Unintended gluten challenge...and a question...

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Hi!

Just thought I'd share what happened to my 3 1/2 year old daughter

the other day...

We belong to our local community center which offers " free " child

care with a family membership. I have been taking Gabby & Duncan

there since we got the family plan last October. We have not been

going regularly this year--but just drop in from time to time. On

Monday, my husband put the kids in child care while he worked out.

On Wednesday, I did the same. On Wednesday, when we arrived, one of

the ladies working there said, " Your kids can have snacks, right? " I

asked what the snacks were & said they probably didn't need any cuz

they just had breakfast. She pulled out Fruit Loops, Cheerios and

some other cereals. I said, " NO! They CANNOT have ANY snacks! Gabby

can't have wheat & Duncan just doesn't need the sugar. " She noted it

on the check-in sheet.

When I picked the kids up, we bounced out to the car quickly--it was

HOT--and, as I was snapping Gabby into the carseat, she

announced, " Mama, Gabby eat THREE cookies! Yummy! " If the kids

weren't already IN the carseats & it wasn't so hot, I would have run

back in & complained...instead I just got in, started the car & AC

and asked Gabby, " Did you PRETEND to have cookies? Or did you REALLY

have cookies? " Gabby said, " Gabby eat REALLY. Yummy ones, mama! "

We had 36 hours of tummy troubles...We had also had trouble on

Monday & Tuesday but I put that down to the heat. Steve told me he

forgot to tell the ladies in child care about " No Wheat " . I think

now, Gabby MAY have had cereal or cookies on Monday too.

Question for those of you with young (preverbal) children who are

celiacs....How do you protect them from " well-meaning " adults who

give them " forbidden " foods???? I have a feeling it was the elderly

Filipino woman who gave Gabby the cookies--she feels sorry for Gabby

not having a snack with the other kids.

Today, I slapped a home made sticker on Gabby's back that said, NO

SNACKS!! I asked Gabby if she ate anything while she was there--she

said NO! I have been telling her NOT to eat anything when she goes

in there--but in the fall, she will be in preschool & they have

snack time. Gabby doesn't understand the cause & effect thing yet--

tho I think this " helped " in a way. She was MAD that she couldn't

make it to the toilet & that her bottom got burned & we had to put

cream on it. (She thinks cream on the bottom is for babies!)

Thanks for any suggestions.....Laurel