food allergies

hello there,

I've been a lurker for quite some time now, never really hit such a big dilemma!

the boys allergy test results came in.
Officially eliminating wheat, spelt, rye, garlic, tomatoes, beans, all forms of soy, eggs, and citrus out of Gene's diet.

and dairy, eggs, all forms of soy, citrus, tomatoes and garlic out of Mouf's diet.

we have a 6 month 'recovery' period before re-introducing these foods into their diet, but in the meantime I'm on the hunt for vegan/non-allergenic foods for the boys to eat.

that is problem one. (although not really a problem as this could be a fun task!)
problem two is that im beating myself up about weather or not it would be fair to deprive Mouf of foods he is not allergic to so his brother doesnt feel left out (also that it would be easier for mummy to prepare one meal rather than two each sitting).
it would also be much less confusing when i send them to pre-school with packed lunches, for the teachers to be less-confused about which child has which allergy. (pre-school used to provide the childrens food).

advice much appreciated.

 

:welcome: to TS! I would not beat youself up over having to do that. I would have a hard time keeping it straight myself, which child should get what food, so I think it is safer and easier for you to pack them the same meals. You don't have to make two different lunches or worry about a teacher getting confused :hug:
My children do not have food allergies, but my DD went through a period where she was sensitive to acidy foods (tomatoes, citrus) and to be on the safe side, I did not give DS those foods either until DD could handle them.

 

Ellie has an allergy to dairy, eggs, peanuts and certain fish. I feed them the same diet to make my life easier. At their age, they don't know what they are missing. When we are out, Abby does get stuff snuck to her I also share some of my food with her when her sister isn't looking. Don't feel bad about depriving one or the other anything. They will eat what you make them. Hopefully, they outgrow it soon. I'm not expecting Ellie to outgrow hers until she starts school. She may never outgrow the peanut allergy. It was hard at first, but I'm a pro at knowing what she can eat. I have gone online to different restaurants that we bring them to and looking at the ingredients to see what they can eat. That has helped when we are on the run and I need to feed them out. Good luck. It can be so stressful.

 

I totally agree with the PPs. It's tough enough to plan meals for your kids while dealing with food allergies; I think it would be impossible to make separate things for each child *and* keep them from sneaking things off each others' plates! My guys do this all the time. They won't feel deprived if they're used to eating a certain way, and hopefully they will grow out of some of these allergies by the time they go to school.

Good luck, and I think you have a great attitude about seeing your boys' food allergies as a fun challenge! :good: