Letter to parents about food allergies

If your child has food allergies, it is a good idea to let the other parents in your class know. In my case, I wrote a letter to all the parents in my daughter’s grade because they all eat lunch together and last year we had an incident due to another child and her parents not knowing about my daughter’s peanut allergy.

I thought I would share the letter here in case anyone out there needs a little help. Feel free to copy and paste it to make your own letter. I have already had one parent let me know that after reading my letter she bought Sunbutter for her son’s lunches (even though I didn’t ask her to).

This letter is to let you know that I have a child in the 2nd grade with severe food allergies. Her name is ____________ in Ms. ______’s class. Even if your child is not in class with my daughter, they share lunch tables. Therefore, I want to make sure that all the parents and kids in the 2nd grade are aware of her severe allergies.

________ is severely allergic to peanuts, nuts, eggs and avocado. If she comes into contact with or eats these foods, she can become very ill, with hives, rash, itchy eyes, stomach ache, vomiting, breathing problems, and swelling throat. The allergic reaction could be life-threatening (anaphylaxis) if not stopped in time with proper medication and emergency care.

The best way for my child to be safe is for her to avoid the foods to which she is allergic. I am aware and sympathetic to your needs as parents when packing food for your children to eat at school. Peanut butter and other nut butters are of the highest concern with children as they are sticky and the oils are easily transferred to shared surfaces. If you do pack peanuts or nuts for your child, please talk about it with your child and encourage him/her to be careful about spilling or spreading it around, to keep the food away from _________, and to wash his/her hands after eating. Kids are usually very thoughtful about it and don’t want their friends to get sick.

I know from the last two years that you are a wonderful and supportive group of parents and I thank you for looking out for my child! Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions.

Alison St. Sure