Sending your child on a school trip or off to a camp is an exciting milestone, but when they have allergies to the most common allergens + others, it can be a source of significant stress. Ensuring they have safe and nutritious meals (they want to eat) throughout their trip requires careful planning, prepping, and packing. Here's how we make it happen. (I’ll also share some of the blunders we’ve encountered and how I’ve adjusted each year to navigate around them — can’t make these up!)

It's not uncommon for schools to use a summer camp as a location for a multi-night school trip. My son has been on a few of these school trips, including one when he transitioned from elementary to middle school, and then each year he’s attended a week-long overnight trip for a pre-season high school activity. For the purposes of these tips, I’ll refer to these types of trips as ‘camp experiences’.

1. Planning ahead: a safe experience away from home

The first step in preparing for your child’s camp experience is thorough planning. I start by researching the camp’s policies on food allergies and any possible accommodations. Engage the camp director and dining manager to understand their food preparation processes and whether they can safely prepare allergen-free meals. (If they can, understand what aspects of meals will and won’t be safe, and plan accordingly.)

If the camp staff cannot accommodate your needs, create a detailed meal plan that covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for each day of the week. You should also ask the staff for the menu that will be served, or at least get a general idea of the types of meals that will be prepared for campers.

If your child is perfectly happy and able to eat sandwiches, requiring less hassle in meal preparation, go this route for ease of packing and preparation. This has not been an option for my son, due to limitations in safe breads and a lack of interest in cold cuts or sandwich proteins.

Additionally, decide how your child will feel when other campers are enjoying food prepared by the camp while your child is eating food you prepared. Some kids may be fine with this, others not so much; you know your kid best, and can discuss this ahead of time to prepare your child.

2. Menu planning: send all meals or some, to meet your child’s needs and likes

If you are able to obtain the menu, it can help with the discussion with your child about what safe meals they would like to eat at camp. Think about meals that are easier to store, transport, and prepare in a camp setting (confirm also how the staff will store and heat the meals you send). I always try to prepare meals my son really enjoys, so he has something to look for to at mealtimes, yet are filling to get him through each day.

In the past I’ve tried to prepare meals that were similar to what the other campers would be eating. Over time though, I’ve learned that my son would much rather be eating a meal he enjoys versus eating a similar meal that other campers are served. The only exception is pasta, one of his favorite meals -- then I do my best to send an easy-to-reheat gluten-free pasta, with plenty of protein, like ground meat.

3. Sample meal plan: send what your kid likes

With four years of experience planning meals that are easy to store, transport, and prepare in a camp kitchen, this is an example of what meals have worked best:

Breakfast:

· Overnight oats – my son doesn’t need anything fancy with these overnight oats, the simpler the better.

· Sliced apples – I discovered from a fellow food allergy mom that, in particular, Envy apples can be sliced days ahead, they don’t brown! (tip: limit exposure to air as much as possible i.e. wrap tightly once cut, then keep refrigerated.)

Lunches and Dinners:

· Turkey Chili over rice with a tortilla taco shell for dipping – lots of veggies in there.

· Hamburger with roasted potatoes and carrots – a favorite for my son.

· Pasta with a roll – easy to load this up with extra ground meat for protein, and veggies in the sauce.

· Sloppy Joe bowl -- on a bed of rice with some (hidden) veggies.

Dessert:

· Apple crisp – so easy to make, a favorite for my son; He’ll eat it hot or cold and loves it either way.

· Smore’s kit – pack up allergy-friendly cookies/graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate in a disposable meal container, which is easy to transport to the location of the fire for roasting. (skip the chocolate if needed, a cookie and marshmallow are just as fun; and the same goes for roasting, skip it if needed, eating marshmallows themselves is celebratory itself!)

4. Packing meals: it took more than a few times to get this right

Don’t underestimate having a plan for how you’re going to pack this food that you took the time to prepare. You have to ensure it’s easy to transport, store and reheat, so camp staff can successfully serve your kid.

I have the following ready to go for packing and transporting meals:

· Cooler (with wheels) – Stack individual meals in here and keep them cool for transport

· Dry bin – For everything not refrigerated; snacks, utensils, condiments, etc

· Disposable meal containers – For individual meals, ready to heat up. (note: I’m not a fan of microwaving anything plastic, but I let my guard down for special occasions like this.)

· Rubbermaid small disposable containers -- For all the extras you need to organize and complete a meal

Main tips:

1. Try to get the menu campers will be served during the trip.

2. Use disposable microwave-safe meal containers to prevent cross-contact by kitchen staff.

3. Write meal directions directly on container lids i.e. ‘remove roll before microwaving’, ‘serve with pickles from cooler’, etc.

4. Date and place meals in cooler in the order they will be served, last one in is the first one out!

5. Send an extra meal or two as backup in case staff accidentally drops, spills or ruins a meal. (…it happens)

6. Provide multiple copies of the menu of the prepared meals for your child so there’s always a copy for kitchen staff to refer to (1 copy in cooler, 1 copy in dry bin, 1 copy hand to camp director/kitchen staff, and I email a copy to the camp director too)

7. Provide meals that are both easy to prep and that your kid will enjoy. By all means, if they’ll eat sandwiches, send sandwiches!

Some lessons I’ve learned:

1. Blunder #1 : kitchen staff left my son’s hamburger meal microwaving for probably two minutes, resulting in a hockey puck-like hamburger. They also did not remove the burger fixin’s (ketchup packets and wrapped pickles) that melted into the container.

a. Lesson: Don’t assume kitchen staff will know what simply stating ‘microwave’ means. Be very specific on the length of time to microwave, even though there’s variation in microwave strength, make a guesstimate.

b. Lesson: Place extra meal items i.e. ketchup packets, pickles, rolls, etc. in a separate container in the cooler or dry bin.

2. Blunder #2: kitchen staff removed my son’s meals from the cooler and piled them in their kitchen walk-in refrigerator, in between jugs of milk and below dozens of eggs.

a. Lesson: ask if your kids meals can be stored in the cooler you provide them in, to prevent cross contact, or discuss another option.

3. Blunder #3: Don’t pressure yourself to make a different meal for each meal occasion.

a. Lesson: send the same item for multiple meals, if these meals are your kids favorites, they’ll enjoy having it multiple times. Don’t make your life more difficult!

You got this: it can be done, and know it’s worth it!

While it’s natural to worry, try to focus on the positive aspects of the camp experience. I know it’s a lot of work, but it does get easier when you have a plan. With all that planning, prepping, and packing in place, your child can enjoy the camp experience without the constant worry of food allergies. Afterall, this should be a growth opportunity for your child (and you) -- it’s finding ways to tackle obstacles that can make what seems like the impossible, possible. You got this!

p.s. As always, send epinephrine and antihistamines!

I’m happy as always to answer any questions, feel free to contact me here.

Sending Your Food Allergic Kid on an Overnight School/Camp Trip: It Took Me Four Years to Get it Right

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Sending Your Food Allergic Kid on an Overnight School/Camp Trip: It Took Me Four Years to Get it Right

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