Oh My Poor Baby

[mommaofthreebeans]

Hi I am new here.

My 11 month old soon is allergic to wheat ( and soy, and rice, and eggs, oh joy) lol

My 4 yr old son had a biopsy done when he was 2, they said there was damage to his intestines but couldnt conclusively say it was celiac. ( which I am still confused about). But anyway, with my youngest's obvious reaction to all things wheat I have decided to just make the leap and have at least the kids and I go completely gluten free.

the baby was diagnosed with the allergies when i was breastfeeding, I was told that I was no longer able to breastfeed and adhere to his diet with us both staying healthy, so we switched to Alimentum (which he reacted to), and then we switched him to goat's milk, and with a more serious food screening we discovered he was not allergic to lactose so we switched to cows milk around 7 months coupled with iron drops.

The poor boy's excema is awful and so are his reactive rashes. Just glad to have found a place to learn from and get support.

[Lisa]

Hi Momma and Welcome!

I always marvel at the strength of mothers, when their children have special diet needs.

We have many moms who will share their experience with you. How long has your family been totally gluten free? Do your or the father, or grandparents have digestive issues? Twenty percent of first degree relatives can develop Celiac Disease.

Blunted villi is not conclusive for Celiac, but coupled with the rest of the family history, it may be likely.

I would put the entire family on a 100% gluten free diet for several months. I bet you would be surprised at the improvement.

C.com is full of useful information, with hundreds of moms who have walked in your shoes to guide you along. You have come to a great place.

[mommaofthreebeans]

thanks for the warm welcome I appreciate it!

My husband thought that I was overly worried about my oldest son, but now with the baby's allergies he is coming around. But of course he worried about cost.

[nmlove]

Welcome! If there's something positive to be said for kids on special diets, it's that they quickly adapt to it and also what great stuff there is out there now (products and info). Though I'll be the first to admit that some days I just want to throw in the towel...

I hope that your littlest one outgrows his allergies. And hopefully his eczema clears up soon. That's so hard for little ones. I'm nervous to introduce food to my baby as she's definitely reacting to some of what I eat through breastmilk. Just wondering though why they said you couldn't still breastfeed? I've had to cut out dairy/soy and doing well without it. And joy of joys, I was able to have chocolate for the first time since June a few weeks ago. Heaven!

[taweavmo3]

If your husband is worried about cost, the diet can be done frugally with planning and organization. I'm a stay at home mom of four kids, and I feed us all gluten/dairy free for about $120 a week or less. And that includes a 10 year old who is quickly becoming and endless pit : )

I cook everything from scratch, and scour gluten free blogs for simple recipes. My gluten-free flour essentials are brown rice flour, white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, and sorghum. Also, I try to sub guar gum (it's half the price) for xanthan gum in my baked goods....but not bread! You need Xanthan in bread I have found.

Is corn a problem for your kiddos? We do alot with corn tortillas, and I also make different things out of Maseca masa harina..it's dirt cheap, and I only mix it with water to make a dough. My kids favorite is to roll out the dough really thin, fry it up, then slather it with a butter sub and some cinnamon sugar. Tastes almost like a cinnamon roll!

Lunches are the hardest I have found....kids usually have a sandwich and fruit, or leftovers. Also, Angel Food ministries has an allergen box filled with kid friendly food like chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, etc. that is free of the top eight allergens.

I hope that helps some! If you need menu planning ideas or anything, just send me a message and I'd be happy to help. This board is a great resource, especially when you are just getting started. Good luck!