One of your primary sources of information should be the Food Allergy
and Anaphylaxis Network.  Their yearly conferences are invaluable to
parents dealing with the steep learning curve of a child's
newly-diagnosed food allergy.  When we last attended three years ago, my
husband and I were thrilled to be sitting in a hotel ballroom filled
with 500 other parents who were just as confused and anxious as we were.
FAAN's monthly newsletters are full of news of current research and
allergen-free recipes.  Their website can give you more information.
The address is http://www.foodallergy.org/

I have a 10 year-old daughter who is allergic to dairy products and
peanuts (she grew out of her egg allergy around age 7).  Remember that
pediatric allergists are good for administering food challenges if you
are wondering whether your child is growing out of an allergy, but there
is not much else they can do for your child other than provide a
diagnosis, prescribe an Epi-Pen and the appropriate dose of liquid
Benadryl and, perhaps, provide some support for you.  Our allergist has
a food allergy support group for parents and that has been wonderful.
You, as the parent, will bear the brunt of keeping your child safe and
educating others about your child's allergy.  Be prepared for resistance
(even from close relatives!)

Learn as much as you can about kosher markings on packaged foods (those
marked "Parve" or "Pareve" are dairy-free, but trace amounts of dairy
products can still be present in foods so marked--if your child is "hair
trigger" sensitive, be careful).

Remember that dairy ingredients can take many forms on a label:  butter
fat, butter oil, natural butter flavor, casein, caseinate, custard,
curds, lactose, lactulose, nougat, ready sponge, sherbet, simplesse,
sour cream solids, whey, yogurt, artificial butter flavor, rennet,
non-dairy creamer, margarine (these last four don't necessarily contain
dairy products but they often do).  FAAN has wallet cards that you can
purchase to keep in your wallet when you go shopping.

Tofutti makes a tofu-based ice cream that my daughter takes with her to
birthday parties (sometimes she takes fruit sorbet instead).  For play
dates and parties, she brings a lunch box with her own food in it and
always has her Epi-Pen and Benadryl with her.

When your child gets older and spends time away from you, you may want
to get a medical alert bracelet that will speak for your child when you
can't.

Neither my daughter or I are "happy" that she has food allergies, but we
have learned to accept them. Everyone has some cross to bear in life.
Colleen's classmates and their parents have learned a lot about food
allergies because of Colleen and I can't believe how supportive many of
them have been.  Education about food allergies, a proactive stance in
dealing with others and always carrying liquid Benadryl and an Epi-Pen
with you will get you through.

Spend some time going through the archives of this e-mail list.  You
will see that you are not alone.

Best wishes!

Debbie Kempf (near Philadelphia)