Kids Food Allergies Blog

Inspired by Purple Mommy’s post on Firsts, I’ve been thinking about some of my own — bad, good, and those yet to come:

• I remember the first time my eldest’s eyes swelled shut from the dusting of cheese on a cracker.
• I remember the first time she verbalized how unfair it was to have food allergies.   It broke my heart — because everything she said was true and there was nothing I could do to fix it.
• I remember the first time she had asthma attack — holding her small frame in my arms all night, willing her to breathe, using a medicine dropper to administer medicine to a child I could not wake, praying that she would make it through the night.

I also remember …

• The first birthday party she could go to (other than her own) where the parent made sure that all the food was safe for her to eat.
• Her first wonderful teacher who, through actions (not just words), turned food allergies into a non-issue.  Our family could relax and be like normal families — focusing not on my daughter’s safety, but on her learning and having fun.
• Her first chocolate bar.  This is what it looked like:

She has wanted a chocolate bar for as long as I can remember.  There was always an excuse.  “That has dairy.”  “That may be cross-contaminated with nuts.”   She was pretty good about it.  She wouldn’t cry.  But as her sad eyes would look down, I could always feel her sadness.  So I did what so many food allergy moms do: I looked for a way around the problem.  I tried melting down safe chocolate chips into shaped molds and refrigerating them.  It was OK, but not like a shiny wrapped chocolate bar.  Yesterday, our world changed forever.  The folks at EnjoyLife sent us a box of their new dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free chocolate bars.  Boy, are they great.  There are 3 flavors: dark chocolate, rice milk chocolate, and rice milk chocolate with crispies.  We did a taste test.  My daughter wouldn’t declare a favorite, “they’re all great!”  (I think she was afraid I take away the 2 she liked less.)  Halloween is going to take on a whole new dimension this year.

What firsts do I hope to someday remember fondly?  Since I have all but given up hope that her allergies will be outgrown — my hopes are humble…

• My daughter’s first allergist visit where no new food allergies are discovered.
• Her first drop-off playdate and birthday party.
• Her first school year without anxiety over food safety and health forms.
• My first vacation with my husband.