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Thank you so much for all of the wonderful advise and insights into the
question of how a Celiac child should navigate the myriad of Bar and
Bat Mitzvah parties.

About 20 people responded and here are the over riding ideas:

Everyone said that the kids food offered was always mini pizzas,
chicken nuggets, fries, pasta, hamburgers and hot dogs. The adult
food was recommended as being more GF friendly.

Most suggested asking the host, who will undoubtably be busy with
plans, if it would be OK to speak to the caterer and take the
responsibility for safe food selection off of their shoulders. One
respondee said that she would write her request for caterer
information on the back of the RSVP card and ask the host to call her.
Many would insist on speaking to the caterer to be sure that
they
"got-it".

Put together a form letter briefly explaining the limitations and
suggestions for foods that will work.

Be sure to make your child feel as "normal" and a part of the crowd as
possible. Go with a safe variation of what the other kids are having
when possible. A plain chicken breast, salad and a baked potato were
mentioned the most. One child took a small packet of salad dressing
in her purse. Other survival items included an energy bar, rice cakes
or crisps and being sure to observe Kashrut.

Be sure to feed your child a full meal before the events, as there will
most likely be hours before food is served either after services or at an
evening affair.

It was also noted that many of the kids are too absorbed in the
dancing and fun to be bothered with eating.

For cakes OOAK

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