SAFE CANDY!!!

I also get so nervous when it's time for Halloween time because of the focus on candy.  It can be hard to know what is safe for your allergic child.  As always, we took the kids around but in the end they traded their candy in for a toy of their choice.  I did however come across a few brands that say they are totally safe from many allergens.  Here is my list:

Smarties - The bag contains an allergen free statement.  They do not use nuts in their factories and they are also free of most other allergens.  If the barcode on the back begins with 0 11206 they say that they are safe.  They do not however guarantee that smarties in mixed candy bags are safe.  They are also gluten free.

Dum Dums - Also contain a no nut and other allergen statement.

Enjoy Life Candy Bars - These chocolate bars are amazing!!  They are free of all the top 8 allergens.  They come in rice milk and crispy.

Starburst Jelly Beans - I stock up on these every Easter!  I called the company and was told that they are not processed in a factory with nuts or eggs.  May want to call this one first though, because it doesn't contain a label and as we know, things can change.  I call for every bag just to be sure.

Tootsie Roll Pops - I just called about these and was told that they do not have any kind of nuts in their factories whatsoever.  They are also egg free.  They do have some products that do contain eggs though, however she said that with the tootsie pops there is no chance of cross contamination.  Their Charleston Chews contain egg and therefor some products that are run on the same machine will have the "may contain" statement. 

Skittles and Starburst - I also just called about this one and was told that they are nut and egg free.  They are also made in a factory without nuts. 

As always, please use your best judgement and call to double check if you are worried.  I call about everything!! :)

Disney World!!!

We just took an amazing trip to Disney World, but along with all the excitement comes worry.  Feeding my allergic son at the condo with a kitchen was easy, but being at the park for a full day was more difficult to plan.  I emailed Disney ahead of time and they sent me a lot of helpful information on where my son could safely eat and what items were offered at each location.  They have Amy's mac and cheese, Amy's pizza and allergy friendly chicken nuggets. We decided to bring what food we could and use what they had at the park only if we had to.  I packed a backpack full of safe cookies, muffins, bananas and other snacks.  The bad news is that it all melted and became mush from the heat!  Luckily there are tons of places that serve bananas, apples, yogurt and grapes.  Most are prepackaged. 

My son was just fine with eating fruit and yogurt all day, with a sprite as a special treat at lunch.  I knew that there were better meal options there, but he insisted on grapes and yogurt.  He was satisfied, so that's what mattered.  While we were having lunch my husband overheard a lady asking the manager of COSMIC RAY'S CAFE about what was offered for food allergic individuals. He seemed very helpful and when the child's meal arrived he received a special Disney button. 

The best find of the day was at the MAIN STREET BAKERY!! They have a rack of items from Divvies!!  Their products are free of a lot of the top allergens, most importantly nuts!!  They had jelly beans, caramel corn, cookies and more! My son was so excited to have these special treats and jelly beans are his favorite.  By the way, their jelly beans are AMAZING!!

Overall we had a wonderful experience and next time I hope I'm less paranoid and can take advantage of how well Disney seems to cater to those with food allergies.  I advise anyone who is going to any of the parks to email them for information beforehand.   They are so helpful!!

Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips

I was so excited to find these chocolate chips in the aisle at Whole Foods.  They are so yummy and very affordable! My son just had his first chocolate chip cookie ever and loved it!  The thing I love about this brand is that not only is it free of eggs and nuts, but also of all the other top allergens.  They also make cereal bars, cookies, bagels,ect. You have to give them a try!

Holidays are over and we made it through!

We just made it through out first holiday season of having food allergies.  I was so worried that every place we went I would have to follow my son around everywhere. I couldn't take the chance on him ingesting food he was allergic to or coming in contact with a child who just gobbled down a peanut butter cookie.  I didn't want him to feel left out at my inlaws house, so I baked him a few different safe cookies and brought a plate with us. My inlaws are great about his allergies, so they had plain foods set aside for him. He had green beans, applesauce and yogurt. Perfect for my little man. The other part of our holiday was here at home, so that was comfortable for everyone. I baked lots of safe treats. The only scarry encounter that we had was an event in which there were multiple bowls of peanuts on the counters and tables. I know that I can't expect everyone to always put his allergies first and remember them, since it's still new to us.  I think they noticed my fear of him touching anything there, so they were put up shortly after we arrived. Of course there will always be tables of foods and drinks that are not safe for him and he will need to learn to ask before he eats ANYTHING!!  I know it will get harder as he gets older and wants to try all the yummy treats, but for now we made it through!!

H1N1 Flu Shot and Egg Allergy

My son successfully recieved his first dose of the swine flu vaccine without any egg allergy complications.  A couple of days ago I took him to the doctor for his second.  About a half an hour after we got home I noticed that his leg was swollen pretty bad around the injection site and it was red.  His whole thigh and part of his stomach was blotchy red, his nose was running, his leg seemed to really bother him and he just seemed to not feel well. I called the doctor and they told me to immediately give him Benadryl and put cold compresses on his leg.  Within an hour or so the symptoms began to go away, without any wheezing.  I was told that an egg allergy reaction to the flu shot doesn't always occur on the first injection, but shows up on the second. We were lucky that his wasn't serious. I was never told this, or else I would have waited a while at the office before coming home. I'm glad that he is now vaccinated and I think it's important for all parents do, but if your child has an egg allergy please be cautious and ask lots of questions. We felt a false sense of security after he recieved the first without any issues.

Martha White Corn Meal Mislabeling

The other day I decided to bake my son some corn muffins using Martha White Corn Meal.  While they were baking I decided to call the company just to make sure their mix did not contain eggs. I gave them the barcode number and all the info about the particular bag I purchased. To my shock, I was told that it was mislabeled and that the bag I had contains eggs. I was five minutes away from giving it to my son!! Needless to say the muffins found the garbage!  They apologized and said they would figure out the problem. I wish more companys would take allergies seriously! What an aweful mistake to make.  Please call and inquire about all the products you feed your little ones. I'm glad I did!

Coupons!

I always call and inquire about every new product that I give my son.  I make sure I know what their factory and labeling practices are.  You can't always trust the labels. The wonderful thing is that it seems like everytime I call they end up offering me great coupons just for calling their company. They vary from free stuff to dollars off. So, not only am I spending just a few minutes insuring my sons safety, but I also get something in return!

The Best Allergy Baking Book I've Come Across!!

Today I purchased Kelly Rudnicki's new book, "The Food Allergy Mama's Baking Book". I can't wait to make all the recipies in this book! It is so exciting, for a mother of a child with food allergies, to have a wonderful source to turn to for all my baking needs! The recipes are easy to follow, delicious and I already have most of these ingredients in my pantry. My son is already in love with her blueberry bread recipe, so I can't wait for him to discover many more of her safe yummy treats! This is by far the best allergy baking book I have come across! Thank you Kelly for making my baking life easier!

Clay Pumpkins

I love this clay-dough recipe! It's so easy and my kids can use it to make snowmen, pumpkins, ornaments and so much more. Have fun!!

1 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 Cup of salt
About 1/3 Cup of water

Mix the salt and flour in a bowl. Add the water a little at a time. Squeeze and knead the dough until it's smooth. You can add more water if it's crumbly or less if it's too wet. Add more flour if it gets too wet. Now you can let your little ones make whatever their hearts desire and keep it forever! When done sculpting, put creations on a foil covered baking sheet. Bake at 225 degrees. Large ones can take up to an hour each side and small ones as little as 15 minutes. You'll know when they are done, just keep checking on them. I let mine sit out a day or two, just to be sure. Then paint and cover with a coat of clear nail polish when dry.

Flu Shot Testing

Carter finally went for his flu shot testing appointment and even though he is highly allergic to eggs, he was able to successfully receive the flu shot. It ended up being a long day for us though. When we got to the office we were told that they didn't have flu zone available yet, which is for children four and under. My poor son had been off all his allergy medicine for over a week because of this testing. No vaccine, no testing. I left feeling disappointed because we wanted to get him the flu shot as soon as possible and now they said it could be days or weeks. With one phone call to my pediatrician's office I was able to obtain the vaccine myself. I brought it to the allergist's office and he was then tested. They pricked his back with the vaccine, antihistamine, egg and one other. Of course the egg swelled up, but luckily the spot where the vaccine was didn't show much sign of irritation. He was then able to get a full dose at once and we had to wait around for about a half an hour or so. If his back had shown serious signs of irritation, they would have given him a little at a time over a couple of hours. We feel much better now knowing that he is protected and will most likely be able to get the swine flu vaccine. They do want to skin test him again for that one though, just to be sure. If your child has an egg allergy and needs the flu shot, ask an allergist about the testing. It was painless, just itchy. Maybe one day they will make the shots safe for all egg allergic patients without worry!