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I thought a follow up on this topic may be useful to some.  I reported last fall how, my disappointment that I couldn't tend my toddler & preschool grandkids at their house w/o getting sick.  I tried bringing & serving my own food to them, using only fresh kitchen linens, washing everyone's hands & faces often, but I still got sick each & every time I tended them.  I finally have come up with what seems to be the solution because it has worked twice in a row for me.  

As soon as I arrive, I put both children in the tub, wash their whole bodies & shampoo their hair then dress them in freshly laundered clothing.  Then I proceed to only feed them MY food prepared upon MY cutting board with MY utensils & clean up with MY linens.  (I bring everything I need in a box.)  This sounds extreme, but it's the only way I get to spend quality time with my grandkids.  What's funny about it, is they have come to know exactly what to expect when Grandma comes.  They now ask for my rice crackers & creamy goat cheese & apples as soon as I arrive!  

Please note:  Their home is not a messy home.  Their mother & father are meticulous when it comes to the cleanliness of their children, house keeping, etc.  I believe the major source of contamination comes from the toddler, only 20 months old, who has a habit of wiping whatever she is eating all over herself, her clothing, her hair & every surface w/I her reach.  She absolutely ADORES making messes (typical behavior for that age).  To keep a child this age free from gluten clinging to her hair & clothing would require one of three extreme & unrealistic measures (1) putting her in a straight jacket, force feeding her, (2) putting her & her entire family on the GF diet, or (3) a full shower after every meal & snack!  Her older sister, age 3 1/2, is very tidy, but if she sits too close to the toddler during meals, the toddler smears her, too!  So ...  until the youngest one is old enough to understand the need for tidiness & cleanliness, I will have to continue the routine I've established.  

Sometimes our whole extended family "eats out" together at restaurants.  I've gotten sick a couple times by allowing them to sit on my lap after they are finished eating.  So now, I sit "out of reach" of the toddler & pre schooler & don't let them near me after they've eaten.  It's hard to maintain my distance, but it's better than getting sick or not getting to be with them at all.

Valerie in Tacoma  



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