The Kids: To Be or Not to Be Gluten-Free?

 

As a mom of two (Hayes, 4 and Brewer, 10m) I have had a lot of conversations with teachers, friends, providers and my husband about how to handle eating, or not eating, gluten as a family. The science says they have a 1 in 10 chance of having Celiac disease which are not overwhelming odds, however, I still believe that less gluten is better for the body. In addition, there is no clear recommendation for early testing (more later).

So the question is not whether our home remains gluten-free (it is, with the exception of beer for the hubs) but how strict we need to be with school snacks, cake at birthday parties and meals at friends houses, until we know more. I would love to allow Hayes to partake in the rainbow Spiderman cake or the little grilled cheese triangles but I'm afraid to introduce gluten into his life since he hasn't had it. Although, I'm sure he's grabbed a cracker or snack from a friend at some point and been fine, but so was I until I was diagnosed at 26! 

In speaking with the kids pediatrician, the recommendation on testing, for a child that doesn't eat gluten, continues to be unclear. For kids with suspected Celiac who have been eating gluten, the testing plan is the same as for adults - blood test and biopsy. For Hayes though, in order to test him, we'll need to give him gluten for at least a month to then run the blood test. 

What a conundrum! First, that means someone has to give him gluten on a regular basis (and I still don't want gluten in my home) and second, he'll be introduced to foods that I will then have to take away from him if the blood test is positive. However, the upside to knowing is unparalleled.

We will continue to monitor the recommendations coming from trusted experts and adjust as necessary, but for now we have aligned to "do the thing" next summer before kindergarten because who can stop a 5-year old from doing what he wants?! At least then if he is negative he can stop asking "is it gluten-free?" for everything offered to him. For now, we will bring our own food to every event, leaning on our favorite treat stand-ins (Made Good Cookies and Better Bites Bakery) and the baby will follow the same path.

For any other parents out there - I'd love to hear from you!