FFK99: How to include children with allergies in a party, with Sara Dawson

On today’s show we are talking about how to support other people’s children who have allergies. We have had a couple of episodes about what to do if your child invites a friend home who has a special diet, we looked at coeliac disease in episode 10 and plant based or vegan diets in episode 41.But today I wanted to look not only at inviting a child home for tea who has an allergy but also at the more specific topic of how to include a child with an allergy in a birthday party or event. It can be pretty nerve wracking entertaining other people’s children and especially if any of them have medical issues or allergies and you always want to do things safely and kindly.Sara is a highly specialist allergy dietitian with over 11 years’ experience, who has worked at two NHS UK allergy centres of excellence: St Thomas’ Hospital in London and Southampton. She helped establish the first adult allergy dietitian service in Southampton and now specialises in supporting children with allergies, both within the NHS and privately through her company, YNRD Ltd. She has taught and marked on the Southampton Allergy MSc and taught allergy on the Dietetics MSc at King’s College London. She has also worked in CAMHS with children and adolescents with eating disorders, and is passionate about children’s nutrition, accurate allergy diagnosis, safe avoidance and reintroduction where possible, and providing realistic nutrition advice that supports a healthy relationship with food.Links in this episode:Sara's website: https://www.ynrd.co.ukSara's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saradawsondietitian/Music "Happy Days" by Simon Folwar via Uppbeat