An Allergy Idea

Can I start by saying I need a break.  I mean I NEED a chance to go on a date with the hubby and set aside the 'mommy-ness' for a few hours.  But I just don't feel like we can go out.  Why? Ok.  A little background. Our son has a few severe food allergies - not life threatening, but bad enough to be 'bad' (if that makes sense).  In descending order of severity: Peanuts, Milk, Egg Yolk, Egg White,Beans (Not soy or green),  Beef, Tobacco (The last one isn't an issue - we don't use tobacco at all...we just really try to avoid any 'smoking' areas).  Most people we know are aware of the allergies, but I can't tell you how many times I have had a conversation similar to this one:

Friend/acquaintance/family member/babysitter: We should get something to eat.  What would 'J' like?

Me: (I explain his allergies again just as a refresher) Anything without that stuff.

Other Person: Oh, Okay.  Well how'bout we go to (insert restaurant).  It's really good, and 'J' can have some Mac-n-cheese.

Me:  Well he's allergic to milk, so that won't work. I'm sure we could find something...

Other person: Oh, That's right.  Well I think they have grilled cheese sandwiches too.

Me: Sorry. Once again, the cheese.

Other person: Wow.  I guess your right.  Well I know of this good Italian restaurant and then 'J' could have some pizza

Me:  Well, the pizza has cheese, and we don't know what goes into the crust...

Other Person:  My goodness!  What do you feed that child? How about a fast food place?  we could go to McDonalds and he could get a cheeseburger.

Me:  Cheeseburger won't work (beef & cheese), but he does really like chicken nuggets

Other person: Oh thank goodness!  Let's go to McDonald's!

Yes...I am sad to say that much of what we spend on eating out goes to McDonald's chicken nuggets, because it is one of the few things that the little guy can actually eat at restaurants.  But anyway...that is kind of how things play out.  It varies a little.  It is especially awkward/uncomfortable when you have that type of conversation when someone is inviting you to their home for dinner.  I hope it doesn't offend anyone, but I have found that it's easier to just pack 'J' something in that situation so you don't make your host/hostess crazy buying specialty foods and changing their recipes.

 I also don't want anyone who has had a similar conversation with me to be offended.  I know how hard it is to keep track of all of that.  It has taken me a long time to adjust and even still I catch myself calling 'J' over to share a bite of my yogurt or ice cream.  It is just hard to adjust.

Anyway...that is the long explanation about why I'm afraid to go out on a date and leave Josh with a babysitter.  I can just see a sweet little 13 year old girl forgetting about all those different things and making a dinner or snack that happens to have those allergens....then she would be dealing with an itchy-hivey-vomiting-diarrhea-wheezy-grumpy mess of a little boy.  And I just don't want that to happen to anyone.

I also don't want 'J' when he is a little older getting into something that he shouldn't.  You can't really expect a preschool aged boy to sit and look through the ingredients for allergens before he eats.


So here was the idea that I came up with.  I got some white dot stickers and ran a red marker over them.  There's a pack of 300-something at the dollar store.  I went ahead and took the time to color them because I didn't want all of the different colors that came in the variety pack.

I had 'J' help me put stickers on everything in our fridge/cupboard that would make him sick.  I hope it is sinking in...I think it is already.  If you ask him what the red stickers mean he says "Make you sick!"

 I figure that if we put dots onto everything that 'J' can't have, then when we have someone babysit we can just say "Don't give him anything with the red dot on it"  I guess we'll see how it goes....Any better ideas? Please weigh in!