Dealing With A Gluten Allergy With Your Child

My youngest son has a Gluten allergy. Did we get any allergy testing done? No, we just did an elimination diet with him based on recommendation from a Naturopath. From this elimination diet (you limit certain well known allergens for a set amount of time and then introduce the allergens over time and look for symptoms) we discovered he is allergic to gluten and milk.

So, we try to balance out his gluten allergies by teaching him things to avoid and helping to keep things "normal" by buying gluten free replacements for him. We do the same for cow milk by avoiding it and going with milks like almond milk.

We are realistic though and not pushy with the allergy with other people. Meaning we do not go overboard to "protect" him from gluten. When asked we let people know he is allergic to gluten, it is not life threatening, but it does cause him discomfort in the form of eczema. Most noticeably around his face and his hands.

To deal with the occasional flare-ups we use a natural alternative that works well to help get his skin under control. It is not a miracle cure but it does relieve the dryness and chapped skin.

We use Coconut oil. He loves to use it himself now and likes to sneak eating a bit each time he puts it on which works for us. He is now taking care of himself when his breakouts flare-up and he is using a natural oil which from all the reading I have done is good for you.

So, if you have eczema or dry skin it can't hurt to try out some coconut oil yourself.

Do you have a kid with eczema from food based allergies? What have you done to help them? If you have any home remedies then I'd love to hear them.