My son is going to a sleepover this Friday. Usually, I don’t really tell people he has celiac disease until I have to. A sleepover is a have to. Sleepovers, play-dates, and birthday parties all require the hostess to know about his condition.

I have found that the best way to handle the situation is to bring him his own food. I try to match what the other children are having as best as I can.

Here are some suggestions:

• If its a pizza party I make him his own individual pizza. I use Udi’s, Kinnikinnick, or Katz.
• If its hot dogs or hamburgers, I will bring his own bun and check the ingredients of the meat packages myself  before the party. That, of course, means that I will have to ask for those details.
• Anything else I try my best to match. If I can’t, my default is usually pizza because it is the easiest.
• For a birthday, I will bring him a cupcake with frosting and sprinkles. I either make cupcakes myself using Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix or I buy pre-made ones from Katz Gluten Free bakery.
• Goodie bags are usually not so hard. I just go through the bag myself before he can eat anything. I replace the amount I took with ones he can eat.

• I usually prepare his plate for him. I do not leave unless its a sleepover.
• For sleepovers, I provide dinner and breakfast and a snack that he can share with his friends. A few months back, he went to a sleepover at our church and I made him a pizza and pancakes. I also let the director know what kind of ice cream he could have. If I had felt there was a problem, I would have brought him his own ice cream treat.

Most parents want to know what they can have at their home for him. I try to be very specific. I will tell him specific brands and kinds. I have friends who will always have a gluten free snack at their homes just for him.

Lastly, I have trained Buddy to say “no thank you” to things he is not sure of. He is very good about not eating anything he knows I haven’t pre-approved. Recently, he went over to a friends house and was offered a hot dog with a bun (that’s another story). He knew right away that he could not have it so he said no. I was so proud of him!