Sleepovers?

[Denine]

My 10 yo daughter is supposed to go to a sleepover this weekend.  I was OK with it, but now I am not sure.  She was dx'd in January and has been doing great.  However, we were staying at a hotel for a softball tournament and I thought I did everything in my power to avoid any problems, but she ended up with a stomach ache all 3 mornings.  This is the first time she has had a stomach ache since going gluten-free.  The mom of the friend says she is gluten intolerant and can manage the disease for one night. My concern is the cross contamination.  My daughter doesn't know about the sleepover yet.  I don't know what to do.  

[StephanieL]

How about you send her food?

[Denine]

I figured I am already going to have to for breakfast.  She gets tired of taking sandwiches everywhere.  It wouldn't be so bad if it was just one girl, but there will be others that my daughter doesn't know.  She will have to explain why she is eating different.  That is fine for her friends that she sees all the time, they get it.  It is hard for the first time.  We are all still so new to this.

[shadowicewolf]

I figured I am already going to have to for breakfast.  She gets tired of taking sandwiches everywhere.  It wouldn't be so bad if it was just one girl, but there will be others that my daughter doesn't know.  She will have to explain why she is eating different.  That is fine for her friends that she sees all the time, they get it.  It is hard for the first time.  We are all still so new to this.

 

 

Can you get the menu for that night perhaps and possibly send a long a gluten free equivalent of the item that will be served?

[cyclinglady]

As long as you feel comfortable that your daughter KNOWS which foods are safe for her, I'd encourage her to go.  I'd also send snacks for everyone and skip dinner.  I typically send a big bowl of homemade popcorn, fruit or gluten-free cookies (that's all I bake) for sleepovers or Girl Scouts since we have a girl who's allergic to milk and nuts (and the hosting parents are always appreciative).  If that girl's at my home, we serve only safe foods for her so that she doesn't feel different.   

 

You could also  pack her favorite box of cereal (hummm, Rice Chex) and then her favorite yogurt/fruit  for breakfast that she could share.  

 

Just be sure that the hosting mom is aware of potential cross contamination and lots of hand washing is done.  

 

I'm sure your daughter's new friends will be compassionate!  

[nvsmom]

I would send food too. gluten-free chips/nachos, maybe some fruit, some muffins for the next morning... I find that as long as I send enough food for everyone, no one cares if me or my kids is not eating everything else.

[come dance with me]

My 10 year old has only been on a couple of sleepovers and only with close friends of ours.  I send a take away container with a lid and a fork with easily reheatable food so they only have to heat it in the microwave and give it to her in that container.  For breakfast, I send one of the bowls with the lids with the right amount of cereal in it, and she takes a So Good soy milk popper to put on the milk.  She also takes her own spoon for that.  I send snacks in zip lock bags like pop corn, Leda and Orgrand brand biscuits, and if I send dessert, it's an individual tub of coconut ice cream or similar, also with her own spoon for that.  I also send a couple of sandwiches in Smash containers.  Most of it fits in her lunch box except for her dinner and her breakfast.  When we travel we take our own pre-made food with us, usually frozen left overs because that's the easiest thing to take, and depending on how long we're going for I'll often take a box of cereal but sometimes if it's only for a weekend I'll take the bowls with the lids.  We're going to stay with a friend for 5 days, from this Thursday so I've been cooking extra of certain meals, and because of the length of time, I'll take a full box of cereal and a 1L UHT milk for breakfasts.  Once we get there I'll buy bread, Nutellex and some type of spread.  To wash them, I take our own dishwashing wand with the dishwashing liquid in it.  That way there's no room for mistakes.  This friend is really good anyway, my daughter has been diagnosed for a few years now.

[justa]

Is it possible at the softball event she just had a virus?

I can't comment on the sleepover but maybe there was no messup at the event and she was just sick?

Not being sarcastic but that could happen too, gluten-free doesn't stop virus. I'm new so I am wondering myself here.

[blmoreschi]

I had the same thought about the virus. We are new to this also - my 11 year old was just diagnosed in April.

 

She has been to two sleepovers since then, and it has worked well both times. Mainly because I trusted the moms. And both times she took a big bag of Angie's kettle corn with her, because all of her friends love that and she likes to share. And she took a box of rice chex so that they could have pancakes and not worry about her. We are blessed to have wonderful friends (and friends' moms) who "get it". The first mom had done gluten-free for their family for about a year to try to deal with behavior issues for her son, so she got it. They were having tacos, and we went over everything that was being served, even brands of potato chips.The second mom is actually MY internist - and her husband is gluten intolerant. When I contacted her when the party invite came in she told me she had already ordered a gluten-free cake from someone who has a celiac family member, and that they were going to do a cookout and she would have Udi's buns. When I got there, I broached the issue of grill contamination, and she had never thought of that. They ended up cooking my daughter's on foil.

 

This works because (so far) my daughter isn't that sensitive. It sounds like you are in the same situation - so I say send her! We can't wrap them in a plastic bubble, and I think this age is particularly a hard age to be diagnosed. They are just getting more social and don't want to be seen as different. At the same time, there have been a few events where my daughter has said "no way, I'm not going" because she knows it won't be a good food situation for her. But at the same time, if she really wanted to go we would have made it work.