How Careful Is Careful?

[bridgetsmommy]

Hi Everyone,

My 16 mo. old daughter has been on a gluten-free diet for one week (she was diagnosed with Celiac on 5/5/09 after the biopsy results of her endoscopy). The rest of the family is maintaining our usual diet and trying to do more gluten free meals when possible. I am just overwhelmed with all the possible "gluten contamination" issues and feel stressed and guilty. I am worried about any little crumb, but on the other hand, I know that gluten will happen, if not at our home, then everywhere else! My question is how do you all deal with it? How do you make sure you provide the safest environment for your child, while keeping things in perspective? Despite my fears, we've been doing our usual activities and I'm just watching her like a hawk. But, I won't always be there and need to learn to trust others and give myself a break. Any advice?

Also, we have a dog. I read that some people feed their animals gluten-free diets if there is celiac disease in the house. Is this a bit drastic?

I want to do what is best and healthiest but maintain some sense of normalcy. Like I said, I'm new to this and still in the fearful stage. I could use some support.

Thanks!

[jmjsmomma]

The fearful stage is SO hard!!! My 5 year old was dx in Jan. My 4 & 2 year olds are negative, as are my husband and I. At first, I just had my son gluten-free. Now that we are 4 months into it, our home is about 95% gluten-free because we have found alternatives to just about everything. Granted, I live in Dallas where options are abundant, but all the gluten-free stuff is scarfed up by my younger two. Now, we have ONE gluten counter. I still use regular bread for the other two, and I only do it on that counter. We used to use separate colanders/utensils etc but we only use gluten-free pasta now. I use our regular oven if I'm going to make anything gluten, and we have a convection toaster oven that is gluten-free. It is so hard at first. It is a personal decision as to whether you have gluten or not in your home. As we went along in our journey, it was just easier to have "some" gluten in our home so our son could understand that he was not living in a bubble, and to feed our other smaller kids cheaply. But with that said it was a very natural transition to most of us being gluten-free given the wonderful options these days. I am not far past where you are now....if you need to chat feel free to email.

[CeliacMom2008]

Regarding the dog food, we have gluten dog food in our house, but our son is almost 10. He isn't crawling around on the floor and then putting his fingers in his mouth. When he does play on the floor he knows he has to stay well away from where the dog eats. If he were a toddler I'd be finding the gluten free dog food.

Your question was how careful is careful...in our house we are extremely careful. To keep my sanity about cross contamination we maintain an almost entirely gluten free household. All meals are gluten free. The only thing gluten really is some cereal hubby and I eat after our son goes to bed - and we're very careful about it.

You're just getting into this. I don't know how sick your baby was before diagnosis. I can tell you that after watching my son get glutened our family does everything possible to make sure that doesn't happen.

You'll soon learn that gluten free is very doable, can be very nutritious, and very delicious. Once you get to that point it will be easier.

[Jestgar]

It all does get easier, I promise you. Right now everything is new and there is so much to learn, but as pieces of this new approach to eating start to stick in your brain, they become habit, and not nearly so overwhelming.

Hang in there, and come here whenever you need a hand or an ear.