Jump to content
  • 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

Help Explaining Celiac Disease To A Little Kid?


pretty in paleo

Recommended Posts

pretty in paleo Apprentice

My friends' daughter is 7 or 8 I think. Whenever I come over now she puts a snack in my face, usually a cupcake or something and is like "Here you go!" And I am always like No thank you! We tried to explain to her, nothing with wheat or dairy but she doesn't understand really what that means. We also said I mostly eat fruits and vegetables too. Her parents also feel guilty that they couldn't find anything in their kitchen that I can eat ( take out, tv dinners and cereal) and she might have caught onto that. Its an interesting situation, since even adults are clueless about wheat ( "can u still have white bread?") so explaining my condition to a small child is especially challenging. Anyone else went thru this?


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



gfreemarketingguru Rookie

7/8 is not too young to understand. My 6&7 yr old r gluten-free & completely understand what food is safe & what food is dangerous for them and that different people have different problems with food. May I suggest u arrive with your own snacks to share... maybe something they can relate to as "normal" like tortilla chips & salsa, ice cream, cut up fruit w/ caramel dip or delicious cupcakes that happen to be gluten-free..that way they don't think you are "odd" just eat a little different.

tarnalberry Community Regular

While she's not too young to understand, she also doesn't have to deal with it every day, or REALLY live with it, since you are a friend, so it's going to be hard for her to internalize.  That said, I don't find her behavior of offering bad - that's an excellent behavior!  But not asking if you want it and respecting your answer (of no) is the problem.  (Well, this is my approach for teaching my 3-year old, anyway.)

 

What we say to my 3-year old is that wheat makes mommy sick, and it's not something that vitamins or medicine can make better; wheat will just make me sick for many, many days, so mommy doesn't eat wheat.

 

It's an over simplification, but I think it's suitable for very young kids.

NotMollyRingwald Apprentice

"What we say to my 3-year old is that wheat makes mommy sick, and it's not something that vitamins or medicine can make better; wheat will just make me sick for many, many days, so mommy doesn't eat wheat."

Going to remember this, my son loves sharing his snacks with mom & dad, it will be easier to say no w/o breaking his little heart by telling him like this.

tarnalberry Community Regular

"What we say to my 3-year old is that wheat makes mommy sick, and it's not something that vitamins or medicine can make better; wheat will just make me sick for many, many days, so mommy doesn't eat wheat."

Going to remember this, my son loves sharing his snacks with mom & dad, it will be easier to say no w/o breaking his little heart by telling him like this.

 

My daughter CAN have wheat, though, so when I go off to teach yoga Saturday mornings, she has taken to asking daddy to have lunch "with wheat", since she knows she won't get it if I'm home. :P  It's hilarious.

Nikki2777 Community Regular

Kids that age know about allergies.  I just say, no thanks, I'm allergic to that.

notme Experienced

my grandson, now 9, picked up on the whole concept really fast.  he could already read by the time i got diagnosed.  he would ask me if i could eat something and i asked him what's in it?  then he would read the ingredients and when he got to 'wheat' he said NOPE.  he is actually pretty educated about it for a kid his age.  the 4 yr olds do not care as long as i make enough for them :)

 

edited to say:  actually, he 'gets' it better than many adults!!  hahaha


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



julissa Explorer

tarnelberry, I teach yoga too!

 

my granddaughter is 4 1/2 and whenever I go over there I bring my own food. sometimes we eat out, and take my food with me. about a month ago she asked why I am always eating my own food, and I told her I have food allergies and some foods make me sick. she was happy with that answer, as she has allergies so she knows what they are.

 

last week I was eating with them and she turned to my daughter and said in the course of conversation, you know mommy, grandma has allergies so she can't eat what we eat. 

howlnmad Newbie

edited to say: actually, he 'gets' it better than many adults!! hahaha

HEY! What's that posta mean?

kareng Grand Master

My daughter CAN have wheat, though, so when I go off to teach yoga Saturday mornings, she has taken to asking daddy to have lunch "with wheat", since she knows she won't get it if I'm home. :P It's hilarious.

Too cute!

Actually not much different at my house - 17 & 20 yr olds - "Dad, can we go out for gluten food?"

howlnmad Newbie

Too cute!

Actually not much different at my house - 17 & 20 yr olds - "Dad, can we go out for gluten food?"

Answer: Yeah, bring me back something good, I'll pay you later.

kareng Grand Master

Answer: Yeah, bring me back something good, I'll pay you later.

This means they want money for food or Dad to take them to this bar with pool tables and steak sandwiches.

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,665
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Christa Cook
    Newest Member
    Christa Cook
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Inkie
      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
    • Scott Adams
      Welcome to the community! Generally, for a gluten challenge before celiac disease blood tests, Tylenol (acetaminophen) is considered safe and should not interfere with your antibody results. The medications you typically need to avoid are those like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) that can cause intestinal irritation, which could potentially complicate the interpretation of an endoscopy if you were to have one. However, it is absolutely crucial that you confirm this with either your gastroenterologist or your surgeon before your procedure. They know the specifics of your case and can give you the definitive green light, ensuring your surgery is comfortable and your celiac testing remains accurate. Best of luck with your surgery tomorrow
    • Xravith
      Thank you for the advice. I’ve actually never checked for nutritional deficiencies, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve always taken vitamin and mineral supplements — otherwise my symptoms get worse. This week I stopped eating gluten to confirm whether my symptoms are really caused by it. Starting next week, I’ll reintroduce gluten — it’s sad to go back to how I was before — but at least I’ll be able to take the necessary tests properly. I think the diagnostic process will be long, but at least I’m happy that I finally decided to address this doubt I’ve had for years.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.