And so it begins!
Amanda wrote about "here comes the gluten" in March, and talked about all of her worries, and they are quite justifiable if you ask me. I can't imagine not being able to experience having to reject a piece of bread being offered by your child because it will make you ill.
I've already begun to be the middle man for gluten in our household. It seems to go my way now, which I can see probably frustrates Amanda to have to have me take a bite of some bread to make sure it is the right texture for our little girl to gnaw on with her gums. Also to see if "this" (gluten filled) cookie dissolves quick enough in your mouth so she doesn't choke on it. I certainly didn't mind, but I can certainly see how it interrupts Amanda moments with our little girl.
Then this week, I started to panic more. To this point, our house has been pretty much gluten free, because it has just been easier that way. I have only eaten gluten when eating out or if it was in the form of a pre-packaged granola bar for my lunch. When our little one was born, I started to have some cereal that contained gluten (under Amanda's orders). I think it helped ease the notion of there being gluten in the house. But this weekend, bread entered the house.
Yes, our little girl is now big enough to munch away on some toast. We have a toasta bag to help prevent cross contamination, but oh boy do crumbs still get everywhere on the counter! And then I clean up some crumbs with a sponge and panic, because now I got crumbs on the sponge, that I clean stuff that Amanda eats from by using that same sponge! Yeeps!
We certainly use the dish washer a lot more now because there is a sterilize function, but not everything can go in there, and gluten is starting to show up everywhere! How do I protect my wife from it? And how do I keep myself from turning into a complete nut case with worry about gluten hiding in our home!
Gluten Free Edmonton - A Celiac guide and resource for gluten free information in Edmonton, Alberta
I've already begun to be the middle man for gluten in our household. It seems to go my way now, which I can see probably frustrates Amanda to have to have me take a bite of some bread to make sure it is the right texture for our little girl to gnaw on with her gums. Also to see if "this" (gluten filled) cookie dissolves quick enough in your mouth so she doesn't choke on it. I certainly didn't mind, but I can certainly see how it interrupts Amanda moments with our little girl.
Then this week, I started to panic more. To this point, our house has been pretty much gluten free, because it has just been easier that way. I have only eaten gluten when eating out or if it was in the form of a pre-packaged granola bar for my lunch. When our little one was born, I started to have some cereal that contained gluten (under Amanda's orders). I think it helped ease the notion of there being gluten in the house. But this weekend, bread entered the house.
Yes, our little girl is now big enough to munch away on some toast. We have a toasta bag to help prevent cross contamination, but oh boy do crumbs still get everywhere on the counter! And then I clean up some crumbs with a sponge and panic, because now I got crumbs on the sponge, that I clean stuff that Amanda eats from by using that same sponge! Yeeps!
We certainly use the dish washer a lot more now because there is a sterilize function, but not everything can go in there, and gluten is starting to show up everywhere! How do I protect my wife from it? And how do I keep myself from turning into a complete nut case with worry about gluten hiding in our home!
We've gone back to a gf house for these reasons. I was tired of worrying that the babysitter or my increasingly independent 6 year old would cause cross contamination and I'd end up sick. If it was me, I would cut back on the gluten now that you've established your little one is okay with it. Why cause stress for the whole family? You have been okay with a gf house so far, so why change it? Eat gf as a family and everyone can enjoy the same foods.
ReplyDeleteHi Jenna,
ReplyDeleteFor now, we are moving forward with gluten in the house (although i've contemplated having the house go gluten free again). We are trying to remind ourselves to clean right away, and wipe down the counters more often. We even contemplated a gluten and non-gluten sponge for any dishes or counter washing.
Our daughter won't be tested for Celiac Disease until our paediatrician says it is time, so she will continue to have bread and pasta etc in the house until that time.
So far, nothing crazy has been mixed up, but it certainly has us more conscious and cautious in the kitchen.
Thank you for your thoughts and let us know if you have any tips to share. This is all new for us balancing the diet with a child around.
--Abisaac
Hi Abisaac! I can completely understand your worries - no one wants to get sick in their own house. That being said, I really wouldn't be too worried about cross contamination since both of you are quite diligent about it. I've lived in a strictly gluten free place since being diagnosed, but am officially making the jump to co-habitation at the end of the month. Justin and I decided to continue having gluten in the apartment, but to be diligent about wiping and using clean utensils when my food is being made. He has toast most mornings, and I'm really not bothered by the crumbs (it's a quick wipe with the cloth before I do any prep). Pasta and flour will likely be phased out since at communal meals we tend to eat the same thing - and let's be honest.. I don't think he's ever pulled out the flour to bake since he moved in a year ago.
ReplyDeleteAs for sponges and dish cloths, I've never been overly worried about contamination. So long as there are no chunks or leftover bits on the cloth and my dishes come out clean, I have never had issues.
Best of luck with the new lifestyle! I'm sure Amanda will do great, and of course Naomi won't notice that she's not eating the goodies that she passes along. :)
-Dani
I have actually been struggling with this quite a bit, as we do have gluten in the house... I have experienced alot of contamination... sitting at a meal, utensils, ect. Because I have only been diagnosed less than 2 years, it is quite a challenge and we are still learning. My husband makes breakfast every Saturday for me and the kids... he has now switched to Pamelas for the pancakes, but when he makes french toast, he will forget that I have to have mine seperate, so sometimes he will make the kids theirs first, and then do mine... forgetting about the cross-contamination... or they will forget about the butter, ect. I have been having alot of problems with it flaring up... although my husband is getting a bit more conscientious about avoiding contamination.
ReplyDelete