Son Is Going Gluten Free!

[Guest Kimberly81]

I posted a few days ago about wether or not to put my semi-symptomatic 4 year old son on the diet, his older sister is diagnosed celiac and I am happier and healthier than ever on the diet. Anyway, we spoke with him a little about it, and we made the decision to put him on it and see what happens. Its only been two days but he's doing well. He's expressed disappointment once or twice over some gluteny thing he wanted, but no major fits or meltdowns like I anticipated....YET. I'm very proud of how he's handling it thus far considering he's only four. I'm keeping a food diary and making sure to note everything he eats and his stools and moods. The first couple of months with my dd were the toughest and she's old enough to understand why she has to eat this way, so I'm expecting it to be a little rougher with my son. Any other suggestions or words of encouragement? Thx in advance! ~K

[CeliacMom2008]

We use a lot of replacements to keep our son's diet yummy and as similar to his old diet as possible. I make gluten free chocolate chip cookies and M&M or cookies regularly (and they are fabulous - you cannot tell they are gluten free except that they are softer than my old recipe and they dry out faster - which then makes them better for dipping in milk!), we also have cakes, rice crispy treats, candy for treats. I just went through what he liked to eat and found a way to do it gluten-free. And when I can't do a match I alwasy substitute something he likes better. For example, we can't go out for pizza, so instead I make pizza (which I like way better than pizza out) and we watch a movie while eating it in the living room. So pizza night is still a special night, it's just a different and better special.

The gluten free diet doesn't have to be about continuous sacrifices. Sure there will be some, but it doesn't have to be a daily or even weekly thing.

Let us know if he has some favorites that you're worried about him not being able to have and maybe we can help you turn them gluten-free!

[Darn210]

You may find it's easier for him since his sister is already doing it and he is more dependent on just eating whatever you give him. As long as he sees some of the same old things come his way, he should probably do just fine . . . and like CeliacMom said, let us know what his favourites are and we'll help with the substitutes. Also, since you do end up cooking a bit more, involve the kids in making some of their food . . . let them put the pepperoni or cheese on their pizza . . . let them shake the ziploc bag full of powdered sugar on their muddy buddies (my kids love that) . . . measure the ingredients for the rice crispy (read: Erewhon brand crispy rice) treats.

[Guest Kimberly81]

Thx to both of you for the quick replies! We're on day 3 and we are already seeing noticeable improvement in his mood and tummy aches! He used to have some form of an emotional meltdown about the smallest things at least once a day, usually more. In the past two days he's had NO meltdowns, at all! He isn't really having any coping problems with the diet yet, but I imagine when he starts missing things it will be food like chicken nuggets and pizza rolls. He never got those things everyday, but he did love them when he got them. He does like Glutino cheese pizza so that works for now.

I can honestly say that even though we are just a few days into this with him, I feel like I'm getting my little boy back, and I have really missed him. The benefits of this diet are amazing. When people find out my daughter has been diagnosed with Celiac, they always say sorry...and I always tell them not to be, because we're not. We are just so thankful that we caught it when we did, because think of the amazing little girl we would have missed out on if we hadn't.