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At the grocery store the other day, I overheard a woman talking with another woman about her child's upcoming birthday party. She rambled on about how difficult it would be to accommodate one of the children coming to the birthday party, who was on a gluten-free diet. She complained that she wished that they had not invited the child, since it would be "such a pain" to accommodate their dietary needs.
I wanted to give her a piece of my mind, but held my tongue. Was it the child's fault that they had a food allergy? Did that woman ever look at it from the child's point of view? Did they ask for this difficulty? No. These children know they are different. It must be embarrassing for them to deal with such a unique allergy in the public eye. Instead of complaining, this woman should have been compassionate of the difficult situation, as well as the health risks, that these children have to deal with on a daily basis. For these children and their families, it is not just an inconvenience; it is a matter of sickness, or even death.
I am fortunate to have a child without food allergies. But, I live in the real world (most of the time), and in that world, there are people around us who do have special dietary needs. We have kids at our house all the time, and I would hate to have one of these kids get sick because of something I mistakenly fed them. It would also break my heart if they could no longer come to our house, just because I could not be bothered to accommodate them a little bit. They would feel left out, and my son would miss out on a friendship.
As moms, we need to know what to do when situations like this arise, so below are a few of my suggestions.
1. I send most of our party invitations online. When emailing the invitations to parents, I specifically ask if their child has any allergies, or dietary needs that I should be aware of.
2. If a child attending our party has an allergy, I call the parents to find out what I can do to accommodate their child. I find out if their allergy requires the use of an Epi-Pen. Fortunately, I know how to use an Epi-pen from my student teaching/PTA volunteering days. It is important for you to know how to use an Epi-Pen if you have kids in your house, with any type of allergy (not just food).
3. I also Google the type of allergy that the child has, so I am knowledgeable of the foods they can, and cannot eat, the symptoms they may have should they accidentally ingest an allergen, and anything else that would help the child be more comfortable and safe in our home.
4. I make an effort to provide additional "safe" foods. I plan out my menus ahead of time, so I send the parents (of the child with allergies) a copy of the menu, with additional dietary adjustments, for their approval.
5. Once I know a child's allergy, I keep a small file with their name, as well as a list of approved and unapproved foods. Most certainly, that child will come to our house again, so I would be able to refer to that file in the future, without going through the same procedure with the parents each time. I keep that file folder with my cookbooks.
6. Don't alienate the child, or make a big deal about their allergy. If you have already spoken to the parents, they have also talked to their child, so the child already knows what they can and cannot eat. Don't embarrass them by pointing out the accommodations you have made, especially in front of other children.
7. Within those dietary limits, offer foods that everyone can eat. One of my sons friends, who comes to all our parties, is on a gluten-free diet. I always keep Pirates Booty, a gluten-free snack, in the house, so everyone can snack on it, not just Lily. I also found that the frozen sorbet in real fruit shells
