Dairy Free – Gluten Free
We’ve been at this dairy free thing for a long time now. 10 years to be exact. When I first found out she was allergic to dairy I was breastfeeding her but it was time to go back to work. I had tried giving her a bottle a few weeks before having to go back and she took it just fine. But, when it was actually time to go back to work she refused a bottle. Go figure. Insert the Hazelbaker Finger Feeder. I can’t make this stuff up.
I ended up leaving her with a baby sitter. The first day of the new babysitter and I left breast milk along with about 6oz. of formula because I didn’t have enough breast milk to leave her. I went to work and thought nothing else about the situation (besides the typical “mom feelings” of being sad to leave my one and only child for the first time). This poor lady had to stick her finger in my kids mouth just to feed her.
When I left work the first day, went to pick her up, I went into the room where she was sleeping and saw my baby covered in hives from head to toe. She was unresponsive and couldn’t breathe. I had no idea what was wrong with her but grabbed her out of that bed and put her in the front seat and held her and drove her as fast as I could to the hospital. The hospital we took her to had no clue what to do but send her to a Children’s Hospital up in Atlanta. Turns out that 6oz. of formula was my first clue she was anaphylactic to dairy.
We left the hospital with an epi pen and a referral to an allergist to get the situation thoroughly checked out.
So, we learned the hard way that we needed to be dairy free for probably the rest of her life. I’ve been a food connoisseur for most of my adult life. We have tried just about everything there is to try that is dairy free to give Zadee her best life (food wise). It’s always exciting when something new comes out that she can try.
Here are her 5 most favorite foods that are pre-packaged and dairy free.
1. Jolly Llama Ice Cream Sandwiches
This company is doing everything right. A gluten free AND dairy free sandwich? YES, please! Another company does the dairy free icecream sandwich but the outside isn’t gluten free. Gluten doesn’t not kill my kid but it does hurt her stomach so we avoid it.
2. Mikey’s Cheese Pizza Pockets
I’ve had several different flavors of these and they do not disappoint. While I don’t do convenience food often (although sometimes I should to make life easier) – these allow me to do it without the feelings of guilt.
3. Real Food From The Ground Up Cauliflower Crackers
Can we say “Better Than a Cheese-it? Almost. Especially for a child who has never had a real Cheese it. Enough Said. These folks also make Cauliflower puffs and I literally have bought 8 bags at a time they were so good.
4. LIME SeaSnax Seaweed
She absolutely loves this stuff. And so do her friends. They all come over and the first thing they ask me is “Do you have any lime seaweed?”
5. Good Karma Plant-Based Ranch Dip
It’s a good day when your kid asks if she can #1 make her own lunch and #2 voluntarily put raw broccoli and this dip in it. True story.
I thoroughly enjoy and honestly pride myself in trying to make her little life more normal. I keep up with the latest products that hit the shelves in dairy free land. If you know of some new, latest and greatest dairy free product let me know in the comments!
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