Esther Sparhawk

How about strawberries dipped in melted Hershey's chocolate. You can refrigerate them before the party, and the chocolate turns hard, of course.

A similar alternative: dip ener-G gluten-free pretzels in Hershey's chocolate. You can then roll them in Betty Crocker's candy sprinkles (check labels for ingredients beforehand). I made those at Christmas, and my whole family ate them and loved them. They're pretty to look at too.

I know dish detergents can sometimes contain gluten, but today I called an 800 number on the back of my daughter's can of bubbles (you know, the kids stand around in the back yard on a summer day, blowing bubles through a little, yellow, plastic wand), and guess what I found out... not gluten-free!

I understand that technically, the medical community says celiacs can't be effected by gluten on the skin, but we're talking about a four-year-old here. She's bound to stick her fingers in her mouth at some point after blowing bubles.

So does anyone know of a gluten-free brand of bubbles? We love to blow bubbles, and I hate to give that up.

Along the same lines, I found out Palmolive dish detergent can't guarantee gluten-free status either. (I was thinking we could just make our own bubbles, so I called Palmolive!) Does anyone know of a gluten-free dish detergent -- not the dishwasher kind but the liquid kind?

Mechelle

Well, my question is, can a baby be born with celiac disease from exposure to gluten in the womb?

My daughter was born with celiac. My husband and I used to joke about her "smoker's caugh" as a baby. Now I look back and think, "Why wasn't I concerned?" Her esophegus was being damaged by her reaction to gluten.

By the way, neither I nor my spouse are smokers.

It took us two years to find out Annie was a celiac. I hope you have better luck than we did. By the time we discovered that Annie was a celiac, she was really, really sick at age 2. Her "smoker's caugh" is gone now, along with other symptoms which appeared as time went on. Best of luck to you.

I'm convinced that my daughter was poisoned by vaccines at six months old. At that time, we didn't know she was a celiac, and we couldn't figure out why she wasn't growing. She had skin problems, cronic diarrhea, and a strange "smoker's caugh" by six months old. Otherwise, her personality seemed fairly normal --little fussy, probably due to the stomach discomforts-- but that was all.

When we went in for immunizations at six months, she had a very odd reaction. She went from docile baby to Frankenstein. I remember, about two days after that six-month immunization, she was told "No" about something or other, and then she freaked out and started banging her own head on the wooden part of her bed. She also showed odd signs which reminded me of autism shortly thereafter: flicking the light switch and staring at lights when she was being changed, opening and closing a lid like she was stuck in a feedback loop, and screaming in fear when we turned on the television or radio. Later, she also had difficulty remembering new words and she started to forget words she had previously known.

Now these symptoms continued to persist and even increase, until we got her on the celiac diet. However, I chose not to immunize her, because (in spite of my doctors' advice to the contrary ), I knew something went seriously wrong after that first immunization at six months. Once we figured out that my daughter was a celiac (age 2), her "autistic-like" symptoms slowly started to disappear-- the diet was having a positive impact. By age 3, there were no autistic-like symptoms left, and her personality did a 180 degree turn !

I thank God that I had the courage to tell my doctors to go to heck. They kept saying "immunize her! There's nothing wrong with your kid!" but I knew better. My advice to you is, keep your child on the celiac diet for at least one full year before you continue updating those immunizations.

After what we've gone through with our daughter, my husband and I firmly believe that there IS a link between autism and digestive disorders like celiac disease. And that link is immunizations. Have courage, stay strong, and wait until your child is 100 percent healthy before you immunize!!!

My 7 year old knows more than the doctors!!! And that's not saying much, I think my dog probably does too

LOL! Cam's mom, you're hilarious!

Kristin, don't forget that June is a common month for chicken pocks. It's tough, when your kid's a celiac, to distinguish between gluten reactions and common childhood diseases. Best of luck to you.

Both of my kids get welts from mosquito bites. They swell up like bee stings. One of my kids is a celiac and the other one isn't, but they both get the same reaction to mosquitoes.

My kids use Crest vanilla flavor. It's been more than a year since I called Crest, but back then they were saying all their toothpastes were okay. It's probably time to call again, though.

One kids' toothpaste that isn't gluten-free is the Hello Kitty toothpaste. I believe it's made by a company called Sanio. Again, it was about a year ago when I contacted that company. Like Colgate, they had a disclaimer statement. I think my daughter was having a reaction to it, though. I don't recommend it for celiacs.

If you're just looking for a fun way to get kids to brush their teeth, my kids think it's really fun to use the little travel-pack toothpastes. They're not as fun as Hello Kitty, but the kids do have fun with them.

When we go camping, we make s'mores with Health Valley's rice bran crackers (they taste like graham crackers but be careful because they also make crackers that aren't gluten-free), Hershey's milk chocolate, and Kraft marshmellows.

Yum!

I have Celiac and we think my son does. We are trying him an a gluten free diet. My question is he is saying that he is going to vomit at night before bed. I don't know if it is in his mind or if it is real. He has vomited a few times when he has gotten into excessive amounts of gluten. We were starting him slowly, but now have just totally switched. Any help would be appreciated.

Before my daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease, her lactose intolerance made her vomit almost every morning after breakfast. I know laying down can have a sort of gravity effect on barf. It does for me, anyway. Maybe he's telling you that he kind of feels nauseous when he lays down.

How old is this boy? Is he old enough to express what he's feeling in terms that make sense?

Have you had him tested yet? Remember that the test will come up with a false negative result if he has been on a gluten-free diet, even if he really is a celiac. Get a doctor involved.

Thanks for all the helpful explanations. Understanding what you're looking at when reading a label is so important!

Mechelle

Wow! Thanks for the quick response!

I looked at the web sites you suggested. That explains what my support group has been talking about lately.

But let's talk vinegar. If I buy a Kraft mayonaise which lists "vinegar" in its ingredients, can I be sure it's not a wheat-based vinegar because the label just says "vinegar" as opposed to "vinegar (made with wheat)"? Before I was told this law went into effect, I avoided any mayo or food products listing vinegar, because I just didn't know if it was safe unless I called the company.

What if the mayo is made by a not-so-trusted company, like Western Family for example. By law, do they have to list wheat after they list vinegar, if that vinegar is made with wheat? And yes, I already understand that distilled vinegar is generally considered safe for celiacs. But what if all it says is "vinegar"? How do I know it's safe?

And again, is caramel color still something to watch out for on labels?

Other people can sometimes guess if they have bought a product which contains gluten, just by their body's reactions. I'm not so lucky. I'm buying for my young child. She doesn't always tell me about her reactions. Right now she's asserting her independence, and it makes it even harder.

I belong to my local celiac support group, and support groups are made up of human beings, so they're capable of making mistakes. I just want to broaden my scope by asking cyberspace folks if my local group's information is correct.

The latest news at our support group is that laws were passed in 2007, so that wheat is supposed to be labeled on all products manufactured in the US. Is that right? What about malt, though? It can still contain gluten through barley, right? So we shouldn't eat anything with "malt" on the label, I'm thinking. Isn't "caramel color" another barley-based ingredient to watch out for too?

How about rye? Is it ever in stuff like "artificial flavors" or "natural flavors" or "spices"? Rye is not included in the 2007 law, right?

Now my celiac support group also suggested that Zatarain's rice mixes were generally safe. But when I looked at Zatarain's Caribbean rice mix, it lists "corn gluten" on the list of ingredients. Is that even a problem? My daughter has never had a reaction to corn in any form, but the very word "gluten" scares me. Somebody let me know if "corn gluten" is bad.

Mechelle

Your baby is 5 mo. old, right? Mine were both teething at that time. Could there be any cross-contamination with items your child is teething on? My kids put their mouths on everything, when they were teething: the handle of a grocery cart, the back of their high chair, daddy's shoe, you name it! Gross, huh?

What about Grandma and Dad... could they be accidentally cross-contaminating? Sneaking gluten treats in, because they don't understand what celiac is all about? We had those issues at our house, so everyone in my family got a copy of Dana Korn's Kids With Celiac Disease for Christmas this past year.

Most importantly, when you're the mom in charge of a kid with celiac, it's sometimes very exhausting. Heck, just nursing a healthy non-celiac kid is exhausting, right?! But don't give up. It get's easier. It really does...

Mechelle

What are Otterpops? I saw these on a couple of lists, so now I'm curious!

They're like Koolaide in a long, plastic tube. It's frozen, so it's a fun treat in summer. You just push the frozen Koolaide out into your mouth, kind of like Pixie Sticks, but frozen Koolaide style.

Until I read this thread, I didn't know they were gluten-free. I'll be adding them to Annie's list now!

My daughter is a celiac. I've often wondered where she got the genes for it.

My mom may be the grandparent who gave her the genetic tendancy for celiac disease. I've often thought so, because of my mom's mental problems. Mom's bipolar with schitzophrenic tendancies.

When Annie was only two and not yet diagnosed, we were seeing a lot of odd behaviors which reminded family members of my mom when mom was little. Now that Annie's on the celiac diet, I no longer hear family members say, "Boy, that really reminds me of your mom!"

Recently my mom has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She's still mentally ill, not medicated, not on the celiac diet, and not willing to be tested.

Stick to the diet. I'm fairly certain that in years to come, science will discover a link -- genetically or just through malnutrition. All of the body's systems are connected. If the digestive system isn't working right, the other systems of the body will suffer, including the neurological system.

My daughter Annie has incontinence problems when she gets glutened. Usually, it's loose stool, but occassionally we see wetting problems. Like you, I've wondered if the wetting accidents weren't due to cross-contamination.

I found that she was being exposed to gluten in these areas:

soap at the daycare

touching dog food/cat food then sticking fingers in mouth

exposure to playdough on the tables at daycare

daycare provider was using gluten-contaminated sunscreen

I was giving her Flintstone vitamins without knowing they were not gluten-free -- just didn't think about it...

finger paints at daycare

We've been on a gluten-free diet for two years now, and I'm still learning the many ways a kid can get glutened. Best of luck to you!

You can write to Hormel or call them, and they'll send you a wonderful list of gluten-free products. We use their pizza toppings, some of their ready-to-bake marinated dinner meats, and some of their chilis. They have a two or three-page list of products which are gluten-free.

The Hormel Canadian bacon is great with cheese and rice crackers for a home-made "Lunchables" for kids. They're even round like real "Lunchables"!

Frito chili pie (also called Texas pie) is a fun casserole dish for kids too. You just layer Hormel's gluten-free chili, shredded cheese, and Fritos. Bake it until bubbly. Yum!

Lays will send you a gluten-free list too, but I've heard they have issues with cross-contimination on their assembly lines.

Mechelle

When my Annie first started on her gluten-free diet, she was already enrolled in a wonderful preschool, but it was I who made lots of mistakes in not realizing how many contaminates already existed in her preschool classroom. Now I provide my preschool teacher with the following (for my own daughter, not the whole class):

Colorations gluten-free playdough

Elmer's glue

Crayola crayons

Coppertone sunscreen

Burt's Bees lip balm

Cookies/crackers/treats for my daughter only

a daily sack lunch

gluten-free finger paints and watercolor paints

I don't allow my daughter to use the hand soap at our preschool; she just washes with water.

Also, in case I forget to pack a lunch and am running late for work, my daycare provider always has a box of Annie's gluten-free macaroni and cheese to make for my daughter, in emergency situations.

Furthermore, for when our preschool has birthday parties or fun days, I gave my preschool teacher a list of gluten-free candies, so she can plan ahead.

There are still going to be mistakes made. My preschool teacher cross-contaminated one of our Colorations gluten-free playdough packages by allowing Annie to use the rolling pin which is normally used with gluten-containing Playdough, for example. We live in a gluten-containing world, and to send a child to preschool ensures that gluten will sometimes get into their system. But by providing the preschool teacher with LOTS of gluten-free stuff, you can cut back the contamination issue by quite a bit. The last time Annie got glutened was clear back at Christmas, so I think my approach is working for the most part.

Good luck and keep plugging away at your job as parent!

Mechelle

I had the day off from work on Wednesday, so I called Coppertone. They said that all of their products are still gluten-free. I guess I answered my own question... Usually I am busy working during business hours, which makes it hard to call companies.

Mechelle

I looked up some old discussions on sunscreen, but of course, they were at least one year old.

Does anyone know if Banana Boat and Coppertone sunscreens are still gluten-free? Has anyone called lately?

Mechelle

I believe that is a Signature Brands product, and if so, they told me that any gluten source would be clearly labeled on the ingredients listing. I uses some of the Betty Crocker colored sugar sprinkles on the sugar cookies I made last night.

That's exactly the product I'm using. Thanks a bunch for the quick reply. Now I can add candy sprinkles to my chocolate-covered ener-G gluten-free pretzels... an awesome treat for the holidays! (I'm dipping the pretzels in Hershey's milk chocolate.)

Mechelle

I bought Betty Crocker's decorator candy sprinkles, and I need to know if they're gluten-free. The ingredients are: sugar, cornstarch, confectioner's glaze, red 3, yellow 5, blue 1, yellow 6, red 40, and carnuba wax.

It looks pretty safe to me, but I'm wondering about food colorings. Aren't they usually made with alcohol? And can't alcohol be a grain alcohol?

Mechelle

At my daughter's preschool, they keep using shaving cream for finger-painting projects. She's little enough that if she gets it under her finger nails, it could go in her mouth.

Are all shaving creams gluten-free, or are some dangerous?

Mechelle

I checked through the "search" mechanism, and all the threads came up with corn syrups and maple syrups, but I couldn't find any information from previous threads regarding childrens' caugh syrups.

I contacted Tylenol last May, and they were saying their chewable Tylenol tablets were new, so the rep I talked to didn't know if their tablets were okay for celiacs. However, she claimed the children's liquid Tylenol was gluten free. Has anyone found out anything new about Tylenol tablets, since May, 2006?

And what about your traditional Robitussin for kids and Vicks Formula 44 for kids? Vicks rub-on stuff? Is it okay? I know Vaseline can have gluten, so I've avoided Vicks Vapo-rub. Any advice on these cold remedies?

I've got the chicken soup in the croc pot already, so at least I've got that ol' stand by!

Mechelle

My 19 month old son just tested positive for gluten and milk intolerance. He has been off both for almost a week now. He never really had any strong symptoms I would say, but he did have occasional softer bm's, occasional diaper rash and lots of eczema that would come and go. His poop seems normal now, but his eczema is really flaring again. It doesn't seem to itch or bother him, but it doesn't seem right. He also still seems tired and irritable. Are withdrawal symptoms common or should I consider other allergies?

My understanding about eczema is that it can flare up due to stress. One thing to remember about little ones is that they can sense when parents are stressed out too. Take time out for yourself once in a while. Take a warm bath, go on a date with your spouse/significant other, take a walk, or do a hobby to help you relax. It will be a benefit to both your son and you.

First, thanks for posting this. It'll be great to have at my daughter's preschool Halloween party.

I saw TCBY on the list. I called TCBY over the summer, and they gave me the old "We can neither confirm nor deny the existence of gluten in our ice cream products" rigamarole.

I'd love to take my kids to TCBY, but I'm scared of this sort of statement from a company. Does anybody know if they're okay or not?

Mechelle