If she is attending a day camp, you may need to provide her lunch and snacks. That will allow you to control the amount and types of food she eats during the day.

Remember: If she has an allergy or intolerance and the doctor has said that she needs to avoid a food or food group altogether, the adult staff need to oversee her diet and make sure she avoids those foods, regardless of her age..

Camp Pep Talk

Based on the discussion you have with the staff, you and your child will need to come up with a plan for managing reflux at camp. Let your child know who will give her medication, what to do if she is not feeling well and how to ask for assistance with making good meal choices in the mess hall. Remind her of key phrases she may need to use: I need a break, my stomach hurts. I am not able to eat ___. What is in the mystery meat casserole?

Camp Memories

My daughter needed extra small meals, frequent snacks and water breaks at camp to manage her reflux. If she attended a day camp, it was easy to pack extra foods. I think all of the campers were hungry all of the time and took frequent meal breaks. At sleep away camp, she had fewer meal choices and often ended up eating carbohydrates (dry cereal, bread, rolls) all week. Somehow she survived it all. And like every other child who goes to camp, she met new friends, had amazing adventures, skinned her knee and complained about how bad the food was! And I only worried a little bit!