughters to participate in celebrations at school and with friends but also needing to keep them safe. She enjoys seeing the teal pumpkins show up on the doorsteps of families who want to include children with food allergies.

Stacy is grateful for her husband and family and close friends who understand food allergies. Her mother makes a safe meal for them every Sunday, as she understands that being the constant provider of safe meals can be exhausting for parents with children who have food allergies. Friends have also jumped in and Chatterton appreciates the messages that fill her inbox around Halloween telling her a friend will have allergy free treats for her daughters. A close friend whose daughter does not have food allergies even started packing her lunch allergy free anyway so she could sit by Chattertons daughter at the allergy free table at school.

Even with all this support, Chatterton still recognizes a need for more public awareness so people in their communities know what to watch out for and how to help children with food allergies year-round.

"I deal with the reality of this possibility every day that I drop off my two young daughters at school," Chatterton said. "In the months and weeks before school starts, I schedule meetings with teachers and school nurses to ensure health care plans are in order. I also make sure that both girls have their epinephrine and medical bracelets on them at all times. You will often not find me further than 15 minutes away from either child's school with my phone in my back pocket. In the last few years, I have had a few anxiety attacks while the two of them are away at school."

Chatterton said that the key to helping her and her girls not feel alone is reaching out and making friends with other food allergy families. Since her first daughters diagnosis over five and a half years ago, she has found support at Kids With Food Allergies as well as many Facebook groups for parents of children with food allergies. It isnt difficult to find allergy free candy for trick-or-treaters. All grocery stores sell candy for egg, peanut and tree nut allergies that even children without food allergies enjoy regularly.

Parents and neighbors of children with food allergies wanting to know more about The Teal Pumpkin Project can find information on the FARE website.

DIV BOX:

As with the majority of emergencies, time is everything. If you see a child having an emergency, call 911. A child with food allergies who has ingested or had direct contact with allergens may show signs of anaphylaxis, which usually beings within minutes after ingesting food that is unsafe.

Symptoms include:

  • difficulty breathing
  • reduced blood pressure
  • hives
  • swollen lips
  • vomiting
  • diarrhea
  • fainting
Allergy free candies include:

  • Skittles
  • Starburst
  • Tootsie Roll Brand
  • Twizzlers
  • Jolly Ranchers
  • Swedish Fish
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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