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October 20, 2005
Friends cooking for your child - a good idea?
I always get more than a bit concerned about foods prepared outside of our home for our children with food allergies. I so appreciate the extended family and friends that show genuine concern and want to help by preparing allergen free recipes and it is so much better now than in the early years.
Here's our approach... we allow our kids to eat home cooked meals at only the closest of friends and relatives - people who have known our kids' situation for years and have demonstrated their understanding of the seriousness of the food allergies. We are lucky, our kids' aunts and uncles have gone to great lengths to take care of our kids when it comes to family get togethers. And this is on top of the fact that we live out of town, so they don't all deal with the food allergies on a regular basis (although now, some do... good ol genetics). The best part is that they still ask us about ingredients and what is safe for the kids.
When we get calls from well-intentioned parents from school or sports teams, we thank them for their concern but simply provide snack for our own children. Although we appreciate their effort, we don't feel it is right to expect them to go the extra mile in preparation and take the burden of responsibility if something went wrong despite their best intentions. So, not preparing peanut butter cookies for the soccer snack is much appreciated, however, we'll make sure we bring a peanut free snack and an Epi-Pen just in case.
Posted by David at October 20, 2005 8:15 AM