Advice with My 2 Year Old Son...

Join this group http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/community.html. There is a ton of info on there. Publix sells a lot of gluten-free food and Wild Oats on Dale Mabry does too. I know it's hard. Hang in there. You may ve very surprised how the diet changes can affect him. You have to make everything from scratch, no spaghetti sauce, salad dressings, and nothing frozen or processed. I guess he'll be eating meat, fruits, and veggies. Maybe you can cook some homemade lentil and bean soups and freeze some.

Darling, I feel you! I have not personally gone through this transition, but my children's godparents have. Their son had some developmental issues from about 18 months on. It took the doctors about two or three years to pinpoint Autism and celiacs disease. He has to be on a GFCF diet which means no gluten and no dairy.

It's an interesting thing, gluten. If the body does not process it right, it becomes like an opiate to the person. This can make him/her uncontrolable.

You might want to find a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and monitoring Autism. I know they say it cannot be diagnosed until kids are 48 months, but that little boy's sister was diagnosed at 18 months. She was displaying the same symptoms as her brother.

My best advice, read every label being wary of the "hidden" ingredients, be patient to learn what is acceptible and what is not, research the diet on the internet (there are a ton of resources, including recipies), email food brand companies to find out what would be acceptible for your son, and finally, try to find a support group, they can be extremely helpful in creative meal plans.

Google "gfcf", there are ton of websites. Oh, if you are near Regency Mall, there is a natural foods store in there with great gfcf foods, also try Native Sun, I think it is off 9A. I have a friend whose daughter is on a gfcf diet and she shops there all the time.

Keep your eyes open, you would be surprise what he can eat!

Anyway, best of luck to you and God bless!

K.,

My daughter was on wheat free for years. Here are some recommendations;

Rice milk
rice cakes
lots of protein
(don't get the vegan cheeses, they are terrible and my daughter reacted to them.)
lots of salads
lots of veggies
Oriental Rice noodles. I have learned how to cook some asian dishes that are really good. Stir fry is great.!

Publics carries wheat free snack bars and other items, you just have to hunt. They have alternative flours also for gravies, etc.

Bread is the hardest. Go to a healthfood store and see what you can find. Most of them do not taste that great but we all switched to these breads because I felt it was not fair to exclude our youngest. Barns and Noble has cook books that are wheat/gluten free.

Try Nutritional yeast flakes which is a form of b vitamins in a powder. I gave this and also cod liver oil (the good stuff from health food store), everyday. Codliver oil is essential to develope the brain. The brewers Yeast will help his digestive tract. This takes years. My daughter is now six and can eat wheat without going bonkers. She still takes codliver oil in capsules and I give her vitamins everyday.

Don't worry, if you stick to this for years, it will pay off and your son will improve!

D.

Hi there!
My daughter is allergic to wheat, soy, dairy, eggs,corn,peanuts, and dogs. I said the same thing.....What can she eat! We now shop at Native Sun and surprisingly we find something new each time that she is able to eat. She drinks Rice Dream Rice Milk (they also have ice cream). The cheapest place to get this is Wal-Mart Super Store it is $1.78 a carton, at Publix it is $3.19 for the same size carton. The price at Native Sun is $1.98. I fhe will be drinking SOy Milk, I dont know the prices, but I do know they have the ice creams and treats as well. Theree is a brand that makes cookies and cereal bars. If you call out there and set up an appointment with the nutrionist, she will actually walk you through the store and help you find things to fit his diet. The hardest thing might be getting him to change (I would think) My daughter is 19 months and we have been doing this since about 9 months. This is really all she knows. He more than likely at three has been exposed to a world of different foods.
Not sure this helps, but just know there are others going thru the same thing.

What side of town do you have your playgroup?

Good Luck A.

Hello K., I understand to a point about what you are going through. I have a 2 year old boy who is turning 3 in May and he is completely out of control. He is in speech also because he is behind. We are trying to get him to be seen by a behavioral specialist but getting a hold of these people seem impossible. I have such a rough time with him. I will put it this way, he was kicked out of day care 2 times within the pass year and then is being disenrolled out of this daycare because he is just so out of control. What kind of vitamins are you giving your son to chill him out? Maybe I need to try this so that he chills out. Let me know!!

My almost four year old son should be on a gluten free diet, but he is so picky as it is most of what he eats is bread. He has low muscle tone in his upper body and also some sensory problems. He has also been diagnosed with mild autism...He goes to a pre school that have speech therapist and ocupational therapist and teachers that understand his needs.

I know this probably didnt help any but Good Luck with everything.

Hi K.,

I am a mom of an almost 3 yr old boy who is also very active, has been diagnosed with food allergies, has had tubes put in both ears, adnoids removed and has been in speech therapy for 6 months. I'm not sure why your son was put on new diet, but after my pediatrician did blood allergy test, we went to allergist and he did skin test which determined that my son was only allergic to eggs, not wheat, milk, eggs and fish which was initially diagnosed in blood test. I would suggest you go to an allergist for a more defined test. My son would not eat any of the gluten free foods but since we went to allergist he can now have most foods. We do not and have never given him sweets which I think has helped his behavior somewhat. He loves fruits as snacks (apples, grapes, bananas) and Wild Oats in Tampa has a great selection of gluten free snacks, etc.

K.,
It sounds like you're at least on the right path with admitting you can't handle this on your own and seeking help early. I commend you for this.
I, too, have a difficult child, one who has had several diagnoses since turning 3 (he's 4.5 now), among them Sensory Processing Disorder/Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Early Onset Bipolar Disorder, and Auditory Processing Disorder. Behavioral/aggression problems were/are his major symptoms but we've dealt with pretty much everything under the sun, all before he even turned 4!
Are you working the Feingold diet specifically? I know what you're describing sounds simliar. And I think you're doing the right thing with continuing to utilize professional help. I don't believe we as parents can ever see everything that might be out of place or be able to help 100% without any help.
No real advice for your other than to keep getting help, keep it up with the diet, and seek support online and elsewhere. If I can help you in any specific direction, feel free to reply back and I'd be glad to try to help. I'm not in the Jacksonville area, however, so specifics may be tougher.
Keep your chin up. You are doing right by your kids. Good luck!