First Sleepover

[Roda]

My 6 1/2 year old is going for his first sleep over since going gluten free this Friday night. I knew eventually this would come up so I hope I'm prepared for it. The nice thing is the girl across the street (she is 13 and like one of my own) is friends with and staying the night with the boy's sister. She has been friends with us for almost five years and now is old enough to babsit for me. She has a better understanding than most of what my son can eat. The mom doesn't know anything about his diet and what to do so it will be nice to have the neighbor girl there as a bonus. I talked to the mom for a little bit tonight and I told her that I would bring food for him. I also told her that she can call me if she has any questions. I'm going to take him over instead of him going home with them after school so I can take his stuff and talk to the mom in person. I asked what she was planning on having so I could have alternatives for him. So far I know they are planning on pizza and icecream cake. I plan on sending him some sort of gluten free pizza (I must confess this is the one area I have not been sucessfull) a couple of gluten free yellow cupcakes and some icecream cups. I'll send him with some cereal or something for breakfast. I know I'll need to send some snack. I thought I would send something for him to share. I must confess I'm a little nervous. I'm not worried about him wanting to come home, but I worry about CC issues or him accidently eating something he shouldn't. There is no reason to keep him from going and having a good time. I'm just having one of those protective mommy moments. I know I have to let go sometime but I'll never stop worring.

[maximoo]

My kids love Udi's gluten free pizza crust--just add sauce & cheese & it's done in 8 mts. (I buy bottled pizza sauce for $1.20) Perhaps your son would like to make (assemble) his pizza himself either there or at home. For a snack what's better than popcorn or lays chips or snyder's gluten-free pretzels? There's always yogurt & fruit too. For breakfast you can pre-make gluten-free pancakes or waffles & freeze & all they'll have to do is nuke em. (you might be leery of using their toaster) Just think it through It will be fine & I'm sure your DD will have a good time. Try not to stress or make him anxious about it.

[SilverSlipper]

When my daughter spends the night, I usually call the parents and ask what they are having. I then explain her diet and ask if I can send a gluten-free tv dinner instead. They are usually relieved. If they are making bacon and eggs for breakfast, I tell them to go ahead. Otherwise I offer to send cereal (Lucky Charms is always well received if your child is okay with oats). For snacks, I tell them fresh fruit, popcorn and plain potato chips. If they are nervous at all (and sometimes they are), I send it all over and thank them profusely for hosting a sleepover fun visit for the kids.

It also helps that my daughter knows her diet very well. They feel better after she lets them know what she can and cannot have.

I try to come across with the attitude of "we've done this a million times and it's no big deal" to keep other parents from being nervous.

[Roda]

Thanks guys. It's just nice hearing from others. He is pretty excited and I've been excited for him. He has stayed away from home for a week and half summer of 2010 with my parents but that was before he was gluten free. Funny it was after his stay there (he was there a total of 2.5 weeks after the rest of us went to stay) that I started noticing he was having random symptoms that were not so random. He and brother were wanting to go this summer but my parents couldn't take them. I unfortunately can't get the Udi's pizza crust to try in time for Friday as I would have to order it. I am going to do some experimenting with my pao de queso recipe (it is similar to chebe bread but so much better as we don't like the chebe mixes) and see what I come up with in the next couple of days. I've been meaning to anyway. Oh he would love it if he could eat luck charms, but I don't let any oats in the house even gluten free ones as I react. I am afraid to let him try gluten free oats because as a baby he would get horrible rash on his head from oat baby cereal. I have a feeling he might react now to them again.

[carecare]

Silverslipper.....are you worried about cross contamination if they make bacon and eggs and you say sure she can have that? I've read a few posts about how pots and pans can be potential hazards as the gluten isn't so easily washed away because it hides in the scratches of the pans...or cutting boards and such.

I'm in the midst of planning a sleep over at grandma's house for my boys and told my MIL that I would pack everything and make it easy. I'm not sure how worried I should be about the pots and pans she uses or what she serves everything on. Hmmm......

[SilverSlipper]

We have found that bacon and eggs are okay for her. (However, one's sensitivity may vary so another person may react). I usually don't get into the pan, etc discussion unless they are using a concerning pan (colander for example). I make sure to tell them that the food can't even share a plate with gluten containing items. I usually don't send bread as I worry they will toast it for another example.

I may have to change this in the future, but for now it's working. The most important thing is to be casual about sending food over. I've discovered many nervous parents but when I pick her up they all tell me how easy it was to make her food (tv dinners and stuff I send over). The best end result is another sleep-over invite!