Speaking at the Allergy & Free From Expo

I was delighted to be asked to speak at the Allergy Expo in Cork last week. I was asked to speak from a parent’s point of view. When I visited the Allergy Expo as a visitor in Dublin a few weeks ago I had no idea I would be speaking myself at the Cork one just a few weeks later. I spoke about practical tips for day to day living with children with allergies. I covered what to do when you’re first diagnosed, how to be prepared to speak to health professionals about it, tips for dealing with childminders and schools, shopping free from, learning ingredients labels, dealing with birthday parties and social occasions and much more. The talk was well received, there was lots of dairy free parents and kids in the audience and I got some lovely feedback.

While preparing the talk I was reminded why I started the blog in the first place and also I realised how far awareness and education about allergies has come in the last two years. It is lovely to see more products available too, with real choice for people who have allergies. The allergy expo itself taking place is a real sign of the times and it was wonderful to attend as a parent and really nice to reach out to other parents as a speaker.

It was great to meet some dairy free parents in Cork and interact with them and listen to their questions. I met some lovely people who had questions about dairy free snacks for babies, when can babies be tested for allergies and if they were likely to grow out of it. I answered as best I could. Thanks to those who came up to speak to me in Cork and thanks to the Allergy Expo for the opportunity.

I will be starting a tips series on the blog incorporating much of what I spoke about at the expo. If you would like to hear tips for a particular aspect leave me a comment below.