Toddler With Celiac And Food Allergies

[mom with gf toddler]

Hi, anyone have children with celiac and food allergies. It seems I only find one or the other. Managing both sometimes seems so overwhelming. The food allergies make me so anxious in regards to going out in public, like even to the library.

[gfgypsyqueen]

Yup my kids have food allergies. One is anaphylactic to nuts, but not a celiac. As a result the other child has never had a nut. The second child has celiacs and dairy allergy and shellfish allergy. Her allergies are not anaphylactic, but I still have the TwinJect with me at all times. She reacts to trace levels and contamination.

Yes it is scary. The worst was sitting in line at Cinderalla's ride at Disney and seeing some kid two rows ahead of us eating a PB&J sandwich in line. I wanted to die. Terrified my kid was going to react to touching something that kid had touched. In the end, we had a great day. No reactions.

How old is your toddler? What are the allergies? How severe?

[shan]

my 2 and 9 month is a confirmed celiac, although we do keep her off dairy - dairy lite as we call it - but htatis EASY compared to my 12 month old who is off, very strictly, gluten dairy, soya and eggs!! Gluten i find easy, compared to eggs - that i find a real pain in the neck! i don't know if i would have said that in the first months i was gluten free though

[mom with gf toddler]

my son is 2 1/2 and allergic to milk, eggs and peanuts so far also he has celiac. His milk allergy was diag whan he was an infant (blood in stool). His egg allergy at about 16 months we gave him 2 bites of a scrambled egg and he was one big hive (called 911 on that one) started carrying the epi pen at that point/ not long after that he started with the celiac symptoms and about a month before his pos blood test and biopsy for celiac (Feb/March 2007) we had 2 incidents when I ate pb and my husband ate a pb cup and kissed him then he had hives/itchy red eyes. He had blood test for that peanut allergy while they did the biopsy, which all turned out highly positive. I just asume if he got a lick of pb or nut it will have a really bad outcome. His celiac diag was both a relief and a horror. How could I limit more food from his diet, but he was wasting away in front of my eyes. Before celiac disease I really did not know what it was and he was starting to look prego and frothy diarrhea and pencil thin arms and legs, so skinny he did not even have any butt fat! Now he is actually looking like he has some chunck to him and so far (cross my fingers) we have not had any asthma like symptoms that we were dealing with last year. I can also say that the celiac diet is better to manage than the food allergies, but I never thought I would say that 6-7 months ago. Hopefully with regards to celiac we will not have any new concerns as long as we keep him gluten-free. What kind of nut allergy does your child have and how did you find out???

[gfgypsyqueen]

LOL...I totally agree. The Celiac diet I can handle. The Nut allergy I have gotten used to. But the Dairy allergy kicks my butt. Then throw in shellfish and it is just pure fun... Can't wait to see what else is coming our way....

It is livable. And your son will grow and do well on gluten-free/CF. The rest we can hope and pray he out grows

[MammaW]

My almost 12 month old was diagnosed with peanut and rice allergy (rice allergy of all things!) who the heck ever heard of a rice allergy anyway! He was diagnosed at about 5 months. We have been gluten-free for 5 days now- yeeeeha! Most gluten-free food is full of rice. I pull my hair out daily. His rice allergy so far has been just vomitting, but he did have a positive RAST (blood allergy test) for peanut and rice. Of course we got his celiac bloodwork back today, all negative. but we are still trying to be gluten-free to see if we can see some improvement in his growth and poops. Not an easy road. You are not alone!

[Cheri A]

We deal with multiple food allergies here too, including rice. It is tough eliminating so many things, but my daughter is feeling so much better now, and is at an appropriate weight. Two years ago, we received addition of the wheat and rice allergies, the celiac testing was inconclusive. But, we decided to go gluten free. I was okay with the dairy, egg and soy when I could bake with wheat. Its been very hard for us loosing gluten in addition. However, after two years, we've found what works and stick with it. Fortunately, we have been able to add a bit of rice back into her diet (maybe once/week) and she seems to do okay. My alternate flour is sorghum now. The peanut allergy still terrifies me.

[mom with gf toddler]

It is comforting to hear that there are so many others in the same boat as myself. I really feel that having to make so many diet modifications and restrictions for my little one is so well worth it because of how well he is doing now and of course for his safety. My biggie is the social aspect of all of this. I have no problem making his food from scratch (healthier anyways) we even planted a garden this year and had great results! I am even getting my quota and then some for veggies! It is just soooo hard to do everyday things like grocery shop/library/visit friends & family knowing that I have no control over who just ate a pb sandwich and smeared it all over whatever/I know I can not keep my 2 year old in a bubble(can I? ) I guess this nut allergy really does me in the most/we went to a Bday party at my sis house and she assured me no nuts would be served/of course her mom-in-law showed up with a rice dish COOKED IN PEANUT OIL. Not that I would serve him anything that I did not make, but the thought of everone eating it and peanut oil now all over everyones mouth/hands/whatever. I was close to flying out of there. He was fine, but I know I should always asume everyone/thing is contaminated so how could I ever go anywhere? My son as never eaten peanuts, but I assume the reaction would be horrific/even with the epi-pen. I guess I do need to find some sort of support group, but it seems the celiac/food allergies are either one or the other! and so far no luck finding one in my area(northeast ohio).

[gfgypsyqueen]

FYI for the nut allergy celiacs.

Be very careful of dog toys. The dog bones frequently come in peanut butter flavor. But the Kong and other marrow bones are frequently filled with peanut butter either at the factory or by the owners. I for one used to fill the Kong with kibble covered in peanut butter and frozen - great for puppy. Horrific now. I regularly try to teach the kids that they can't feed dogs bones or play with dog toys at other people s houses. I actually ask about the toys when I arrive and put them on top of the fridge until we leave. Pushy, but hey its my kid. They are friends and understand why I am doing it.

Not trying to terrify. Just adding a coping skill...I hope

[MammaW]

I would be VERY INTERESTED in your baking choices in terms of the rice allergy. That has been a tough combo for us. I have not tried the sorghum?? But wow alot of gluten free alternatives contain rice. Any favorites for you? I have a picky almost one year old and a two year old! Also, does anyone have a favorite "Banned food list"? I am really still pretty shaky on identifying hidden gluten. I heard that salad dressings in general are a no-no!

[mom with gf toddler]

I tried making a safe list and a no no list. It seemed to get out of hand. I even ordered that $30.00 binder from the celiac website, which did not help all that much. I pretty much ended up banning everything and starting from scratch. I call companies all the time to see if their product is gluten-free. A lot of them are happy to send me a list, but some will not saying they can change ingredients at any time. It actually does not take all that much time to call those 1-800 #'s and I even do it while grocery shopping. It is nice to see some "regular products" list gluten free on the packaging, like Philly Swirl pops, my son loves those!

[Carter's mom]

I tried making a safe list and a no no list. It seemed to get out of hand. I even ordered that $30.00 binder from the celiac website, which did not help all that much. I pretty much ended up banning everything and starting from scratch. I call companies all the time to see if their product is gluten-free. A lot of them are happy to send me a list, but some will not saying they can change ingredients at any time. It actually does not take all that much time to call those 1-800 #'s and I even do it while grocery shopping. It is nice to see some "regular products" list gluten free on the packaging, like Philly Swirl pops, my son loves those!

Laura,

I just wanted to thank you for your email. It is nice to know that there are other parents out there dealing with celiac disease and food allergies on a daily basis.

In April of this year we took Carter to see his specialist and he was amazed at the progress he's made. The doctor ordered a food allergy test to be run on his blood and also ordered a test which measured the amount of gluten in the blood. The test results came back that Carter didn't have food allergies and that he had negative amounts of gluten in his blood. This meant that Carter has 1 traces or gluten amounts in his blood. So we know we're doing something right and that was reassurance for us.

I'm sorry you struggle with taking your son out to different public places. I can't imagine how it must be to deal with peanut allergies on top of everything. I struggle with eating at resteraunts. Iam afraid to do so out of fear of cantamination in Carter's food. We rarely go out to eat. I've found out that some McDonald's french fries are gluten free, notice I used the word "some". You have to ask what type of oil is used to cook the fries and make sure that there isn't any flour in that packaging of the french fries. So if we ever go to our local McDonald's my son gets a hamburger patty (PLAIN) and french fries. This is his big treat.

Another useful place we come to shop at is Walmart. The Walmart brand, Great Value, states right on the back of the product GLUTEN FREE in bold if the product is in fact gluten free. This has been a blessing for us.

Like yourself, I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to put my son in school. It sends me into a panic, I too wish I could just keep him in a bubble for health reasons. I'm afraid to have Carter around playdough and things like that. I worry about other children's parents bringing cupcakes and cookies for birthdays or classroom treats.

I guess we will figure things out as they come but for now these things are a worry for me. I want my son to have a normal life.

I'm glad you've found this board and please feel free to email me anytime. I'd love to swap recipes and such, I'm not much of a baker or one for experimenting with foods, so I could use all the help I can get.

Sarah

[Collinsmom]

our 13 mos old ds has 7 food allergies-dairy, eggs, soy, wheat, tomatos, chicken and peanuts. We are still waiting confirmation on the celiac diagnosis. So far all the allergies have bee pretty easy to deal with. The egg one though i think will make it difficult later on if he does not out grow it. If he comes back positive with the celiac, i'm fine with that. he is pretty much gluten free already because of the wheat allergy. the peanut allergy has me freaking out a little. I'm ok with watching what he eats-its the cross contamination, or secondary contact that freaks me out. I'm scared to death that he will have a severe reaction because of residue, or someone else eating peanuts/peanut oil and coming into contact with him.

[shan]

Like yourself, I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to put my son in school. It sends me into a panic, I too wish I could just keep him in a bubble for health reasons. I'm afraid to have Carter around playdough and things like that. I worry about other children's parents bringing cupcakes and cookies for birthdays or classroom treats.

i taught my daughter, from a very young age - 2 years old - that she HAS to wash her hands before ANYTHING goes into her mouth. i would start now before your kids go out, then it is already habit by the time they go to daycare/school.

[mom with gf toddler]

I've just read more postings on this site and there is so much info, I really never thought about cc with plastic bowls/plates. I currently use the same for my 3 kids and only one is gluten-free. I thought I was being so careful. I wash everything in the dishwasher, but it does make sense that if the plastic is scratched, why take a chance? I worry about my son feeling like an outcast because of all the stuff he can not eat. How do I organized my already disorganized kitchen? Keeping all of his eating utensils in one cupboard makes me worry he will feel like not one of the gang. I have one nice big pantry and I keep everyone's food in there including Owen's gluten-free snacks naturally at his eye level, so shelves above contain gluten crackers/pasta, should I be worried about crumbs falling onto his unopened boxes? I must be terrible at this!

[mom with gf toddler]

Hi, I noticed you have a child you say as not showing signs of celiac yet. Has she been tested and if so how often do you have the test repeated? My 6 year old tested negative with the blood test, but has some of the issues I've read on this site, none of which are digestion related, but they are things I do not know the cause of and I have this fear he may have celiac and is being damaged in ways that are not showing yet because he is not gluten-free.

Thanks,

Laura

[Cheri A]

Mamma,

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of favorite "products" because of the rice being such a substitute for gluten-free. My short list includes Glutino pretzels (cornstarch), Cerrone Cones (tapioca), and occasionally K-Toos (they do have some rice flour but she is okay with them once in awhile). I make everything else from scratch. I substitute sorghum flour for any recipe that calls for rice flour.

I will pm you later with some links to some recipes, if you'd like.