the friendly skies and my allergic child

Jake was 14 months old on his first plane ride.

Since then, we’ve been on numerous trips mostly half way around the world to visit family. Once you’ve done it once or twice, traveling and flying with food allergies feels almost like a routine.

Here’s what usually works for us.

Anytime we will be overseas, I tell our allergist and pediatrician. We make sure all medications are up to date, and we have a doctor’s note explaining his allergies and why I need to carry that Epi-pen onboard. I have been stopped at the airport in Hong Kong a few times for carrying those injectors, but after I flash them the note signed by our doctor, no further questions are asked. Keeping the pharmacy label on the medication and it’s package is better. They want to see your child’s name on them.

We have a special pouch for the Epi’s but for air travel, I place them in it’s original box where it clearly say epinephrine. I find that airport personnel respond better like that.

A few days prior to our departure, I call our health insurance company. I verify our policy’s out-of-area coverage, and if we need to be pre-approved for treatment, and so on. You don’t want to deal with this when you are already in a foreign land, or worse, your child is in a hospital somewhere. Coverage can change, and I hate surprises so a phone call is not too much of a hassle for me.

I call the airline at least 48 hours before our flight and order a special meal. I stopped. My son has multiple food allergies and there is no special diet available for him onboard I learned. We’ve flown Emirates, Philippine Airlines, United, Northwest and Cathay Pacific. Besides, I would rather bring his own food than risk an allergic reaction when we’re flying 30,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean. (I still get him the child’s meal so he gets the amenities kit.)

I always carry extra food for him because we all know about delays and horror stories at the airport. It happened to us a couple times actually. We were stranded in Memphis for 6 hours and the only thing safe for him to eat was an apple at Starbucks. The other one was when our flight got diverted and had to stay overnight in Montreal. The extra food we packed saved us the worry, time and effort.

I “tag” my child’s stuff. I ordered these labels and I stick them to his belongings and food containers. Again, it shows the airline and security people you are allowed to bring those allergen-free food and drinks onboard for him.

I also carry a current photo of him, in case he gets lost. (I know, I worry about that too.) There is an Emergency Action Plan in his medication kit that details the doctor’s phone numbers and the safe food he can eat in case they need to feed him, and we got separated or something.

These wipes from Target are my friends.

As soon as we get to our assigned seats, I get to work wiping armrests, tray tables … everything my son can touch while sitting in the plane. If it will be our home for the next 15 hours or so, I want it to be safe. I already expect to get nasty looks from fellow passengers and I simply shrug it off. Some people have no clue why I might be doing this other than think I am neurotic. Okay, I am. :-)

It’s a good idea to alert the flight attendant serving you about your child’s special needs. Oftentimes, they offer goodies and treats like cookies and chocolate bars during a long-haul flight. I let my son keep the toys, but I stay alert for food. Juice is the only airline food he can have.

Every trip is a challenge, where lessons are learned and sometimes the unexpected happen. A little preparation can go a long way to make flying safe and trouble-free for your allergic child.