advice. GF kid goes to school
asyph107
member
Hello Everyone,
Background- I have celiac but I was not diagnosed until I was 24, so the school issue was gone by then. My little dudes eat GF because our pedi recommended that they do because of the strong family history of celiac on both sides (me, my two grandmothers, an aunt, a great aunt, a cousin..then DH's great aunt, aunt and two uncles) She says we can of course let them eat gluten for a week or so then test anytime we like but recommends we wait until they are older so it can be explained to them if they feel significantly ill due to eating gluten. So neither one of our guys have ever had anything with gluten, except for two times I can say for sure DS1 was glutened while out to eat. I am convinced that DS1 has celiac, not sure much on DS2..but that is beside the point.
Here is my question- DS1 is going to be starting pre school in the next few weeks, He has never eaten outside of DH, my or the nanny's sight so not sure how to feel about this. He knows he eats special food, but because we all do its not really a talked about issue all the time. How do I prep him for this? I don't want him sharing snacks. Also how do people feel about those kid friendly braclets that say wheat free/ gluten free?
Thanks!
Re: advice. GF kid goes to school
I teach preschool (special ed) and I have a TON of food allergies in my class this year. My 3 and 4 year olds are amazing at looking out for each other. They all know that some kids are allergic to some foods (we've explained allergic as it can make their belly hurt or make their hands itch) we do have a kid who carries an epi pen so we don't "downplay it" we make sure we talk about it in kid friendly terms but that it's very serious. Each kid knows what they can't have and most of the students know who can't have certain things. We serve meals from the kitchen so there are alternate foods for kids who are dairy or gluten sensitive and we are a nut/peanut free room. In addition we've taught those kids with allergies to ask "is that safe for me to eat" when they are served anything that they don't recognize. Also we have soy butter often and our kid with nut allergies knows to ask is it safe (it looks just like peanut butter) so that if he was ever in a friend's home and is offered peanut butter we hope that that phrase will make the parent stop and inquire and keep him safe.
I would make sure that your child knows to eat only what you pack or only what comes for them from the kitchen, to ask if they are ever unsure and to work with your child's teacher/administration to make your child's classroom safe and as unrestricted as possible. Good luck.