Road Trip with Allergies

[fluffy]

Hi to everyone!  It's been a long time since I've logged into the forum.  (I forgot my password  )

We are dealing with egg, dairy, peanut and treenut allergies in our house.   We haven't really traveled much for a couple of years because it was proving to be too difficult with a toddler with LTFA.   Last time we went anywhere DD was 2 and it was an expensive, prolonged nightmare.   There was much yelling and more than a little crying. 

We just found out that we need to travel due to a family emergency.  It is cost prohibitive to fly on such short notice, so we know we have to drive.  It's about a 19 hour drive.  I'm more than a little nervous about such a long trip with LTFA.  I'd be nervous driving that far with kids even if we didn't have food allergies.  Who am I kidding?? 

Eating out is just not an option for our family, so I know that I'll have to pack all of our food and cooking utensils.   It was kind of tricky finding safe food on our last trip, so I'd like to pack as much as I can and not depend on local stores very much. We're going to be gone for about 5 days.  So far, I plan on packing: cereal, pasta, soy milk, soy butter, bread, tortillas, veggies (like carrots and chopped broccoli), and apples.  I'll also do a baking frenzy before we go so we'll have safe treats.  I'd like to try to avoid living on soy butter and jelly sandwiches and cereal.  Is that possible?

Does anyone have any experience with road tripping with food allergic kiddos?  Any suggestions to pass along?  What kinds of food do you pack?  What cooking equipment did should I bring?

Thank you to everyone for your help!

[eragon]

i think, for this one off trip just focus on what is safe for your child to eat, rather than add the complication of it always being healthy.

we let our son have burgers and fries in macdonalds as they were egg and peanut free. is this an option for you?
our daughter has the burger without the bread because of the milk and soya problem, and is ok with fries.
(this does cause some raised eyebrows, but who cares!)

you can add some of the food, like a safe tortilla or simply give fries if cooked seperately.

eating out can be done if you have back up or something to add to something safe iyswim.

we are driving through france this summer, and we are aware that we are going to find eating out a nightmare , so am going to pack as much as i can. considering getting that fridge for the car.

we will be going out to eat, simple meals ordered e.g  meat and two veg with no sauce. will be taking translation cards for each childs allergy list.  we are also quite used to get up from the table and leaving a resturant if we get any whiff of lack of caring/understanding of problem. (which is why we have a snack or meal back up) sometimes we walk down a villiage or town high street and go in to another place.

I do feel that its important to try and go and eat out, if only if its not a complete meal, so that children can see and hear you ask questions and learn to cope with daily life with allergies. Cards with allergy details on can really help btw.


take plenty of in car entertainment get a bag full of small new toys, pens , books , games, and gradually give them at high stress points!!!

good luck.

[GingerPye]

hooboy, I remember trips like that.  When they are very young, it can be so tough.  One thing we did a few times was to leave in the late afternoon or evening and drive through the night.  Then the kid/kids slept in the car seat.  It's hard on Mom and Dad to do that, however, unless one can sleep while the other drives.  But it's worth it to have peace in the back seat, yk? 

My kids have the same FAs as yours.  We do have a few fast food places and family restaurant chains that we use when traveling.   The chef card listing the kids' allergies is always very helpful to get our message across to the kitchen staff.

I agree with eragon --- the kids needs to have a few places that they know are okay for them, and they need to know how to order their food by watching Mom and Dad.   I also agree that "trip food" is usually geared more toward convenience and not so much nutrition.  Def take nutritional snacks, but a week of "trip food" isn't going to permanently damage them. 

Also -- no, it's not the child's birthday or the holidays, but it IS time for a few new toys.  A long car trip just demands it, IMO, LOL!  Lots of library books, maybe a fun toddler electronic toy, lots of drawing paper and crayons or similar.  Be prepared to read to your child a lot or draw together in the back seat and sing some simple songs together.  Watch for all of the red or blue (or color of choice) cars and make tally marks on paper.  For one trip we had, I remember buying both kids the Crayola magic something-something set.  The markers that don't mark on anything but the special Crayola paper.  Cannot recall the exact name of it.  The kids used that for several trips (it was a very good purchase, IMO); however, the smell of the markers forced us to crack open the car windows, lol.  Rather a strong chemical smell.

Also stop fairly often to stretch the legs if the child is awake.  Run around the rest area.  Play tag for a few minutes, that kind of thing.  Wear 'em out   

As for take-along food, I always take bkfst and snack items, and usually one complete easy meal I can make in the hotel room if I need to(we usually have a kitchen).

[twinturbo]

Dairy is usually our biggest dining out limit but I don't know your child's thresholds and reaction history. Non-food related I would recommend plotting out major hospitals along the way and generally have a sense of where your street address or highway mile marker if you need emergency services. Dispatch can only track your location to whatever cell tower your signal is slinging from.

[CMdeux]

... and going along with what Twinturbo mentions-- our "in remote areas" food rules are even MORE stringent than the normal travel rules (which are more restrictive than 'at home' ones to begin with):

a) NO new/unopened containers of ANY food,

b) no unecessary stops-- period, (this means no refueling in the middle of nowhere unless it's unavoidable, potty breaks require a hand wipe-down upon vehicle re-entry, etc.)

c) NO food or drink that we haven't packed ourselves, and

d) minimal snacking/eating while in remote areas.

We also travel with complete route maps on-hand-- that way we COULD tell dispatchers our location in a pinch.  We also carry at least 2-4 extra epinephrine injectors with us on trips like that, and any other emergency meds we might need.   Bring a bucket with a sponge, dish detergent, a roll of paper towels, a can of Clorox wipes (or equivalent) and several trash bags.  I go through our hotel room with clorox wipes and cover ALL of the touch surfaces in the room before DD goes in it.

This is all advice that is from experience road-tripping in the far west, where distances between even basic services can be HOURS by car. This is more remote than I think most people are dealing with, though-- I know that it sounds extreme, but in places in Eastern WA, OR, or in Montana, it really does leave you hours from any help.  We have a plug-in cooler for road tripping.



As for hotel room dining; not sure what allergy restrictions you're working with, precisely, but we love crock-pot liners and a crock-pot-- I've also taken our muffin maker to do breakfast over several days.  I can make up ziploc baggies with "dinner" and "muffin" mixes in them-- that way, all I have to add is water/cooking liquid and/or oil and cook.  I like rice-and-lentils with carrots (which I can also do in a hotel microwave, btw), and whole-grain muffins made with fortified juice of some kind or hemp-milk.  (Soy allergy)

Good luck!!

[YouKnowWho]

If you have a GPS- you can easily find hospitals.

When DS1 was younger, I threw nutrition out the window in favor of convenience.  He loves sandwiches (more problematic for us since his bread molds about 30 minutes after hitting room temp), Vienna sausages (friend with your allergy list mentioned them to us), Dinty Moore individual stews, cups of fruit, etc.  Have bags of snacks ready to toss back and lollipops can be a great time killer.

Two Walmart purchases that I recommend - dual screen dvd player (keep the receipt as they can be tempermental) and a plug in cooler/fridge for your cigarette lighter.  They also have "splitters" so if you have a single cigarette lighter, it will give you two adaptors.

Any old cell phones that have internet access (DH used the wifi in the house to download games) so basically we converted old cell phones into mini tablets for the kids.   

[YouKnowWho]

FWIW - I know many cell phone carriers have GPS on them but having been through some remote areas with no signal, I find the actual GPS system to be more reliable.

[booandbrimom]

Used to do this a lot. It's really very doable - just take a deep breath!

First of all, we found it helpful to identify things we could NEVER buy and things we could ALWAYS buy. Bread is very tricky, so we always tried to pack a lot of that. Bacon was available everywhere, so we didn't bother to make space for that.

- We packed a spice carousel. It's expensive to buy these in big bottles at stores when you only need a few sprinkles over the course of a week.

- We packed small, but useful, equipment. In particular, I have three things I LOVE: an electric frying pan (can work in a park with just an outlet), a mini crock pot and a mini microwave. The crock from the crock pot fits in the microwave, so I always have a solution for boiling noodles as long as there's a plug.

- We planned our meals, with some flexibility and some alternates. Also, we packed about double the treats we needed and saved some for later in the trip. Even the best treats will grow old if the kids see them too much.

- A couple days before, we made our son sample EVERYTHING. That way, we could be as sure as possible everything we were bringing was safe. Better to deal with a reaction at home!

- We labeled our bags by day. That way, we didn't have to haul everything into the hotel. (We still looked like refugees...but what can you do?)

- Like CM, we also have a plug-in cooler. Ice is a b**** on long trips. Just be careful - some coolers are TOO cold for Epis. We had a number of bags, including a thermal lined one that works for them.

I'm sure I can think of other things, but gotta run to the dentist. Really - don't worry. It's very doable.

[twinturbo]

I have a Garmin and iPhone with GPS and ER room finder apps. Personally, I like my intell plotted out before things hit the fan because the last thing I need is my signals crapping out on me (has happened) and I like my crisis times to work on muscle memory. Epi, call in location immediately, give EMTs destination point, assign parent riding with child in ambulance. The last thing I need is tapping it out on my phone or Garmin on the fly. In conjunction with that I have prepped ER visit bags with spare clothes (vomit/diarrhea/allergens), food stuffs, OTC meds (try asking for ibuprofen in an ER. impossible.), change for drink machines, mini activity books and Hot Wheels from dollar store, cash for fast food, etc. But on average we make the run every few months despite all of our precautions.

For cooking we use a magnetic burner with stainless cookware. The cookware heats up even though the heating plate generates no heat of its own. If anyone has recs on a frig they like don't be shy. I was looking at a couple but you never know if it's any good.

[CMdeux]

This is the modern equivalent of our car-cooler (it also plugs into an AC outlet in the hotel room):

Coleman 16 qt Power-Chill 12V cooler

There are other brands, too-- apparently the Koolatron below is about twice that size, and I have to say, 16 qt isn't very large for a weeklong trip.  That small size means less thermal mass to cool, but it also means that VERY efficient packing is necessary.


Koolatron 12V car cooler, 26qt

By far, this particular item has been my family's best ever purchase w/r/t living with FA.  NOT having to eat out has made traveling much less stressful.  I know just exactly what you meant by 'screaming and tears' in your initial post, fluffy!! 


  There's time to learn 'dining out' skills when you're NOT in an emergency situation or far from home, YK?  BTDT.  I don't take risks when the consequences would double or even triple an already-high stress load. 

[krasota]

We travel with a cooler, a rubbermaid bin of dry stuff, and a camp kitchen.  We stop at playgrounds or parks to eat.  Sometimes it's a cold lunch, sometimes it's hot.  I only cook if there's access to water (fire safety).  Our camp kitchen includes a propane burner, mess kit, placemats/table cloth, cast iron griddle pan, utensils, rags and paper towls, etc.  Oh, and we sometimes have a camp grill on hand, or we use the provided grills and cover with foil.

We whisk broom the table/benches, then cover the table and sometimes the benches.  Hands get washed regularly and before touching any food.

I often like hot meals for lunch on the road, but it doesn't have to be fancy--a quesadilla or a hot dog makes me happy.  We like to stop at playgrounds and let kiddo play.  DH and I prep our food and eat (maybe walk the dog, too) and then put everything away after getting a car-friendly plate ready for DS.

If we stay at a hotel, I need a microwave.  I can steam veggies, have hot tea, heat up previously cooked/frozen meat, etc.

[fluffy]

Thank you all for all of your thoughtful responses!  These are all such fantastic ideas and will certainly make traveling so much easier.  Traveling with children is complicated enough on it's own, but add in food allergies and there's sooooo many more moving parts to keep track of.  It makes me just want to take a nap, KWIM?

But, you all have given me so much help.  I really do appreciate it! 

[fluffy]

There's time to learn 'dining out' skills when you're NOT in an emergency situation or far from home, YK?  BTDT.  I don't take risks when the consequences would double or even triple an already-high stress load.
[/quote]


Thank you, thank you, thank you for saying this. 

DD developed her allergies at a very young age (1st reaction was anaphalatic to milk just after her 1st birthday).  We were in the ER 3 times before she turned 3.  She also has a history of weird reactions to trace amounts.  Honestly, we just shelved the idea of her eating food prepared by anyone other than myself or my husband.  We have taken her into restaurants in the past but we always take her own food.  Even then we wipe everything down and bring in her own placemat. 

I totally understand what everyone is saying about showing her how to manuever out in the real world.  I know we'll have to cross that bridge.  But, oh my goodness, the idea of eating out with her on the road kind of makes me feel like my head might explode.

[GingerPye]

Then you should do what works for you and your DD!!  If it creates less stress for you to take all the food, then go for it.  Not judging in the least --- we've been where you are, when we felt we couldn't have DD eat anything at restaurants.  It was horribly stressful to try to eat at a restaurant with her when she was really little.  She was also allergic to wheat in addition to the others, so it was just too hard to find a meal for her.  Had to take with us then. 

As your DD gets older, you may gradually change what you do on trips with her.  You might learn of a few places you can eat with her, and then it's that much less food/meal prep that you have to do.  And she's so young that you don't have to worry about teaching her how to deal with it all yet.