• Home
  • Destinations
    • Canada
    • Caribbean
    • USA
  • Travel Tips
  • What to Pack
  • Theme Park Travel
    • Disney World
    • Universal Orlando
  • Disney Travel
    • Walt Disney World
    • Disney Cruise Line
    • Email
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Practical Tips for Traveling with Babies, Toddlers & Kids |

Kids On A Plane

  • About
  • Work With Us
  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Travel Tips for Families with Food Allergies

Post last updated May 23, 2017

Planning ahead is essential when traveling with children with food allergies. Having family members with severe nut and shellfish allergies and a son with food allergies, I know what it’s like to worry about what to eat and how to stay safe while away from home.

Here are 7 travel safety tips for children with food allergies:

1. Discuss Travel Plans With Your Family Doctor

Your doctor may suggest avoiding certain destinations if the risk for allergic reaction is too high.

Talk with your doctor about whether your child needs a Medic Alert bracelet and get a doctor’s note for any medication he/she prescribes to avoid delays at security checkpoints at the airport.

2. Make a Travel Medical Kit

Ensure you have enough medication and the proper medicine in your family’s travel medical kit (including antihistamines, inhalers and EpiPens). Check expiration dates on all medication in the kit and replace anything that has expired.

I now carry an EpiPen, Children’s Benadryl, Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizing Wipes and disinfectant wipes with me at all times.

3. Make or Buy an Allergy Translation or Chef Card

allergy translation chef card
Allergy Card from SelectWisely.com

An allergy translation card (also known as chef cards for restaurants) is essential to explain food intolerances or food allergies to chefs or wait staff while traveling abroad.

The Food Allergy Initiative has some great resources on where to find allergy translations cards.

4. Bring Your Own Food

In cases of severe food allergies, it’s safer to eat food from home rather than eat what is offered during the flight. Be careful that the food and drinks that you bring on board a flight follows TSA guidelines.

5. Pack Antibacterial Wipes

Consider bringing a pack of antibacterial wipes so you can wipe down shopping carts, strollers or other baby equipment (at theme parks or from baby equipment rental companies) and table tops.

If you’re flying, you can ask to be part of the pre-boarding group so you are given enough time to wipe down all surfaces – seat trays and armrests included.

6. Call Ahead and Inquire About Meal Options

If you know ahead of time where you’d like to eat, call the restaurant ahead of time and ask about meal options for your allergic family member.

Disney does a great job with food allergies. If you make reservations online for Disney World Restaurants, a chef will come out to talk to your family about what options there and how food will be prepared in the kitchen. This personalized service is a big reason why love Walt Disney World.

7. Let the Flight Crew Know

Sometimes, the flight crew will make an announcement or put your family in a “nut free” zone if you let them know before you board. We’ve been on flights with Air Canada and WestJet before when announcements were made before take-off informing us of passengers with severe nut allergies.

Our family doctor kindly reminded us that the way we travel will change a bit but there’s nothing to worry about. “Be careful, not fearful” were his exact words. With a bit of planning and careful research, traveling and cruising with kids with food allergies is possible.

Travel Tips for Kids with Food Allergies

Additional Resources:

Allergy Eats – List of allergy friendly restaurants around the US. Also available as a smartphone app

Anaphylaxis Canada – Travel tips for parents with children with food allergies

Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) – Information about air travel with food allergies

Kids Health – Food Allergies and Travel

Do you have any other travel tips for families with food allergies?

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.



About Cheryl - Kids On A Plane

Cheryl daydreams about exploring the world with her family often and will travel for good food, lattes and theme park rides that don't require her to go too high in the sky. She's afraid of heights!

Comments

  1. SnyMed says

    November 20, 2012 at 11:07 am

    Thanks for these awesome travel tips for families with allergies! I love those select wisely cards.

    Jenna
    http://www.snymed.blogspot.ca

  2. Brandi says

    November 20, 2012 at 11:18 am

    Great post!!! Having a daughter with a severe peanut allergy, means we have to take extra caution everywhere we go, travelling or not, and these are excellent tips 🙂 I think that’s an AWESOME idea about the translation cards! I will definitely keep that in mind when we travel anywhere that would need them 🙂

    • Cheryl says

      November 23, 2012 at 11:07 pm

      One of my siblings has a severe peanut allergy as well and when she went to Thailand she got a local to write everything down for her on a card. Definitely a great idea if travelling to a foreign country and you don’t speak the language.

  3. Erica says

    November 20, 2012 at 12:30 pm

    What a great idea for the translation card!
    Wonderful post, thanks for sharing this great info!

  4. Manager to Mom says

    November 21, 2012 at 12:20 am

    Agree with the other comments – the allergy translation / chef card idea is brilliant. Never heard of this before.

  5. Little Miss Kate says

    November 21, 2012 at 3:27 am

    Great idea with the translation card. I had not thought of that before.

  6. Whispered Inspirations says

    November 21, 2012 at 12:15 pm

    The chef card is amazing! I’m lucky enough to not have allergies in the family but, these are awesome tips! 🙂

  7. Renee @mysocalledmommylife says

    November 22, 2012 at 12:36 am

    Great list! I have severe allergies and when travelling on a plane I call the airlines to let them know about my allergies. Usually they wont serve foods that i am allergic too and usually do an extra clean before the passengers get on the plane. Its worth the call! I love the allergy cards!

    • Cheryl says

      November 23, 2012 at 11:09 pm

      That’s a great tip Renee. I never thought of calling the airlines to let them know ahead of time about allergies. I will have to suggest that to my sister and cousins as they have severe food allergies and some airlines still hand out snack packs of peanuts!

  8. eileen at FamiliesGo! says

    November 27, 2012 at 9:57 am

    Great tips. The chef’s card is a great idea.

  9. Darlene Schuller says

    April 29, 2014 at 3:04 pm

    Excellent tips thanks for sharing!

  10. Jenny says

    April 29, 2014 at 9:07 pm

    Also, if you go to the EpiPen website, you can register your child’s EpiPen, and they will send a helpful travel pouch for free. It takes a couple of weeks, but it is great.

    • Cheryl says

      May 6, 2014 at 10:41 am

      Thanks for that tip Jenny. We will definitely be needing a travel pouch for him once he starts school.

  11. Sally@Toddlers on Tour says

    May 3, 2014 at 10:11 pm

    You can also contact your airline BEFORE travelling and order a special meal. Not only do airlines cater for Child meals and vegetarians they do cater for all types of food allergies. It’s just important you do this a few days BEFORE travelling as it’s too late for them to organise once you get to the airport.

    • Cheryl says

      May 6, 2014 at 10:43 am

      Great tip Sally. We have only been on short haul flights with our kids and pack our own snacks. It’s great to hear that airlines cater for all types of food allergies.

  12. Elizabeth Matthiesen says

    May 5, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    I am very lucky in that neither I, nor any of my family, suffer from allergies. It is so important that people know how to protect themselves and their loved ones, so I think this post is fantastic and a big help to them.

  13. Jody D says

    May 7, 2014 at 9:08 am

    Great information. At least we only had to deal with pollen related allergies as a family, but for the ones with severe allergies in children then need all our help and support.

  14. Maggie K. says

    May 9, 2014 at 7:08 pm

    I don’t have any tips. I think that those translation cards are a wonderful idea. I am thankful that so far my son doesn’t seem to have any allergies to food. Hayfever – well both my husband and I have that so he’ll probably get it.

  15. Lisa @bitesforbabies says

    May 25, 2014 at 9:50 pm

    Such great ideas-I can’t even imagine traveling with kids who have severe allergies. You always have to be on guard! I myself always bring Benadryl when I travel abroad-I have allergies (I believe autoimmune because I can’t find the culprit) and they occur sporadically so it’s always better to be safe than sorry 😉

  16. Eldon says

    June 14, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    Love your tips, its really important to be prepared in case anything happens.

  17. elaine schoch says

    September 15, 2014 at 11:55 am

    My daughter has a peanut allergy, it has definitely changed how we order food. I love the idea of the chef card. I’ll be making one of these….

  18. Kate Logan says

    November 21, 2014 at 3:32 pm

    My kid is pretty much a little man. But I’ll take note of this since my poor little kiddo have peanut and dairy allergies. I just wish he’ll outgrow it though. Allergy Easy

  19. Jackie says

    March 31, 2016 at 1:51 pm

    Excellent tips. It’s given me a bit of confidence before my big trip abroad 🙂

  20. Hazel Owens says

    April 28, 2016 at 12:30 pm

    I like your tip to talk to your family doctor before going on a trip if your child has allergies. Like you said, your doctor will be able to tell you if certain areas would be too dangerous for your child, and they can give your child a prescription or note to get through the airport more smoothly. I also like your tip to have an allergy translation card so you can ask any chefs about their ingredients. Thanks for the article.

Trackbacks

  1. Without Me | Studio 25 Photography says:
    March 30, 2014 at 12:39 pm

    […] https://kidsonaplane.com/tips-and-tricks/travel-tips-for-children-with-food-allergies […]

  2. Get the Passports Ready! 14 Things You Need To Know About International Travel with Kids says:
    May 29, 2014 at 3:22 pm

    […] If your child has allergies, check out this post with tips on traveling with allergies from Kids On A Plane. […]

Looking for Something?

For You to Know: Posts on Kids On A Plane may contain affiliate links. This means that by clicking on or purchasing products we recommend through a link may help us earn a small commission, which helps keep this blog running. Thank you for your support! Read more here

Let’s Get Social

Image Map

Looking for something?

Travel Tips

Disney Resort Hotels for Large Families

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels for Large Families (5 to 12 People)

How to Travel with Toddlers while Potty Training

Visiting Disney World During a Pandemic with Kids: What to Expect & Travel Tips

Copyright © 2023 · Web Design by Fancy Girl Design Studio