Reason For Gluten Free School Supplies

[chiroptera]

We are new to gluten free and I was wondering why we have to worry about gluten in school supplies. Is it because the younger ones may eat things like play doh or am I missing something? My oldest kids are 9 and they are real good about washing their hands. Should I worry about my 5 year old even if he won't eat stuff?

TIA I LOVE this site: Everyone is so helpful!!!

[CeliacMom2008]

I've never worried about it much, but my son was 8 1/2 when diagnosed. Playdough is the only thing I won't let him use. It gets under the nails and is very difficult to wash off. If they eat in their classrooms you would want to make sure his desk gets wiped off properly, but I'd insist on that even if he had gluten free supplies because you never know who put what on the desk. I'd think the big thing would be eating the stuff or not washing it off the hands well enough and then eating lunch or snacks.

[chiroptera]

I've never worried about it much, but my son was 8 1/2 when diagnosed. Playdough is the only thing I won't let him use. It gets under the nails and is very difficult to wash off. If they eat in their classrooms you would want to make sure his desk gets wiped off properly, but I'd insist on that even if he had gluten free supplies because you never know who put what on the desk. I'd think the big thing would be eating the stuff or not washing it off the hands well enough and then eating lunch or snacks.

Thanks so much; that is what I was thinking!

[Juliet]

My son just completed kindergarten, and he never eats stuff he's not supposed to. That being said, he got gluten for about the first half of the school year, without playing with play-dough or any gluten art/school supplies. It is amazing how much kids stick their hands near their mouths (wiggly tooth, show off a tooth that's lost, poke a finger then suck on it, etc.) And the cafeterias are crazy! He'd wipe down a spot or himself, get up to throw away the wipe, and then go back to find his spot taken. And then at the playgrounds, no matter how much the kids are told not to eat out there, the places are covered with gluten snacks. We had to have him sit somewhere outside of the cafeteria (too small to have a designated safe spot inside), wash his hands before eating and after every recess (no food was allowed in the classroom, so we were safe in the class), wipe down the classroom tables daily (for extra insurance), and have the teacher make sure our son kept his hands away from his mouth as much as possible. Once we did this, he only had an incident of getting gluten one time when he lost his tooth and couldn't stop sticking his finger in his mouth to show the missing tooth to everyone.

Our son is EXTREMELY sensitive, and has been diagnosed for almost 4 years now, so he knows the routine and he still got gluten daily for the first half of the school year. And I swear to you, he did not take one bite of "forbidden food." Your kids might not be so sensitive, but just my 2 cents, I'd avoid gluten products of any sort (including lotion, conditioner, lipstick, lip balms) like the plague.

[amysmom]

I am concerned about the school supplies and also the soaps they use. I switched dish detergent a few weeks ago (buying an environmentally safe dish detergent) and my daughter began to have alot of problems. I didn't think to check the ingredients, but it had plant derived cleaning agents and after doing research found out they put wheat germ oil in the dish detergent to soften your hands. Now I have to worry about the hand soaps she uses before eating lunch.

[VelezLA]

I can not stress enough the importance of educating and communicating this critical issue to the school staff. Most staff members are familiar with peanut allergies;however, there is a lack of understanding about celiac and wheat/gluten allergies. Cross-contamination is a major concern in the classroom. I was fortunate that my son's kindergarten teacher made play dough with the gluten-free recipe that I gave her. However, this year I will need to provide play-dough for my son. I meet with the teacher(s) and review the school supplies that they use. I also explain the symptoms and problems that ingesting gluten may cause.

Here is a list of gluten-free school supplies for your reference. It is always important to check with manufacturers since sometimes they change vendors/suppliers and ingredients:

Gluten Free School Supplies:

Chalk, Crayons, Markers, and Pencils

Crayola (all products gluten free other than Crayola Dough)

Crayola Crayons (all kinds)

Crayola Anti-dust Chalk Sticks

Crayola Erasable Colored Pencils

Crayola Fabric Markers

Crayola Markers (all kinds)

Crayola Pencils (all kinds)

Crayola Pip-Squeaks

Crayola Pip-Squeaks Skinnies Markers

Crayola Washable Markers (all kinds)

Prang (all pencils, crayons)

RoseArt

RoseArt Crayons (all kinds)

RoseArt Chalk

RoseArt Markers (all kinds)

Sanford / Mr. Sketch Scented Markers

Sanford / Mr. Sketch Watercolor Markers

Dough, Play Foam, and Modeling Clay:

Colorations Wheat & Gluten-Free Dough (Discount School Supply)

Crayola Model Magic (clay