Applesauce / Fruit Cups**
Plain Raisins**
Most Fruit Snacks **
Fritos Original Corn Chips
Fruit Gushers **
Fruit Roll Ups**
Jell-O Gelatin**
Lay’s Plain Potato Chips
Ruffles Plain Potato Chips
Tostidos Tortilla Chips
Fresh Fruit
Candy Buttons by Necco
Smarties Candy Necklace and Bracelets +
Smarties (US Version) +
Haribo Gold Bear Gummies
Gimbal’s Jelly Beans
Swedish Fish
Big League Chew*
Fun Dip +
Dots by Tootsie Rolls
Fluffy Stuff Cotton Candy by Tootsie Roll
Dum Dums *
Saf-T-Pops *
Surf Sweets
Spangler Chewy Pops *
Spangler Candy Canes *
Hot Tamales by Just Born+
Mike and Ikes by Just Born+
Pez
Skittles+
Double Lolli’s by Smarties +(UPC begins with 011206)
Sour Patch Kids (except xplodez)
Necco Wafers

Specialty Treats

St Claire’s Candies
Sensible Foods fruit chips and snacks
FruitaBu Organic Flat Fruit
CherryBerry Crunch Dried Snacks
AllerEnergy Chocolate Chips Bars
Ener-G Pretzels
NoNuttin Bars*
Sharkies Organic Fruit Snacks
Let’s Go Organic Gummi Candies
Entire line from Enjoy Life Foods
YummyEarth Organic Lollipops
Dakota Gourmet Salted Sunflower Seeds
Pure Fun Candy
Home Free Treats

+Packaged alone—not in a variety pack
*May contain Soy Lecithin (safe for most with a soy allergy)
** Please double check labels—as
manufacturer’s often change ingredients and manufacturing procedures.  As a
general rule, many allergy parents will not purchase items made outside of the US and Canada due to differences in manufacturing requirements.

Air Filtration

We have gone through many air filtration products. We would love to install a whole house air purifier and humidifier but, have not been able to do that just yet. Our allergist advised us not to use portable humidifiers in the winter because of the bacteria that can grow in the units. He recommended a whole house humidifier since it uses fresh water. During the winter months, we have been boiling water in an open pot on the stove and running the shower in the evenings on the hottest setting for 20 – 30 minutes. Currently we are using Fresh Air by Eco Quest. It is a very compact, yet a powerful air purifier that uses an electrostatic precipitator to purify the air. This unit was actually given to us, however, I believe they cost between $700 – $800. Be aware that some of these types of units can actually create an ozone layer in your home. Ozone gasses in your home can actually be irritating to the lungs and hinder the body from healing from respiratory infections.

According to Consumer Reports, the best models for room air purifiers are the Whirlpool AP51030K (costs about $300) and Hunter 30547 (costs about $260). Things to look for with room purifiers are noise levels, HEPA filters, filter replacement indicators and and obviously performance. For whole house air purification, Consumer Reports recommended the Lennox Healthy climate HC16 which must be professionally installed. It costs about $350 plus the cost of installation. They also recommend the

3M Filtrete Elite Allergen 2200 MPR filter which costs about $25 and does not require professional installation. I believe this is the filter that we use as well.

Indoor Air Quality

We have banned cigarette smoking, candles, chemical cleaners, most paints and solvents, pesticides, air fresheners and for our little canary, many foods from our home. You might consider testing your home for radon (a cancer causing natural gas), mold and carbon monoxide. To prevent the growth of mold, we use fans and dehumidifiers year round in the basement and bathrooms. It would definitely be a good idea to have the air ducts cleaned as well.

Vacuum Cleaners

We use a bag-less vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. My husband actually dislikes the bag-less part of the vacuum because he has difficulty with emptying the container of dust. He wears a filtered mask when he does clean it out. When I clean it out, I use a plastic grocery bag and hold it tight around the top of the container and flip it over then tie it off quickly to minimize the amount of airborne dust.

Consumer Reports recommend the Kenmore Intuition 28014 canister, HEPA filtered bagged vacuum (approximate retail $569) and the Kenmore Intuition 31100 upright, HEPA filtered bag vacuum (approximate retail $249). If you would prefer a bag-less vacuum cleaner, Consumer Reports recommends Eureka AirSpeed AS1000A upright vacuum (approximate retail $100) which has HEPA filtration as well.

Cleaning Products

For the most part, we only use a mix of 50/50 vinegar and water or Shaklee Get Clean products. For the toilet bowl, we use Stanley Home Products Silent Maid dispenser (http://www.stanley-home-products.com/item/Bowl-Refresher-Dispenser-8) filled with straight white vinegar. It drips a small amount of vinegar in the water with each flush and in our home needs to be refilled every three months or so. No bowl scrubbing is required! For grime around the sink faucets, white vinegar left to sit for an hour or so will loosen the grime so that it can be wiped away easily. Shaklee’s Heavy Duty Scour Off (http://www.shaklee.com/products.php?sku=00430) is a great product for tough clean ups with not only pots and pans but, even crayon on a wall. Basic H cleaner is super all purpose cleaner (http://www.shaklee.com/products.php?sku=00015) that lasts a long time! We are still using our original bottle from November 2008 because it only requires 2 drops to make a 16 oz bottle of window cleaner and a 1/4^th teaspoon for an all purpose cleaner!

Pets

Ideally, we try to bath our dog  once a week and brush him down before coming back in from outside during peak pollen months. Sometimes,  I also use unscented, natural baby wet wipes to remove pollen and dust from outside. We have found that the Wal-Mart generic unscented wipes to be the least irritating and the strongest material.

Clothing

We use “free and clear” detergents, avoid perfumes and scented body products. You can add vinegar to the rinse water for softness and to remove excess soap. It is a natural fabric softner and helps to prevent static. We also buy gently used clothing to avoid off gassing from new clothing or we wash new clothing several times through before using. We also air dry clothes that we can’t dry in the dryer inside instead of outside to prevent pollen from collecting in our clothing.

Furniture

Our allergist recommends using as few cloth products in the home as possible (curtains, fabric furniture, throw pillows, throw rugs, carpeting, etc…). Leather and solid wood (not pressed wood) furniture is ideal. Blinds are better than curtains to help contain dust. Before bringing new furniture in your home, let it air out in the garage for a few days.

Paint

When possible, paint or refinish items outside with low-VOC or no-VOC products. A baby’s room tends to be the most toxic room in the house because new parents fill the room with new furnishings, paint, carpet and toys that are all off-gassing. This article gives some great suggestions for paints to use: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/green-your-nursery-paint.html Here is another article: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1594/is_n6_v8/ai_20099787/

Flooring

Hard wood or tile floors are much better than carpeting and vinyl flooring due to off-gassing, dust collecting and toxic sealants. I love my Shark Steam mop for cleaning our floors. I only use water, no cleaners are needed! http://www.sharkclean.com/Shark-Steam-Products/

Yard Work

We avoid pesticides and herbicides as much as possible. I have found there are many natural, non-toxic home-made remedies that are just as effective as toxic chemicals. Visit http://www.allpestco.com/ to get some ideas of how to use Borax, baking soda, white vinegar, baby powder and more to take care of many of those needs.

To minimize pollen irritation from cutting grass, where a face mask while mowing, leave your mowing shoes outside, wash clothes and shower as soon as possible after mowing as well.

Travel

For us to travel, I literally have to use spreadsheets to plan ahead. I typically chose a hotel with a kitchenette so that we can prepare our own foods and pet-free, smoke-free hotels. I also call ahead and request that sheets are rinsed twice and that the room is cleaned with vinegar before we arrive. We bring our own hand soap and bath products as well. For rental cars, I request cars with low mileage and smoke-free. I also request that they clean the car with vinegar or baby wipes if possible.

Bath and Body Products

We try to chose products with ingredients that we can read and that are unscented. We use unscented Seventh Generation hand wash and several of Shaklee’s products. At one point, I used a deodorant crystal (http://www.naturallyfreshdeodorantcrystal.com/) but, I did not personally care for it since it does not act as an antiperspirant. I have found the Environmental Working Group a great resource for finding quality, non-toxic products. The Skin-Deep database that they have created has made shopping for bath and body products much easier: http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/.

If you have tips to add to this, please post a comment!

Tonight as I was taking my pre-overnight shift nap, I woke up in a cold sweat from a crazy dream.  I dreamed our family was on the TV show Wife Swap and the poor woman who was assigned to our home was handed two dozen coupons, a grocery list for five different stores, $50 and a lengthy list of food allergies to avoid (including eggs and dairy).  She was given 2 ½ hours to complete the task which included buying ingredients and making “safe” cupcakes for a birthday party.  I woke up as she was sinking in tears in the bakery isle. 

Many food allergy families do not anticipate the need to have a parent with their children at all times when they have children, including us.  As much as I did not want to return to work after having my children, I did not have the choice to when our daughter was born.  Most daycare facilities are equipped to handle a peanut or tree nut allergy but, when you talk to them about multiple food allergies, they flat out tell you that they cannot accommodate your child.  I even had one facility tell me: “You would be a fool to leave that child with anyone!”  While I agree with that, what are you supposed to do when you financially need to work?   This is one of those blessings in disguise but, it does create a huge financial burden in this world of two income families.   

We have gotten very creative with ways to bring in income and save money while still having one parent with the kids at all times. Here’s a great list of links for legitimate stay at home jobs: http://workathomedesk.com/directory/at-home-customer-care-agents.htm  I am forever grateful for the amazing work at home job that I have!  Nothing quite like working in your Pjs even if it means working overnight. 

Now that our kids are school age, we have been able to send them somewhat safely to school although it has been a lot of work.  Had I kept dreaming about the woman who would take my place on Wife Swap, I wonder how she would have responded when she read that she would not be standing at the bus stop waiting for the kids to be whisked away but rather, she would taking the youngest to school early so that she could “sweep” the building with an allergy alert service dog for 20 – 60 minutes so that this child could be there for three hours in relative safety?   

I also wonder how she would respond when she read how to act in the kitchen?  No finger licking, no wiping hands on pants or a dish rag, must repeatedly wash hands after handling any allergens and drying with a fresh towel, cannot use the same utensil for anything else, no heating of dairy and every allergen must be consumed in the kitchen with a thorough cleaning of that area and hands and face to follow.  That would be the short list!

Another blessing in disguise over the past few years has been learning how to save money by “super couponing”.  Basically, once every twelve weeks an item will hit its lowest sale price and when it does, you buy in bulk to last for twelve weeks.  In addition to the sale price, you add whatever manufacturer coupons you can find for that item and if the store has coupons too, you stack those on top.  Sure there are many, many items that we have coupons for that we will never use.  A lot of times, we trade those for coupons we will use.  I just received over 50 coupons in the mail from other compassionate “super couponers” for Rice Dream (a major staple in our house).  It typically retails for $3-$5 a box but, I typically pay under $1 a box.  Here are the sites that I use to find the deals: www.hip2save.com and www.jillcataldo.com.  In addition to groceries, we rarely pay anything for sundries (shampoo, conditioner, soaps, lotions, deodorants, etc…) and very little for household items such as laundry detergents, green cleaners, etc…

I wish our extreme living or living on the edge was more about hiking mountains and back packing across Europe but, for this season of life, we will take what we have and treasure the blessings in disguise.

I have wanted to share this funny picture that I have been so tempted to send into Jay Leno for years but, I think it might better be used to draw attention to a program that MedicAlert has available for children.  Kid Smart is a discounted program for children under the age of 18.  

The above picture is our first ever MedicAlert card for our son.  The rep that took the order simply put some info in the wrong field which resulted in a funny error.  It’s a good reason why you should always double check info!   At any rate, they corrected the error and were very apologetic.

We have been members of MedicAlert for years and I can’t say enough good things about them!  Membership for children is only $20 per year through Kid Smart after the first year.  If you are a member of a school PTA, you can use this discount to save 20% off the initial sign-up of $29.95 by using this link: http://www.medicalert.org/pta  or for members of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) save $4.95 off the member fee: http://www.medicalert.org/landing/faan.htm.  And for families that are enduring hardships and life-threatening food allergies, adults and children can receive a free membership sponsored by the Food Allergy Initiative by following this link: http://www.medicalert.org/healthinfo/fai.htm.

Life threatening illnesses are no laughing matter!  In our countless trips to the ER, I can personally say that it is much easier to hand over MedicAlert information than it is to recall every medical issue, every Dr’s phone number, insurance information, etc… It is so much better to spend that time comforting your child.  I can’t tell you how many times I have had to call MedicAlert to get one of our kid’s insurance numbers since they carry their cards in their med packs at school.  And, when I am not present physically or mentally to advocate for my children, I know I can count on MedicAlert to provide the necessary information to help them.

Emily Hernandez Photography

Before my son could speak, he shrieked the pain he felt in his belly from eating dairy. Before my daughter could recite her ABCs, she was able to recite a grocery list of things she’d never seen but, knew she couldn’t eat. Before she could count to ten, she was able to demonstrate how to administer an Epi-pen and hold it in place for ten seconds. Before my son was able to read a book, he was able to read a food label and know if something was safe to eat or not. Before my daughter was taught by a teacher, she taught her teacher how to safe her life with an Epi-pen trainer and how to set up a nebulizer and administer a breathing treatment. Before my son sold his first school fundraiser, he was selling raffle tickets to raise money for an Allergy Alert Service Dog to protect himself and his sister. Before my daughter had lost her first tooth, she had earned 8 feet of beads from Beads of Courage for her courage during medical procedures.

Life with food allergies is not about toting a box of tissues everywhere and popping a Claritan daily. It is about braving a world with guns drawn against them everyday and knowing that a simple mistake could cost them their life. It’s about never forgetting to wear their life saving medicines or carry a breathing machine and always being prepared. It’s about never letting their guard down and questioning authority about everything. It’s not an easy life but, it’s their lives. They make me so proud with the courage, strength, diligence, perseverance and responsibility that they exhibit far beyond their years.

If you would like a custom smock made for your little one, please send me an email to ann at lovebugsco .com  I would be happy to help!   Soon, I should have my website up and running with ready made items to order. 

 The flower apron that I made has layered felt flowers on the front and I can make matching hair barrettes and “Hands up for Help” bracelets.  

Fast forward 15 years and I am now the proud parent of a daughter who can’t have butter, eggs or nuts.  I have to admit that brownies are very hard to make without eggs even now that I know how to substitute.  I’ll share a few recipes eventually that have worked to my little one’s satisfaction since she’s never had the real  deal. 

So, moving on to the ice cream.   I finally decided to break down and buy an ice cream maker in hopes of making her ice cream a bit thicker and creamier.  I did achieve the thickness but, not really the creaminess.  Still working on it.  She loves it but, my son who can eat the real deal says it’s “ok”. 

So, here is what I typically use: 

1-2 frozen bananas
1 cup of frozen pineapple chunks
1 cup of rice milk
1 cup of melted Marshmallows (optional) – Helps with sweetness and thickness
1/2 cup of dairy free margarine (optional) – Helps with creaminess 

Put ingredients in the blender and blend till smooth, add to ice cream maker and follow manufacturer instructions.

Options:

1. Monster Ice Cream—Just add a handful of spinach to make a bright green creation with no spinach flavor : )  Don’t let anyone see you do it though!

2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough—Use Chocolate Rice Milk or Soy Milk and add in Enjoy Life Chocolate chips

3. Strawberry —Just add strawberries and if you’d like non-alcoholic Strawberry Margarita Syrup.

4. Rocky Road—Replace Rice milk with Chocolate Rice milk and add marshmallows and Enjoy Life chocolate chips.

Little did I know what a life saving tool it has been.  She has worn it at church, play groups, extended family gatherings, the first week of preschool and anytime subs have been there.  The church volunteers especially love it because there are so many new kids and volunteers each week and they can’t possibly remember every name – much less every medical condition.   It definitely brought awareness to her condition and helped us to get involved in church and be a part of family parties safely.  The one thing I changed about hers was to add an alert to the back.  At church, the kids sit down to receive their snack.  A volunteer will walk behind the kids and lean over them to put a snack in front of them.  One Easter Sunday, a volunteer gave Kate three Nilla wafers and she actually ate all three.  That was her first exposure to egg.  Had there been an alert on the back that was clearly visable when Kate was sitting, she might have been saved from one anaphylactic reaction. 

I hope that these smocks will help many children to stay safe.  If you would like to purchase one, please add a comment below and I will contact you.  I am still working on getting a web store up and running.  

Until then, I am selling them custom made for $40 each.  I am also selling children’s aprons for $20 each with the same message on the front.  The big difference is that the smock comes with a snack pocket so your child can keep their snack handy.  It helped Kate to get excited about wearing hers (along with the design that she picked out).   It is also very visable from all sides.   By the way, the same smock has fit Kate from 2 – now 5 1/2.  The little stinker wouldn’t let me get a picture of her unless she was in the photo cube : ) 

In light of the recent events at the school in Florida, I thought I would share the feelings that I poured out into this letter to the other parents.  I never shared this letter with them as it was too emotional – I wrote through tears in the wee morning hours months before school would even begin.  I have given it to teachers and play group leaders though so they could better understand where I was coming from. 

June 2009

Many people have commented with empathy that they can’t imagine what life must be like raising a child with food allergies. And sometimes, I hear or read about parents grumbling about how inconvenient it is to them that their child is in a class or play group with a food allergic child. It breaks my heart to hear that but I can understand.

I can’t speak for other food allergy parents but, in my experience, living with food allergies is like sending my precious preschooler down the interstate on her tricycle in the middle of rush hour. I am out there madly waving and screaming to every car to please slow down and avoid her. You can only imagine my fear and anguish and the thoughts running through my head of losing my child. I have adorned her with a helmet and knee pads.. even dressed her in bright colored clothing but, she is still in the midst of chaos and clearly an accident waiting to happen. I am praying that no semi-trucks go flying by or someone not notice her. We have no other choice, this is our route, this is the only way we have to go. Sure, we can stay home and isolate ourselves from the world but, that idea has problems all it’s own.

Now imagine with me, sending her to school. It is much like sending her out there on her tricycle all alone. She can’t read the road signs (the labels on the boxes). She is not exactly sure where she is going (is not clearly able to express what is going on in her body when she is reacting or tell others the many things that she is allergic to—that she has never even eaten and rarely seen). And people can’t even see her without someone madly drawing attention to her. Sure, I am certain that Good Samaritans and maybe even a friend or two will notice and pull over and madly wave their arms and scream like a lunatic out on the interstate until they have to move along to their own obligations. There will certainly be some who tell her that she can’t take this road too. Many will honk their horns, maybe even yell and scream at her. And yes, she has slowed the traffic even more. The situation is no doubt inconvenient for all, including Kate and her family but, this is her route in life.

As her mom, I don’t feel like I have a choice to hold her back. I have to educate her to be safe on her route. We will of course avoid rush hour (i.e. parties and events that are focused on food when we feel there is no alternative). She needs to be out there just like all kids do even if all she has is her tricycle. It is not fair for me to ask that the roads be cleared for her either, as everyone uses the same road and they have places to go too. All I ask is that you keep an eye out for Kate. Drive slowly (remember to wash your hands and face if necessary), read the signs (labels) and be prepared. If an event is less than two hours, maybe consider not serving food at all. I am constantly asking myself “Why is it necessary to serve a snack in Sunday school, soccer practice, meetings, play groups or even a preschool class that meets for a total of four hours a week?” Please avoid sending the semi-trucks near her. Those trucks carry deadly toxins and even a drip from the truck could make her very, very sick or worse, the trucks could slam into her and kill her instantly. Those toxins for her are all dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, creams etc.. including products containing whey (baked goods), casein and yes.. even Goldfish crackers), eggs (mayonnaise, ingredients such as albumin, globulin and many more), nuts (peanuts and tree nuts) and peas.

So, what can Kate have? For snacks and treats, she loves to eat all fruits (watermelon, banana, apple slices, berries, etc… and most vegetables (carrots, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes, celery etc…), Rold Gold pretzels, plain Frito Lays, Chocolate flavored or Chocolate Chip Teddy Grahams, Cheerios, Chex, Lucky Charms, Oreos, almost all fruit snacks, some Dum Dum suckers and Smarties. For lunches, she enjoys “Soy Nut Butter” and jelly sandwiches, turkey or ham sandwiches, most hot dogs and hamburgers along with lots of fruits and veggies and on occasion plain Lays potato chips. We usually give her water, juice or rice milk to drink. When in doubt, read the label or please feel free to call me. There should be a “Contains” or “Made in a facility with” statement on the label. At the very least, the top eight allergens will be in bold if they are present. We do not buy things that were not manufactured in the US or Canada since the packaging requirements may not be the same. She cannot have things that are made on the same line or in a facility with dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts or peas either. If you are making something special, please consider letting me know in advance so that I can make something similar for Kate. She is no different than any other child in the desire to feel included. Thank you for considering Kate!