Gage has always had tummy problems. We know he’s allergic to milk and we know he outgrew his peanut allergy (he still will not eat peanuts or peanut butter!), but he does still have tummy issues. So for the last two months he has been gluten-free. I was worried that we might not find enough that he was willing to eat. Seriously, when you take away dairy and wheat, your options are limited. Add in a 2 year-old pickiness and it is a recipe for disaster. We have found things he will eat, but he has a fairly limited menu. He eats soy cheese, soy yogurt, and soy milk, gluten-free bread, fries, vegetable soup, corn pasta, mama’s homemade pizzas, chicken apple sausage and most fruits. Oh, and cookies and raisins. There are even two gluten/milk free cereals he will eat.
His stomach issues have maybe gotten a little better, but his language has improved so much. He is still too young to tell us if his stomach feels better so we have to go on his behavior and that has improved. So, much to my disappointment we have decided to keep him on it for a while longer and see. It can take up to a year for your body to heal itself from a gluten intolerance. Why am I disappointed? It is a pain to go gluten and dairy free. It is expensive and very difficult to eat out (with a 2-year-old who only wants fries and chicken). I make a few things myself, but the more complicated the recipe, the less likely he is to eat it.
Do you have any gluten-free tips, recipes or restaurants for me? I’m open to suggestions since we are in this for a while longer. And since I like any excuse to post a photo of Gage, here he is with his grandparents. This weekend he was doted on while Jason and I snuck away for the night. It was Jason’s birthday and we went to a mystery dinner at a haunted manor so I’ll also include a photo of that.
Stacy's Books 
My youngest sister (41) has celiac disease so I know it’s not easy to eat gluten free but I think there are more and more good resources out there as people figure out that they are sensitive or completely allergic to gluten. I’ll bet there are some good connections via Pinterest. Worth a try anyway. Good luck.
I haven’t explored Pinterest for it but I need to. I think it would be easier if his palate was a little more advanced, LOL!
I have celiac disease and have found that many stores now carry gluten-free products. Is there a Whole Foods near you? They have wonderful GF items. There are tons of gluten-free cookbooks on the market, you might want to check out Gluten-Free Made Easy As 1,2,3: Essentials For Living A Gluten-Free Life by Angela McKeller – and- The Healthy Gluten-Free Life by Tammy Credicott
I have several cookbooks and love some ofthe recipes I’ve tried. The problem is that he’s not into anything too involved and doesn’t like some of the things he can have, like rice or beans. I’m sorry that you have celiac, I know now how difficult it can be from the finding things to eat side. We do have a wonderful grocery store here that is excellent for allergy-free foods.
I’ve been GF for … 4.5 years now, I think. It’s definitely not easy (especially when you throw in the dairy thing, too), but it’s doable. Lots of restaurants have allergen-friendly special menus these days; you could probably get him grilled chicken that’s safe at a lot of restaurants, and I know the fries at a few chains are gf (and probably df, but I’m not sure on that), including Red Robin. If you’ve got specific questions, please ask!
Also, does he like potatoes? Potatoes are naturally gf and df!
We have limited restaurants since the fries are what he wants. We eat every week at BW3 (Buffalo Wild Wings) because they have a separate fryer for gluten free. Just checked Red Robin yesterday and only their sweet potato fries are gf. I think 5 Guys fries are in penut oil but we haven’t tried those yet.
My sympathies to the gluten-free!
I forgot to mention: A is currently dairy free (I’m not, but he is), because he has seemed to react when we’ve given him dairy (but he seems fine with me eating it, even though he’s nursing). Since I’m GF and we basically keep our house that way, I’m a little worried I might end up with a GF, DF boy! I don’t know what I’ll do if he ends up not being able to eat dairy, long-term.
Oh, Hannah, I hope that doesn’t end up being the case. I think most babes grow out of milk intolerances so he’ll probably be ok in that department. Since Gage had such a bad reaction to dairy at 4 months they don’t want to test him again til he’s 5!!!! That’s a long time to go gf,df!
Oh, wow! That’s a very long time indeed.
There do seem to be more gluten free options. I bought some crackers made with nuts for my book club’s last meeting and they were surprisingly good.
I love those! Gage took one bite and was done. He does use them to scoop up hummus to eat. One thing I forget to put on his menu!
Here is a gluten-free fries recipe, and other good ones at this site: http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-recipes/gluten-free-kid-friendly-recipes . This second one too has some great looking pasta recipes: http://www.glutenfreemom.com/GlutenFreeRecipes.html . And I like the way the desserts look at this site: http://www.parenting.com/gallery/gluten-free-desserts . Now I have not tried any of these because I am THE LAZIEST PERSON IN THE UNIVERSE. But I’ve noticed more and more GF sections in groceries and in restaurants!
Definitely not easy. I was suprised at how many things have gluten in them.
LOL! I know you aren’t the laziest – you read too many books. That’s ACTIVE THINKING. Thanks for the links 🙂
Poor Gage and Mommy! I’m sorry I do not have any recipes. I know Trader Joe’s has a lot of foods that are gluten free, and a listing of what they are. Not sure if there is one near you, but if so, check it out.
We do have a Trader Joe’s that we go to every once in a while. I only wish it was bigger!
I don’t have any experience with either gluten or dairy issues, but it doesn seeom like they are more choices than there were 5 years ago. good luck.
And as always, he’s adorable.
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I feel your pain…I had a picky eater also…although she was never allergic to anything, fortunately…
That’s so tough. You are an amazing mom. Let us know how the GF works. Are you also going gluten free or just Gage?
I have so many friends with this same issue. Blessing to you and your family.
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He’s already got the Batman thing going on!! Love that photo! I’m sorry that all of you have to go through this gluten-free stage. I think it would be so hard when they’re little and always worrying about if they’ve gotten enough to eat and such.
It is expensive to eat a healthy/free diet. I feel your frustration as I am trying to eat a diet geared for fibro/chronic pain. Love the batman outfit. My son went through a state where he would only wear his batman shirt, pjs or cape.
G is for good luck with Gage. I know there are a lot of gluten free recipes now, so that helps.
uggh feeling your pain. I’d try searching simple gluten free on pinterest. I’m surprised how much you can narrow it down. Not much experience with the gluten free side of things. My eldest was the batman lactose/sucrose/dairy free kid. Cute pics 🙂
Oh Stacy! My heart goes out to you and little Gage. I’m counting the foods that Elle likes to eat and without glutton or dairy I’m not sure what she would have left (since she has recently started refusing ALL meat). I hope that you guys are able to find some answers soon. Yay for the peanut butter resolution–Elle won’t eat it either. I keep having the “look, this is what ALL kids love” but she just looks at me with stubborn refusal. Hugs!
Poor little Gage and his tummy issues. It seems more and more restaurants around here have gluten free offerings on the menu. Hope this is temporary and Gage outgrows this.
I hope you find some good advice. I know there are a lot of people having to do this gluten-free thing. The plus side is maybe he won’t realize what he is missing since he is still young. And I know our stores are having bigger and bigger gluten-free aisles so hopefully it will get easier for you.