A HAGLEY mum has been enjoying success having created a range of kid-friendly accessories that children with allergies can wear and carry to help keep them safe while out and about.

Mum-of-two Michelle Barnett has been selling the allergy alert items on her Etsy page and she also has a website allergypenpals.co.uk.

She developed the products, which children can put on their backpacks, lunch boxes and water bottles, after discovering her eldest son was allergic to eggs, tree nuts and peanuts.

She said: “I wanted to design allergy alerts that were fun, kid-friendly but would help keep little ones safe whilst they were out and about whether that's at school, nursery, a party, soft play or playgroup.

“Being an allergy parent, I fully understand the worry, stress, anxiety, guilt and how overwhelming it can be at times. My aim is to raise awareness for kids with allergies and to help give parents a little bit of a peace of mind.”

Since starting her Allergy PenPals venture in March 2022, she has been developing the brand into a community for like-minded parents and this Easter she hosted her first allergy friendly playgroup at Hagley Free Church.

She said: “Playgroups and soft play centres can become quite stressful for allergy parents due to food being there that our child cannot eat.

“It is not just about the child feeling left out, it is the fear that the food and unwanted crumbs that our child could touch or accidentally eat that could turn into a life-threatening allergic reaction.

“Allergy parents end up not going to seasonal events like Easter and Halloween due to the events being centred around food and sweet treats.

Most of the time, children with allergies miss out and feel excluded due to them “not being able to eat the food.”

For the Easter allergy playgroup, Michelle played host to 25 children who all had life-threatening food allergies.

She said: “The first rule was no food or drink except water/squash, so parents could sit back and relax and talk to each other knowing their child was safe.”

The event included Easter crafts, card-making, colouring, toys and an Easter egg hunt where the Easter eggs were plastic and the prizes were pencils, stickers, bracelets, stamps and rubbers – rather than chocolate.

Michelle said: “All children felt included, all had a prize and it was equal for everyone. Everyone had a great time.”

She now hopes to host more allergy friendly playgroups in the future.