<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Here is the summary from my post asking how celiac families with
children handle the kitchen, screening other family members and testing.
 What a great response - 63 messages in less than 5 days!  Each message
had a wealth of wisdom in it.  I appreciate each and every one of you
who shared their very personal experiences with me. I noticed how people
handle the GF issue depends on who in the family has CD and how severe
their reaction is.

First the stats, then the highlights:

Totally GF kitchen:  15
Mixed (but separated) kitchen:  26
Shelf for GF only:  9
Shelf for non-GF only:  4
Didn't say:     6

Celiac Mom only:  18
Celiac Dad only:     3
Kids only with CD:     20
Mixed parents & kids:  14
Didn't say:  5

Tested all right away:   30
Waited for symptoms:   16
Didn't say:  14

All agreed you have to be consuming gluten to have an accurate blood
test.

Highlights:

- I would never have suspected celiac...so I am very glad we were all
tested.

- We had everyone tested at the same time.  You can still have Celiac
without symptoms so don't wait to try to confirm.

- My philosophy is - if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

- You can be asymptomatic...it can show up at any time so I will keep
testing.

- It is tricky to make everyone feel their needs are being met and no
one is getting favoritism in the treats and food department.

- I buy everything as before except have a couple shelves in the pantry
labeled Safe for MOM.

- I have one shelf in the pantry and I mark my foods with a happy face
sticker.

- I have a gf snack drawer and a gluten snack drawer.

- To be honest it is just flat too expensive for all of us to go
gluten-free.

- We figure she is going to have to learn to live in a non-celiac world.

- We do have separate toasters, pizza pans, and bread pans for GF
baking, as well as a separate butter dish.

- Whatever you do don't make your whole house gf!

- We label the cupboards and shelves to prevent mix-ups and label cereal
boxes.  We are trying to phase out non-GF cereals because look alikes
scare me when I find them outside their boxes.

- There are some precautions you need to take...we would put a spoon in
each jar and spoon the condiment on our plate and then on the bread.

- I have no problem staying away from gluten-filled foods, but a child
may have a more difficult time.

- I am the only one who eats gluten free - I buy and cook normal for the
rest of my family.

- I would not put a non-celiac child on a gf diet -- it isn't necessary
and it isn't fair.

- The piece of mind I now have with a gf household is a relief.

- I no longer keep any regular flour or baking products in the house;
mostly because, if I go to the trouble to bake something, I want it to
be something everyone in the family can eat.

- Five years ago I did cook two different meals.  I don't have the time
or energy to do that.

- Because my house is gf doesn't mean I don't have a special stash of
treats in my closet!

- We found that it is easier physically and emotionally for the whole
family to be GF at home - those not required to be gf can eat other food
outside the home.

- My house is pretty much totally GF.  All cooking is GF.

- I keep baking GF because I don't want to confuse flours by mistake,
and because homemade goodies are really hard for me to resist.

- My two-year old has celiac. Recently my child got into the hidden
(gluten) crackers and paid for it for a couple of days.  This reaffirmed
my stand to keep our home as gf as possible.

- There is no one way to handle this problem.  You have to do what's
right for your family, and what's right may change from time to time.

Liz in Tucson, AZ