<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Thanks to everyone who responded to my post about keeping our second child
GF.  As may be expected, the responses ranged the gamut from "relax, don't
worry, if symptoms show up then do a test" to "there is no reason to ever
introduce gluten to a baby."  One person wrote that their doctor had
recommended not even introducing solids until after the baby is 1 year.  I
would think that is more applicable to a family suspectible to food allergies
than to CD.  From what I've read, if you are genetically predisposed to CD,
you will probably get it someday.  We just don't know when because we don't
know what will trigger it.
 
The middle of the road advice which seems to make good sense to me:
    1)  Keep the baby GF for at least 1, preferrably 2 years because
        growth and development are so important at this tender age
        and symptoms are not always immediately obvious until baby has
        already started to "fail to thrive."  One comment I appreciated
        was that you should wait until the child is old enough to verbalize,
        "Mommy my tummy hurts."
    2)  Obviously, breastfeed** as long as possible. (This is recommended
        for all babies these days).
    3)  Have both the baby and sibling with CD tested for HLA.  Since
        this is a genetic test, if the babies HLA sequences are the same as
        the sibling's, there is a high chance for CD.  If they are different,
        the probablity is very low that the baby will develop CD and you
        can feel more comfortable introducing gluten.
    4)  The IGA tests only confirm CD when it is active.  If the disease has
        not been "triggered" when the test is done or the child is on a GF diet,
        the test doesn't really tell you anything.
 
I have decided to keep our baby GF until I can coordinate genetic testing
with the pediatrician.  I will keep on her to confur more with the pediatric
gastroenterologist who diagnosed our son.
 
To those who think introducing gluten is only for convenience, it is very
difficult to keep a toddler in day care GF.  As a baby, they eat in high
chairs, and you can tell three year olds not to share, but toddlers are into
everything.  Fortunately, I have a great day care who went through all the
uncertainity about my son and will bend over backwards to keep my children
GF.
 
** Breastmilk - one person wrote that her baby was sensitive to the gluten
which came over in her breastmilk.  This was new to me.  I've been eating
gluten while breastfeeding.  The articles I read about diagnosing babies with
CD all talk about symptoms occuring after cereals were introduced.  Also, if
gluten can be in breastmilk, wouldn't the same be true of cows milk.
 
I hope this helps others with the same questions.  Anyone who has watched a
child suffer with undiagnosed CD, certainly doesn't want it to happen to
another child.
 
Thanks again for all the advice.