If you saw a young child wandering too close to a swimming pool or campfire, you’d likely steer them to safety without thinking twice.

As a former South Beach lifeguard and Edgartown School teacher, I thought I had strong radar for detecting danger and redirecting kids in a friendly, firm way.

The truth is, when it comes to keeping kids with food allergies safe, all of us can and should do better. In the blink of an eye or drop of a crumb, allergic reactions can quickly escalate from a rash to a life-threatening emergency, where a person experiences a loss of breathing and consciousness.

To my surprise, my 17-month-old son, Owen, was diagnosed with allergies to milk, eggs, tree nuts and peanuts. After having a healthy pregnancy and providing Owen with a diet of breast milk and nutritious foods, I was shocked. Plus, my husband and I are easygoing people with a huge variety in our diet. How could this happen to us?

We had immediately to embark on a steep and slippery learning curve to keep our active toddler safe. Managing our own shellfish allergies is quite different from raising a young child with such a list. We cannot be easygoing and cannot do it on our own.

Awareness is at an all-time high as the rate of food allergies is rising sharply. Media outlets as varied as Science News, the New Yorker, Parenting, National Public Radio and even Martha Stewart have just run segments on allergies. Last year, the Journal of the American Medical Association found that as many as 10 per cent of Americans may have a food allergy.

The Island is known for being a nurturing community, an amazing place to raise kids.

We care for kids with health conditions like asthma and diabetes, sometimes creating special plans for schools and hosting fundraisers to support them. Kids with food allergies need some of that special Island love, too.

Many of us proudly use organic home and body products, yet these may contain common allergens like macadamia and almond oils. A friend relayed to me that, at a recent school event, her child, who has a peanut allergy, almost popped an unlabelled peanut butter cookie into his mouth. Signs at restaurants say to inform a server of allergies when ordering, but staff awareness fluctuates: sometimes they rush to the kitchen to let the chef know and sometimes I get a blank stare. Let’s live up to our community reputation by better recognizing and preventing situations where a child could experience an allergic reaction, especially anaphylaxis, which is rapid in its onset and may cause death.

When Owen was first diagnosed, the allergist prescribed an EpiPen, a brand name auto injector containing epinephrine used to treat anaphylactic reactions. Beyond listing the names of a few Web sites and giving me a one-page handout, there was no support — not even instructions on how to use or carry the EpiPen were provided. I thought I must have missed a counseling or educational session, so I scheduled a follow-up visit. No. He had very little interest in answering my 20 questions.

Questions grew by the day. Some were simple: we found a new allergist and a nutritionist. We changed our Friday night pizza and Saturday morning omelet rituals. I gave away our stockpile of Trader Joe’s trail mixes.

Things that used to be fun, such as parties, now terrified me. How should I react when a friend who knows of Owen’s allergies serves an almond-coated brie? What if a child who just ate cheese accidentally shares a chew toy with Owen at toddler story time? How can he be safe when a dog owner at the park explains (after my questioning) that Owen is petting a Labrador retriever who just ate peanut butter? Could we still dine at our family favorite, the peanut-laden Offshore Ale, or any other restaurant for that matter? Before drifting to sleep, I was making a mental note to ask if the YMCA day care staff could keep their snacks nut-free and, while shampooing my hair, I wondered if airplanes were still serving peanuts.

Four months later, we are living what Oprah Winfrey calls “the new normal.” Instead of a quick grocery shop, I research healthy, allergen-free, toddler-friendly recipes and then read all labels at the store. I have notified people about Owen’s allergies and I realize that this will bother some friends so much that they will choose to avoid the hassle and not invite us for a play date or weekend trip. Through the Martha’s Vineyard Family Center, I’m attempting to build a network of fellow parents of children with food allergies; we have our first meeting, which is open to the public, next week to explore ways we can shares resources and promote local advocacy.

Although I have joined the national advocacy and educational organizations, I sometimes find their Web sites to be an abyss. I cannot buy all of the books in Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network’s store, even though each topic sounds pertinent. I am scared that Owen will eat a walnut off a friend’s floor or be handed a holiday M & M (even plain ones could contain nuts) by a well-meaning bank teller. I worry that babysitters, family and friends may not fully understand the seriousness of his allergies.

We can all create a safer environment for individuals with food allergies. If you own a restaurant, provide a list of allergen-free items and educate your staff so they do not present a salad, with pecans just removed, as a safe option. For a potluck, bake a cake using a Cherry Brook Farms mix (gluten, dairy, nut and egg free, but still as sweet) or bring a tray of fresh fruit. Send Vermont Nut Free chocolate for holidays. Fill goodie bags with treats from Divvies, an allergy-friendly online bakery or skip the sweets and toss in stickers and pencils instead. Consider washing your hands and brushing your teeth after eating nuts. See if your child likes a healthy, nutritious, sunflower butter with jelly sandwich for a brown-bag lunch; while you’re at it, double-check to be sure your jelly jar doesn’t have any traces of peanut butter. Ask before distributing snacks to children, or better yet, try to wait until you and your child are alone. Read more at foodallergy.org and asthmaandallergies.org and consider making a contribution to these groups.

Challenges are opportunities. With increased vigilance, our Island community can grow and learn together while keeping kids like Owen feeling safe and included. It’s a lot to ask — to stay aware of the eight major food allergens: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, soy, wheat and fish. Although you may never know it, the family dining at the picnic table, pushing the grocery cart or using the library computer after you appreciates your consideration. You could save a life.

Moira Silva is a teacher and writer. The first meeting of the food allergy support group is on Thursday, March 31, at 5 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Family Center; it is open to the public and offers free child care to those who preregister by calling 696-7900, extension 283.