Ep. 158: Recognizing & Managing Food Allergy Anxiety in Kids

Doctor InterviewFood AllergiesAllergiesAsthmaEczemaImmunologyPatient InterviewEOEAAII PodcastMast Cell DiseaseCSUUrticariaBiologicsHealth InsuranceType 2 Inflammation

May 22

Written By Kortney Kwong Hing

Part of the series: Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Innovations Podcast

This podcast was made in partnership with Allergy & Asthma Network.

We thank Genentech and Kaléo for sponsoring this episode. While they support the show, all opinions are our own, and sponsorship doesn’t influence our content or editorial decisions. Any mention of brands is for informational purposes and not an endorsement.

Food allergy anxiety in kids is real, and it does not always look like fear. It can show up as tantrums, clinginess, control-seeking behaviors, or a child who refuses to eat at a restaurant.

Child life specialist and therapist Kelsey Mora joins Kortney and Dr. Payel Gupta to unpack what is really going on. They talk about how early medical experiences shape a child's sense of safety, why food allergy kids often struggle with separation anxiety, and why the language we use around food allergies matters more than we think. Kelsey also shares practical tools for building confidence and age-appropriate independence, starting earlier than most parents expect.

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What we cover in our episode about managing anxiety in kids

Food allergy anxiety does not always look like anxiety. Tantrums, clinginess, and control-seeking behaviors can all be signs that a child is struggling.
Language matters from the start. How parents explain food allergies to young children can build confidence or quietly reinforce fear.
Separation anxiety and food allergies are connected. Dependence on parents can make it harder for kids to navigate school, parties, and social situations on their own.
Practicing independence at home builds real-world skills. Exposure to allergens in a safe home environment teaches confidence and communication skills kids need everywhere else.
Passing parental anxiety onto kids. Co-regulation starts with the caregiver. When parents are anxious, kids have a harder time calming down.

About our Guest

Kelsey Mora is a dual-certified child life specialist and licensed clinical professional counselor based on Chicago's North Shore. She spent nearly ten years working in a pediatric ICU before moving into private practice, where about a third of her caseload is children and families navigating food allergies. Kelsey is the creator of The Y Method, an interactive workbook to help kids understand food allergies and immunotherapy, and My Food Allergy Story, a social story resource for children ages zero to five.