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Intro:
I'm the mother of a 21 month old girl who seems to have celiac disease.
She's had chronic almost-black, smelly, very loose stools, anemia, and
slow growth.  A gluten-free diet (for her and myself, since I'm nursing
her and don't intend to wean soon) has turned her stools much more
solid, much lighter in color, less frequent, and put an entire pound on
her in just a few weeks, putting her finally back on the growth chart at
21 lbs (hooray!).  She may also have a cow milk allergy or sensitivity.
We're putting her back on a regular (except for cow milk) diet for now,
so she can have the IGA test (and a couple others?  I forget all the
test names) in 2-3 weeks, and then hopefully the biopsy and a definite
diagnosis (which right now I'm hoping is positive, because it would be
so nice to *know* what her problem is, and how to solve it!).

Questions:
I know some celiacs need to be very careful of cross-contamination in
foods they buy.  Is this a concern for all celiacs, or only for those
who seem to react to the most miniscule particles that may be present
from any cross-contamination at all?  I know there can be damage even if
you don't notice a reaction.  Is this one of those areas where you just
have to make your own judgment call as to "how paranoid" to be?

Also, those of you who share homes and kitchens with wheat-eaters, how
careful are you in your own kitchens?  If you have to avoid foods that
may even have been contaminated by particles in the air in a factory,
can you share your own kitchen with wheat at all?  I have a lifepartner
and three older children, plus a home daycare to feed, and it wouldn't
be practical or affordable to make my kitchen and home entirely
gluten-free.  Will I need to set aside a gluten-free area of the
kitchen, with gluten-free equipment and dishes and etc., to avoid
cross-contamination?

The rest of the home is also a concern.  With other children and
toddlers about, it's very hard to keep cleaned up every last cracker
crumb which my daughter might find.  We keep food confined to the dining
room and clean well after every meal and snack, but when a one-year-old
crushes a cracker and tosses crumbs everywhere, there's no way to be
sure of getting them all.  Both from the room, and from the child and
his clothing.  How do other parents with multiple children, or with
celiac children in daycare, deal with this?

  -- Angi