Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • 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

List Of Safe Foods To Share With Daycare?


lamood

Recommended Posts

lamood Newbie

Hi everyone, does anyone have a list or a link or something to a list of gluten free foods. It doesn't have to be comphrehensive. I would like to give my daughter's daycare and grandparents a list of things that they can have available for her or things to have on hand that they don't have to worry about.

Thanks,

Heather


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



VydorScope Proficient
Hi everyone, does anyone have a list or a link or something to a list of gluten free foods. It doesn't have to be comphrehensive. I would like to give my daughter's daycare and grandparents a list of things that they can have available for her or things to have on hand that they don't have to worry about.

Thanks,

Heather

We do not do it htat way. We pack all of our sons foods and jsut tell them he can only eat from his own bag. I do not expect nor think a daycare can keep up with the ever changing gluten-free lists.

lamood Newbie

I pack her lunches too and send special snacks, but it would be nice if she could have what other kids bring sometimes too, and a list for the daycare to check.

VydorScope Proficient
I pack her lunches too and send special snacks, but it would be nice if she could have what other kids bring sometimes too, and a list for the daycare to check.

I would strongly advise against that you have no idea what has happened to that food at thier house. Even 100% normal safe food could be easily contimanated.

Guest nini

with my daughter's daycare, they provided me with space in the freezer, and the pantry and once a month or more I would stock them up with gluten free food for them to prepare for her. I gave them a baking pan and a sauce pan to cook anything that required cooking so that they didn't have to worry about cleaning their pans... I gave them explicit instructions about cross contamination and to not give her anything that I did not provide for her. Because I gave them a wide selection of things they were able to closely match her meal to whatever the other kids were having OR give her a choice of what she was in the mood for. I lucked out with her daycare. The ladies were VERY helpful, but they also saw her BEFORE the dx and before the diet, and they then saw the very major improvements that she made in a very short amount of time so because they saw this, they were extremely vigilant about making sure she didn't get exposed to any gluten while in their care. One day (the ONLY incident that happened) my daughter grabbed an oreo from a friend and ate a bite before the teacher could get across the room and get it from her. I guess she just wanted it so bad she didn't think about what would happen. They called me immediately at work and said that within MINUTES she was in the bathroom with D and a bloated belly... she was ill for a good two or three days after that and has NOT ONCE cheated on her diet since. She is in Kindergarten now and I pack her lunch everyday and keep her teacher stocked with snacks for her at snack time. They have a snack calendar and take turns bringing in snacks, I told them to put her on the list to bring in snacks so that she could share her gluten-free treats with her friends and show them that she eats normal food.

kyleceliac Newbie

My son is now 8, dx when he was 4.

He attends public school and I understand what you are saying about wanting them to be able to have the same or close to the same foods as everyone else.

What we did this year for snacks is several things: 1) we take up a collection from the parents and the teacher or I purchase snacks for everyone that is gluten free. 2) through the weekly news letter we ask for specific snacks --brand and all. It is amazing how willing everyone is to accomodate. Posting a long list is really hard to do since things change constantly. The thing you can do is post fresh food snacks like apples, oranges....

As far as lunches, thats a hard one. I ALWAYS send my childs lunch. No one at the school as EVER perpared his food. What I have done is the school follows a posted menu. I send my son's food prepared (just might need to be heated up) and that way if it is a day that the school is serving something that my child might like-- he's got it --just in a healthier form.

Smunkeemom Enthusiast

I personally wouldn't trust anyone else to feed my kid. I pack all thier food and they can only eat whats in the bag, at church it's different because they have made the whole nursery area gluten free. I still have to check up on the 4 year old, but the basic rule is "Do not feed Joey's kids ANYTHING" that way I am always the ones to feed them.


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



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



happygirl Collaborator

That is funny, Smunkeemom, about "Do not let Joey's kids eat anything"

I feel like that is my motto-don't feed me! I can't eat it unless I made it!

(Or, it is a very, very trusted friend who "gets" the cross contamination issue or my wonderful parents!)

There are maybe 5 people in the whole world that I would eat anything from. Not worth the risk!

kempy99 Apprentice
with my daughter's daycare, they provided me with space in the freezer, and the pantry and once a month or more I would stock them up with gluten free food for them to prepare for her. I gave them a baking pan and a sauce pan to cook anything that required cooking so that they didn't have to worry about cleaning their pans... I gave them explicit instructions about cross contamination and to not give her anything that I did not provide for her. Because I gave them a wide selection of things they were able to closely match her meal to whatever the other kids were having OR give her a choice of what she was in the mood for. I lucked out with her daycare. The ladies were VERY helpful, but they also saw her BEFORE the dx and before the diet, and they then saw the very major improvements that she made in a very short amount of time so because they saw this, they were extremely vigilant about making sure she didn't get exposed to any gluten while in their care. One day (the ONLY incident that happened) my daughter grabbed an oreo from a friend and ate a bite before the teacher could get across the room and get it from her. I guess she just wanted it so bad she didn't think about what would happen. They called me immediately at work and said that within MINUTES she was in the bathroom with D and a bloated belly... she was ill for a good two or three days after that and has NOT ONCE cheated on her diet since. She is in Kindergarten now and I pack her lunch everyday and keep her teacher stocked with snacks for her at snack time. They have a snack calendar and take turns bringing in snacks, I told them to put her on the list to bring in snacks so that she could share her gluten-free treats with her friends and show them that she eats normal food.

Again, I'm new to this whole thing, so please bare with my ignorance.....

How serious is the cross-contamination issue? My son is also in daycare (a daycare center) and they provide me with a menu for the month and I cross off things he cannot have (breads, pastas, etc...) and I'll bring in an alternative for the day. I'm just learning now that there are probablly even more things that he cannot have that I previously thought were ok. What about serving/cooking food with dishes/pans that were used to serve/cook the other kids' food. Please tell me more about the cross-contamination issues and the seriousness of it all.

Thank you!

VydorScope Proficient
Again, I'm new to this whole thing, so please bare with my ignorance.....

How serious is the cross-contamination issue? My son is also in daycare (a daycare center) and they provide me with a menu for the month and I cross off things he cannot have (breads, pastas, etc...) and I'll bring in an alternative for the day. I'm just learning now that there are probablly even more things that he cannot have that I previously thought were ok. What about serving/cooking food with dishes/pans that were used to serve/cook the other kids' food. Please tell me more about the cross-contamination issues and the seriousness of it all.

Thank you!

Well CC can be as bad as eating the thing its self.. or not. :D Thats the problem with CC, it removes all assurances.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Your son has a wonderuly gluten-free treat to eat. Your son decides to dunk it in his milk, and your sons's frend thinks thats a good idea, and dunks his gluten full cookie in your sons milk to, then yoru son drinks said milk. BAMO your son just got glutend.

There a zillion ways stuff like that could happen, playdough on the table, finger paints, etc. CC is the worst part of this cause its so hard to deal with, IMO.

In our situation we did our best to train our toddlers teachers about CC, and we send all the food/drinks he will need in a given day and hope for the best. Thats about the best you can do in reality.

Smunkeemom Enthusiast
Again, I'm new to this whole thing, so please bare with my ignorance.....

How serious is the cross-contamination issue? My son is also in daycare (a daycare center) and they provide me with a menu for the month and I cross off things he cannot have (breads, pastas, etc...) and I'll bring in an alternative for the day. I'm just learning now that there are probablly even more things that he cannot have that I previously thought were ok. What about serving/cooking food with dishes/pans that were used to serve/cook the other kids' food. Please tell me more about the cross-contamination issues and the seriousness of it all.

Thank you!

cross contamination scares the crap out of me. (sorry for the language, but it's true)

My girls have thier own pasta pan, pasta spoon, bread pan, mixing bowls, ect. We are going to get them thier own toaster soon. I am scared that crumbs, or like microscopic gluten will get stuck inside the plastic spoons, and even bleach won't help because you can't kill it, you have to wash it, so they have thier own stuff. I don't trust other people to be as tedious with it as I am. My kids are really really sensitive, cross contamination is enough to make them sick for a few days, so I try to avoid it at all costs.

lamood Newbie

Thanks for all the responses. I guess the feeling is don't give a list of ideas for people and just pack things for her. I will however try to come up with a list of things for her grandparents.

Heather

VydorScope Proficient
Thanks for all the responses. I guess the feeling is don't give a list of ideas for people and just pack things for her. I will however try to come up with a list of things for her grandparents.

Heather

Grandparents can be a dif story all together. Some ppl here have prolems with grandparents not takeing celiac disease seriously, but I am aussiming thats not the normal case.

You might list them what she currently eats and likes. That would be a good place ot start. Beyond that any fruit, veggie, meat or dariy that is 100% pure with nothing added should be safe (assueming gluten is your only issue). Next after that is the safe brands list. I do not have that here, but search this board its posted often. Those would be the places to start at least.

elfkin Contributor

My toddler son is very sensitive to cc. We do not even take him to church nursery anymore because he kept getting sick from goldfish cracker crumbs in the kitchen set and things like that. I really needed to work and even took a management team position at an "upscale" much-touted day care chain nearby to see if it was possible for us if I was there. It didn't work out. Too many glutened hands, etc. He also has anaphalactic food allergies, so the risk was just too great. Instead, I turned our home into a very small private childcare business. We are an entirely gluten/wheat & peanut/nut free home with safe art supplies, etc. The local gluten-free health food store keeps my notice up for other celiac and food allergic Mom's in need of safe childcare. I realize that for many of you, this would not be something you would want to try, but it is a solution that has worked for us. I thought I would share it with you! I wish that educationally sound and food-safe childcare was something that everyone who needed it could have access to. I hope you find a great solution that is perfect for your situation! This has really changed my life, as well. It is very fulfilling to minister to children and families in this way.

Guest nini
Again, I'm new to this whole thing, so please bare with my ignorance.....

How serious is the cross-contamination issue? My son is also in daycare (a daycare center) and they provide me with a menu for the month and I cross off things he cannot have (breads, pastas, etc...) and I'll bring in an alternative for the day. I'm just learning now that there are probablly even more things that he cannot have that I previously thought were ok. What about serving/cooking food with dishes/pans that were used to serve/cook the other kids' food. Please tell me more about the cross-contamination issues and the seriousness of it all.

Thank you!

very serious. since it only takes a molecule of gluten to cause damage people who are taking care of your child need to be aware of cc issues. In the home it is important to have uncontaminated condiments (I buy squeeze bottles) or have separate condiments with your childs name on them... the food needs to be prepared on a clean surface (or a plate), stainless steel pans are best if you are sharing a kitchen with gluten foods... if there are old non stick pans that are scratched, replace them or use them only for gluten foods... Yes it's important.

As long as the utensils, dishes and such are thoroughly cleaned before you use them for his food, they should be ok. Most trips through the dishwasher are sufficient.

At my daughter's daycare, they would prepare her food FIRST then put it in a safe place to stay warm while the other food was being prepared, Her teacher would wear clean plastic gloves and feed her first before serving the other children. They knew that before my daughter could sit down at a table that it had to be thoroughly cleaned, no food allowed off the tables, and immediately after snack the kids all had to wash hands, and the tables were all cleaned again. They had a lot of these policies already in place and it was also a "peanut free zone" because of a child they had the year before with severe peanut allergies. He had no problems and went on to a different elementary school than the one my daughter goes to. I know in the kitchen they had a list of ALL the children with food or contact allergies and all the employees were required to be familiar with this list and to ask the parent before offering ANYTHING that the parent didn't provide.

ALSO, parents had to get special permission to bring in treats for parties, we were sometimes assigned specific things to bring. I was allowed to bring homemade gluten free cupcakes ONLY because there was not a store made option available. Most treats were required to be in original store packaging with all pertinant information on them, ingredients and such...

lovemyboy Rookie
My toddler son is very sensitive to cc. We do not even take him to church nursery anymore because he kept getting sick from goldfish cracker crumbs in the kitchen set and things like that. I really needed to work and even took a management team position at an "upscale" much-touted day care chain nearby to see if it was possible for us if I was there. It didn't work out. Too many glutened hands, etc. He also has anaphalactic food allergies, so the risk was just too great. Instead, I turned our home into a very small private childcare business. We are an entirely gluten/wheat & peanut/nut free home with safe art supplies, etc. The local gluten-free health food store keeps my notice up for other celiac and food allergic Mom's in need of safe childcare. I realize that for many of you, this would not be something you would want to try, but it is a solution that has worked for us. I thought I would share it with you! I wish that educationally sound and food-safe childcare was something that everyone who needed it could have access to. I hope you find a great solution that is perfect for your situation! This has really changed my life, as well. It is very fulfilling to minister to children and families in this way.

HI

I'm curious about gluten free art supplies and such, I also have a home dayhome that I just put an ad out in our newsletter offering gluten free food. My ds is the only one that has celiac in my dayhome so I still serve the others regular bread and some regular cereals but all other foods are gluten free, but want to know about art supplies and such.

Electra375 Newbie

I just came across this brochure on GIG

Open Original Shared Link

Also, as a newbi myself, I found Danna Korn's book Kids with Celiac Disease to be a must have. I borrowed it from the library first, then ordered a copy once our dx was firm.

lamood Newbie

Thanks so much for the link. That is good information to share.

Nic Collaborator

I follow pretty much the same policy. As far as at home, my son does have his own toaster because the risk of cc is so great due to all the crumbs that gather at the bottom of a toast. Even if you dump it, you really don't scrub it out. Pots and pans I do use the same but I cook his food first and put it aside. Then I cook the rest.

As far as school is concerned. My son is in pre school. The school happens to provide snack. I periodically go in with a large supply of gluten free snacks to be kept for him at school. the teacher alerted the parents that we need to know in advance it they will be bringing a special treat and then I usually send in homemade gluten free cookies, brownies, or cupcakes to match what the others will be having. I usually send enough for everyone so that he can share with the others. Just in case a parent forgets to let us know first, I keep gluten-free donuts or brownies frozen in the schools freezer so he is never left out.

I also provided the teacher with a list of puddings, chips, icecreams, etc. that he is aloud to eat. I researched all of these companies. For example, I called lays and asked which of their products are gluten free and they in turn sent me a list of everything they make that is gluten free. If you take the time to make some calls, most companies are happy to help you and they have a whole gluten free statement ready. I also provide my teachers with a list of forbidden foods and ingredients just in case they are baking or cooks and they know they have to double check with me first.

Archived

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


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      127,833
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Lucy20
    Newest Member
    Lucy20
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121k
    • Total Posts
      70.4k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      @Manaan2,  I'm so happy to hear you're going to try thiamine and magnesium!  Do let us know the results!   You may want to add a B 50 Complex with two meals of the day to help boost absorption.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins which are all water soluble.   When supplementing magnesium, make sure to get sufficient calcium.  Calcium and magnesium need to be kept in balance.  If you choose a calcium supplement, take two hours apart from magnesium as they compete for absorption.  Take Calcium with Vitamin D.  Vitamin D helps calm the immune system.   For pain, I use a combination of thiamine, B12 Cobalamine, and Pyridoxine B6.  These three vitamins together have analgesic effects.  My preferred brand is "GSG 12X Takeda ALINAMIN EX Plus Vitamin B1 B6 B12 Health Supplementary from Japan 120 Tablets".  Alinamin is another form of thiamine.  It really is excellent at relieving my back pain from crushed vertebrae without side effects and no grogginess.   Look into the low histamine version of the Autoimmune Protocol Duet (Dr. Sarah Ballentyne, a Celiac herself, developed it.)  It really helps heal the intestines, too.  It's like a vacation for the digestive system.  Add foods back gradually over several weeks after feeling better.   I'm so happy to have pointed the way on your journey!  Let us know how the journey progresses!
    • Manaan2
      @knitty kitty I can't thank you enough!  My husband and I already started looking into those supplements.  We definitely plan to give it a try.  We've been against the Miralax since it was originally advised by PCP, but because of the level of pain she experienced on a daily basis, we decided to try it.  We've made many attempts to gradually decrease but due to her pain and related symptoms, we've kept her on it while trying all sorts of other dietary adjustments pre and post diagnosis specific to food; so far none of those efforts have made a significant difference.  I will definitely share how she's doing along the way!
    • BIg Nodge
      Hi, I have recently embarked on the gluten-free journey. I have what to me seems like a somewhat confusing set of test results and symptoms. I have been impressed by the accumulated knowledge and thoughtfulness as I browse this forum, so I figured I'd make a post to see if anyone can offer any insight. I know there are many posts like this from new users, so I have tried to do my baseline research first and not ask super obvious questions.  I'm 43, overall very healthy. No history of gluten sensitivity or really any of the classic GI symptoms. About three years ago I started to experience intermittent bouts of fatigue, chills/cold intolerance, and shortness of breath/air hunger (sometimes feels like a hollowness in my chest, hard to describe). The symptoms over time have become fairly significant, though not debilitating, I am able to exercise regularly and am fairly physically active, continue to perform well at work. But for example I have gone from someone who consistently ran hot, was always cranking the a/c, to someone who wears a down vest inside at work in winter and get chills if the a/c even blows on me in summer. I get tired and lose energy even when getting decent amounts of sleep, and have to have my wife take over on long drives that I could previously handle with no problems. More generally when I am experiencing these symptoms they seem to crowd out space in my mind for focusing on my family, my hobbies/activities etc, I sort of withdraw into myself.   I happened to be experiencing these symptoms during an annual physical with my PCP a few years ago, he observed post nasal drip and suggested it was allergies and that I treat it with claritin. At first it seemed to respond to claritin (though not zyrtex), but over time I became unsatisfied with that answer. There didn't seem to be any seasonal rhyme or reason to my symptoms, and I felt like I was on an endless loop of taking claritin, then stopping, not being sure if it was even making a difference. I did eventually get allergy tests and found modest allergies to dust and pollen, which didn't feel like a smoking gun.  I then started seeing a natural medicine doctor who was much more willing to explore my symptoms via testing. The first thing that came back abnormal was elevated thyroid peroxidase antibodies/TPOs, 137 IU/mL vs a reference range of <9. At the same time my thyroid panel showed normal thyroid hormone levels. So it appears my immune system is attacking my thyroid even though it is working fine. I got a thyroid ultrasound at the time, it was clear, but with some abnormalities such that they suggested I get is scanned again in a year. These are certainly risk factors for a thyroid autoimmune disease, though my thyroid seems to be working fine for now.  From here my doctor considered celiac due to the murky thyroid/celiac links, so we did a panel. Results were as follows: TT IGA <1 U/ml, TT IGG <1 U/ml, deamidated gliadin IGA 24.6 U/ml, deamidated gliadin IGG <1 U/ml, IGAs 170 mg/dL. Readings greater than 15 considered high by my lab for the first four, my IGAs are within reference range. So basically just the deamidated IGA popped, but my IGAs are normal. I also notice on the tests that my thyroglobulin was high, 86.7 ng/ml vs a range of 2.8 - 40.9.  My doctor suggested that it certainly wasn't conclusive for celiac, but it was possible, and likely that I have some sort of gluten sensitivity. She suggested going gluten free and seeing how I felt as opposed to doing a biopsy. The best theory I can come up with is perhaps I am a silent celiac or just have a gluten sensitivity that doesn't produce immediate GI symptoms, but is still doing damage and over time has caused leaky gut. So now gluten is getting into my blood, and my immune system is attacking it but also mistakingly attacking my thyroid.  So that's what I did, went gluten free in October. It's been about four months, and I am really not feeling any difference. I still get the same symptoms that come and go. My bowel movements may be a bit more regular, but it was never a major issue before so I would consider that a minor improvement. I know that it can take a while to see improvements, and I am going to remain gluten-free and see how I feel. But I am definitely questioning whether I really understand what is going on, and am open to any thoughts or suggestions from the forum. Sometimes I wish I just went ahead with the biopsy before going gluten-free. While I would certainly be down to start drinking IPAs again ahead of a biopsy, you know, for science, I feel like at this point I would be throwing away four months of work and am better off staying the course and seeing what happens. But I'm really not sure.  I know there is a lot of thyroid knowledge on these boards, along with the celiac expertise, so I'm curious if this resonates with anyone's experience. And I'm interested in what sort of timelines people have experienced in terms of feeling improvements for some of these non-GI symptoms like chills, SOB, brain fog etc. Thanks in advance. 
    • cameo674
      Does it taste like black licorice?  It said it was chewable.  I do not like that flavor.     Since the burn at the back of my throat is there everyday, I usually only take something when it is unbearable and keeping me from ADL especially sleep.  
    • Scott Adams
      Your concerns about Nando's cross-contamination practices are valid and important for the celiac community. It's disappointing that Nando's does not have stricter protocols for children's portions, especially given the risk of cross-contact with gluten-containing items like garlic bread. Cooking gluten-free items on shared surfaces, even if cleaned, is not safe for individuals with celiac disease, as even trace amounts of gluten can cause harm. While the adult butterfly chicken may be a safer option, the inconsistency in practices for children's meals is concerning. It's frustrating that Nando's headquarters did not take responsibility, but sharing your experience raises awareness and may encourage them to improve their protocols. Consider reaching out to celiac advocacy organizations to amplify your concerns and push for better standards. Always double-check with staff and emphasize the importance of avoiding cross-contamination when dining out.
×
×
  • Create New...