Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

How To Explain Celiac To 4yo


Nantzie

Recommended Posts

Nantzie Collaborator

I was just wondering how everybody explained celiac to their child. My daughter just turned four. She only has mild to moderate symptoms; D that doesn't seem to hurt/worry/bother her, mild tummy aches and appetite issues, dark circles under her eyes and some behavior issues that may or may not be related to celiac. In other words, things that are more worrisome for me than her.

I know that she's old enough to understand quite a bit. I am ordering a couple of books for her from Amazon - Eating Gluten-Free with Emily and The gluten-free Kid. They are geared toward kids who are a little older, but I think they'll work. I think they'll also be good in helping me figure out how to explain this to her school.

I was just wondering how everyone else approached this with their kids.

Nancy


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Daxin Explorer

I think you're on the right track with the books! It can be tricky with kids, explaining things that seem over their head.

I find just being striaght up sometimes helps as well. Kids are sometimes a lot smarter than we give them credit for. :lol: Try just being as direct as possible...she may surprise you. :huh:

Guest nini

I got Danna Korn's book "Kids with Celiac disease" and used her recomendations

chewymom Rookie

My daughter will be four next month and has symptoms just like what you describe! She occasionally complains of tummy aches, has non-painful diarrhea, etc. We tested her using Enterolab, and it came back that she is gluten sesitive/intolerant.

I haven't put her on a gluten-free diet yet, mainly because her symptoms are so mild and bother me more than her! I would love your feedback once you've done this for a bit. I'm dreading pulling some of her favorite foods, not to mention trying to be in control of what others feed her!! :blink:

jayhawkmom Enthusiast

My daughter just turned 5. We bought her Gluten Free with Emily and No More Cupcakes and Tummy Aches.

I've done a lot of explaining, discussing, and doing everything possible to be positive about it. Instead of saying, "NO you can't have that" -- I try to remember to say things like, "Sure, that is yummy - but how about we have this instead, it doesn't have gluten in it."

I keep positive, but continually reinforce the "no gluten."

My daughter's blood tests came back as inconclusive, but we went on to have the endoscopy because of the constant tummy aches and "D." Turns out that she had ulcers in her small intestines, and we never would have known that without the endoscopy. I immediately pulled all gluten from her diet, and she's a million times better now. She's not completely better, but she's growing again...and that's awesome!!

On June 13th - she weighed 30 lbs and was 39" tall. (her 3 year old friend is taller and heavier) And, when she went for a follow up visit the other day, she was 33 lbs and 40.5" tall!!!

Nic Collaborator

I was actually very straight foward with my son. He was diagnosed at 4 years as well. He did have some pretty bad symptoms (constipation mainly). I explained to him that his body is confused and thinks that gluten (I explained that gluten is all of the cookies,cakes, cereals, pasta, and breads that he eats) is poison and that is why he is so sick. He really did understand. Now at 5 I have no problem with him understanding that he cannot eat or touch any food without me or someone designated as a food giver for him says it is ok.

Nicole

TCA Contributor

I told my son that some foods are what makes his tummy hurt and he needs to ask me before he eats something. He knows that here at home everything is safe, but when we're away he needs to ask. He's 3.5 and it works well for us!


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Luvs to Scrap Apprentice

My son will be 4 in Sept. When he got diagnosed in June we told him that gluten (or wheat, oats, barley and rye) made him sick just like they make Daddy sick. He now will only get to eat foods that are safe for him and Daddy. We only offer him safe things at home obviously but we have been working on him needing to ask before eating something when we are away. I was so proud of him last Sunday when he told the children's worker at my parents church that he couldn't eat the animal cookies. He tells people he can't eat wheat and after reading Danna Korn's book I have been trying to teach him the wheat, oats, barley and rye thing. I think he understands pretty well for his age. It really helped here that he had a parent he could be like. (You are gluten free too aren't you, Nancy?) We totally played that up and Luke loves eating Daddy's special stuff. :) Kendra

Nantzie Collaborator

Thanks everybody for all the great advice. I ordered Kids with Celiac Disease, as well as the other two books. I'll have to play up the "Just Like Mommy" thing. I never mentioned my gluten intolerance to her before because she has always been such a picky eater that I didn't want her to tell me she was brocolli intolerant or something. :lol: I found out from some other parents though that their celiac kids ended up not being picky anymore after going gluten-free. Fingers crossed on that one..

I did talk to my daughter's preschool today. I decided to just go ahead and make gluten-free versions of whatever they're having for lunch/snacks. That way I won't have to worry so much, and they won't have to deal with it either. I'm going to put together some information for them sometime in the next couple weeks and have a meeting with the director and her teachers.

For the record, all they did was write it all down on her information card. They didn't say I needed to bring a doctor's note. They just said they wanted as much information on it as I could provide them with.

Wonder if they'll provide me with my own filing cabinet? <_<:lol:

Nancy

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - trents replied to VinnieVan's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      12

      Question

    2. - fritz2 replied to VinnieVan's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      12

      Question

    3. - trents replied to VinnieVan's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      12

      Question

    4. - fritz2 replied to VinnieVan's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      12

      Question


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      128,764
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    KaitsLB
    Newest Member
    KaitsLB
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.1k
    • Total Posts
      71.2k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      As I mentioned above, NCGS stands for Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity. Celiac disease and NCGS share many of the same GI distress symptoms but NCGS does not damage the lining of the small bowel as does celiac disease and is not an autoimmune condition, as is celiac disease. NCGS is 10x more common than celiac disease but there are no tests for it. Celiac disease must first be ruled out. We actually know much more about celiac disease than we do about NCGS. Some experts believe NCGS can be a precursor to celiac disease. The only known antidote for either is total abstinence from gluten. Joint pain is a well-established symptom of celiac disease, one of the more than 200 symptoms on a growing list. And many of them present as non-GI related.
    • fritz2
      Well, as much pain as gluten has caused in the past, there's no way in hell I'm taking gluten on purpose.  What is NCGS?  And are there any remedies to quickly get over the swollen joints? My joints are swollen and hot to the touch and hurt.  For about two weeks they were too painful to even think about using them.  Six weeks later, I still can barely use my hands.  I struggle to get a bottle cap unscrewed they hurt so badly.  Edema in my legs and the knees hurt to walk.  And that was probably a minor exposure as the wheat was listed towards the end of the "contains" list in very fine print we couldn't read without a magnifying glass.
    • Pat B
    • trents
      There really is no test for diagnosing celiac disease that does not require the consumption of wheat for weeks or months ahead of the testing. All testing either measures the antibodies produced by the inflammation in the small bowel lining produced by gluten consumption or looks for the damage the to that lining that the inflammation causes. If you take away the gluten, the inflammation subsides and so do the antibodies and healing takes place such that there is no damage to see. The only "test" that does not require gluten consumption is a genetic test but it can only be used as a rule out for celiac disease since 40% of the general population carries the one or both to the genes that have been tied to the development of celiac disease but only about 1% of the general population actually develops celiac disease.  The joint inflammation you describe could possibly be linked to gluten-related reaction, either celiac or NCGS.
    • fritz2
      Thank you.  Is there a test that does not include consuming wheat that I can request my doctor to have done?  Also, is it a celiac reaction for me to blow up my joints with gout like symptoms? thank you, is it safe to eat links that contain sucrose and dextrin?  
×
×
  • Create New...