Freaking Out About Preschool

[mommysarah713]

My almost 4-year-old is attending preschool for the first time and she was diagnosed with Celiac disease in early June (3 months ago). I can't get her diarrhea and stomach cramps to go away. I am extremely worried about her being contaminated and i think i'm taking it to extreme. Can she be contaminated if a child eats a gluten-containing snack and doesn't wash their hands and then touches toys. Then if my daughter picked up those toys and either put them in her mouth, or put her hands in her mouth, could she be contaminated that way. She does put things in her mouth and fidgets in that manner often if she is bored, or uncomfortable. i'm trying to teach her not to, but well...she's 3. I'm going to go talk to her teacher this week and i'm realizing that i don't even know how to caution her about the disease and how to keep my daughter safe. I would appreciate some wisdom, please

[celiac-mommy]

My almost 4-year-old is attending preschool for the first time and she was diagnosed with Celiac disease in early June (3 months ago). I can't get her diarrhea and stomach cramps to go away. I am extremely worried about her being contaminated and i think i'm taking it to extreme.

1. Can she be contaminated if a child eats a gluten-containing snack and doesn't wash their hands and then touches toys.

2. Then if my daughter picked up those toys and either put them in her mouth, or put her hands in her mouth, could she be contaminated that way.

She does put things in her mouth and fidgets in that manner often if she is bored, or uncomfortable. i'm trying to teach her not to, but well...she's 3. I'm going to go talk to her teacher this week and i'm realizing that i don't even know how to caution her about the disease and how to keep my daughter safe. I would appreciate some wisdom, please

Yes and Yes. My son was having the same problems about a year ago. I had to sit down with the teachers and the preschool director and had a "come to Jesus" talk with them. I told them if they didn't make some major changes, I would pull him out and take him somewhere else. I wasn't about to pay for private preschool if they weren't going to take care of my kid.

They now have all the kids wash their hand after every meal, he sits next to a teacher during meals so they can make sure he's OK, and I started supplying all of his lunch and not just the main dish--he was eating their fruits and veggies--but I realized that as the kids were passing the bowls around, the spoons were getting contaminated-not just from grubby gluten hands touching the handles, but the spoon touching the kids' plates.

They have supplied all gluten-free school supplies for the entire classroom and cooking projects are all gluten-free as well. If they have any questions on a new product, like clay or paint, or help converting a recipe, they call me. I also supply all of his snacks and breakfast too. (He goes all day 3x a week). Overall they have been really helpful, but it's stuff they don't deal with on a regular basis. That's where you come in--and you can never be too careful or too paranoid!!

[RiceGuy]

First, your concerns are valid. Yes, your child can get glutened by toys that have been handled by other kids with gluten on their hands. Gluten is very sticky stuff. Also, things like finger paints often contain gluten, so you'll need to address these issues with the school too.

But, if your child is still having diarrhea and such, it sound like either there is still hidden gluten getting into her system, or she is intolerant or allergic to other things in addition to gluten. Have you eliminated the top allergens including dairy, soy, eggs, corn, nuts, etc?

Welcome to the board! I'm sure you'll get plenty of helpful advice.