Parenting a Toddler With Food Allergies/Intolerances is...

*Reading every label

and then reading it again.

*Using 2 knives for the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and toast with butter and jam

because the jam has to stay safe.

*Hiding unsafe foods for the older kids

because the toddler likes to sneak food.

*Preparing several meals at once to keep all happy

and labeling the safe one for the toddler.

*Extra prep and anxiety for any party or get together

because you have to bring safe food and dessert so the toddler can feel included.

*Chasing a toddler around and never letting him out of your site at gatherings with food

because someone will eventually set something unsafe down and your toddler will get try to eat it and be ill.

*Watching for signs of reaction with breath held

because you aren't sure if he actually ate that unsafe food.

*Carrying around medicine/Benadryl/EpiPen and having an action plan

because he could react at any time, anywhere.

*Educating every person who will be with your toddler

so you can have another set of eyes and hands if needed.

*Taking up a ton of your time to research recipes and safe foods

because avoiding 7 foods makes cooking a little difficult.

*Calling restaurants or scouring the online menus

to try to find a safe place for family outings.

*Packing safe food for even short trips around the city

because you are not positive there will be a safe restaurant close by in case you do not get home in time for the meal.

*Planning playdates around food

to be sure the toddler can have safe foods and happily play.

*Questioning every tummy ache and vomit

because that could be a reaction to a food.

*In my thoughts all the time, every day

because food is everywhere and all the time.

*Scouring the health food section at the stores or finding specialty store

because you need unique things like millet flour, coconut milk, psyllium husk, nutritional yeast, and tapioca starch to make safe, tasty foods.

*Learning how to substitute ingredients in recipes

because finding a recipe that excludes all your child's allergens is hard but you still want to make yummy foods for them.

*Sometimes lonely.

Candle Fun and Dax's Speech Delay

 

It is no secret I love photography. I also cannot get enough of this little guy! Dax had so much fun blowing out the candle repeatedly. It was a great activity to work on his mouth muscles and patience.

Dax is a little over 2 years old. He is able to say just a few words.

Dax was saying a handful of words very clearly about a year ago. A seizure hit him and his words disappeared completely. I worked with him constantly and he finally found the word mama. That was all he could say for a while. I worked hard to find him help and set up speech therapy but it is a long process. In the meantime, I worked with him daily.  We worked on learning some sign language to help us communicate. 

 

 

Can you imagine how frustrating it is to see everyone around you communicating their needs and being stuck with no one understanding you? We worked with Dax so much to figure out ways for him to get his needs and wants communicated.

 

Dax has now been in speech therapy for a couple months and it has helped so much. He can say a few more words and tries hard to make more sounds. He is nowhere near the speech capabilities of a child his age but he is moving forward. The big 3 help tremendously in getting him to make sounds.

 

We will never know exactly why he lost his words or had trouble catching up to his peers. We have learned that he is more likely to mimic a sound when we do big motions while making the sound. He likes things big, wild, loud, and exaggerated so that is what we do to encourage him to talk!

He and I are home all day together. I don't really notice his speech delay too much. It is just who he is. However, when we are out and about with other children around, I notice it so much. The saddest part is that the kids, the little people his size, notice it even more. They yell at him. They ask him why he can't talk, which, of course, he can't respond. They talk, loudly, to their friends about that weird kid with no words. Ugh. It sucks big time. He is too young to realize it but this mama's heart hurts. I hope he either catches up to his peers completely before school or has some extra kind and compassionate children in his classes.

 

 

Pinning Mother Against Mother ... Again

That is what most debates boil down to, isn't it? Has anyone else noticed this?

This whole vaccine debacle is blowing up. I have read so many opinions on this debate and I find myself agreeing a little with both sides.

There is one thing I don't agree with though. I cannot stand how this has turned into a mother against mother bash.

It is the whole breast versus formula, cloth versus disposable, stay at home mom versus working mom debate again and again.

I was just thinking about the vaccine companies. The CEOs/Presidents of those companies are banking some big bucks from these vaccines. Why is no one talking about them? Why is no one asking what they can do? Why does no one question how these studies were paid for, who gains from giving these vaccines, who makes sure all these vaccines are safe?

Maybe the CEOs are sitting up in their vacation home laughing at how they get to hide behind the screen again while mothers all over bash each other.

Who knows.

Maybe they don't even vaccinate their child. Maybe they do.

Maybe they hear all the commotion about the safety of their vaccines and they don't care.

Maybe they really are good guys who really just wanted to make a safe vaccine to help the world.

Maybe they are just money hungry and not making sure they are taking every safety measure possible.

Maybe they are enjoying the fact that they are not held liable for vaccine injuries.

Maybe they actually feel bad for vaccine injuries and are trying their best to help.

Either way, I whole heartedly believe that we should be looking towards the vaccine companies and holding them accountable. I am all for modern medicine to help. I am not entirely convinced that vaccines alone caused the decline in diseases.  The only way to prove that without a doubt would be to go back and have a controlled study of people who did not get the vaccine as medicine evolved and we learned of clean and sterile conditions.

It is just a smoke screen. If we can get the mothers around the country to bash each other, blame each other, and try to convince laws to be made to punish the mother who is choosing wrong, then we won't think to look at the money trail, the actual product we are bashing each other over.

The other thing that comes to mind when discussing this is that medical advice has changed drastically over the years. We were told to put our babies to sleep on their tummy, then their back. Cigarettes were thought to be harmless.  Diet advice has changed drastically over the years. Cough medicine used to be given to young kids and is now discouraged. Things change. Medical data changes with the times.

I am not great with words here. I am hoping that my thoughts will be understood and taken into consideration. All the mothers I know, ones who vaccinate and ones who don't, love their kids unconditionally. They would die for their child. They would do whatever it took to keep their child safe. I can't fault a person for doing the best for their child. I can only show love and compassion and keep on researching what is best.