New Year, New Food Resolutions

2022 has almost officially come to an end and what better time to look back at my last year’s resolution-

Let’s take her to a birthday party and NOT freak out that nobody washed their hands after eating milk and egg infested cake.

Yes?

Yes.

She’s getting older. She doesn’t automatically put everything in her mouth now. We’ll just teach her not to lick her friends.

2022: Outside, socially distanced birthday parties and not licking people!

One poison cupcake for you, one poison cupcake for you, one poison cupcake for you! Yep! Make sure to be as messy as possible and then run around with your sugar high and get really close to that sad kid over there!

Were we successful? Did we make it to a birthday party without accidental anaphylaxis? Yes! Yes, we did! We went to multiple classmates’ birthday parties throughout the year, completely surrounded by allergens, dairy icing smeared on faces, cupcake crumbs littered the floor, and I did my very, very best to not freak out. Luckily, poison cupcakes were allocated towards the end of the party. Pizza was right in the middle of things, but more easily avoided. She’s surrounded by allergens everyday at preschool, but the kids are conditioned to wash their hands after every time they eat. Birthday parties, where anarchy reins, is generally a handwashing free zone. I definitely don't want to be a handwashing enforcer at another kid’s birthday, but I’ve done crazier things as a food allergy parent.

Well, I am going to give myself an A+ on last year’s resolution. After all, I didn’t say I had to do it with no stress, I just wanted to not completely freak out. And we did it! I didn't steal anyone's child and hose them down. I didn't run around with a pack of wipes attacking anyone with icing on their face. We went to birthday parties and it was okay.

Now, for 2023, my resolution is going in a slightly different direction. I am embarking on updating North Carolina’s preschool/daycare food allergy regulations. Elijah’s Law, a policy first introduced in New York after Elijah, a preschooler with severe milk allergy, was given a cheese sandwich, not given epinephrine, and passed away. It’s aim is to make young children with food allergies safer in preschool and daycare and I am looking to bring it to NC. 

So, 2023, bureaucracy, here I come!