Having A Weak Moment. :(

[dandelionmom]

This Celiac diet is so hard. I'm killing myself trying to find my daughter foods she'll like and that are still nutritious and gluten-free and half the time she turns her nose up at everything and eats a cheese stick.

It seems I can't be careful enough because this weekend while we were out of town, she somehow got gluten even though we were so cautious. Then today, she was feeling great but her sister (who should know better but just kind of lost her head for a minute while I was feeding the baby) gave her some goldfish crackers. So now I'm expecting her to be sick for most of tomorrow (was already gassy and irritable before bed) which is my husband's 30th birthday so there goes our fun plans for the day. Yes, I threw away the crackers but they are Kate's favorite snack so it is going to be very hard for her.

All this plus the fact that Julia cried about not having wedding cake on Saturday (she was the flowergirl at the wedding) even though she had gluten-free cupcakes and M&Ms.

In addition to all that, I had to nearly smack food out of multiple hands as they offered her gluten-full foods all day Saturday.

I want to take a sharpie marker and write "DON'T FEED ME!" on her head.

Thanks for listening to me vent. I'm mostly heartbroken about how sick she's going to feel tomorrow and how much this has changed her life.

[JennyC]

I'm sorry you and your family have been having a bad time. It's so hard to not be able to give your kids food. All you can do is try your best. It sounds like you have done a good job of being prepared, but sometimes there are just going to be hurt feelings. Maybe freeze the cupcake and let your daughter help frost and decorate it the morning of the event. Sorry I could not be of more help.

[missy'smom]

It's hard to adjust to new foods. This past week I've been going through a phase where I don't feel like eating anything we have and I feel a bit like a fussy child. Sometimes these phases come from an emotional place and sometimes physical. The things I have eaten this week aren't exactly the most nutritious but I've been at this long enough to just accept it and know it'll pass and I know that in the grand scheme of things I generally eat healthy. If I don't feel like eating at all, eventually I'll get really hungry and eat. I still take my vitamins religiously though.

[buffettbride]

Is there some what you can include her in the making of the foods or maybe present it in a way that seems more exciting (i.e. Laptop Lunchbox, bento, or the like?). Sounds like you have your hands pretty full and I know there are days I just want to feed my DD Dots and M&Ms and Fritos because it's easy. Some days I wish I could just feed everyone a cheeseburger from McDonald's because it's easy and other days I want to curse the world because they keep putting food in my DDs face.

No matter how hard we try, a gluten-free cupcake will never compare to the social significance of wedding cake at a special event, or stuffing at Thanksgiving, or a Milky Way at Halloween.

I think I read somewhere around here that a mom cuts up fruit and lets the kids eat it with a toothpick because it's more fun than using silverware and seems more appealing than the same 'ol same 'ol.

That's all I got. Hang in there.

[gfpaperdoll]

Oh, I am so sorry that you are going thru a rough patch.

You never know what is going to trigger a child. Did you eat any of the wedding cake? Maybe next time if you two could have your special treat.... Kids just want to be like the ones they idolize, their mom & the beautiful princess bride...

If this type situation ever arose again, (or for others reading this post) maybe decorate 4 cupcakes put together like a little white wedding cake - heck even get a "topper" for it. You could also decorate a cupcake & put it in a special little white box (I think you can get these at Micheal's) & decorate the outside of the box with stickers & present it to the bride or to the bride's mom for a little treat for her later on...

[Cheri A]

((hugs)) I hope that your dd is feeling better today. I have felt that way many times over the years.

How old is your dd? Mine is 8 years old and has multiple food allergies. Now that she is older, I have been asking HER what she wants for a treat replacment. Sometimes she picks something "easy" for me. Sometimes I make something for her.

[Juliet]

I know it's hard right now, and events like this do NOT make it easier, but I promise you, it gets better. You're still at the beginning phase where you and she are still mourning about how things used to be. She's also still learning herself that she can't just eat whatever is handed to her, and when she sees a treat of any kind, sweet or savory, it's hard for her to understand she can't have it. But just like you are learning about this, so is she. She'll soon begin to understand that she shouldn't eat everything that is handed to her, in fact she probably shouldn't eat anything offered to her if it isn't from you or any her other primary caregivers. When my son was diagnosed at 2 and 2 months (now 3 years 10 months), it was extremely difficult for at least the first 6 months. It only took about 2 months for him to know not to eat food given to him by anyone other than his parents or babysitter, but it took a lot longer for him to realize not to even touch the goldfish cracker on the ground and put it in the trash. He's a thumbsucker, too, so he'd pick up that cracker and then suck his thumb. It was difficult and frustrating. And then there were the mistakes that I would make, like when I read the ingredients list of a piece of candy 3 times before giving it to him, then re-read it again just after he ate it and find "malt extract." I had to leave that person's house immediately so that I could go cry in the car. And, yes, the next day was not fun either. But the last day where I needed to cry from frustration was several months ago, and although cross contamination is sometimes still an issue since I let him play with other kids, he's generally in good health. Looking at him, you'd never know he had any health issues at all - he's extremely tall, muscular, and friendly (when not glutened - otherwise insane wild child). And he completely understands he needs to eat gluten free, and he doesn't even get upset if other kids around him are eating gluten cake or ice cream cones. This is a real change from a year ago.

Your experience will be different, but remember - if you got through the first 4 months of your first child's life, what with the extreme lack of sleep, loss of spontaneity, hormones, and changing of your own personal identity and your relationship with your husband, you will get through this, too And know all of us understand your pain and completely empathize - we've all been there.

[Kibbie]

This Celiac diet is so hard. I'm killing myself trying to find my daughter foods she'll like and that are still nutritious and gluten-free and half the time she turns her nose up at everything and eats a cheese stick.

It seems I can't be careful enough because this weekend while we were out of town, she somehow got gluten even though we were so cautious. Then today, she was feeling great but her sister (who should know better but just kind of lost her head for a minute while I was feeding the baby) gave her some goldfish crackers. So now I'm expecting her to be sick for most of tomorrow (was already gassy and irritable before bed) which is my husband's 30th birthday so there goes our fun plans for the day. Yes, I threw away the crackers but they are Kate's favorite snack so it is going to be very hard for her.

All this plus the fact that Julia cried about not having wedding cake on Saturday (she was the flowergirl at the wedding) even though she had gluten-free cupcakes and M&Ms.

In addition to all that, I had to nearly smack food out of multiple hands as they offered her gluten-full foods all day Saturday.

I want to take a sharpie marker and write "DON'T FEED ME!" on her head.

Thanks for listening to me vent. I'm mostly heartbroken about how sick she's going to feel tomorrow and how much this has changed her life.

One of the best pieces of advice I was given was "Don't even thing about nutrition untill you find food your daughter likes, you can ease into the nutrition later" (This was advice from my GI's dietitian.

I took it to heart and we had a Pamela's gluten free cake the weekend after my Daughters Biopsy to "Celebrate her not being sick anymore" With in a week or two I had found snacks she would eat and special treats too... we were back to the nutritious eaters again in less than a month!

[ShayBraMom]

My best friends son who's seven is deadly allergic to even trace ammounts of peanuts!!! Needless to say that like with wheat it is very hard on the kids because no B-day cake is usally absolute peanutfree, most paretns don't even know what's in it because htey had it made some place! He has the same problem, even after living for so long with the diagnosis, he always gets kind of sad. If she does find something she can eat and like maybe she can choose herself what she'll have instead fo what they have at the party!

[kbtoyssni]

One of the best pieces of advice I was given was "Don't even thing about nutrition untill you find food your daughter likes, you can ease into the nutrition later" (This was advice from my GI's dietitian.

This was my philosophy, too. The first week I ate A LOT of tortilla chips with cheese because I was hungry and didn't know what else to eat. Even though it wasn't the best nutrition-wise, it was still miles better for my body that my previous gluten-eating habits. As the weeks went by and I started figuring out brands, my diet got healthier.

[dandelionmom]

Thanks for your support and advice (and for "listening" to me vent!). Things are looking up again. We've found a few other gluten-free products that Julia likes which has really helped make meal times easier. And some more of our family members are starting to realize how serious this diet is. We had the baby's first birthday party this weekend and everyone (even the in-laws!) were very good.

I'm so glad this board is here to give me a little reality check! I'm trying really hard to focus on "safe foods" instead of worrying so much about "healthy foods." You're all so right, there's a time and place to worry about the nutrition aspect!