OIT Day One Packing List

Day One of OIT is LONG!  If your child makes it to the max dose, it will take about 8 hours.  If you’re “lucky” like us, and have a minor reaction in the middle of the day (even a teeny face rash will do it), it could take even longer.  We got to the doctor’s office at 8am and left right around 5pm: a full day’s work!  So, what do you pack for an 8 or 9 hour doctor’s visit?!  Here are some things we found helpful to have:

1)   SNACKS.  LOTS of snacks.  Try to pack carb-heavy snacks.  It is important to keep your child’s tummy full during the updosing process on day one.  Be sure to consider other kids’ allergens who may be hanging out with you that day (in our office at least, all the OIT kids share one big waiting room).  We stuck to simple snacks that only had wheat as an allergen: Pringles, pretzels, Oreos (those have a bit of soy in them, too).  Lucky for us, there weren’t any wheat OIT kids hanging out with us during our day one.

2)      Applesauce.  I know, I just mentioned “snacks,” but this one deserves special mention.  There has been at least one study showing that apples can aid in digestion of allergens: http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science/Apple-polyphenols-may-ease-food-allergy-Nestle-study Some OIT docs even mix the allergens in apple sauce.  We brought a ton of the Gogo SqueeZ apple sauce packets along, and I think they really helped.

3)      Drinks.  Your child will need to take a drink each time he has a dose to wash the allergen out of his mouth.  If the allergen sits in his mouth, it can cause an itchy tongue and/or cheeks.  We brought refillable water bottles and some Capri Suns along.  We only used the water bottles, though.  Brendan prefers water over most other drinks.

4)      Lunch.  THEIRS and YOURS.  Don’t forget that you’ll both need to eat lunch while you’re waiting.  Our waiting room had a microwave, but not all offices may have that luxury.  Pack something simple and easy.  I brought along two sub sandwich Lunchables for us.  If we throw out the mayo packet, they are safe for Brendan.  Also, try to stick with something tried and true.  Today is not the day to introduce new foods!

Hanging out in our comfy OIT waiting room.
Photo Credit goes to Viji Siddharth, a fellow OIT mommy!

5)      Entertainment for BOTH of you.  You’ll be in the doc’s office for an entire day.  Bring along the iPad, portable DVD player, or whatever else will keep your kiddo and YOU entertained and happy.  Our doctor has a great OIT waiting room with comfy recliners, a TV with a DVD player, a small TV hooked to a gaming system, board games, and a table and chairs to play board games or do school work.

6)      School Work.  Ask your child’s teacher to send home his or her missed school work the day before your appointment.  There will be plenty of time to work on it.  Also, make sure you have all the necessary items to complete the school work: lined paper (yeah, we forgot that one!), pencils, a small sharpener, and a clip board in case there is not a table or desk available to work at.  One more note:  I made Brendan do his school work first thing in the morning, but I wish I would have waited.  Our OIT waiting room was hoppin’ early in the morning with lots of updose kiddos, and Brendan was stuck trying to work while DVDs and video games were being played around him.  At around 11:30am, when Brendan was finally done with his school work, the waiting room became very quiet because kids don’t usually updose in the middle of the day (it throws the whole dosing schedule out of whack).  At around 2:30pm, the place started hoppin’ again.  If I could do it over again, I would have let Brendan hang out with the other kids in the morning, and then work on his school work mid-day when no one was around.

7)      A change of clothes for BOTH of you.  You don’t want vomit to happen on day one of OIT, but it very well could, and it’s likely that both of your clothes may need changing if it does.  Pack a change of clothes just in case.  Hopefully, you won’t need them.  We didn’t!

8)      Hoodies or light jackets.  Doctors’ offices are notoriously cold.  Bring a hoodie along for each of you to avoid being uncomfortable all day. You could also bring a blanket for your child if he gets cold easily.

9)      Finally, depending on your waiting situation, you might want to bring along a bean bag chair.  Since we get to wait in a room full of comfy recliners, this wasn’t needed for us, but if you end up in a regular patient room all day, a bean bag chair could be a great, portable, comfy seat for your child.

I hope you found this Day One OIT packing list helpful.  I want to give a shout out to those on the Private Practice OIT Facebook group who gave me many of these suggestions before we left for our Day One!  If you’ve already experienced Day One, what are some things you are glad you brought along?  Comment below!